In this April 1, 2016 file photo, the French flag above the skyline of the French capital with the Eiffel Tower, The Invalides Dome and roof tops are seen from the colonnade of the Pantheon Dome in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Paris city hall has been fined 90,000 euros ($109,408) for having appointed too many women to top positions in 2018, in breach of a law aimed at ensuring gender balance.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo denounced the fine as “unfair” and “absurd” on Tuesday during a meeting of the city council.
In 2018, 11 women and 5 men — who represent just over 30% — were appointed to top positions in the Paris city hall, leading the Civil Service Ministry to impose the fine.
A 2013 law, meant to ensure that women get better access to senior jobs in the civil service, requires a minimum of 40% of appointments for each gender.
Since then, the law has been changed to provide for exceptions to nominations when the gender balance is respected overall.
In Paris city hall, 47% of all civil servants in senior positions are women.
“Yes, we need to promote women with determination and vigor because everywhere, France is still lagging behind (on that issue),” Hidalgo said.
Millions of Social Security recipients will get a 3.2% increase in their benefits in 2024, far less than this year's historic boost and reflecting moderating consumer prices.
Palestinians in Gaza lined up outside bakeries on Thursday after spending the night in pitch darkness surrounded by the ruins of pulverized neighborhoods, as Israel launched new airstrikes and said it was preparing for a possible ground invasion.
Republicans on Wednesday nominated Rep. Steve Scalise to be the next House speaker and will now try to unite around the conservative in a floor vote to elect him after ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the post.
The number of U.S. citizens confirmed to have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war has risen to at least 22 with at least 17 more Americans unaccounted for, the State Department said Wednesday. That's an increase in the death toll from 14 the day before, in a war that has already claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides.
The Israel-Hamas war is now in its fifth day with Israeli officials saying at least 1200 people have been killed in the country, including 150 soldiers. President Joe Biden has confirmed at least 14 Americans are among the dead.
