France to toughen sex assault laws, but stops short of legal age of consent

France's lower house of parliament has voted to toughen laws on the rape of minors, but stopped short of setting a legal age of sexual consent.

During a heated debate which ended early on Wednesday, MPs decided against creating what would have been France's first law on a legal age below which a minor cannot agree to a sexual relationship with an adult. The proposal was the age of 15.