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☆ Macron Replaces Embattled Education Minister With Former Justice Minister Belloubet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - France announced a second batch of ministerial nominations on Thursday, with embattled Amelie Oudea-Castera stepping down as Education Minister and being replaced by former justice minister Nicole Belloubet. Oudea-Castera, a former high-flying tennis player, retains her role as Sports and Olympic Games Minister, the French Presidency said. Belloubet was justice minister from June 2017 until July 2020, when she was replaced by Eric Dupond-Moretti. She initially said she had taken her children off state schools to place them in a private Catholic institution because the state school had too often failed to replace missing teachers. The nominations come after Macron reshuffled his government in January.

Persons: Amelie Oudea, Nicole Belloubet, Belloubet, Eric Dupond, Moretti, Oudea, Castera, Gabriel Attal's, Macron, Dominique Vidalon, Michel Rose, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: PARIS, Sports, Olympic Games Minister, Olympics Locations: France

☆ Farmers in Europe Step up Protests Against Rising Costs, Green Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Farmers say they are not being paid enough, are choked by taxes and green rules and face unfair competition from abroad. French farmers have already won several concessions, including the government dropping plans to gradually reduce subsidies on agricultural diesel. On Wednesday, European Commissioners proposed limiting agricultural imports from Ukraine and greater flexibility on rules on fallow land in a bid to quell protests. In Italy, farmers have blocked traffic with hundreds of tractors near motorway access points near Milan, in Tuscany and elsewhere in recent days. While a deal looks possible on fallow land, the question of talks on a major trade deal with the Mercosur group is more contentious.

Persons: Marco Trujillo, Philip Blenkinsop PARIS, Adelin Desmecht, Gerald Darmanin, Bruno, Coldiretti, Le Maire, Abdul Saboor, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Gus Trompiz, Dominique Vidalon, Benoit van Overstraeten, Geert de Clercq, Charlotte van, Phil Blenikinsop, Alvise Arminelli, Ingrid Melander, Ros Russell Organizations: EU, South, Farmers, Mercosur, French Finance, European Commission, South American, Charlotte van Campenhout Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe, Brussels, Belgian, France, Paris, Belgium, Zeebrugge, Ukraine, Mercosur, Italy, Milan, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Amsterdam

☆ French Farming Protests Could Target Paris, Union Chief Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - Protests by French farmers demanding better working and living conditions could intensify and road blockades could target Paris, the head of the country's biggest farming union said on Wednesday. "I am not ruling out any option," Arnaud Rousseau, the head of the FNSEA farming union, said when asked by France 2 TV if the protests could disrupt the Paris region. The protests, heading into a second week after spilling over from neighbouring countries such as Germany, come as campaigning for European Union elections gathers pace. The protests have blocked many important transport networks in southern France this week, and there have been signs that they are spreading. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten and Andrew Heavens)

Persons: Arnaud Rousseau, Gabriel Attal, Sudip Kar, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Heavens Organizations: PARIS, European Union Locations: Paris, France, Germany

☆ Turkey expects to ratify Sweden accession to NATO 'within weeks', Swedish minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, November 28, 2023. SAUL LOEB/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Turkey has said it expects to ratify Sweden's long-delayed accession to NATO within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister told journalists on Wednesday. Some in the Western defence bloc had hoped Sweden's ratification would be completed by now for an accession ceremony to take place on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting. "The Turkish foreign minister (Hakan Fidan) didn't present a date but said 'within weeks'. He expected the ratification of Sweden's NATO protocol to be made within weeks.

Persons: Hakan Fidan, Tobias Billstrom, SAUL LOEB, Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's, Billstrom, Ingrid Melander, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Turkish, Swedish, NATO, NATO Headquarters, Rights, Kurdistan Workers, European Union, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Ankara, United States, Stockholm, Turkish

☆ Turkey Expects to Ratify Sweden Accession to NATO 'Within Weeks', Swedish Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey has said it expects to ratify Sweden's long-delayed accession to NATO within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister told journalists on Wednesday. But Tayyip Erdogan, president of NATO member Turkey, raised objections over what he said was the countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists. Some in the Western defence bloc had hoped Sweden's ratification would be completed by now for an accession ceremony to take place on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting. "The Turkish foreign minister (Hakan Fidan) didn't present a date but said 'within weeks'. He expected the ratification of Sweden's NATO protocol to be made within weeks.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's, Tobias Billstrom, Hakan Fidan, Billstrom, Ingrid Melander, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Heavens Organizations: NATO, Kurdistan Workers, European Union Locations: BRUSSELS, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Ankara, United States, Stockholm, Brussels, Turkish

☆ Netherlands to allow takeover of chip startup Nowi by Chinese-owned Nexperia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The Dutch government on Monday said that, after an assessment, it won't block Chinese-owned Nexperia's acquisition of Delft-based start-up Nowi. "There are no legal objections to the acquisition of Nowi by Nexperia," Economic Affairs Minister Micky Adriaansens said in a letter to parliament. Nexperia, owned by China's Wingtech (600745.SS), bought Nowi, which has around 40 employees, for an undisclosed sum in 2022. But the Dutch government decided to vet the deal retroactively in May 2023 after it established a new office to review foreign takeovers of potentially sensitive technologies. Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Micky Adriaansens, China's Wingtech, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Jan Harvey, Mark Porter Organizations: Economic, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Delft

☆ NATO to replace AWACS surveillance jets with modified Boeing 737
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A NATO AWACS surveillance plane is parked at the Romanian Air Force 90th Airlift Base, in Otopeni, Ilfov, Romania, January 17, 2023. With their rotating radar, the modified Boeing 737 jets can detect aircraft at a distance of more than 400 kilometres (250 miles). To replace the old AWACS jets, NATO aims to purchase six Boeing E-7 A Wedgetail planes, with the contract to be signed in 2024 and the first jet ready for operational duty by 2031. Based at Geilenkirchen airbase in Germany, the AWACS fleet has been widely used for NATO surveillance missions along the alliance's eastern flank in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine. In a conflict, the AWACS planes can not only provide a radar picture for allied fighter jets, ships and control centres, but also direct NATO combat jets to their targets.

Persons: George Calin, Jens Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Alex Richardson Organizations: NATO, Romanian Air Force 90th Airlift Base, REUTERS, Rights, Boeing, AWACS, Airborne, Thomson Locations: Otopeni, Ilfov, Romania, Rights BRUSSELS, Poland, United States, Britain, Turkey, Germany, Ukraine, Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq

☆ France issues arrest warrant against Syria's President Assad - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Nov 15 (Reuters) - French judges have issued arrest warrants for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and two other senior officials over the use of banned chemical weapons against civilians in Syria, a judicial source said on Wednesday. It is the first international arrest warrant that has been issued for the Syrian head of state, whose forces responded to protests that began in 2011 with a brutal crackdown that U.N. experts have said amount to war crimes. It is the first time international arrest warrants have been issued over the chemical weapons attack in Ghouta in 2013, says Mazen Darwish, lawyer and founder of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), which filed the case in France. In October, French judges issued warrants for two former defence ministers over a 2017 bomb that killed a French-Syrian man at his home in Daraa. Reporting by Layli Foroudi and Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten and Richard LoughOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Maher al, Mazen Darwish, Darwish, Layli Foroudi, Dominique Vidalon, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Richard Lough Organizations: Eastern Ghouta, Syrian Center for Media, United Nations, Organisation, Chemical Weapons, Thomson Locations: Syria, Douma, Eastern, Syrian, Ghouta, France, Daraa

☆ NATO allies condemn Russia's withdrawal from CFE treaty, will suspend its operation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's withdrawal is the latest in a series of actions that systematically undermines Euro-Atlantic security," said NATO in a statement. "Therefore, as a consequence, Allied States Parties intend to suspend the operation of the CFE Treaty for as long as necessary, in accordance with their rights under international law. This is a decision fully supported by all NATO Allies." Earlier on Tuesday, Russia had formally withdrawn from this landmark security treaty which limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the United States for undermining post-Cold War security with the enlargement of the NATO military alliance. Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Sudip Kar-GuptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexey Pavlishak, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Sudip Kar Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Conventional Armed Forces, Allied, NATO Allies, Gupta, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Yevpatoriya, Crimea, Russia, Rights BRUSSELS, Europe, CFE, United States

☆ One Dead as Storm Ciaran Hits France
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - Storm Ciaran left one person dead and 1.2 million households without electricity on Thursday with parts of Brittany and Normandy on red alert for strong winds and the rest of the northwest on orange alert, officials said. Transport Minister Clement Beaune told Fanceinfo radio that a truck driver died in the Aisne department, northeast of Paris when a tree fell on his truck. "This shows that even in regions that are not on red alert, there is a very high risk on the road," Beaune said. Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on social network X that the storm left 1.2 million de households without power. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)

Persons: Storm Ciaran, Alain Espinasse, Espinasse, Clement Beaune, Agnes Pannier, Runacher, Dominique Vidalon, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: PARIS, RTL, Transport, Energy Locations: Brittany, Normandy, Finistere, Raz, Aisne, Paris, Beaune

☆ Hitachi wins EU okay for $1.8 bln Thales deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Hitachi is seen at an office building in Zurich, Switzerland September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Hitachi Ltd FollowThales SA FollowBRUSSELS, Oct 30 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators said on Monday they cleared Hitachi's (6501.T) 1.7-billion-euro ($1.80 billion) bid for Thales' (TCFP.PA) GTS railway signalling business on condition the Japanese company sells assets in France and Germany, as it offered to do so. Reuters reported two weeks ago the European Commission was about to clear the deal. ($1 = 0.9434 euros)Reporting by Marine Strauss and Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Arnd, Marine Strauss, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: Hitachi, REUTERS, Companies Hitachi Ltd, Thales, Follow BRUSSELS, Reuters, Commission, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Hitachi's, France, Germany

☆ Protesters in Mideast vent fury at Gaza blast as Europe ups security
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied blame. In Tunis, protesters burned Israeli and American flags and demanded the expulsion of the U.S. and French ambassadors for what they termed their unconditional support for Israel. In Amman, deployed riot police pushed back thousands of Jordanian protesters planning to march on the heavily fortified Israeli embassy. 'REVENGE, REVENGE'The protesters voiced slogans backing Hamas, including "Revenge ... revenge ... O Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv." In Lebanon, security forces fired tear gas and water canon at protesters who were throwing projectiles as a protest near the U.S. embassy north of Beirut turned violent, footage broadcast by footage broadcast by Lebanese broadcaster al-Jadeed.

Persons: Jihed, Israel, “, ”, Ines Laswed, Nadia Sweilam, It's, Hesham Safieddine, Matteo Piantedosi, Tarek Amara, Suleiman al, Tom Perry, Benoit Van Overstraeten, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Wednesday, Islamic Jihad, Israel, West Bank, Hamas, Hezbollah, French Foreign, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Al, Ahli, Gaza, Tunis, Tunisia, Israel France, Lebanon, Europe, France, Israel, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, Amman, Rabia, Jordanian, Tel Aviv, U.S, Beirut, Lebanese, Palestinian, America, Hamas's, Versailles, Italy, Italian, Milan, Khalidi, Paris

They spoke after paying tribute to the victims of Monday's attack in the Belgian capital, home to the EU institutions, and condemning what they branded a brutal terrorist attack. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Europe's open-border Schengen zone would not survive unless the EU's external frontiers were better protected from unwanted immigration. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU also needed a more effective system of returning unauthorised immigrants. The 45-year-old gunman arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2011 and then lived in Sweden before claiming asylum in Belgium. EU migration ministers will discuss the plans in Brussels on Thursday, as will national leaders next week.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Alexander De Croo, Yves Herman Acquire, Margaritis Schinas, Abdesalem Al Guilani, RTBF, Abdesalem, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Johnny Cotton, Anna Ringstrom, Benoit van Overstraeten, Gabriela Baczynska, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Swedish, Belgian, REUTERS, Sweden's, EU, STV, European Commission, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Brussels, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Tunisia, Swedish, Belgian, Europe, Lampedusa, Israel

[1/8] Police barricade tape is seen at a cordoned-off area after a police operation in Schaerbeek near Brussels, Belgium October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Bart Biesemans Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Belgian police on Tuesday shot and wounded a 45-year-old Tunisian suspected of killing two Swedish football fans in Brussels, Belgian media said. Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said earlier the wounded man was suspected of being the gunman. The suspected gunman, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah. According to a media transcript of the video message recorded by the self-declared perpetrator, he said he had killed Swedes to take revenge in the name of Muslims.

Persons: Bart Biesemans, Annelies Verlinden, Verlinden, Philippe Close, BFM, Alexander De Croo, De Croo, de Croo, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Abdesalem Al Guilani, Philip Blenkinsop, Bart Meijer, Benoit van Overstraeten, Jan Strupczewski, Tassilo Hummel, Zhifan Liu, Ingrid Melander, Gerry Doyle, Christina Fincher, Nick Macfie Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Rights, Belgian, Islamic State, Red Devils soccer, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Belgian, Sweden, Israel

☆ EU to launch a humanitarian air bridge to bring aid to Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smoke rises in the air above Gaza following Israeli bombings, as seen from Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS/TIRANA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The European Union said on Monday it would launch a humanitarian air bridge operation consisting of "several flights" to Egypt aiming to bring supplies to humanitarian organisations on the ground in Gaza. "Palestinians in Gaza are in need of humanitarian help and aid, they cannot pay the prize of Hamas' barbarism," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference in Tirana. She noted that the EU had decided over the weekend to triple its humanitarian assistance, to over 75 million euros, to support civilians in need in Gaza. It has put Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total blockade and pounded it with unprecedented air strikes, and is widely expected to launch a ground assault.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, gunning, Benoit Van Overstraeten, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Gaza, EU, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, BRUSSELS, TIRANA, Egypt, UNICEF, Lebanon, Tirana, Israel's

☆ Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels; Belgium raises terror alert to top level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The likely motive for the attack was the Swedish nationality of the victims, the prosecutor said. The suspected assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the victims were Swedish. "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," de Croo said on X. France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.

Persons: Abdesalem Al Guilani, Alexander de Croo, de Croo, Gunnar Strommer, King, Yves Herman Acquire, Ulf Kristersson, Emmanuel Macron, Allahu Akbar, Al Guilani, hamdoulelah, Salam Aleykoum, Philip Blenkinsop, Marine Strauss, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Richard Lough, John Cotton, Gabriela Baczynska, Stephanie Lecocq, Tassilo Hummel, Benoit van Overstraeten, Tommy Lund, Jan Strupczewski, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Islamic State, Palestinian, European Commission, Belgian, Twitter, PM, Sweden's, Reuters, Swedish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, Belgian, Israel, Swedish, France, Islamic State

☆ Teacher killed in knife attack in school in northern France
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Pascal Rossignol | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] French police and fire fighters secure the area after a teacher was killed and several people injured in a knife attack at the Lycee Gambetta-Carnot high school in Arras, northern France, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol Acquire Licensing RightsARRAS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - A teacher was killed in a knife attack in a school in the northern France city of Arras on Friday and the investigation was handed to the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office. The regional Pas-de-Calais authority said the suspected assailant, who also wounded a second teacher and a school security guard in the attack, was arrested. The suspect was a Russian-born Chechen and former student of the Lycee Gambetta high school where the attack happened, a police source said. BFM TV also said the person killed was a French language teacher, while a sports teacher was stabbed and injured.

Persons: Lycee Gambetta, Carnot, Pascal Rossignol, Allahu Akbar, Martin Doussaut, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Samuel Paty, Mohammad, Layli Foroudi, Michel Rose, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Tassilo Hummel, Benoit van Overstraeten, Ingrid Melander, Richard Lough, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Lycee, REUTERS, Police, Reuters, du, Thomson Locations: Arras, France, ARRAS, Calais, Russian, French, Israel, Gaza, Paris, Chechen

Macron's interior minister had earlier banned pro-Palestinian protests, saying they were "likely to generate disturbances to public order". "This event is an earthquake for Israel, the Middle East and beyond," Macron said in a solemn TV address. BANNED RALLYDespite the ban, several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in central Paris in separate groups that police forces sought to keep from merging. Macron has previously condemned the deadly attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group and voiced solidarity with Israel. Two pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Paris had already been banned on Thursday for fear of outbursts when interior minister Gerald Darmanin told prefects to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country.

Persons: Gerald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Let's, Charlotte Vautier, Layli Foroudi, Antonoa, Noemie Olive, Michel Rose, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Mark Heinrich, Howard Goller Organizations: Hamas, la Republique, French, Socialist, Green, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, la, Paris, PARIS, France, Gaza

[1/4] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg walk on the day of a NATO Defence Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 11, 2023. On his first visit to NATO HQ since Russia's full-scale invasion in February last year, Zelenskiy said the coming cold months would be one of Ukraine's biggest challenges. Standing alongside Zelenskiy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "preparing once again to use winter as a weapon of war" by attacking energy infrastructure in Ukraine. "We need to prevent that, with more advanced and increased capabilities for air defence, we can make a big difference," Stoltenberg said. NATO defence ministers were to sit down with their Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in the NATO-Ukraine Council, established at the alliance's Vilnius summit in July.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Johanna Geron, Putin, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin, Stoltenberg, Lloyd Austin, Charles Q, Brown, Alexander De Croo, Rustem, Yoav Gallant, Marine Strauss, Andrew Gray, Idrees Ali, Sabine Siebold, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: NATO, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, Ukraine Defense Contact, Zelenskiy, Diplomats, Lloyd Austin and Air Force, U.S, U.S . Congress, Belgian, Ukraine Council, Israeli, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Ukraine, U.S, Washington, Kyiv, NATO, Vilnius, Finland, Estonia

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy is paying a visit to Belgium
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg walk on the day of a NATO Defence Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Zelenskiy is in Belgium this Wednesday, Belgian media reported, where a meeting of NATO defence ministers is taking place. After Spain, Belgium will hold the European Union's rotating presidency for six months starting Jan 1 2024. Zelenskiy came to Brussels after a visit to Romania, where he called for steps to ensure Russia does not turn the Black Sea into a "dead zone" for shipping after Moscow quit a deal allowing safe Ukrainian grain exports. Reporting by Marine Strauss, Andrew Gray; Editing by Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Johanna Geron, Rustem Umerov, Yoav Gallant, Jens Stoltenberg, Lloyd Austin, Charles Q, Brown, Zelenskiy, Marine Strauss, Andrew Gray, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: NATO, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, Rights, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Israeli, Contact, Diplomats, Lloyd Austin and Air Force, U.S, U.S . Congress, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Belgian, Ukraine, Vilnius, Finland, Estonia, Israel, Spain, Washington, Kyiv, Romania, Russia

☆ French authorities approve Apple's software update of its iphone 12
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A man poses with an Apple iPhone 12 in a mobile phone store in Nantes, France, September 13, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 29 (Reuters) - French authorities said on Friday they had approved Apple's AAPL.O software update of its iPhone 12 after a row over radiation levels of the device, which led France to suspend sales of the phones earlier this month. Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Dominique VidalonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Dominique Vidalon Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Nantes, France

☆ EU General Court rejects Valve's appeal against EU antitrust decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Valve Corp FollowBRUSSELS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The EU's General Court rejected on Wednesday the appeal lodged by U.S. distributor Valve Corp, owner of the world's largest video game distribution platform Steam, against a EU antitrust fine for blocking cross-border sales in Europe. "Online video games: the General Court confirms that geo-blocking of activation keys for the Steam platform infringed EU competition law," the Court said in a statement. Valve and 5 video game publishers received a 7.8-million-euro ($9.45 million) EU antitrust fine in January 2021. Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Charlotte Van Campenhout, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: Valve Corp, U.S, Valve, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe

☆ French authorities received a software update for Apple's iPhone 12 - ministry source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - French authorities have received a software update from Apple (AAPL.O) for its iPhone 12 and are reviewing it, a source at the French digital ministry told Reuters on Tuesday, as the U.S. tech giant sought to avoid any risk of a costly recall. France had threatened a recall if Apple had refused to do a software update. Apple launched the iPhone 15 earlier this month and the iPhone 12 is not available to buy from Apple directly. The iPhone 12 update is set to be similar to any of these regular software fixes. Apple pings iPhones for eligible software updates and users install them.

Persons: Apple, pings, Elizabeth Pineau, Supantha Mukherjee, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Ingrid Melander, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Apple, Reuters, World Health, Thomson Locations: U.S, France, Europe, Belgium

☆ Springboks still on track to win World Cup - coach Nienaber
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's lack of accuracy close to the Ireland tryline and off the kicking tee were major contributors to their epic 13-8 loss in a Rugby World Cup Pool B showdown on Saturday but the belief that they can win the World Cup still burns bright. By contrast, South Africa had numerous entries into the Ireland 22 but a mixture of excellent defence and their own inaccuracy proved costly as they slipped to a first World Cup defeat in nine games. "Hats off to Ireland, we missed a couple of points off the tee but I won't say it's only goal-kicking (that was the problem)," coach Jacques Nienaber said. "We lost two balls close to the Ireland tryline and we had another opportunity late on in the game. Nienaber said the defeat did not in any way diminish their belief that they could retain their World Cup crown.

Persons: Manie Libbok, scrumhalf Faf, Klerk, Jacques Nienaber, Nienaber, Siya Kolisi, haven't, Kolisi, Nick Said, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Marine Strauss, Clare Fallon Organizations: Ireland, Rugby, Springbok, Thomson Locations: Ireland, South Africa, Tonga, Marseille

☆ France's services sector contracts sharply in September - flash PMI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Eric Gaillard Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - France's dominant services sector contracted at an even sharper pace in September, a monthly survey showed on Friday, as falls in demand and new orders weighed on the euro zone's second-biggest economy. The flash September manufacturing PMI number came in at 43.6 points - also much lower than the 46.0 points in August and way off a Reuters poll forecast of an unchanged level. The August composite flash PMI number comprising both the services and manufacturing sectors stood at 43.5 points, down from the final 46.0 August composite number and well below a Reuters poll forecast of 46.0. Business activity has fallen sharply in both the service and manufacturing sectors in September, mainly due to a slump in demand for French products and services. It is important to note however that this will be almost entirely driven by the public service sector," Liebke added.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Norman Liebke, Liebke, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, P Global, Commercial Bank, French National Bank, Thomson Locations: Nice, France

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