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☆ Macron Says France Will Be 'Ruthless' Against Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS (Reuters) - France will firmly combat antisemitism, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, pointing to a surge in incidents of hatred against Jews since the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7 and subsequent fighting in the Gaza Strip. There have been 1,159 antisemitic acts in France since Oct. 7, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said earlier on Wednesday, more than three times the number of such acts in 2022. Those acts include spray-painting swastikas or stars of David on walls, but also insults and assault, Darmanin said, amid a global surge in antisemitic acts. "Antisemitism is resurfacing, in words, on the walls," Macron said in a speech. "The Republic does not and will not compromise, and we will be ruthless against those who carry that hatred."

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Gerald Darmanin, David, Darmanin, Macron, Ingrid Melander, Blandine Henault, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Layli Foroudi, Alex Richardson Organizations: PARIS, daubing, Le, Police Locations: France, Israel, Gaza, Republic, Europe, Russia

☆ Queen Camilla, Brigitte Macron play table tennis amid state visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

There were light moments too, with Queen Camilla and President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte, trying their hand at table tennis as French youngsters looked on. Here's the latest:* Camilla also tried her hand at weaving at French luxury house Chanel's 19M workshop, with Brigitte Macron and Chanel CEO Leena Nair watching. * Queen Camilla and French President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte played table tennis together at a sports centre outside of Paris - not that successfully. The royal couple and Brigitte Macron chatted with youngsters at the Saint-Denis sports centre. [1/9]Britain's Queen Camilla plays table tennis next to Britain's King Charles, Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron as they meet local youth sports associations in Saint-Denis near Paris, on the second day of their State visit to France, September 21, 2023.

Persons: King Charles, Queen Camilla, Emmanuel Macron's, Brigitte, Camilla, Brigitte Macron, Leena Nair, Charles, Germain, King Charles III ., Nasser Al, Khelaifi, Denis, Brigitte Macron chatted, Britain's King Charles, Emmanuel Macron, REUTER, Hannah McKay, Queen Elizabeth, France's, Macron, Dominique Vidalon, Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau, Michel Rose, Johnny Cotton, Michael Holden, Blandine, Sharon Singleton Organizations: French, Paris Saint, King Charles III . Club, Saint, Entente, Notre, Dame, Thomson Locations: Britain, France, Saint, Paris, British, Ukraine, entente, United Kingdom, Versailles

☆ Macron says French ambassador will stay in Niger, despite pressure from junta to leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron gives a speech in front of French ambassadors during the conference of ambassadors at the Elysee Palace, Paris, France, August 28, 2023. TERESA SUAREZ/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - France's ambassador to Niger will stay in the country despite pressure to leave from leaders of a recent coup, President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech to diplomats on Monday. Macron also reiterated France's support to Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, whose decision not to resign Macron called courageous. It's based on the courage of President Bazoum, and on the commitments of our ambassador on the ground who is remaining despite all the pressure, despite all the declarations made by the illegitimate authorities," said Macron. On Friday, Niger's junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, TERESA SUAREZ, Macron, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Sylvain Itte, Michel Rose, Blandine Henault, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Ingrid Melander Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Niger's, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Niger, French, United States, Europe

☆ Eleven dead in fire at French holiday home for disabled
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Tilman Blasshofer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WINTZENHEIM, France, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Eleven people died in a fire that tore through a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. A neighbour, Nathalie, told BFM TV that she heard people scream and saw huge clouds of smoke from her window. "Everything happened very quickly," an unnamed witness told France 3 TV. [1/5]Dark clouds are seen over the remnants of a holiday home in eastern France near Colmar where disabled people were killed as fire broke out during their summer holidays in Wintzenheim, France, August 9, 2023. Kielwasser told reporters it had likely been a low-level fire that had burnt for a while before growing bigger and tearing the house down.

Persons: Nathalie Kielwasser, Elisabeth Borne, Borne, Nathalie, BFM, Tilman Blasshofer, Philippe Hauwiller, Kielwasser, Daniel Leroy, Elizabeth Pineau, Zhifan Liu, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Blandine, Ingrid Melander, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum, Toby Chopra, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: France, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: WINTZENHEIM, France, Wintzenheim, Strasbourg, Colmar, Paris

PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) - France will evacuate French and European citizens from Niger, starting on Tuesday, its foreign ministry said, days after a junta seized power in the west African country. On Sunday, supporters of the junta burned French flags and attacked the French embassy in Niger's capital, Niamey, prompting police to fire volleys of tear gas in response. According to the French foreign ministry website, there were just under 1,200 French nationals in Niger in 2022. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer. But the juntas of neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea all voiced their support for the coup's leaders on Monday.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Catherine Colonna, BFM, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Bazoum, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Layli, Blandine Henault, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson Organizations: French, Regional, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: France, Niger, West, Central Africa, Russia, Niger's, Niamey, Russian, Sahel, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea

PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) - France plans to evacuate hundreds of French and European citizens from Niger over the next 24 hours, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, days after a junta seized power in the west African country. She estimated that hundreds of French citizens and hundreds of citizens from other EU countries wanted to be evacuated. The United States, Germany, and Italy have troops in Niger on counter-insurgency and training missions. Colonna said France had talked with authorities in Niger to make sure the evacuation could proceed safely. A spokesperson for the EU Commission said EU utilities had sufficient inventories of natural uranium to mitigate any short-term supply risks.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Catherine Colonna, France's, Colonna, France, DESTABILISATION, France's BFM, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Orano, Bazoum, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Layli, Blandine Henault, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Islamic, Kremlin, EU Commission, Nigerien, Regional, ECOWAS, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: France, Niger, West, Central Africa, Russia, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Sahel, Niger's, Niamey, Italy, United States, Germany, Russian, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea

☆ France riots subside as Darmanin faces Senate questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At the peak of the unrest, in the night of Friday to Saturday, police arrested more than 1,300 people. The situation began to quieten on Sunday, and on the night of Monday to Tuesday police arrested 81 people, according to the ministry. Messiha shut down his GoFundMe appeal for the officer's family late on Tuesday after a barrage of complaints and threats of legal action from left-wing parties and Nahel's family, TV channel BFM reported. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, known for his hardline positions on law-and-order issues, was scheduled to answer questions on the unrest at 4:30 p.m. (1430 GMT) on Wednesday in front of a Senate committee. ($1 = 0.9191 euros)Reporting by Blandine Henault and Jean-Stephane Brosse; Writing by Estelle Shirbon and Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nahel, Jean Messiha, Messiha, Gerald Darmanin, Olivia Gregoire, Blandine Henault, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Estelle Shirbon, Toby Chopra Organizations: France, Thomson Locations: North, Paris, Nanterre, France

☆ Macron says France will prepare 'end of life' bill this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He said the bill would build on the work of a group of 184 randomly appointed French citizens who have debated the issue since December. Macron did not say whether he wanted euthanasia or assisted suicide to be allowed in France or if the bill would include either or both. Assisted suicide - where medical personnel give someone the means to kill themselves - or voluntary euthanasia - where a physician plays an active role to end a person's life at that person's request - is allowed in several countries in Europe. Assisted suicide has been legal in Switzerland since the 1940s. Some other countries accept only passive euthanasia, where, at the patient's request, some medical treatments are stopped, causing the person's death.

☆ Airbus drops offer for stake in Atos unit, shares tumble
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, March 29 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) has decided not to make an offer for a minority stake in Atos' soon-to-be spun-off division Evidian, sending shares in the French IT firm down more than 15%. Its shares plunged on Wednesday after news that Airbus was dropping out of the Evidian deal to close 16.75% lower. "Atos takes note of Airbus' decision to no longer pursue the discussions it initiated in February 2023," it said in a separate statement. At that valuation, a 29.9% share stake in Evidian would have a price tag of 1.2 billion euros. Atos rejected last September an unsolicited offer from rival onepoint and UK private equity fund ICG at an indicative enterprise value of 4.2 billion euros ($4.1 billion).

☆ French prosecutors search bank offices over dividend stripping
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The PNF financial prosecution office said in a statement the probe was linked to so-called "cum-ex" dividend stripping, a trading scheme whereby banks and investors swiftly trade shares of companies around their dividend payout day. The searches by French prosecutors are the latest to hit global banks as similar investigations have been conducted in other European countries, including Germany. It was the highest-profile prosecution and longest sentence to date in a series of trials that have also convicted British bankers. It said six German prosecutors were also assisting the investigations. Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Blandine Hénault and Sudip Kar-Gupta; writing by Silvia Aloisi, Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Cars were torched in Paris and other French cities in the evening during otherwise peaceful demonstrations involving several thousand people. "Something fundamental happened, and that is that, immediately, spontaneous mobilisations took place throughout the country," hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said. Protests took place in cities including Toulon on Friday, and more were planned for the weekend. Macron will want to turn the page quickly, with government officials already preparing more socially minded reforms. Amid the unrest on Thursday evening, someone had tagged on a shop front: "Let's destroy what destroys us."

☆ Macron seeks French pension reform support as strikes run on
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - Strikes blocking fuel deliveries from French refineries ran into a sixth day on Monday, piling further pressure on President Emmanuel Macron as he races to shore up support for unpopular pension reforms in a final parliamentary vote. The last and crucial moment would then be a final vote, Thursday, both in the Senate and in the National Assembly. [1/3] A view shows the French oil giant TotalEnergies refinery in Donges near Saint-Nazaire, France, March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe 1 2 3Macron's party needs the support of Les Republicains in the National Assembly to ensure the bill is approved. Veran also echoed Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who has said she preferred a vote rather than using the 49:3 procedure, which refers to the related article in the French constitution.

☆ French Senate to open commission of inquiry into TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The French Senate will open a commission of inquiry into Chinese social media company TikTok to look into its use and strategy of influence, according to a statement from senator Claude Malhuret's office. The commission of inquiry will aim to shed light on whether TikTok promotes certain content in some parts of the world, excluding China, in order to undermine its foreign users or not, according to Claude Malhuret, the lead senator on the topic. It will also look into the platform's obligations in terms of protecting personal data. The commission, approved last night by a conference of the presidents of political groups in the Senate, will start working from March 1 with 19 members of the Senate. Reporting by Marine Strauss, Blandine Henault; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rothschild family plans to take its Paris-listed investment bank private
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Mathieu Rosemain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Plan to be submitted to shareholders on May 25Shares jump by 17% in early tradingPARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The Rothschild family is seeking to take its Paris-listed investment bank private, Rothschild & Co (ROTH.PA) said on Monday, sending the shares up by almost 17%. Concordia, the family-owned holding and Rothschild & Co's largest shareholder, is poised to file a tender offer for the investment bank's shares at 48 euros each, Rothschild said in a statement. The price represents a premium of 19% compared to Rothschild & Co's previous closing stock price as of Friday, at 40.25 euros. The Rothschild family owns about 55% of the company's shares, according to Refinitiv. Rothschild & Co said it would further inform the market on the private ownership plan on Feb. 13, when it reports full-year results.

☆ France braces for second nationwide strike against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"This reform is unfair and brutal," Luc Farre, the secretary general of the civil servants' UNSA union told Reuters. "Moving (the pension age) to 64 is going backwards, socially." Opinion polls show a majority of French oppose the reform, but President Emmanuel Macron and his government intend to stand their ground. The reform is "vital," Macron said on Monday during a visit to the Netherlands, adding that it would allow the pension system to keep working. Borne said the government was looking at the impact of the reform on the additional pension rights women normally get for having children.

☆ French refinery, metro strikes loom in clash over pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Blandine Henault | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Protestors and French CGT labour union workers attend a demonstration as part of a nationwide day of strike and protests to push for government measures to address inflation, workers' rights and pension reforms, in Paris, France, September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - France's CGT trade union on Thursday called for strikes in the refinery sector against plans to make people work longer before they can retire and Paris metro unions said they would do "everything they can" to stop the pension reform. The French will have to work two years longer, to age 64, before retiring, if the reform, announced by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Tuesday, is adopted by parliament. They will also need to work longer to get a full pension. "There is a right to strike, there is a right to demonstrate, but I think it is also important not to penalise the French," she said.

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