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☆ Opinion: Why Gérard Depardieu hasn’t been ‘canceled’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Opinion Caroline Séquin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Accusers stepped forward in 2018, as the #MeToo movement was taking off. Victims of sexual violence, consequently, often say they feel less isolated than they used to. Join us on Twitter and FacebookThere is, perhaps, one way in which the detractors of the #MeToo movement have a point. All of them — colleagues, neighbors or blood relations — more often than not, are able to maintain their status and privilege of their professions, despite allegations of sexual violence. It remains unclear whether the French will at long last “cancel” Gérard Depardieu, even if one or both trials find him guilty of sexual violence.

Persons: Caroline Séquin, ”, Gérard Depardieu, Caroline Sequin, Depardieu, Jacques Chirac, “ Depardieu, —, Le Figaro, it’s, ” Depardieu, Emmanuel Macron, “ I’m, he’s, …, ” Macron, Carla Bruni, Nicolas Sarkozy, Harvey Weinstein’s, Sandra Muller, “, she’s, Le, Catherine Deneuve, men’s, that’s, MeToo, Camille Kouchner’s, ” Gérard Depardieu Organizations: Lafayette College, CNN, CNN —, Legion, Mediapart, France, Le Monde, French Interior Ministry, Twitter Locations: Easton , Pennsylvania, France, French, Colonial Senegal, CNN — France, United States, Familia Grande

☆ Coming Soon to Little Island: An Arts Festival With Powerful Backers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Javier C. Hernández | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Little Island, the $260 million park on the Hudson River that opened in 2021, was imagined as a haven for innovation in the performing arts. But the park’s cultural offerings — mostly sporadic, one-off works — have so far fallen short of those ambitions. Now Barry Diller, the billionaire media mogul who paid for the park, is setting out to deliver on the original vision, financing a robust, four-month annual performing arts festival on Little Island, the park announced on Monday. The festival, one of the most ambitious artistic undertakings in New York City in recent years, will promote new work in music, dance, theater and opera. “I want people to enjoy the originality and adventure of Little Island,” Diller said.

Persons: Barry Diller, Scott Rudin, Diller, Twyla Tharp, Mozart’s, Figaro, Anthony Roth Costanzo, “, ” Diller Locations: Little, New York City

☆ Trump 'hasn't got the brains' to be a dictator, his ex-national security advisor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewDonald Trump's ex-national security advisor, John Bolton, said the former president "doesn't have the brains" to be a dictator in a recent interview with French daily Le Figaro. He added: "Regarding the possibility of overthrowing the Republic, let's be clear: Donald Trump is not Julius Caesar!" But after revelations from his memoir undercut a key part of President Donald Trump's impeachment defense , allies of Trump denounced Bolton. For Trump, Bolton said: "Everything is episodic, anecdotal, transactional. And everything is contingent on the question of how this will benefit Donald Trump."

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, John Bolton, doesn't, Figaro, let's, Donald Trump, Julius Caesar, Bolton, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, it's, Le Figaro, — Bolton, Sean Gallup, Republican Party's Organizations: Service, Trump, Business, Republican, Fox News, Bolton, NATO, Getty Locations: Bolton, Republic, American, Mar, Russia

☆ Philippe de Gaulle, Admiral and Son of Charles de Gaulle, Dies at 102
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Adam Nossiter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Adm. Philippe de Gaulle, the oldest child of the French wartime leader and former president Charles de Gaulle, died on Wednesday in Paris. His death was confirmed by the Élysée Palace, the seat of the French presidency. His son Yves told the newspaper Le Figaro that he died “on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday” at the Institution Nationale des Invalides, the historic French veterans hospital in central Paris. The French Navy’s official Twitter account said Admiral de Gaulle died on Wednesday. Admiral de Gaulle spent his life in the shadow of his father, France’s wartime savior and the founder of its Fifth Republic, despite his own illustrious record in the French Resistance and his distinguished military career afterward.

Persons: Philippe de Gaulle, Charles de Gaulle, Yves, Le Figaro, “, de Gaulle, Admiral de Gaulle Organizations: des, French, Fifth, Resistance, Palais Bourbon Locations: Paris, Fifth Republic

☆ Europe's far right joins rallying cry against antisemitism, unsettling some Jews
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Sandrine Rousseau, a Green lawmaker, said Le Pen's presence had made her uncomfortable. "Marine Le Pen was given rounds of applause several times in the march," a source close to her told Reuters. "For me, the DNA of the far right is antisemitism. But analysts say Le Pen and her party are succeeding in shifting public discourse and perceptions. "Voters are led to believe that the danger no longer comes from the far right, but from political Islam."

Persons: –, Le Pen's, Jean, Marie, Le, Pen, Le Pen, Daniel Levy, Sandrine Rousseau, Giorgia, Marie Le Pen's, Serge Klarsfeld, Yonathan Arfi, Richard Sulzer, Olivier Veran, pollster Levy, Michel Rose, Elizabeth Pineau, Juliette Jabkhiro, Angelo Amante, Sarah Marsh, Rachel Armstrong, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, Rassemblement, National Front, pollster Harris Interactive, Reuters, Rassemblement National, Conservative Party, Le Figaro, Voters, Thomson Locations: France, Israel, Palestinian, Paris, PARIS, Europe, Italy, Germany, Britain, EUROPE, Nazi, constituencies, Rome, Berlin, London

☆ A Former French President Gives a Voice to Obstinate Russian Sympathies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Roger Cohen | More About Roger Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS — Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, was once known as “Sarko the American” for his love of free markets, freewheeling debate and Elvis. Of late, however, he has appeared more like “Sarko the Russian,” even as President Vladimir V. Putin’s ruthlessness appears more evident than ever. “European interests aren’t aligned with American interests this time,” he added. His statements, to the newspaper as well as the TF1 television network, were unusual for a former president in that they are profoundly at odds with official French policy. They provoked outrage from the Ukrainian ambassador to France and condemnation from several French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron.

Persons: PARIS — Nicolas Sarkozy, Elvis, Vladimir V, Mr, Sarkozy, ”, me Vladimir Putin isn’t, I’ve, Le Figaro, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: European Union, NATO, TF1 Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Russia, France, Ukrainian

☆ French lawmakers raise strategic concerns over Atos sale to Kretinsky
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Atos is seen on a company building in Nantes, France, March 11, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File PhotoPARIS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Talks to sell parts of French company Atos (ATOS.PA) to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky are raising concerns among some French lawmakers, who say the deal risks undermining the independence of France's nuclear deterrence. Lawmakers cannot block a sale of a French company, only the government can if it considers there is a strategic reason for doing so. The lawmakers questioned why an alternative French buyer, a consortium of French companies Astek and ChapsVision, who were reported in French media to have been interested, were not given more consideration. A source close to Astek said Atos's cybersecurity business also hosted other sensitive assets crucial to French intelligence interests.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Daniel Kretinsky, Atos, Thursday's, Figaro, Cedric Perrin, Kretinsky, Perrin, Astek, Atos's, Michel Rose, Mathieu Rosemain, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Les, Kretinsky, Casino, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nantes, France, Czech, Europe

☆ Europe’s Economy Expanded in Spring, and Inflation Has Eased
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Melissa Eddy | More About Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Gross domestic product in the eurozone grew 0.3 percent in the second quarter of 2023, a stronger result than predicted by economists. Italy, Austria and Latvia all saw output fall in the second quarter. Inflation across the eurozone dipped to an annual rate of 5.3 percent in July, down from 5.5 percent the previous month. “On the whole, the eurozone economy recorded another underwhelming quarter,” said Ricardo Amaro, a senior economist at Oxford Economics. He noted that “the second half of the year is likely to be as underwhelming, if not more than the first half, with the eurozone economy risking stagnation or worse.”

Persons: ”, Fritzi, KfW, Christine Lagarde, What’s, Lagarde, ’, Ricardo Amaro Organizations: Gross, European Central Bank, Oxford Economics Locations: Germany, Europe’s, Ukraine, Germany’s, Italy, Austria, Latvia, Spain, France, Europe, Russia

☆ ECB's Lagarde says latest growth data 'encouraging'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FRANKFURT, July 30 (Reuters) - Latest data about economic output in France, Germany and Spain is "quite encouraging" and confirms the European Central Bank's expectations, ECB President Christine Lagarde said in an interview published on Sunday. "The second quarter GDP figures for France, Germany and Spain are quite encouraging," Lagarde told French daily Le Figaro. "They support our scenario of GDP growth of 0.9% in the euro area this year." Reporting by Francesco Canepa; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Figaro, Francesco Canepa, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, France, Germany, Spain

☆ The Los Angeles Opera, Post-Plácido Domingo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Adam Nagourney | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It survived the downturn without running a deficit, relying on salary reductions, a handful of layoffs, a $5 million five-year loan against the endowment, and federal aid. Domingo’s downfall stunned Los Angeles and its opera company, which had been so closely identified with the star tenor, who had been singing there since the 1960s and was instrumental in the creation of the company. It is difficult to say precisely whether attendance was affected by the departure of Domingo, given that the coronavirus shutdown followed so soon afterward. For many years his performances had drawn the biggest crowds, and his image was as integral to the company’s marketing as Gustavo Dudamel’s is for its neighbor, the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “It is unmistakably a loss because he’s such a titanic figure in the world,” Koelsch said.

☆ Pretty Yende, South African opera star will perform at King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Gertrude Kitongo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —“Pretty, are you sitting down?” South African soprano Pretty Yende was performing in Vienna last December when she received a call from her manager. She had just been booked for the biggest gig of her life: a performance at the coronation of King Charles III. As one of three soloists at the ceremony, it’s thought that Yende is the first African to be invited to perform solo at a British coronation. The coronation will not be the first time King Charles has watched Yende perform; he saw the soprano sing at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 75th anniversary gala, held at Windsor Castle in April 2022. Pretty Yende performs in "Lucia Di Lammermoor" at the Bastille Opera House in Paris in October 2016.

☆ Fact Check-Video of Emmanuel Macron hit with egg dates to 2017, not tied to pension protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video clip showing an egg flung at French President Emmanuel Macron while he stands in a crowd dates back to 2017, contrary to claims linking it to protests sparked by pension reforms Macron signed into law in April 2023. On April 15, Macron signed a bill that “will progressively push up the age for drawing a state pension to 64 from 62,” Reuters reported, and which is due to take effect from Sept. 1 (here). “France President Macron: attacked with eggs during a public appearance after pension reform was approved,” reads the caption of a Facebook post sharing the video (here). The earliest iteration of the video Reuters could find was shared by French TV outlet Le Petit Journal on Facebook on March 1, 2017 (here). Video shows egg thrown at Emmanuel Macron in 2017, not April 2023.

It was a far cry from the barbs Macron traded with Boris Johnson when he was in Downing Street. The French foreign minister at the time, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said France had been "stabbed in the back". Macron's hardball tactics to ensure French fishermen got a good deal had made him the bete noire of British tabloids. But even before news of the AUKUS deal he was incensed by Johnson's decision to leak details of their conversation to the press, a French official said. A French official let out a sigh of relief after it wrapped up: "It went well, didn't it?"

☆ French Roald Dahl publisher says 'non' to text changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - French publisher Gallimard said it had no intention of making changes to translated versions of children's books by the late British novelist Roald Dahl, unlike the author's UK publisher. No," Hedwige Pasquet, director of Gallimard Jeunesse, said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. The role models of Matilda, a book-loving child prodigy, were also changed to include a female author. The Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the copyrights and trademarks of Dahl, said it was not unusual to review language when reprinting books, and described any changes as “small and carefully considered”. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke out against the changes, saying "it's important that works of literature and works of fiction are preserved and not airbrushed."

PARIS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - LVMH (LVMH.PA) top label Louis Vuitton said on Tuesday it has hired Pharrell Williams to head artistic direction of its menswear designs, tapping a popular figure from the music industry to fill the high-profile position left vacant since the passing of star designer Virgil Abloh over a year ago. "Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome @Pharrell as its new Men’s Creative Director", Louis Vuitton said in a tweet, confirming earlier reports from the Wall Street Journal and the French daily Le Figaro. loadingWilliams' first collection for the label will be shown in June during Men's Fashion Week in Paris, the brand added. Williams rose to fame in the music business as a producer and singer with hits including "Happy" and "Blurred Lines." "Happy," written for the animated movie "Despicable Me 2," earned Williams one of his two Oscar nominations.

☆ The 19th-century 'miracle' heart relic of holy French woman and no trace of disease, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists found no trace of disease in the preserved heart of a French woman who a pope beatified. Pauline Jaricot, whose health was poor, was supposedly "cured" after a visit with the Pope in 1837. Some members of the Catholic Church see the recent findings as a sign of a miracle. Despite living with poor heart health for most of her life, Catholics have said a visit to Pope Gregory XVI in 1837 miraculously "cured" her of heart disease. "No evidence that was inconsistent with natural and spontaneous conservation not mediated by the hand of man, which can be considered a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church, could be retrieved," the scientists said.

TOKYO/PARIS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - French car maker Renault (RENA.PA) and its Japanese partner Nissan Motor (7201.T) aim to formally unveil a deal to reshape their alliance in London on Feb. 6, two sources close to the matter told Reuters on Thursday. Renault has consistently declined to comment publicly about the talks with its Japanese partner, while a spokesperson for Nissan declined to comment on Thursday. French newspaper Le Figaro reported late on Wednesday that the companies would announce 4 to 5 joint projects to relaunch the alliance. The future shape of the Franco-Japanese alliance has implications for both companies as well as their junior partner, Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T). Renault, for instance, has said it will partner with companies from China's Geely Automobile Holdings (0175.HK) to semiconductor giant Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O).

☆ French city asks Madonna to lend it a painting lost during WW1
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The “Diana and Endymion” painting by Jerome-Martin Langlois. Amiens, where French President Emmanuel Macron was born, is a candidate to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. “We do not dispute in any way the legal acquisition that you have made but we are candidates to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. So I would like that on this occasion, this year, you could lend us your painting,” Amiens mayor Brigitte Foure said in a video posted on Facebook. Foure said the painting was probably lent to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before World War One, after which Amiens lost trace of it.

☆ French city asks Madonna to lend it a painting lost in 1918
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The "Diana and Endymion" painting by Jerome-Martin Langlois, which depicts Roman goddess Diana looking lovingly at the handsome Endymion, was once on display in an Amiens museum but was lost after Germany bombed the city in 1918. Amiens, where French President Emmanuel Macron was born, is a candidate to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. "We do not dispute in any way the legal acquisition that you have made but we are candidates to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. So I would like that on this occasion, this year, you could lend us your painting," Amiens mayor Brigitte Foure said in a video posted on Facebook. Foure said the painting was probably lent to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before World War One, after which Amiens lost trace of it.

☆ Factbox: European companies cut jobs as economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Stephane MaheJan 17 (Reuters) - Decades-high inflation and the impact of war in Ukraine have forced companies across Europe into lay-offs or hiring freezes. * HUSQVARNA (HUSQb.ST): the garden equipment and tools maker announced in late October it will cut 1,000 jobs, the vast majority of them related to the shift from petrol to battery-powered tools. * SIEMENS GAMESA (SGREN.MC): the Spanish wind turbine maker in late September said it plans to cut 2,900 jobs, mostly in Europe, as part of a plan to return to profitability. * CLAS OHLSON (CLASb.ST): the Swedish hardware store chain said in December it would cut about 85 full-time jobs amongst other measures to deliver cost savings and reduced depreciation. BANKS AND FINANCIALS* KLARNA: Dagens Industri reported in May the Swedish payments company would lay off about 10% of its 7,000 employees.

From September this year, the regular retirement age will increase by three months a year until 2030. The higher retirement age should tackle a pension funding deficit, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne told reporters on Tuesday as she laid out the reforms. Revamping the pensions system has been a key element of French President Emmanuel Macron’s election campaigns. In the United States and the United Kingdom, the retirement age is between 66 and 67, depending on the year in which you were born. An earlier attempt by Macron to revamp the pensions system was met with nationwide strikes in 2019 before being abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic.

☆ Iranian chess player was warned not to return to Iran after competing without hijab -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Elwely Elwelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Chess - FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships - Rapid Women - Almaty, Kazakhstan - December 28, 2022. Sara Khadem of Iran sits in front of a chess board. REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevDUBAI, Jan 3 (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player arrived in Spain on Tuesday after receiving what a source close to her said were warnings not to return to Iran for competing without a hijab at an international tournament in Kazakhstan. Sara Khadem, born in 1997, took part in last week's FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty without the hijab - a headscarf mandatory under Iran's strict dress codes. The source also said Khadem's relatives and parents, who are in Iran, had also received threats, without giving further details.

☆ Factbox: FACTBOX European companies cut jobs as economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Evgenia NovozheninaDec 7 (Reuters) - Decades-high inflation and the impact of war in Ukraine have forced companies across Europe into lay-offs or hiring freezes. * FINNAIR (FIA1S.HE): the Finnish airline will cut about 150 jobs, of which 90 are in its home country, as part of a plan to return to profitability. * MICHELIN (MICP.PA): the tyre maker plans to cut up to 1,600 jobs in France, fewer than the 2,300 estimated in its initial voluntary redundancy plan as it seeks to safeguard production. * HUSQVARNA (HUSQb.ST): the garden equipment and tools maker will cut 1,000 jobs, the vast majority of them related to the shift from petrol to battery-powered tools. * H&M (HMb.ST): the Swedish fashion giant, which employs roughly 155,000 people, will cut some 1,500 jobs as part of a 2 billion crown ($189.5 million) savings drive.

☆ Factbox: European companies cuts jobs as economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

☆ The secrets behind these Christmas movie classics
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ was supposed to be a flop"A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a beloved special, but those involved in its production worried that they'd created a dud. Classic songs were reused, rewritten and dubbed for ‘White Christmas’"White Christmas" is a movie that has a lot of behind-the-scenes lore. Paramount/Kobal/ShutterstockThe 1954 film “White Christmas” is brimming with behind-the-scenes lore, especially when it comes to the music. The animators behind 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” used about 400 different hand-sculpted heads to bring Jack Skellington to life. Michael Caine did a literal balancing act during ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’The Ghost of Christmas Present, left, and Michael Caine, right, in 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

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