DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Why axolotls are everywhere — but a rarity in the one lake they call home
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“They’re teenagers, at least in appearance, until they die.”Mexico's Lake Xochimilco is the only spot where axolotls are found in the wild. Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu/Getty ImagesWhile the wild axolotls of Lake Xochimilco have dwindled to near-extinction, countless axolotls have been bred for scientific laboratories and the pet trade. However, the axolotls you might find at a pet shop are different from their wild relatives in Lake Xochimilco. That means that the axolotl extinction crisis can’t simply be solved by dumping pet axolotls into Lake Xochimilco. (Plus, the pet axolotls likely wouldn’t fare well with the poor habitat conditions in the lake.)

Persons: Randal Voss, Voss, “, ’ ”, Xolotl, “ ACK, uhl, ” Voss, Hector Vivas, they’re, Luis Zambrano, ” Zambrano, Daniel Cardenas, they’ve, Axolotls, Zambrano, axolotls, ”, ” Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, “, Aztecs, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Axolotl, Amphibians Conservation, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Mexican, Xochimilco, Mexico City, It’s, Lake Xochimilco, Mexico, French, Europe, California , Maine , New Jersey, Washington, Minecraft, Chicago

☆ Second French Warship Arrives in Red Sea Region - Army
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - A second French warship has arrived in the Red Sea region as part of efforts to ensure freedom of navigation, the French army said on Thursday. Many commercial shippers have diverted vessels to other routes following attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel and Hamas wage war in Gaza. The Languedoc warship has already been patrolling in the Bab al-Mandab straits since Dec. 8 alongside a U.S.-led international mission to protect ships from attacks. In a weekly briefing to reporters, the army said the Alsacewarship had crossed the Suez Canal and would continue its mission in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. "In close cooperation with the allies the French warships contribute to the respect of international law and freedom of navigation," the army said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, John Irish, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: PARIS Locations: French, Red, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Languedoc, U.S, Alsace, Suez, France

☆ Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In France, it was named the “Neapolitan disease” after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. A complex disease caused by a complex bacteriumWithout treatment, syphilis can cause physical disfigurement, blindness and mental impairment. Others believe T. pallidum bacteria always had a global distribution but perhaps grew in virulence after initially manifesting as a mild disease. Some bones had marks characteristic of infection with T. pallidum — the bacteria effectively eat away at bones, leaving concave lesions. “The modern tools available for extracting DNA from ancient samples, for enriching the treponemal DNA, and obtaining deep sequencing from samples has rapidly increased our understanding of the Treponema.”

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Treponema pallidum, ”, Brenda J, Baker, Jose Filippini It’s, Molly Zuckerman, wasn’t, ” Zuckerman, “, it’s, Columbus, Europe ’, Sheila A, pallidum, Verena Schünemann, Schünemann, Mathew Beale, Beale, ” Lukehart Organizations: CNN, Research, Arizona State University, Bioarchaeology Laboratories, Mississippi State University, University of Washington, University of Zurich’s Institute of Evolutionary, Wellcome Sanger, Columbus Locations: France, Naples, Italy, Europe, Americas, Brazil, New, Laguna, Santa Catarina, Africa, Columbus, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Asia, Cambridge, England

☆ Napoleon's long and costly invasion of Russia was one of the deadliest military operations in history
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Elias Chavez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

When Russia began illegally trading with England, Napoleon prepared to invade Russia. Napoleon amassed an army of 600,000, the largest army Europe had ever seen. After a failed invasion of Moscow, the French army retreated for 200 miles into the harsh Russian winter. AdvertisementAfter a coup d'etat of the French government in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte began his conquest of Europe. AdvertisementThrough a series of strategic retreats and slash-and-burn techniques by the Russian army, in addition to the harsh Russian winter, the largest army Europe had ever seen found themselves retreating from Moscow.

Persons: Napoleon, —, Napoleon Bonaparte, Bonaparte, Alexander I Organizations: Service, French Grand Army Locations: Russia, England, Europe, Moscow, France, Iberia, Spain, Great Britain, Britain, Russian

☆ France test-fires long-range ballistic missile in bid to boost nuclear deterrence
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Nov 19 (Reuters) - France has successfully test-fired an M51.3 long-range ballistic missile, boosting the credibility of France's nuclear deterrence capabilities, the defence ministry said on Sunday. It added that maintaining operational credibility of France's nuclear weapons is required given the international environment. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the West that he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. The M51.3 missile is an upgraded version of the M51, a three-stage sea-land strategic ballistic missile designed to be launched from French Navy submarines. The new M51.3 missile, which is expected to enter service around 2025, is developed by aerospace firm ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus (AIR.PA) and French defence group Safran (SAF.PA).

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Safran, Geert De Clercq, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Russia, French Navy, Airbus, Ballistic, Thomson Locations: France, Ukraine

☆ France Test-Fires Long-Range Ballistic Missile in Bid to Boost Nuclear Deterrence
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - France has successfully test-fired an M51.3 long-range ballistic missile, boosting the credibility of France's nuclear deterrence capabilities, the defence ministry said on Sunday. It added that maintaining operational credibility of France's nuclear weapons is required given the international environment. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the West that he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. The M51.3 missile is an upgraded version of the M51, a three-stage sea-land strategic ballistic missile designed to be launched from French Navy submarines. The new M51.3 missile, which is expected to enter service around 2025, is developed by aerospace firm ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and French defence group Safran.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Safran, Geert De Clercq, Hugh Lawson Organizations: PARIS, Russia, French Navy, Airbus Locations: France, Ukraine

When the water taps run, she says, "I have to choose between taking a shower or preserving my water supply.'' The water taps determine the rhythm of life in Mayotte, an island territory of about 350,000 people northwest of Madagascar. But even without drought, Mayotte's water system wasn’t capable of fulfilling local needs. The local water union blames the water rationing on lack of production capacity, not lack of water. But Mayotte’s water crisis underlines inequalities and often awkward relationships between the central government in Paris and former colonies that remain part of France.

Persons: ”, Philippe Vigier, Ben Issa Ousseni, “, Cyril Castelliti Organizations: European Union, Overseas Affairs, ., Local, Mayotte 1ère, AP Locations: Mayotte, Labatoir, Madagascar, Comoros, Combani, France, Paris, ___

☆ France Delivers Three Planes of Aid to Gaza, French Boats in Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS (Reuters) - Three French planes delivering 54 tonnes of aid for Gaza arrived in Egypt this weekend and France has three naval vessels in the eastern Mediterranean ready to respond to the evolving situation, senior officials said on Sunday. Israel has rebuffed repeated international calls for a ceasefire in the four weeks since fighters from Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, burst over the border, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 240 others hostage. The French aid was delivered over the weekend by two Airbus A400M planes, which are partially armoured, the French army said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This humanitarian cargo, which is destined for the civilian populations of the Gaza Strip, contains medicine, food aid, generators," the captain for one of the planes, Lieutenant Colonel Nicolas, said on Saturday morning before taking off. A French helicopter carrier, the Tonnerre, which has medical support facilities, and two naval vessels were in the Mediterranean, the French Army said on X.

Persons: Catherine Colonna, Sebastien Lecornu, Nicolas, Lecornu, Layli Foroudi, Jean Terzian, Andrew Heavens Organizations: PARIS, Airbus, Twitter . Defence, French Army Locations: Gaza, Egypt, France, Doha, Israel, French

☆ How 1880s technology made it possible for 2 women to travel around the world in under 80 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

In 1889, journalist Nellie Bly set off on a trip around the world, trying to make it under 80 days. "You see a huge emphasis being placed on building ships that were ever faster than the previous generation of ships," Goodman said. Once aboard the train, Bly began to receive telegrams from her editors and well-wishers. "Sometimes it literally literally just says, 'Nelly Bly's train,'" Behn said. For Behn, what Bly and Bisland did remains incredible and deserve to be remembered as much as Verne's story.

Persons: Nellie Bly, Elizabeth Bisland, —, Jules Verne's, Bly, Bisland, Adrien Behn, Matthew Goodman, Elizabeth Bisland's, Victoria, Augusta Victoria, Henry Guttmann, seasickness, Behn, San Francisco —, Bettmann, Goodman, John Mix Stanley, Said, Getty Images Bly, they'd, Alfred Touchemolin's, voyaged, She'd, James Buchanan, Joseph Pulitzer's, Nelly Bly's, Jules Verne, Thomas Cook, Fogg, Nelly, she'd Organizations: Service, Cosmopolitan, Atlantic, Hulton, Western, Central Pacific, Union Pacific, Union Pacific's Overland, Rockies, Railroad, US, Ships, Suez, Getty Images, Workers, SSPL, Headquarters, Thomas Cook &, Companies Locations: London, New Jersey, New York, California, Blackwell's, of, New York Harbor, Chicago, Omaha, Utah, San, Salt, Union, Iowa, San Francisco, Midwest, Between Nebraska, Sacramento , California, Sierra Nevada, Lake Jessie , North Dakota, Washington ,, Philadelphia, Suez, Europe, Asia, Africa, Britain, India, Port Said, Egypt, Yemen, commonwealths, British, Aden, Colombo, Penang, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ceylon, Yokohama, France, Germany, America, South China, Nevada, Russian Empire, East, North America, London's, Italy, Ireland, United States, Japan, China

☆ France to begin troop withdrawal from Niger this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Oct 5 (Reuters) - France will begin withdrawing its troops from coup-hit Niger this week after President Emmanuel Macron said last month he refused to be "held hostage" by the putchists and was ending military cooperation with the West African country. The decision to pull 1,500 troops from Niger leaves a gaping hole in Western efforts to counter a decade-long Islamist insurgency. In a statement on Thursday, the French Armed Forces Ministry said the troops would return to France and that the military exit should be complete by the end of the year. Niger was the West's last key ally in the central Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert until a July 26 coup brought in a military junta which called for France to leave. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Nicolas Delame; Editing by Richard Lough and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mahamadou, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Nicolas Delame, Richard Lough, Gareth Jones Organizations: French Army, REUTERS, Rights, West, French Armed Forces Ministry, Thomson Locations: France, Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, Russia

"The public in West African countries has become increasingly wary of hosting a Western military presence," said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at London-based risk firm Verisk Maplecroft. "The French exit from Niger will push Western troops further away from the central Sahel." The U.S. has refused to call the Niger takeover a coup, meaning it can avoid severing ties for now. Unlike France, American forces do not actively engage with Niger forces against Islamist militants and could be open to working within a transition to civilian rule. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the French military base in the capital calling for the troops' departure.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk, Emmanuel Macron, Russia's, Washington's, Defence Lloyd Austin, Washington, Nathaniel Powell, Joe Biden, Macron, Aissami Tchiroma, It's, Oxford Analytica, Paris, Jalel Harchaoui, John Irish, Edward McAllister, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Andrew Gray, George Obulutsa, Andrew Heavens Organizations: French Army, REUTERS, London, Russia's Wagner, Defence, Oxford, Protesters, France, Military, Royal United Services Institute, Thomson Locations: France, Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger PARIS, DAKAR, West Africa, West, Russia, United States, Libya, The U.S, Nairobi, American, West African, Afghanistan, AFRICA, French, Africa, It's, CHAD, GUINEA France, Chad, Paris, Sahel, Europe, Ukraine, Italy, Germany, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Gabon, London, Brussels

☆ A sneaky move at a Kremlin meeting may show why Putin took his time in eliminating Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

If so, the process of removing Prigozhin may have begun at a Kremlin meeting days after his uprising. On June 29, five days after the rebellion was called off, Putin gathered Prigozhin and his commanders in the Kremlin, according to a report in the Russian outlet Kommersant. "Reports of the meeting — and the lack of notable cases of dissension following Prigozhin's death — suggest that the meeting likely achieved its goals," Orr said. Chekalov, a senior deputy to Prigozhin, oversaw logistics, coordinating numerous Wagner activities and operations in Libya and Syria. ALEXEY DANICHEV/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesUnder Prigozhin, Wagner amassed a business empire using lucrative concessions from governments and backers in the countries where it operated.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexei Troshev, nodded affirmatively, Matthew Orr, RANE, Orr, Dmitry Utkin, Valery Chekalov, Anton Mardasov, Mardasov, ALEXEY DANICHEV, Prigozhin's, Pavel Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Kommersant, Reuters, French Army, Associated Press, Russia's Ministry of Defense, PMC Convoy, PMC Redut, Russian, Ministry of Defense, Getty, Belarusian Defence Ministry, Wagner PMC, SVR Locations: Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Tver, Eurasia, Prigozhin, Libya, Syria, Mali, Africa, East, Russia, Belarus, St . Petersburg, Saharan Africa, Ukraine, Osipovichi

☆ Marc Bohan, Head Designer for Dior for Three Decades, Dies at 97
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Alex Williams | More About Alex Williams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His death was confirmed in a statement by Dior. Because he worked in an era before fashion became mass entertainment, Mr. Bohan was not required to be visionary. “I’m not designing to please myself or for a photograph,” he told USA Today for a 1988 profile. I have always in mind the reaction of women I know.”Courtly, taciturn and immaculately dapper even by the standards of midcentury Paris, Mr. Bohan was 34 when he was appointed head couturier for the House of Dior in 1960, taking over for the maverick Yves Saint Laurent. Mr. Saint Laurent, then in his early 20s, had been called up by the French Army during the Algerian war for independence.

Persons: Marc Bohan, Christian Dior, Dior, Bohan, “, ”, immaculately, couturier, Yves Saint Laurent, Mr, Saint Laurent Organizations: USA, of Dior, French Army Locations: Châtillon, Seine, France, Paris

☆ Crowds Camp in Front of Niger French Army Base to Press for Troop Departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters have been camping outside a French military base in Niger's capital Niamey for the past six days to demand the troops' departure, the latest sign of swelling anti-French sentiment among supporters of a military coup in July. Relations between Niger and its former coloniser France have worsened since Paris declared the junta illegitimate, stoking anti-French sentiment. There have been calls for around 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger as part of a wider fight against an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel to leave the country. But the crowd in front of the French military has swelled and is showing no sign of leaving. On Friday, protesters celebrated Muslim midday prayers that are usually held in a mosque in front of the base.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Aissa Seyni, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Alex Richardson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger's, Niamey, Niger, France, Paris, headscarves

☆ Crowds camp in front of Niger French army base to press for troop departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nigerian army officers are seen as faithfuls perform their Friday prayers in front of the French army base in Niamey, Niger September 8, 2023. Relations between Niger and its former coloniser France have worsened since Paris declared the junta illegitimate, stoking anti-French sentiment. There have been calls for around 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger as part of a wider fight against an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel to leave the country. But the crowd in front of the French military has swelled and is showing no sign of leaving. On Friday, protesters celebrated Muslim midday prayers that are usually held in a mosque in front of the base.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Aissa Seyni, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, Niger's, France, Paris, headscarves

☆ Huge protests in Niger call for French forces to leave after coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Anti-French sentiment has risen in Niger since the coup but soured further last week when France ignored the junta's order for its ambassador, Sylvain Itte, to leave. Reuters reporters said it was the biggest gathering yet since the coup, suggesting that support for the junta - and derision of France - was not waning. France had cordial relations with ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and has about 1,500 troops stationed in Niger. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to Bazoum every day and that "the decisions we will take, whatever they may be, will be based upon exchanges with Bazoum." West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS has slapped sanctions on Niger and threatened military action as a last resort.

Persons: Mahamadou, Paris, Sylvain Itte, Yacouba, Mohamed Bazoum, Emmanuel Macron, Niger's, Bola Tinubu, Edward McAllister, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Police, France, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, Niger's, West, Central Africa, France, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Africa's, United States

☆ Niger junta expels French ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger." It said these included the envoy's refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger's new foreign minister. The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties.

Persons: Mahamadou, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's, Boureima Balima, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Anait Miridzhanian, Chris Reese, Andrew Heavens, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, French, Burkina Faso, Mali, France

☆ France's head of Notre-Dame renovation dies in accident while hiking
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] French Army General Jean-Louis Georgelin, in charge of Notre-Dame Cathedral reconstruction, stays at distance to answer journalists questions in Paris, France, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The man heading the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris following a devastating fire three years ago has died in an accident while hiking in the Pyrenees. General Jean-Louis Georgelin's death was reported by French media and confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron. Notre-Dame will be restored to its previous design, including the 96-metre (315-feet) spire designed by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the mid-1800s. Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jean, Louis Georgelin, Benoit Tessier, Notre, Dame de, General Jean, Louis Georgelin's, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Eugene Viollet, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Frances Kerry Organizations: French Army, Notre, Dame, REUTERS, Rights, Twitter, Olympic Games, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Pyrenees

☆ General in charge of Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral reconstruction dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Dalal Mawad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Paris CNN —The French army general appointed to oversee the reconstruction of Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral has died during a mountain walk. “The nation has lost one of its great soldiers,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. He described General Jean-Louis Georgelin, 74, as one of France’s “great servants” and “the architect of Notre Dame’s rebirth.”Reconstruction works of Notre-Dame cathedral as seen on July 5, 2023. Telmo Pinto/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesIn 2019, Macron appointed Georgelin to oversee the reconstruction of Notre Dame following a fire that devastated the cathedral. The cathedral is being restored to its previous design, including the wooden spire that collapsed during the blaze.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Jean, Louis Georgelin, “, ”, Notre, Telmo Pinto, Macron, Georgelin Organizations: Paris CNN, Notre Dame, Notre, Dame, Paris, CNN, Staff, of, Legion Locations: Notre, Ariege, Pyrenees

☆ West Africa bloc seeks ways to engage with Niger junta
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou/File PhotoDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West Africa's regional bloc kept up its search on Sunday for diplomatic ways to overturn last month's coup in Niger, while retaining the threat of military intervention amid a crisis that has sucked in global superpowers. U.S., French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger, in a region where local affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State have killed thousands and displaced millions. Western powers fear Russia's clout could increase if the junta in Niger follows neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which ejected the troops of former colonial power France after coups in those countries. Reporting by Edward McAllister; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, General Abdourahamane Tiani, erodes, Edward McAllister, Ingrid Melander, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, West African States, ECOWAS, Nigerian, al, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, DAKAR, West, Central Africa, United States, West Africa, U.S, al Qaeda, Mali, Burkina Faso, France

☆ West African regional group weighs next steps on Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou HamidouDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West African leaders were weighing their next moves on Saturday as they seek to overturn a military coup in Niger that has rocked the region but also triggered a groundswell of support in the country. The rally began at a French military base in the capital Niamey, then protesters with signs and flags spread onto surrounding streets. "Down with France.... Down with ECOWAS," referring to the Economic Community of West African States. It was not yet clear how long the ECOWAS force would take to assemble, how big it would be and if it would actually invade.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's, Human Rights Volker Turk, Edward McAllister, Ingrid Melander, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, ECOWAS, al, Islamic, Economic, West, Regional, African Union, European Union, United Nations, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, DAKAR, West Africa, West, Central Africa, U.S, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Russia, France, Down, West African States, United States

☆ Foreigners, some trained by the US, are fighting on both sides in Ukraine, seeking cash and adventure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The war in Ukraine has drawn foreign fighters to the armies on both sides. While Russia is recruiting mercenaries, Ukraine has become a magnet for volunteers who want to fight Russian aggression or find adventure. By mid-2022, after Ukraine formed its International Legion of Defense, 20,000 volunteers from 52 nations had joined, according to the Ukrainian government. A new study by Italian researcher Matteo Pugliese found a bewildering array of backgrounds and motivations among the members of Ukraine's International Legion, a battalion-sized force. Ukraine's International Legion of Defense has drawn volunteers from all over the world.

Persons: —, Nepalis, Vladimir Putin, Rahmatullah Alizadah, Matteo Pugliese, Pugliese, Abraham Lincoln, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Gurkha, Russian, Nepal Express, Nepalese Army, Getty, Moscow —, Legion of Defense, Spanish Civil War's, Brigades, Nazi, Ukraine's International, NATO, ISIS, Ukraine's, Legion, Defense, Ukraine, Facebook, Kyiv, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Nepal, Dubai, Russia, Britain, Europe, Kabul, Xinhua, Afghanistan, Spanish, Canada, Syria, Australia, Poland, North America, Latin America, American, Syrian, Forbes

☆ The Kremlin spent over $1 billion on Wagner's mercenary army just to see them capture a destroyed city and then turn around and invade Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin revealed that the Kremlin spent over $1 billion on the Wagner Group over the past year. The Moscow-funded mercenaries spent months capturing one almost totally destroyed city in Ukraine. Servicemen of the Wagner Group military company guard an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Private military companies like the Wagner Group are technically illegal in Russia. The potential for significant bloodshed was averted, but not before the Kremlin-financed Wagner Group managed to down several Russian aircraft and kill the pilots.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Milley, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, they'd, Antony Blinken, they've Organizations: Kremlin, Wagner Group, Service, Defense Ministry, Southern Military District, Private, Bakhmut, French Army, AP, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Reuters, Saturday, CBS News Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Concord, Rostov, Don, Africa, East, Donetsk, Mali, Belarus, Kyiv

☆ Jeddah, sleep, and a French plane, how Zelenskiy reached Japan's G7
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Ukrainians asked that President Zelenskiy be transported by the French army," a French presidential official said, adding that the decision had been made on Wednesday. "It was an opportunity for him to explain his position with countries he doesn't usually talk to," a second French official said. Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Macron in Hiroshima, Zelenskiy thanked France and said he had received "positive signals" from Arab states without elaborating. The aim, French officials said, was to sway their stances. A French government Falcon jet had taken Zelenskiy from Brussels to Poland in February after a European heads of state summit, the French officials said.

☆ Jeddah, sleep and a French plane: How Zelenskiy got to Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Ukrainians asked that President Zelenskiy be transported by the French army," a French presidential official said, adding that the decision had been made on Wednesday. "It was an opportunity for him to explain his position with countries he doesn't usually talk to," a second French official said. Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Macron in Hiroshima, Zelenskiy thanked France and said he had received "positive signals" from Arab states without elaborating. A French government Falcon jet had taken Zelenskiy from Brussels to Poland in February after a European heads of state summit, the French officials said. "A plane in the colours of the French Republic has arrived in Hiroshima," Macron tweeted after meeting Zelenskiy.

Search resuls for: "French Army"

25 mentions found