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☆ New Caledonia unrest: Tourists stranded and desperate as Macron arrives in strife-torn French territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Other Australians stranded have had to go scrounge coconuts to eat,” he said. Maxwell Winchester and his wife, an Australian couple stranded in New Caledonia after the unrest broke out. But Winchester said he and other tourists have no sense of when it might be their turn. People line up at a store for supplies in New Caledonia, with larger supermarkets nearby burned and looted during the riots on the French territory. And among the stranded tourists, frustration is growing over what they say is a lack of assistance or clear instructions from their governments.

Persons: Maxwell Winchester, it’s, We’ve, ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, “ We’re, Winchester, Macron, Prisca Thevenot, Theo Rouby, we’re, – Organizations: CNN, ”, New Zealand, Facebook, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealanders, Olympic, Paris Olympic Games, ” CNN, Getty Locations: South, New Caledonia, Victoria, Australian, ” Australia, New, Brisbane, Australia’s, ”, Brisbane , New Caledonia, Paris, France, “, Winchester, Noumea , New Caledonia, AFP, French

☆ Can European Recognition Bring Palestinian Statehood Any Closer?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Roger Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The decision by Spain, Norway and Ireland to recognize an independent Palestinian state reflects growing exasperation with the Israel of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even from traditional friends, and suggests that international pressure on him will grow. It does not, however, make it inevitable that other larger European states will follow suit. This year President Emmanuel Macron of France has said such recognition is “not a taboo,” a position reiterated by the French Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. “This decision must be useful, that is to say allow a decisive step forward on the political level,” Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in a statement about potential recognition. “France does not consider that the conditions have been met to date for this decision to have a real impact on this process.”

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Emmanuel Macron, David Cameron, Stéphane Séjourné, “ Organizations: French Foreign Ministry Locations: Spain, Norway, Ireland, Israel, France, Palestinian, Europe, United States, “ France

☆ French Leader Heads to Pacific Outpost Gripped by Deadly Unrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Pete Mckenzie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Emmanuel Macron of France is making a surprise trip to New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific that has been gripped by deadly unrest for more than a week, to hold talks with pro-independence leaders. Six people have died and hundreds have been injured since demonstrations by the Indigenous Kanak people turned violent early last week. Some local leaders expressed doubts that Mr. Macron, who is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, could defuse the tensions. Many in the Kanak community have accused Mr. Macron and France of reneging on an agreement that had put New Caledonia on a possible path to independence. Mr. Macron has refused calls to withdraw the amendment.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Jimmy Naouna Organizations: South Pacific Locations: France, New Caledonia, South, Indigenous, reneging

☆ Brad Paisley and Howard Gospel Choir to be the entertainment for state dinner as Bidens highlight US-Kenya ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Betsy Klein | Samantha Waldenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

US President Gerald Ford dances with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during a state dinner in Washington, DC, in 1976. Jason Reed/Reuters The White House's State Dining Room is seen ahead of a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018. Paisley first performed at the White House in 2009 during the Obama administration as part of a music series. “Tomorrow night we’ve created an experience that will feature the beautiful scenes of the White House and the Washington Monument that few get to enjoy,” White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo said. Event planner Bryan Rafanelli also helped the White House plan for the state dinner.

Persons: Brad Paisley, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, William Ruto, Rachel Ruto, “, Howard, “ Brad Paisley, Dr . Biden, Ruto’s, Biden, Ruto, ” Biden, George W, Bush, Gerald Ford, Queen Elizabeth II, Ricardo Thomas, Gerald R, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Enrique Penaranda, Penaranda, Matthew Costello, George R, Nikita Khrushchev, He's, Nina, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Mamie Eisenhower, Costello, John F, Kennedy, Habib Bourguiba, Jackie, Moufida, Bill Allen, Lyndon B, Johnson, Errol W, Barrow, Carolyn, Richard Nixon, Leonid Brezhnev, Charles Tasnadi, Betty Ford, Jordan's King Hussein, David Hume Kennerly, Betty Sherrill, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Carter, Deng Xiaoping, Cho Lin, Carter, Nancy Reagan, Indira Gandhi, Mikhail Gorbachev, Joe DiMaggio, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Boris Yeltsin, Naina, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Barbara, Dirck Halstead, Singer Whitney Houston, Nelson Mandela, Ron Sachs, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Mandela, Zindzi, Wally McNamee, Corbis, Bill Frist, Lynne Cheney, Dick Cheney, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Laura Bush, Prince Philip, Itzhak Perlman, Saul Loeb, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Manmohan Singh, Gursharan Kaur, Pete Souza, White, Obama, Singh, Jason Reed, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Macron, Brigitte, Jabin, Scott Morrison, Joshua Roberts, Paisley, ‘ Wake, Martin Luther, ’ ”, ” Jill Biden, we’ve, Carlos Elizondo, Cris Comerford, Bryan Rafanelli, April’s, Fumio Kishida, Yuko Kishida, CNN’s Sam Fossum Organizations: Washington CNN —, Howard Gospel Choir, White, CNN, Kenyan, Ford Presidential Library, United, White House, Historical Association, Washington Post, Getty, Barbados, AP, Indian, New York Times, Singer, South, Trump, Australian, Paisley, Japanese Locations: Kenya, United States, ”, Ghana, Africa, Russia, Namibia, Washington , DC, Bolivian, Soviet, George H.W ., toasts, Nashville, Washington

☆ With Troubles at Home, Macron Pops Up 10,000 Miles Away
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Catherine Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Emmanuel Macron of France has a lot to manage. The last place many expected Mr. Macron to be was on a plane to one of France’s territories in the Pacific, where riots have exploded all week. “I come here with determination to work toward restoring peace, with lots of respect and humility,” he said when he arrived. The riots were set off by the prospect of a vote last week in the National Assembly in Paris to expand voting rights in the territory. Many in the local Indigenous population worry that the law would hamper the long process toward independence.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, ” Organizations: Olympic Games, National Assembly Locations: France, Paris, New Caledonia

☆ New Caledonia: French President Emmanuel Macron heads to violence-hit Pacific territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Edward Szekeres | Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —French President Emmanuel Macron is on his way to New Caledonia, a government official has said, after a week of deadly unrest in the Pacific archipelago. Macron was leaving Paris on Tuesday night and will “set up a mission” in the French territory, government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot told a press conference, without giving further details. He will be accompanied by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and Overseas Minister Marie Guévenoux, Darmanin told the National Assembly. Darmanin also told the French legislature the number of police and gendarmes in New Caledonia would soon reach 3,000. Lying in the South Pacific with Australia, Fiji and Vanuatu for neighbors, New Caledonia is a semiautonomous French territory — one of a dozen scattered throughout the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Prisca Thevenot, Gérald Darmanin, Sébastien Lecornu, Marie Guévenoux, Darmanin, Paris –, Macron’s, Thevenot, Gabriel Attal Organizations: CNN, Paris, Interior, Defense, Overseas, National Assembly, France’s National Assembly, ”, New Locations: New Caledonia, Caledonia, Australia, New Zealand, France, South Pacific, Fiji, Vanuatu, , New Caledonia, Pacific, Caribbean, Indian, Colonial France, White

☆ Russia Starts Tactical Nuclear Drills, in a Warning to Ukraine’s Allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia sent a pointed reminder on Tuesday that it could use battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, releasing video of its forces beginning exercises to practice their use, two weeks after President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the provocative drills. Video released by the Russian Defense Ministry showed a caravan of military vehicles moving down a wooded road, as well as mobile Iskander missile systems — which can deliver conventional or nuclear explosives — getting into position to launch, with their warheads blurred out. The footage also showed a supersonic strategic bomber armed with missiles and an attack aircraft being prepared for takeoff. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said the exercise, carried out near Ukraine, was aimed at preparing the force for the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons. The goal is to “unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state in response to provocative statements and threats of individual Western officials,” the ministry said.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, “, Emmanuel Macron, David Cameron, Britain’s Organizations: Russian Defense Ministry, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, France

☆ Australia, New Zealand to send evacuation flights to New Caledonia amid unrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Australia and New Zealand said they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory which has experienced a week of deadly riots, sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris. France's High Commission in New Caledonia said on Tuesday the airport remains closed for commercial flights, and it will deploy the military to protect public buildings. There were around 3,200 people waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were cancelled due to the unrest that broke out last week, the local government has said. New Zealand, French and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening, after New Zealand and Australia said they were waiting for clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft to evacuate tourists. A meeting of France's defense council later agreed for arrangements to allow tourists to return home.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Commission, New Locations: New Caledonia, Elysee, Paris, Australia, New Zealand, France's, France, Noumea

☆ A few NATO countries are lobbying the rest to be bolder when it comes to sending their own soldiers to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewSome NATO countries are encouraging their allies to be bolder when it comes to sending their own soldiers to Ukraine. Many NATO countries have aided Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, by providing weaponry and training of troops. However, some Western and Ukrainian officials believe that training Ukrainian soldiers on their own territory would be more efficient, the FT reported. Instructors from the Norwegian Home Guard train alongside Ukrainian soldiers in Norway in August 2023. Kallas said that even if NATO soldiers were attacked by Russia while in Ukraine, it wouldn't automatically trigger Article 5, NATO's collective defense clause.

Persons: —, Kaja Kallas, Jonathan Nackstrand, Kallas, It's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kaja, Andrew Kravchenko Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Antoine Gyori, Ingrida Šimonytė Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Financial Times, Norwegian Home Guard, Getty, Ukraine, Estonia's, AP, Russia, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Norway, AFP, Europe, Zhytomyr, France, Western, Lithuanian

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants to work with countries like China with “influence on Russia” as his country faces a renewed Moscow offensive, urging Beijing to attend peace talks next month. Ahead of expected peace talks in Switzerland next month, Xi has called for negotiations that take both sides’ positions into account. Engaging global players like China is crucial because “they have influence on Russia, and the more such countries we have on our side… the more Russia will have to move and [more countries] to reckon with,” Zelensky said. Zelensky said he would like to see China at the international talks in Switzerland next month, aimed at paving the way for a peace process in Ukraine. Russia has not been represented at any of the four rounds of closed-door international peace talks that have taken place so far, and will not be at this one.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia ”, Zelensky, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin’s, Russia’s, Xi, ” Zelensky, Viola Amherd, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Bobylov, Switzerland Wang Shihting, Emmanuel Macron, Emmanuel Organizations: CNN, Beijing, AFP, Reuters, of, Getty, French Locations: China, Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Switzerland, Zelensky, Ukraine, Tiananmen, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Paris

☆ Zelenskyy canceled all his foreign trips, a sign things are critically bad for Ukraine right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This has given Russian forces the chance to make small but steady gains. It's one of 30 settlements that have seen heavy bombardment by Russian forces, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Monday. AdvertisementHolding on until Western aid comesMeanwhile, chronic delays in Western support has left Ukraine badly under-supplied in ammunition. Advertisement"This year represents a window of opportunity for Russia," military analyst Michael Kofman told the Times. "But if the Russian military is not able to turn these advantages into battlefield gains and generate momentum, there's a fair chance that this window will begin to close as we enter 2025."

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy's, Sergii Nykyforov, Nykyforov, EFE, King Felipe VI of Spain, Zelenskyy, Hamish de Bretton Gordon, Bretton Gordon, Vladimir Putin, George Barros, Chasiv Yar, Kyryo Budanov, Oleh Syniehubov, Ann Marie Dailey, Russia's, Emmanuel Macron's, de Bretton Gordon, Michael Kofman Organizations: Service, Business, Telegraph, British, Institute, Associated Press, New York Times, BBC, Kharkiv, RAND, Fleet, Russian, Politico, Times Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Spanish, Portugal, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chasiv Yar, Vovchansk, Russian, Ukraine's, prevarication, it's

☆ Opinion: Putin’s lightning assault jolts Europe awake
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

View more opinion on CNNCNN —It was a carefully choreographed show of force in Beijing Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for yet another meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Frida Ghitis CNNOn Wednesday, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded in an assassination attempt. Russia’s lightning assault, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cancelled all his foreign travel, aims to force Ukraine to stretch its defenses. Security officers move Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car after the assassination attempt in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday May 15. Every day, the stark reality that what began in Ukraine will change Europe for years to come becomes more inescapable.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Robert Fico, Fico, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, David Cameron, “, Fico —, Radovan Stoklasa, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, laughably, Rishi Sunak, Mark Rutte, Russia's, Alexander Ryumin, Emmanuel Macron, ”, Mikko Heiskanen, Xi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, CNN CNN, Frida Ghitis CNN, Wednesday, Slovakian, Kyiv, British, Putin, Kremlin, Moscow, European Union, Reuters, Europe, Russia, Republicans, Russian, West, NATO, Institute for, ” Locations: Beijing, Europe, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, Moscow, Moldova, Slovak, Slovakia, “, Handlova, Iran, North Korea, China, Norway, London, British, Netherlands, ”, Germany, Berlin, Finland

☆ Macron Moves to Declare State of Emergency in New Caledonia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Emmanuel Macron of France convened a crisis meeting on Wednesday and moved to declare a state of emergency in New Caledonia after deadly riots in the semiautonomous French Pacific territory that has long sought independence. A vote in France’s Parliament approving the amendment on Tuesday ignited riots overnight that left three people dead. Mr. Macron met Wednesday with his Defense and National Security Council about the situation, according to a statement from his office. It said he had expressed “strong emotion” over the deaths and gratitude to French security forces. It also said he had requested that a state of emergency be declared for the territory at the afternoon cabinet meeting.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron Organizations: Defense, National Security Council Locations: France, New Caledonia

Here’s what we know so far about the escaped inmate, as a search involving hundreds of police officers enters its second day. ‘Well known’ to authoritiesMohamed Amra, nicknamed “La Mouche” or “The Fly,” is “very well known” to the French justice system having sustained a total of 13 convictions, according to Paris state prosecutor Laure Beccuau. It is understood that Amra had attempted to escape from Évreux prison two days prior to the ambush. So colleagues moved him to a disciplinary unit.”In an interview on French radio, Amra’s mother said she broke down crying when she heard about the deadly ambush. French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told reporters that the incident was the first time a French prison employee has died while working since 1992.

Persons: Mohamed Amra, “, Laure Beccuau, Amra, Amra’s, Hugues Vivier, Beccuau, BFMTV, Emmanuel Baudin, ”, France’s, Christophe Petit Tesson, Gerald Darmanin, Eric Dupond, Moretti, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: CNN, Reuters, France’s RTL, Interpol Locations: Normandy, France, Rouen, Évreux, Paris, Marseilles, Marseille

This week, Xi is welcoming him to China for a two-day state visit — their fourth in-person meeting since Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine began. China has repeatedly defended its trade with Russia as part of normal bilateral relations. Russia has also become China’s main oil supplier, overtaking Saudi Arabia, according to official Chinese trade data. Governments warn against support for Russia’s war effortThe wartime surge in trade, and growing purchases of oil, have sparked criticism in the West that China was helping to fund Russia’s war. It mirrors Xi’s state visit to Russia in March 2023, which was the Chinese leader’s first overseas trip after starting a norm-shattering third term as president.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Xi, Putin, Antony Blinken, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der, ’, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, European Union, International Monetary Fund, —, EU, White, European Commission Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, United States, Saudi Arabia, India, West, Beijing, France, Chinese

☆ New Caledonia: Why this French island in the Pacific is roiled by violence over a vote held 10,000 miles away
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Angus Watson | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

France’s military has mobilized and flown in “four additional squadrons to restore order,” according to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. Macron will chair a defense and national security council on Wednesday, focusing on the violence, the presidential palace said. Others were equipped with larger rifles, firing bullets,” the French High commissioner to New Caledonia Louis Le Franc said. Theo Rouby/AFP/Getty ImagesFrench gendarme officers guard the entrance of the Vallee-du-Tir district, in Noumea, New Caledonia on May 14, 2024. FLNKS issued its own statement Wednesday both condemning the vote at the National Assembly and calling for an end to the violence.

Persons: Paris –, Gerald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Charles Wea, Louis Mapou, New Caledonia Louis Le Franc, Franc, RNZ, Theo Rouby, unfreeze, Gabriel Attal, “, ” Attal, FLNKS, “ FLNKS Organizations: CNN, New, New Caledonian, New Caledonia Louis, Radio New, Getty, Colonial, Noumea Accord, National Assembly, French, Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Locations: New Caledonia, Noumea, South Pacific, Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu, , New Caledonia, Pacific, Caribbean, Indian, France, Paris, China, United States, Radio New Zealand, Noumea , New Caledonia, AFP, Tir, White, Covid, Kanak

☆ NATO member Estonia is 'seriously' discussing sending troops to fill non-combat roles in Ukraine, security advisor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewEstonia has been "seriously" discussing sending troops to Ukraine in roles positioned away from the front lines, per a national security official. Advertisement"Discussions are ongoing," Roll told Breaking Defense. Breaking Defense reported that Roll made these comments on Friday, just days after the country's defense chief, Gen. Martin Herem, told the outlet that Estonia had internally talked about sending troops to Ukraine. Related storiesEstonia is one of the geographically closest NATO members to Russia, with an eastern border shared with the Russian regions Pskov and Leningrad. AdvertisementThat's about 1.6% of its total GDP, more than any other nation that has supplied Ukraine with aid.

Persons: —, Madis, it's, Roll, Martin Herem, Herem, Emmanuel Macron, Ingrida Šimonytė Organizations: Service, Defense, Business, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Breaking Defense, NATO, Lithuanian, Financial Times, Kyiv, Kiel Institute Locations: Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Pskov, Leningrad, Ukraine Tallinn, Baltic States, NATO, Kyiv, Europe, Finland

☆ At Least 2 Officers Killed in Ambush on Prison Convoy in France
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At least two prison officers were killed in northern France on Tuesday after armed assailants ambushed a convoy at a road tollbooth and freed an inmate, the French authorities said. Éric Dupond-Moretti, France’s justice minister, said on the social media platform X that three other prison officers had been seriously injured in the episode, which occurred near Incarville, a town in the Eure area northwest of Paris. President Emmanuel Macron said the attack was a “shock to us all.”“The Nation stands by the families, the injured and their colleagues,” he said on X.Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said on X that “hundreds” of police officers had been deployed to apprehend the escaped inmate and the assailants who had freed them.

Persons: Éric Dupond, Moretti, Emmanuel Macron, ”, Gérald Locations: France, Incarville, Eure, Paris

Paris CNN —At least two gunmen ambushed a prison convoy and broke out an inmate in Normandy on Tuesday, killing two prison guards and wounding three others, according to French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti. The violent incident, extremely rare for that part of northern France, took place as the vehicle was transporting a prisoner from court to a nearby prison, Dupond-Moretti said. Video from the scene showed a black SUV in flames that appeared to have crashed into a prison van near a motorway toll booth, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported. Dupond-Moretti told reporters that the incident was the first time a French prison employee had died while working since 1992. A forensics team inspects the site of a prison convoy ambush in France on Tuesday in which two guards were killed.

Persons: Eric Dupond, Moretti, Dupond, ” Dupond, Alain Jocard, Gerald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, ” Organizations: Paris CNN —, French, CNN, BFMTV, Getty Images Locations: Normandy, France, AFP

☆ Microsoft and Amazon to invest $5.6 billion into France as Macron courts tech giants
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft said in a statement Monday that it's committing 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) toward expanding its cloud and AI infrastructure in France, in addition to funding AI skilling and support for France's technology industry. The announcement was made during the "Choose France" summit, a gathering dedicated to encouraging foreign investment in France. Amazon, meanwhile, made a commitment of its own to invest 1.2 billion euros in France. Collectively, the commitments from Microsoft and Amazon to France amount to $5.6 billion of funding. In total, France reportedly bagged a record 15 billion euros of investment commitments from foreign companies at an annual "Choose France" summit on Monday.

Persons: it's, ”, Brad Smith, “, —, Frederic Duval, Duval, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Redmond Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, FAIR, Mistral Locations: Athens, Greece, France, French, Mulhouse, Amazon's, Paris, Washington, Mistral

☆ Pfizer and AstraZeneca announce new investments of nearly $1 billion in France
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Leading healthcare companies Pfizer and AstraZeneca announced on Sunday new investments in France worth a total of nearly $1 billion, ahead of the start of this year's annual 'Choose France' business summit. Pfizer said it would invest 500 million euros ($538.5 million) in France to build up its research and development work in the country, while AstraZeneca announced an investment of $388 million for its site at Dunkirk. France announced earlier on Sunday 100 new jobs in Paris at Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley, and investments from other firms such as German aviation company Lilium . Macron wants to burnish Paris' role as a top European business capital, although it has traditionally lagged New York and London on a global scale. The survey ranked Paris in 14th position.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Morgan Stanley, Macron, Paris Organizations: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Wall, New York, London Locations: France, Dunkirk, Paris, New York, London, New

☆ China’s Xi Jinping highlights Europe’s divisions ahead of expected Putin visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese state media played up the warm diplomacy, with headlines proclaiming China’s “ironclad” bond with Serbia and “golden friendship” with Hungary. Both are sure to closely watch any summit between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, expected to happen soon. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is welcomed at the airport in Belgrade on May 7 for his two-day state visit. Xi also marketed a shared worldview during his meeting with Orban in Hungary, which is a member of both the EU and NATO. Chinese leader Xi Jinping talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on May 9.

Persons: Xi, Peng Liyuan, Aleksandar Vucic, Viktor Orban, China’s, Vucic, Orban –, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der, Vladimir Putin, Orban, Hungary “, ’ ”, Philippe Le Corre, ”, Putin, Le Corre, Xi Jinping, Dimitrije Goll, Xi’s, Serbia’s Vucic, ” Vucic, Bruno Le Maire, BYD, Liu Dongshu, Vivien Cher Benko, Tamas Matura, Mark Rutte, Olaf Scholz, Matura, Von der, “ Orban, Gabor Scheiring Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Russia, Ukraine, China, Europe …, Asia Society, Center for, Forum, Anadolu, Getty, EU, NATO, ”, Xi, Hong Kong’s City University ., Hungarian, Central, Dutch, Georgetown University Locations: Hong Kong, France, Ukraine, China, Belgrade, Budapest, Paris, Serbian, Hungarian, Serbia, Hungary, Europe, Russia, Russian, ”, Europe … Hungary, Center for China, Beijing, United States, EU, Hong, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, Moscow, Qatar, “ Hungary

☆ Aiming for Rosier Ties, Xi Wraps Up Europe Visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Andrew Higgins | Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, received a gift of fine cognac at the Élysée Palace in Paris and was cheered in Belgrade by Serbians waving Chinese flags, albeit most of them were bused-in government workers. And by the time he left Hungary on Friday at the end of a six-day European tour, the clouds over his country’s relations with the West looked much less dark, at least from China’s perspective. Mr. Xi told President Emmanuel Macron of France that relations would be “as vibrant and thriving as springtime.” At his next stop, he said the “tree of China-Serbia friendship will grow tall and sturdy.” In Hungary, Mr. Xi told Prime Minister Viktor Orban that their countries were poised to “embark on a golden voyage.”The Chinese state-run news media, never less than glowing about Mr. Xi, went to strenuous lengths to present his European meetings as a triumph.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Emmanuel Macron, Viktor Orban Locations: Paris, Belgrade, Hungary, France, China, Serbia

☆ The EU will soon get a new leadership team. Here are the names currently in the mix
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European diplomats have already started key negotiations on who will take the main jobs at the European Union following elections next month. Voters across the 27-member EU are heading to the polls between June 6 and 9 to choose the next set of representatives in the European Parliament. The very top EU jobs, which aren't directly elected, then get dished out in the weeks following. Diplomats within the EU are already trying to figure out who will be leading the three big institutions in the coming years: The European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. "Von der Leyen has a lot of support from European heads of state," one of the three sources told CNBC via telephone.

Persons: aren't, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Christine Lagarde Organizations: European, Voters, EU, Parliament, Diplomats, European Commission, European Council, CNBC, European Central Bank Locations: BRUSSELS, Belgium, policymaking, Brussels

☆ France Says It Built the Olympics Safely. Migrant Workers Don’t Count.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Sarah Hurtes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, promised to build the Summer Olympics safely, free of the construction hazards and migrant worker abuses that tarnished soccer’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “We are living up to the commitments we made,” Mr. Macron said in February. Government data shows fewer than 200 injuries at Olympics sites over a four-year construction blitz. But inspection records and other documents show that Olympics sites have been more dangerous than organizers have let on, with some projects failing to meet basic safety standards. When undocumented immigrants are hurt on the job, workers and officials say, the injuries are often handled off the books, all but guaranteeing that they will not show up in government statistics.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Mr, Macron Locations: Qatar, Paris

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