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☆ As the Olympics loom, Paris's transport grid worries wheelchair users
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Yiming Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With Paris streets often clogged by traffic, travelling underground is often much quicker but only 9% of metro stations can be accessed without walking up and down steps. Wheelchair users, however, would need to travel by bus as both metro stations have stairs and no lifts, a test ride carried out by Maille, who was accompanied by a Reuters journalist, showed. In Berlin, 83% of underground stations are accessible for wheelchair users, according to the operator. The company also plans to deploy 250 specially refitted buses that can transport more wheelchair users, he added. But wheelchair activist Maille said this won't help many visitors with their trips between hotels and venues.

Persons: Franck Maille, Stephanie Lecocq, Alexander III, la, Maille, Gregoire de Lasteyrie, Yiming Woo, Tassilo Hummel, Ingrid Melander, Ken Ferris Organizations: APF, Madeleine, REUTERS, Rights, la Chapelle, Wheelchair, Reuters, Transport, Thomson Locations: APF France, Paris, France, London, Berlin

☆ Olympic triathletes test swimming in the Seine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Yiming Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Olympic triathletes tested swimming in the Seine in Paris on Wednesday, 10 days after heavy rainfall caused the water quality to dip below minimum health standards and forced the cancellation of another open water competition. The Seine is in the spotlight as the river - where swimming has long been banned - is due to be the venue for marathon swimming at next year's Olympic Games. Blummenfelt and others were jumping in to get used to the course and the currents before an official Paris 2024 test event scheduled for Thursday. Bathing in the Seine has been banned since 1923, with promises to restore water quality going back to 1990, when Paris mayor Jacques Chirac - later French president - vowed to make the Seine safe for swimming again. Reporting by Yiming Woo; Writing by Ingrid Melander, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kristian Blummenfelt, Jacques Chirac, Yiming Woo, Ingrid Melander, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Paris, Triathlon, Thomson Locations: Seine, Paris

☆ Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz perform at concert tied to Paris summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Yiming Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell perform during the "Power Our Planet: Live in Paris" concert at the Champ de Mars on the sidelines of the Summit for a "New Global Financial Pact" in Paris, France, June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie LecocqPARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - Singers including Billie Eilish and Lenny Kravitz, politicians and activists took to the stage in Paris on Thursday at a concert calling for action on climate change and inequality as world leaders met at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact. During his set, Kravitz told the crowd: "I want us all to be part of the solution, not the problem". The concert took place amid the gathering of some 40 leaders seeking to give impetus to a new global finance agenda. Reporting by Yiming Woo; Additional reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell, de Mars, Stephanie Lecocq PARIS, Lenny Kravitz, Michelle Yeoh, Eilish, de, Kravitz, Jon Batiste, H.E.R, Diane Kruger, Connie Britton, Yiming Woo, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Summit, Global, REUTERS, Pact, Global Citizen, World Bank, Paris, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Brazil, Kenya, Barbados

☆ Rare Chinese Buddha statue up for auction at Bonhams in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Yiming Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, June 10 (Reuters) - A rare Chinese Buddha statue, found in a French family home and part of a set thought to have been lost, is expected to fetch 1 million euros ($1.1 million) when it is auctioned on June 13 in Paris. According to auction house Bonhams, the piece is a very rare wood figure, a religious work depicting the Buddhist Bodhisattva Guanyin made in the 12th-13th century under the Jin dynasty. Over a metre high, the piece was last sold in the 1930s to a family in Boulogne, a suburb near Paris. [1/4] Head of Chinese Art Caroline Schulten at Bonhams auction house looks at a rare Buddha statue, believed to be from the 12th century in China, before its auction in Paris, France, June 9, 2023. Bonhams auction house says there are likely only a handful of such pieces left in the world, which are mostly in museums.

Persons: Guanyin, Jin, Caroline Schulten, Yiming Woo, Schulten, We’ve, Yming Wood, Dominique Vidalon, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Paris, Boulogne, China, France, Belgium, Switzerland

☆ Stars at Cannes take break from red carpet to support AIDS research
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CANNES, May 25 (Reuters) - Celebrities including Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Wright and Heidi Klum escaped the Cannes Film Festival's crowded Croisette Boulevard for a night to attend a fundraiser for AIDS research at a secluded luxury hotel in the nearby resort town of Antibes. In addition to Rexha, Gladys Knight, Adam Lambert and Halsey entertained the high-paying guests while Queen Latifah played host for the evening that included a fashion show and auction. The goal of the luxury evening was to raise money on behalf of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, which also supports HIV prevention, treatment education and advocacy. [1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - The amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2023 charity gala - Antibes, France, May 25, 2023. Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols pose.

[1/2] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Opening ceremony and screening of the film "Jeanne du Barry" Out of competition - Red Carpet arrivals - Cannes, France, May 16, 2023. Gong Li poses. REUTERS/Gonzalo... Read moreCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Gong Li, one of China's best actors, told Reuters on Wednesday that Michelle Yeoh's recent success at the Oscars and Golden Globes was particularly encouraging for Asian actors. "Since the beginning of the epidemic to now, in fact, the film industry has not been so vibrant, not like it was before, so her award is also an encouragement," Gong said. "Well, congratulations to her, because I also take it as an encouragement to fellow Asian actors to enter the world."

☆ Dusty painting hidden behind door turns out to be Brueghel 'masterpiece'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Yiming Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A man looks at the painting "Le paiement de la dime" (The Payment of the Yearly Dues) by the artist Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1636) before its auction at Drouot auction house in Paris, France, March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, March 27 (Reuters) - A rediscovered painting of Flemish 17th-century painter Pieter Brueghel the Younger, for years hidden in a family house, will be presented for auction in Paris on Tuesday and is expected to fetch 600,000 ($647,340.00) to 800,000 euros. "I found this painting [in the house], behind a door in the television room," de Lussac told Reuters, calling it one of the biggest surprises in his career. Brueghel the Younger, whose father Brueghel the Elder died when he was only five, didn't use one of his father's compositions for this painting as he usually did but did revisit the popular theme of the village lawyer. ($1 = 0.9269 euros)Reporting by Yiming Woo, writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Angry youths challenge Macron and his pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Yonathan Van Der Voort | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS via Reuters TVPARIS, March 27 (Reuters) - Teenager Charles Chauliac is angry that French President Emmanuel Macron plans to delay the retirement of hard-working folk like his parents, and that he bypassed parliament to do so. Most evenings for the past few weeks, the 18-year-old has taken to the streets of Paris to try and force a U-turn. Marching through Paris, dodging police, he joins other young people in spontaneous protests, chanting: "We are here, we are here, even if Macron does not want it, we are here." Tags sprayed on the walls of Paris in recent days have targeted Macron, or simply read: Democracy. While some protesters have torched bins, thrown rocks at police or smashed shop windows and bus stops, Chauliac insists he hasn't.

Protests against the bill have drawn huge crowds in rallies organised by unions since January. Most have been peaceful, but anger has mounted since the government pushed the bill through parliament without a vote last week. The ongoing protests could impact a planned state visit next week of Britain's King Charles, a Buckingham Palace source said. While the opposition has called for Macron to fire his prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, who has been at the forefront of the pension reform, Macron backed her and said that he had tasked her to work on new reforms. "Tomorrow we will be on the streets again to demonstrate against the pension reform and demand its withdrawal," said one of them, CFDT union member Sophie Trastour.

The president, the government and the majority," a senior MP in Macron's camp, Gilles Le Gendre, told Liberation newspaper. Another MP in Macron's camp, Patrick Vignal, bluntly urged the president to suspend the pension reform bill, which will raise the retirement age by two years to 64, given the anger it has triggered, and its deep unpopularity. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes 1 2 3 4 5While Borne said the administration would try in future to better involve citizens and unions in lawmaking, she gave no specifics, and both said they had devoted as much time to dialogue on the pension bill as possible. Other opposition MPs urged Macron to fire Borne, call snap elections and hold a referendum on the pension bill because of the widespread anger. Polls show a wide majority of French are opposed to the pension reform, as well as the government's decision to push the bill through parliament without a vote.

"We withstand all threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts and cold ... And we will do everything to gain victory this year." "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko 1 2 3 4 5Igor, walking through Moscow, said Russia must win: "We're looking forward to it ending successfully. Despite strong support for Ukraine in the West, big developing nations, above all China and India, have kept clear of imposing sanctions on Moscow. Learn more about the Ukraine war.

[1/6] Ukrainian servicemen of the 17th Independent Tanks Brigade are seen atop of a T-64 tank, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine February 23, 2023. "Using Ukraine, the collective West is seeking to dismember Russia, to deprive it of its independence. U.S. President Joe Biden will meet virtually on Friday with G7 leaders and Zelenskiy to mark the anniversary and announce new sanctions against those aiding Russia's war effort, the White House said. Ukraine and its Western partners have brushed off the nuclear talk as a diversion from a stalled military campaign. Some U.S. and Western officials estimate Russia's military casualties at nearly 200,000 dead or wounded, while in November the top U.S. general said more than 100,000 troops on each side had been killed or wounded.

BUCHA, Ukraine/VILNIUS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - The brightly painted nails were what gave the identity of the body away. A year on from the full-scale invasion, her family and friends have parted ways, their lives upended by the conflict. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of war crimes in Bucha, an allegation the Kremlin denies. February 24 is the day when life was taken away from all Ukrainians, but we are trying to get it back." Additional reporting by Yiming Woo in Bucha; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

KYIV, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A hairdresser by day and a "drone hunter" by night, Oleksandr Shamshur, 41, is among tens of thousands of volunteers helping defend the skies over Ukraine against Russian attacks. [1/7] Hairdresser and Ukrainian Territorial Defence unit volunteer Oleksandr Shamshur, 41-year-old, prepares to guard sky over capital against Russian suicide drones in the beginning of his shift, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 2, 2023. "With the enemy at the doorstep, I had to do something, I had to act in defence," he said. During the night of Dec. 29-30, Shamshur said, his rooftop unit shot down two drones over Kyiv. Reporting by Margaryta Choronkondratenko and Yiming Woo; writing by Mark Heinrich; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine troops prepare for threat of Russia capturing Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SIVERSK, Ukraine, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian troops conducting weekend exercises near the small town of Siversk, in the country's east, said they were preparing to defend one of the possible targets of a new Russian offensive. Ukrainian forces have appealed for more advanced weapons from Kyiv's Western allies to help defend Bakhmut, which is being attacked by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. "We have one artillery attack from our side, and the Russians can do it five times more," said 30-year-old Stefan. Capturing Bakhmut would give Russian forces a stepping stone to advance on two bigger cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. But Ukraine and its Western allies say success there would be a largely Pyrrhic victory for Moscow, given the time taken and losses sustained.

Of at least 36 missiles that Russia fired about 16 were shot down, the air force said, a lower rate than normal. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are among many top officials attending the Munich Security Conference. As Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders, Western leaders in Munich urged President Vladimir Putin not to invade and warned of dire consequences if he did. Russian leaders will be notable by their absence at the conference, which runs until Sunday, but senior Ukrainian officials are expected to address it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address his priority was to hold off Russian attacks and get ready for an eventual Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Following a pattern of heavy bombardments after Ukrainian battlefield or diplomatic gains, Russia launched 36 missiles in the early hours, Ukraine's Air Force said. The Russian missiles triggered air-raid sirens and landed across Ukraine, including at the Kremenchuk refinery, where the extent of damage was unclear. Ukraine said the barrage included three KH-31 missiles and one Oniks anti-ship cruise missile, which its air defences cannot shoot down. [1/6] Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Air Assault Brigade fire M119 Howitzer artillery weapon towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bahmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 16, 2023. Its capture would give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger Donetsk cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

☆ Foie gras or 'faux gras'? Paris chef offers festive vegan alternative
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

French chef Fabien Borgel, who manages the "42 Degres" vegan restaurant in Paris, created what he calls a "faux gras" two years ago as a substitute to the foie gras traditionally made from fattened duck and goose livers. Foie gras is considered part of France's culinary heritage, but the practice of force-feeding ducks or geese to enlarge their livers is condemned by animal activists. "You have people that have never tasted foie gras and will never taste it and they want something festive for the year-end parties. Borgel's veggy foie gras, containing cashew nuts, sunflower and coconut oil, looks like the traditional foie gras but is more creamy. A poll released by French foie gras producers on Wednesday showed 77% of domestic consumers were not ready to switch from the original to one made from plant-based products.

☆ Europe names world's first disabled astronaut
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Member of ESA's new class of astronauts John McFall attends the European Space Agency (ESA) Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever "parastronaut" in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space. The 22-nation agency said it had selected former British Paralympic sprinter John McFall as part of a new generation of 17 recruits picked for astronaut training. He will join five new career astronauts and 11 reserves in training after ESA replenished its astronaut ranks for the first time since 2009. It received 257 applications for the role of astronaut with a disability, a parallel role that it terms "parastronaut".

A dish of leeks and sprouts sits on a kitchen table at the Eiffel Tower restaurant 'Madame Brasserie' in Paris, France, October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Yiming WooPARIS, Oct 14 (Reuters) - A fancy restaurant on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower may not be the obvious setting for environmental activism, but Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx wants to make it a showcase for climate-friendly cuisine. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"These leeks, in season now, were grown less than 50 km from here. "It is simple, has a limited carbon impact, it is easy to eat and economical - we do our job with minimal environmental impact," he added. Now, his crew cooks on induction cookers with copper casseroles, which only heat the pan itself without warming up the entire kitchen.

But France's BEA accident agency also revealed earlier discussions between Air France and Airbus about the reliability of the probes, and made dozens of safety recommendations from cockpit design to training and search-and-rescue. The relative roles of pilot or sensor error will be key to the trial, exposing differences that insiders say plunged Airbus and Air France into in-fighting behind the scenes for over a decade. We don't want Airbus or Air France to turn this trial into a conference of engineers," said lawyer Sebastien Busy. It is the first time French companies face trial for "involuntary manslaughter" following an air crash. It's their reputations...that's what's at stake for (Air France and Airbus)," said families lawyer Alain Jakubowicz.

But France's BEA accident agency also revealed earlier discussions between Air France and Airbus about growing problems with external "pitot probes" that generate the speed readings. We don't want Airbus or Air France to turn this trial into a conference of engineers," said lawyer Sebastien Busy. It is the first time French companies have gone on trial for "involuntary manslaughter" following an air crash. It's their reputations... that's what's at stake for (Air France and Airbus)," said families lawyer Alain Jakubowicz. Rigail expressed "the deepest compassion" after telling the court Air France would never forget its worst-ever accident.

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