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☆ France favourites but Morocco eye another odds-defying result
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There are 67 places separating fifth-ranked France from Morocco but coach Herve Renard warned his team not to take their opponents lightly after several shocks, with holders U.S. joining former champions Norway and Germany in crashing out. Renard, who previously coached Morocco's men's team, will be up against fellow Frenchman Reynald Pedros, a former France international who has been in charge of Morocco since 2020. Colombia, who upset Germany 2-1, topped Group H to reach the last 16 for a second time. Jamaica - who lost every game on their World Cup debut in 2019 - have yet to concede, having held France and Brazil to goalless draws. Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carl Recine, Herve Renard, Renard, Morocco's, Frenchman Reynald Pedros, Pedros, Allyson Swaby, Lorne Donaldson, Hritika Sharma, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Sydney Football Stadium, REUTERS, U.S, Norway, Morocco's men's, France, South, Australia, England, Panama, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Panama, France, Sydney, Australia, Adelaide, Jamaica, Colombia, Morocco, Germany, South Korea, Denmark, Melbourne, Nigeria, Brazil, Hyderabad

☆ Morocco looking to exceed expectations again in 'special' France clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pedros, 51, is a former France international and said he was looking forward to taking on the country of his birth when the two teams face off in the last 16 in Adelaide. "I am French but my heart is with Morocco," Pedros told reporters on Monday. Six members of France's World Cup squad played under him at Lyon, including captain Wendie Renard and all-time top scorer Eugenie Le Sommer. Pedros said after the Colombia game that he had the advantage of knowing the France team "perfectly". Beating France, ranked fifth in the world, would be a remarkable achievement for 72nd-ranked Morocco.

Persons: Anissa Lahmari, Ibtissam Jraidi, Fatima Tagnaout REUTERS, Luisa Gonzalez, Read, Reynald Pedros, Pedros, It's, we've, Wendie Renard, Eugenie Le Sommer, Nesryne El, Hritika Sharma, Robert Birsel Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, France, South, Olympique Lyonnais, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Morocco, Colombia, Perth, Australia, ADELAIDE, Germany, Adelaide, Lyon, France, Nesryne El Chad, South Korea, Hyderabad

☆ France: Fund for killer cop dwarfs that of family of victim
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And what does it tell us about French politics? “Currently, this fund complies with our terms of use because the funds will be paid directly to the family in question. Le Pen also tempered her rhetoric in response to this crisis, in what Marliere said was an attempt to appeal to more middle-of-the-road voters. While Zemmour called the rioters “scum” and called for some of their requests for French nationality to be refused, Le Pen spoke more sympathetically about the victim. “The Meloni strategy is very much what Le Pen is trying to follow in France,” Marliere said.

Persons: Nahel, Jean Messiha, Messiha, Eric Zemmour, Pen’s, Eric Dupond, Moretti, “, GoFundMe, ”, Philippe Marliere, ” Marliere, Florian.M, Pen, Marliere, Zemmour, Le Pen, Le, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Georgia Meloni, Joseph Downing, Downing, that’s, ” Downing, Nahel Merzouk, Alexis Jumeau Organizations: CNN, National, Marine, ”, France Inter, BFMTV, Twitter, University College London, AP, Nanterre, Italian, Bois, Macron Locations: France, Paris, Marseille, Nanterre, Clichy

Paris/London CNN —Just weeks after hugely disruptive protests and strikes over pension reforms in France finally died down, businesses in the country are grappling with the fallout from a week of rioting. The riots, which were sparked by the fatal shooting of a teenager by a police officer last Tuesday, have already caused more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion) worth of damage, according to a French business association, MEDEF. Protesters have looted 200 stores and destroyed 300 bank branches and 250 smaller corner shops, a MEDEF spokesperson told CNN. French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that he believed the “peak” of the violence had passed, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. Sebastien Salom-Gomis/AFP/Getty ImagesThe French government is also considering ways to help businesses most affected by the riots, BFMTV reported, citing Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

Persons: London CNN —, Merzouk, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Sebastien Salom, BFMTV, Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, DBRS Morningstar, MEDEF, Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux, — Niamh Kennedy Organizations: London CNN, MEDEF, CNN, ”, Getty, France Inter Locations: Paris, London, France, French, Nantes, AFP, Dublin

☆ Fundraiser for policeman who shot French teenager reflects divisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Leftwing politicians have branded the fundraiser as shameful while the far right has defended a police force it says is a daily target for violence in the low-income suburbs that ring French cities. It is a debate that reflects the deep fractures running through French society. "This police officer is the victim of a national witch-hunt and it is a disgrace," Messiha tweeted soon after launching the campaign. "You are perpetuating an already yawning rift by supporting a police officer under investigation for voluntary homicide. ($1 = 0.9173 euros)Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by Richard Lough, editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Macron, Nahel, Jean Messiha, Eric Zemmour's, Messiha, Olivier Faure, GoFundMe, Eric Dupond, Moretti, Emmanuel Macron, Elizabeth Pineau, Richard Lough, Emelia Sithole Organizations: U.S, Socialist Party, France Inter, Police, Thomson Locations: PARIS, France, French, Algerian, United States, Britain

☆ In French banlieues, distrust of police runs deep
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Rioters have torched cars and public transport but also targeted town halls, police stations and schools - buildings that represent the French state. Some said Nahel, who was shot dead on Tuesday, could have been any of them, or their sons, brothers or friends. Yann Bastiere, a representative of the Unite SGP police union, said the officer who shot Nahel was innocent until proven guilty. Belaidi said teachers were not replaced and hospitals lacked resources, which has led to a feeling of abandonment by the state. Reporting by Layli Foroudi; additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Benjamin Belaidi, Belaidi, Emmanuel Macron, Mohamed Jakoubi, Nahel, Yann Bastiere, Bastiere, Karima, Emile Chabal, Chabal, Olivier Klein, Layli Foroudi, Elizabeth Pineau, Angus MacSwan Organizations: PARIS, Reuters, police, Unite SGP police, Edinburgh University . Investment, France Inter, Thomson Locations: Paris, Nanterre, France, Nahel, Blanc Mesnil, Clichy

☆ Kante leaves Chelsea to join Saudi champions Al-Ittihad
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 20 (Reuters) - N'Golo Kante will leave Chelsea after seven years at Stamford Bridge and join Al-Ittihad as a free agent on a three-year contract, the Saudi club said on Tuesday. Kante is an Ittihad player now," the club posted in a video message on Twitter. British media reported the 32-year-old midfielder has signed a contract worth around 86 million pounds ($109.78 million) a year. Benzema left Real Madrid after 14 trophy-laden years and signed a two-year contract with the Saudi Arabian champions in a deal reported to be worth more than 100 million euros ($109.17 million). Kante has been a mainstay at Chelsea, winning the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup during his time with the club.

Persons: Ballon, Karim Benzema, Benzema, Kante, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nassr, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Toby Davis Organizations: Chelsea, Stamford, Al, France, Leicester City, Twitter, Real Madrid, Champions League, Premier League, Europa League, FA, Thomson Locations: Ittihad, Saudi, London, Al, Saudi Arabian, Kante's, Saudi Arabia, Bengaluru

☆ Saudi Arabia is now stealing sporting headlines as prince pursues global ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Saudi Arabia has been in the headlines a lot lately – this time for trying to find its place in the sporting world. The kingdom’s golfing coup is perhaps the crowning sporting achievement so far of heir apparent Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS). Regional outlierBy the time King Salman came along, the 21st century was passing Saudi Arabia by. Saudi Arabia has led efforts to bring Syria in from the cold and tried to mediate in conflicts such as those in Sudan and even Ukraine. On oil, he has made Saudi Arabia a bolder player.

Persons: LIV Golf, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ballon d’Or, Karim Benzema, Jamal Khashoggi, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, King Salman’s, King Salman, LIV, Liberalizations, Al Hathloul, can’t, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al, Assad, Yemen’s, Putin, Xi Organizations: CNN, golf’s, Dubai, Saudi Pro League, France, Washington Post, Formula, MBS, Ritz, Saudi, Washington Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Portuguese, Istanbul, Riyadh, Mecca, Dubai, Moscow, Beijing, Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, Turkey, Syrian, Iran, Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Jeddah

☆ French Minister Dussopt says 'not exhausted, nor weakened' by favoritism charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) - French Employment Minister Olivier Dussopt said on Saturday he was innocent following a charge of favouritism in the award of a water contract in 2009 and would defend himself against the charge, adding he was "not exhausted, nor weakened". "I expect to convince the court of my good faith and my innocence," Dussopt, who played a key role in President Emmanuel Macron's decision to push through unpopular pension reforms, told France Inter Radio. Dussopt will face a court hearing in November over the allegation, France's financial prosecutor said on Friday. An official at Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's office said on Friday Dussopt continued to have her backing. The allegation of favouritism relates to before Dussopt took up his current ministerial role and when he was a local mayor.

Persons: Olivier Dussopt, Dussopt, Emmanuel Macron's, Elisabeth Borne's, favouritism, Mimosa Spencer, David Holmes Organizations: French, France Inter Radio, Thomson

☆ France's food-price inflation to ease off by September, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 30 (Reuters) - Food price inflation in France - which has been a major concern for consumers - should ease off by September, said government minister Olivia Gregoire on Sunday. "By the time people come back from their holidays in September, we will have a visible decrease in the prices you see on the shelves and in terms of food price inflation," Gregoire, who is a government minister responsible for small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), told France Inter radio. Gregoire's comments echoed those from Bank of France governor and European Central Bank member Francois Villeroy de Galhau, who said earlier this month that he expected food price inflation to start easing in the second half of this year. France's headline inflation level rose to 5.9% in April from 5.7% in March. The French inflation level stood at 6.9%, as measured by a European Union-harmonised consumer price index.

☆ Paris police 'very vigilant' ahead of new round of pension protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A protester walks his dog wearing a CGT labour union vest during a demonstration as part of the tenth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform in Nice, France, March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Eric GaillardPARIS, March 28 (Reuters) - French police are on the lookout for more protesters bent on violence joining marches against planned pension reform, the chief of police in Paris said on Tuesday, hours before a new round of country-wide demonstrations and strikes. Laurent Nunez, president of Paris's Prefecture de Police, told France Inter radio that security agencies believed more people intent on violence could join the protests and police had to be ready. "We are talking about individuals which often are being monitored by intelligence services ... and we are very vigilant about their presence," Nunez said. A total of 13,000 police agents will be deployed during the protests throughout the day, more than ever before, Darmanin said.

☆ Runaway league leaders Napoli crush Torino 4-0 away
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 19 (Reuters) - Serie A leaders Napoli thrashed Torino 4-0 away with a double from Victor Oshimen and goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Tanguy Ndombele on Sunday to move closer to the title. The Naples side have a 21-point lead over second-placed Inter Milan, who host Juventus later on Sunday. Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead in the 35th minute with a penalty after being fouled by Karol Linetty. Oshimen scored his second and reached a league-leading 21 goals this season six minutes into the second half with another header following Mathias Olivera's cross. Napoli next host fourth-placed AC Milan while mid-table Torino visit Sassuolo after the international break.

☆ Palace sack manager Vieira after winless run
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Crystal Palace sacked manager Patrick Vieira after 20 months in charge on Friday after their 1-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion left them three points above the Premier League relegation zone. Palace are the only side in the league without a win in 2023, having drawn five and lost six of their games. Their last league win came on Dec. 31, 2-0 at Bournemouth, and they are 12th on 27 points with 11 games to play. Vieira, 46, guided Palace to a 12th-placed finish and an FA Cup semi-final run in his first season in charge, earning praise for an attacking style of play. The club did not confirm who would replace Vieira or take charge of Sunday's Premier League trip to leaders Arsenal.

☆ Unions seek to bring France to a halt to block pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Suburban trains are seen at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on the eve of the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against the pension reform in France with heavy disruption on French SNCF railway and the Paris transport RATP networks, France, March 6, 2023. "Together, on March 7th, let's put France to a halt! "People massively reject this reform," CFDT union leader Laurent Berger told France Inter radio. "The future of our pension system is at stake," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 5 TV on Monday. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told weekly JDD.

☆ Chinese people fed up with the rat race are calling themselves 'huminerals' — human resources to be relentlessly exploited and discarded
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The post's author, a user named Zhang Wanzhi, listed various aspects of a humineral's life. A humineral's life is divided into three stages, wrote Zhang, per CDT. The first is a Chinese person's formative and schooling years, which exist so the person can be "mined" and made available for usage, Zhang's post read. Then, the next few decades are a stage of "consumption" where the worker is exploited, the post read, according CDT. The origins of the term "humineral" are not immediately clear.

The slogan reads "No to the Macron's pension reform". In what could prove a prolonged standoff, unions and their members are seeking to minimise the impact on personal finances already strained by the worst cost of living crisis in decades. French unions generally do not have permanent strike funds to help members cope, though some will set up occasional kitties financed by donations for a specific cause. While it is generally used to cover legal fees and compensate workers in local strikes, members are now clamouring for it to help cover lost pay during the pension strikes. However, even before the cost of living crisis, French unions have struggled to resist government reform plans in the decades since massive strikes in 1995 successfully forced a conservative government to drop a pension overhaul.

☆ French labour minister says raising pensions age is 'non-negotiable' despite mass protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - French Labour Minister Oliver Dussopt said on Wednesday that raising the retirement age to 64 was "non-negotiable", a day after more than a million people marched in protest at the proposed measure and a union leader called for rolling strikes. "If we do not go to 64, the pension system will not break even. What is not negotiable is the issue of returning to break-even," Dussopt told France 2 Television. "I believe in rolling strikes. They are playing the tug of war," he told France Inter radio.

☆ Prominent Cameroon journalist found dead after abduction
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YAOUNDE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The mutilated body of a prominent Cameroonian journalist was found on Sunday near the capital Yaounde five days after he was abducted by unidentified assailants, the press union and a colleague said on Sunday. Media advocates described Martinez Zogo's disappearance and death as a further sign of the perils of reporting in the African country. "Cameroonian media has just lost one of its members, a victim of hatred and barbarism," Cameroon's journalists' trade union said in a statement. "Where is the freedom of the press, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in Cameroon when working in the media now entails a mortal risk?" Outspoken reporter Paul Chouta, who worked for private news website Cameroon Web, was beaten and stabbed by unknown attackers in 2019.

☆ Dialogue not over, French PM says as workers protest pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Bridges between President Emmanuel Macron's government and labour unions are not burned despite nationwide strike plans, the French prime minister said on Saturday as her government battles to tame public anger over an unpopular pensions reform. Elisabeth Borne earlier this week broke the news to the French that they will have to work two years longer, to age 64, before receiving the state pension, if the reform - one of Macron's main political promises - is adopted by parliament. "My objective today is to convince the French people that we have paid attention to all the particular hardships, that this reform is fair and that it enables social progress." Borne responded: "I hear all those who are calling the reform brutal, I think what would be brutal is for our country to not have a pay-as-you-go pension system any more". She repeated the government's mantra that the reform was needed to keep finances in balance.

☆ Manchester City's Mendy found not guilty on six counts of rape
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy arrives at Chester Crown Court for his trial following allegations of rape and sexual assault, Chester, Britain, December 22, 2022 REUTERS/Phil Noble/File PhotoLONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on Friday, while jurors could not reach verdicts on one count of rape and one of attempted rape, British media reported on Friday. The trial had been taking place at Chester Crown Court since August after 13 women made allegations against Mendy and co-accused Louis Saha Matturie. The BBC reported that Mendy covered his face with both hands as the jury foreman repeated "not guilty" to the six counts. The verdicts were delivered on Wednesday but could not be reported until the jury finished considering the remaining two charges. Mendy last played for City against Tottenham Hotspur in August, 2021 and was suspended by the Premier League club later that month when he was arrested.

The French will have to work two years longer to age 64 before retiring, if the reform, announced on Tuesday, is adopted by parliament. They will also need to work longer to get a full pension. "I don't understand the principle of making people work longer when there are lots of young people looking for work." Unions will in any case get the support of the left-wing Nupes coalition in parliament, which urged workers to protest on Jan. 19. Under its plan, the retirement age will be raised by three months per year from September, reaching the target age of 64 in 2030.

☆ French inflation slows unexpectedly in December
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The inflation rate fell to 6.7% in December, according to preliminary EU-harmonised data from the national statistics office INSEE. Energy prices increased 15.1% compared with 18.4% in November as wholesale gas prices fell across Europe in recent weeks amid record high temperatures. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France Inter radio that inflation would see a downward trend over the course of 2023. In the short term, energy prices are likely to add to inflation pressures in January as regulated gas and power prices rose by 15% at the start of the year. "Nonetheless, the favourable moves in energy prices suggest there may be light at the end of the tunnel," said economist Sylvain Bersinger with consultancy Asteres.

☆ No need for French border controls over China COVID surge - health official
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 29 (Reuters) - There is no need for France to impose border controls in reaction to a surge of COVID infections in China, the head of France's health risks committee said on Thursday. "From a scientific point of view, there is no reason to bring back controls at the border ... but that could change any day," Brigitte Autran, head of the French health risk assessment committee COVARS, said on French Radio Classique. Autran - who advises the government on epidemiological risks - said that for now "the situation is under control" and that there are no signs of worrying new COVID variants in China. Health officials from the European Union's 27 countries will talk later on Thursday about how to coordinate the European response to China's COVID surge. read moreReporting by Myrian Rivet and Geert De Clercq; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France's energy watchdog sees no risk to power supplies until at least mid-January
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 28 (Reuters) - There is no risk to power supplies in France until at least mid-January, the head of the country's CRE energy watchdog, Emmanuelle Wargon, said on Wednesday. The government has set a target of cutting France's energy consumption by 10% by 2024 from 2019 levels, as part of a wide ranging plan that includes turning off lights and lowering thermostats to avoid power and gas cuts over the winter amid the war in Ukraine. "We remain attentive and vigilant" in case temperatures drop, she said, adding that "until mid-January, we know we won't have problems". Wargon also said that France's nuclear fleet, currently hit by maintenance and repair works, is expected to reach a production capacity of 45 gigawatts (GW) in January. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Louise Heavens, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France's Deschamps on cusp of World Cup history but happy to shun limelight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Of course, I'm proud and we all know there's a chance now to defend our title in the final," Deschamps said. Having captained France's 'golden generation' that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, the 54-year-old has now nurtured another golden generation over the past decade. "He's just an amazing manager and he's so humble... For me he's the greatest French manager by miles!" ADAPTABILITYWhat has made Deschamps successful in tournaments, especially at the World Cup since 2018, is not sticking to a particular identity or philosophy which is often the defining feature of big teams. "Didier Deschamps has shown he's the best head coach in the world in the last 10 years."

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