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[1/9] Demonstrators gather in support of the putschist soldiers in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. Images showed fires at the walls of the French Embassy and people being loaded into ambulances with bloodied legs. Military officials involved in the coup would be banned from travelling and have their assets frozen, it added. The Niger military rulers later asked protesters to abstain from vandalism and destruction of property. The European Union and France have cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same.

Persons: Stringer, Mohammed Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Amadou Abdramane, Sani Idrissa, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Boureima Balima, Moussa Aksar, Felix Onuah, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Pro, Niamey Military, Sahel region's, French Embassy, Economic, West, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Military, United Nations, African Union, European Union, World Bank, The, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Sahel, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Niger's, Nigeria, States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, United States, France, The United States, Italy, Germany, French, Niger national, Russian, Abuja, Paris

☆ Protesters descend on French Embassy in Niger shouting 'long live Putin'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Omar Hama Saley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Niamey, Niger CNN —Tense and sometimes violent scenes played out in front of the French Embassy in Niger Sunday as thousands of people who support a military coup voiced anger over France’s influence in its former colony. Some protesters tore down a plaque identifying the Embassy, stomped on it and then replaced it with Russian and Nigerien flags. Shouts of “long live Putin,” “long live Russia” and “down with France” could be heard among the crowds. President Emmanuel Macron’s office said France would immediately retaliate against anyone who attacks French nationals or facilities in Niger. Niger’s military leaders may have found one potential ally: the country’s eastern neighbor, Chad.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mohamed Bazoum, Putin, ”, Emmanuel Macron’s, Bazoum, Stringer, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, ‘ We’re, I’ve, Karimou Sidi, “ Organizations: Niger CNN, Embassy, Kremlin, Russian, Nigerien, Niger, National Council for, Homeland, Reuters, West African States, Sunday, ECOWAS, European Union, ” Locations: Niamey, Niger, stomped, Nigerien, Russia, France, Reuters Niger, Republic of Niger, ”, Chad, Niger’s, Africa ’ Niger, French, Kanto, Africa, ” Kanto, St, Petersburg, Ukraine, Sahel, Burkina Faso

☆ West Africa threatens force on Niger coup leaders, French Embassy attacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY, NIGER - JULY 30: Coup supporters take to the streets after the army seized power in Niamey, Niger on July 30, 2023. (Photo by Balima Boureima/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)West African nations imposed sanctions and threatened force on Sunday if Niger's coup leaders fail to reinstate ousted President Mohammed Bazoum within a week, while supporters of the junta attacked the French embassy in Niamey. At an emergency summit in Nigeria to discuss the coup last week, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States called for constitutional order to be restored, warning of reprisals if not. ECOWAS and the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union said that with immediate effect borders with Niger would be closed, commercial flights banned, financial transactions halted, national assets frozen and aid ended. Military officials involved in the coup would be banned from travelling and have their assets frozen, it added.

Persons: Balima Boureima, Mohammed Bazoum, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Bola Tinubu Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Economic, West, Nigerian, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Military Locations: NIAMEY, NIGER, Niamey, Niger, Niger's, Nigeria, States

☆ West African Nations Threaten Military Action Unless Niger Coup Is Undone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Declan Walsh | More About Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

West African leaders on Sunday threatened military action against Niger, where soldiers seized power in a coup on Wednesday, unless the country’s democratically elected president is restored to office within a week. The demand was issued by the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, a 15-member regional bloc, after a crisis summit meeting in Nigeria. It echoed earlier calls by the United States and France, major security allies of Niger, threatening to cut aid and military ties unless the deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, is restored. After coup supporters massed on Sunday outside the French Embassy in the capital, Niamey, calling for the withdrawal of French troops, President Emmanuel Macron issued a stiffly worded warning. Any attack on France’s citizens or interests in Niger will be met with an “immediate and uncompromising” reaction, Mr. Macron said in a statement.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Bazoum Organizations: Sunday, Economic, West, Embassy Locations: Niger, West African States, Nigeria, United States, France, Niamey

☆ France condemns anti-French unrest in Niger following coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, July 30 (Reuters) - France condemned violence against its diplomatic mission in Niger and pledged to react strongly to any attack on its nationals or interests, as anti-French protests took place outside the French Embassy in Niamey on Sunday following last week's military coup. In a separate statement, the Foreign Affairs ministry condemned all violence against diplomatic missions and called on Niger authorities to protect the French mission as required under international law. France, the former colonial power in Niger, announced on Saturday it was cutting all development aid to the country and called for Bazoum to be returned to office following his ouster late on Wednesday. Niger has been a security partner of France, and the United States, which have used it as a base to fight an Islamist insurgency in West and Central Africa's wider Sahel region. Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Layli Foroudi Editing by Bernadette Baum and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron's, Macron, Mohamed Bazoum, Elizabeth Pineau, Bernadette Baum, Frances Kerry Organizations: Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: France, Niger, Niamey, Niger Mahamadou, . Niger, United States, West, Central

In the video, a Central African Republic rebel fighter says "the French want to drive Wagner out of Africa". Russia and Wagner have a track record of media manipulation and disinformation, which Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to. The European Union sanctioned Wagner in February for alleged rights abuses and spreading disinformation, including in Africa. The foreign ministry unit doesn’t promote or generate fake news, the two diplomats said. However, the foreign ministry unit, and the broader strategy, will face an uphill battle to convince people in Africa that France has changed, seven analysts and diplomats said.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Vincent Bado, Wagner, Catherine Colonna, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Maria Zakharova, Meta, Anne, Sophie Ave, Lakhta, Prigozhin, Viginum, Faustin, Archange Touadera, “, Michael Shurkin, I'm, Jean Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Michel Rose, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, Central, Facebook, Kremlin, Reuters, Quai D'Orsay, Vigilance, Protection, European Union, West, Central African, Twitter, Democratic, Internet Research Agency, Meta, Global, National Union, Gabonese, Thomson Locations: Burkina, French, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Russia, PARIS, DAKAR, Central African Republic, France, Russian, Africa, Paris, France's, Ukraine, Moscow, Central, West Africa, Quai, Kinshasa, Mali, Sahel, Europe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, U.S, Togo, Libreville, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Dakar

☆ French street artist C215’s heart ‘belongs to the Ukrainian people’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Based in Paris, Guemy has collaborated with British artist Banksy — who has also created works in Ukraine — in the past. “Being French gives a proper sense of tragedy, not irony.”The artist's depiction of Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsiyevsky. The artist has even painted his own son Gabin, wearing a traditional Ukrainian shirt, on a building in Kyiv damaged by a Russian missile attack. Ukraine doesn’t want ‘peace,’ Ukraine wants victory and justice.”Guemy is planning to do more works in and about Ukraine. “My heart belongs to the Ukrainian people.”

Persons: haggard, Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, Christian Guemy, Matsiyevsky’s, ” Guemy, “, Ukraine ’, ”, Guemy, Banksy —, Ukraine Guemy, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, –, Eugène, ” It’s, Joel Saget, Nina, he’s, Dmytro Kotsiubaylo, Da Vinci, Bakhmut, Lesya Ukrainka, Roman Pilipey, Gabin Organizations: CNN, Russian, Ukraine, Getty Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Paris, Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian, Lviv, France, AFP, Haiti, Rwanda, Spain, San Francisco, Irpin, Borodyanka, Roman, Russian, “

“And we kind of thought that they were going to take us.”They waited, well into the early hours of the morning – before finally getting an email from the US State Department. However, the US State Department has advised that American citizens in Sudan “should have no expectation of a US government-coordinated evacuation at this time” due to the security situation and the closure of the airport in Khartoum. “It is imperative that US citizens in Sudan make their own arrangements to stay safe in these difficult circumstances,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel at a news briefing last Friday. The French Embassy in Sudan was carrying out a separate evacuation for French citizens, and foreigners of other nationalities were welcome. Welker also argued that Americans in Sudan are largely there for humanitarian and educational reasons – and that the US should help retrieve all those who want to leave.

☆ Macron criticised for saying Europe should take independent stance on Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has caused a stir by saying Europe has no interest in accelerating the conflict in Taiwan and should become a "third pole" independent of both Washington and Beijing. Political actors on both sides of the Atlantic criticised the president's position as being too accommodating of China, just as it carries out military drills around Taiwan. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. He added that the French president was "increasingly isolating himself in Europe." If Europe doesn't "pick sides between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, then maybe we shouldn't be picking sides either [on Ukraine]," the Republican senator said.

☆ In Beijing, French business community welcomes Macron's overtures
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, April 6 (Reuters) - Among the French business executives travelling to Beijing with President Emmanuel Macron, the mood was cautiously sanguine on the thawing post-pandemic trade prospects with China, with some rejecting American-led calls for 'decoupling'. It shows the business community is supported by the president, it's very important vis-à-vis the Chinese authorities," Thierry de la Tour d'Artaise, chairman of French appliance group SEB (SEBF.PA), told Reuters. The size of Macron's business delegation was criticised by some commentators, though. "Three-quarters of the delegation are business leaders: the goal is first and foremost to sign contracts," Raphael Glucksmann, a left-wing member of the European parliament, wrote on Twitter ahead of Macron's visit. Operating in China still presented challenges for French businesses, China-based French expats said.

☆ Fact Check-Embassies say there is no truth to claims about Western diplomats fleeing Turkey before the Feb. 6 earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters found no evidence supporting claims online that eight ambassadors to Turkey left the country 24 hours before the Feb. 6 deadly earthquake. The U.S. and Belgian embassies in Turkey did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. There is also no evidence to support claims these countries’ ambassadors knew about the earthquake beforehand. The online claims may have been inspired by this news, but this meeting took place in Turkey. Reuters found no evidence of claims that eight Western ambassadors to Turkey left the country 24 hours before the Feb. 6 earthquake.

☆ At least 4 U.S. residents among those killed in Nepal plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Two Americans and two permanent residents living in the United States were among the 72 people killed after a plane crashed in Nepal over the weekend, the State Department said. Price did not identify or provide any further details on the two U.S. citizens and permanent residents killed in the crash. On Wednesday, the French Embassy in Nepal said France had dispatched a team of aviation experts to assist the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal at the site of the crash. Sunday's crash was the deadliest Nepal has seen since 1992, when all 167 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when the aircraft struck a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu. Since 2000, nearly 350 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal.

South Korea on Tuesday hit back at claims that its Covid rules for Chinese travelers are "discriminatory," saying more than half of its imported cases are coming from China. Citing South Korea's proximity to China, Choi said a surge in infections in China could put South Korea at risk. But South Korea and Japan — two top destinations for Chinese travelers — said they are not increasing flights in response to China's border reopening. China's embassies in South Korea and Japan announced Tuesday that they would stop issuing visas to "Korean nationals" and "Japanese citizens." Choi said South Korea's new Covid travel restrictions are "only temporary" and were made to "place the highest priority on the health and safety of people residing in South Korea."

☆ French minister says France still committed to Burkina Faso despite tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierOUAGADOUGOU, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A French minister said on Tuesday her government would not stop supporting Burkina Faso in its fight against Islamist militants and wished to remain involved despite growing anti-French sentiment and diplomatic tensions. Relations between France and Burkina Faso, a former French colony, have deteriorated following two military coups this year that were partly spurred by local authorities' failure to protect civilians from jihadist attacks. Tensions flared last month, when the Burkina Faso government requested the replacement of France's ambassador. Protests by opponents of the French military presence surged this year, partly linked to perceptions that France has not done enough to improve security. Zacharopoulou said French troops would remain in Burkina Faso "as long as their presence is desired".

☆ Biden, Macron reaffirm their partnership, support for Ukraine at joint White House press conference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The two leaders spoke to reporters in a joint press conference at the White House after meeting for more than two hours. Macron is visiting the U.S. as a guest of Biden for the first state dinner of his presidency. Ukraine was top of mind for the leaders, who each worried about Russia's bombing of civilian infrastructure as winter approaches. "I think it's absolutely critical, what Emmanuel said: We must support the Ukrainian people," Biden said. European leaders, Macron said, worry the vast tax incentives would drive companies from Europe to the U.S. to create climate-friendly technology such as electric vehicles.

☆ In Biden's first state visit, French President Macron says U.S. must stand with democracies amid Russian aggression
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden stand together onstage during an official State Arrival Ceremony for President Macron on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2022. Standing beside U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, French President Emmanuel Macron said the two democratic nations must once again become "brothers in arms" amid Russia's attack on Ukraine. Macron made the comments during the welcoming ceremony Thursday of Biden's first state visit. Beyond military aggression, Macron said the alliance must remain strong as democracy itself is being questioned around the world. "France and the United States are once again defending the democratic values and universal human rights which are the hearts of both our nations," Biden said.

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