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[1/4] French railway workers on strike demonstrate against BlackRock company inside an office building as part of the eleventh day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie LecocqPARIS, April 6 (Reuters) - Dozens of trade unionists railing against French President Emmanuel Macron's pension overhaul briefly invaded the central Paris building in which U.S.-based investment firm BlackRock has an office, chanting slogans and setting off firecrackers. The union action in the historical Centorial building near Paris' Grand Boulevards area, targetted BlackRock because of its private pension fund activity, protester Françoise Onic, 51, told Reuters. Thomson Reuters has an office in the same building. The government says change is needed to keep the pension system in the black.

☆ France to ban TikTok on work phones of civil servants -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) - France will ban the use of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of civil servants, Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini said on his Twitter account. "In order to guaratne the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants," he said in a statement. Reporting by GV De Clercq Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French and US hostages released in West Africa after years of captivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dubois was kidnapped in Mali in 2021, while Woodke was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger in 2016. "After several months of efforts, Nigerien authorities obtained the liberation of the two hostages from the hands of (JNIM), an active terrorist group in West Africa and the Sahel," Niger's interior minister Hamadou Adamou Souley told journalists at the airport, flanked by the two men. French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Niger for its help in securing the Dubois's release. "I’m gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity," Sullivan said on Twitter. Those groups have repeatedly declared French citizens in West Africa to be targets since a 2013 military intervention by France drove them back a year earlier.

☆ Police fire tear gas at spontaneous anti-pension bill protest in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, March 16 (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas at protesters on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, where some 7,000 people demonstrated against the government's pension changes in a spontaneous and unplanned rally. [1/3] A demonstrator holds a CGT labour union flag during a protest after French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne used the article 49.3, a special clause in the French Constitution, to push the pensions reform bill through the National Assembly without a vote by lawmakers, in Nantes, France, March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe 1 2 3A Reuters reporter saw cobble stones being thrown at the police, who charged to break up groups of protesters. The demonstration was across the river Seine from parliament, where Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne earlier on Thursday announced her government would push through the reform using a special constitution clause, as her minority government could not get the necessary backing from the opposition conservative Les Republicains party. Reporting by Antony Paone, writing by GV De Clercq; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French environment minister urges restrictions to avoid water crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Eric GaillardPARIS, March 6 (Reuters) - France's 100 departmental prefects should not hesitate to enact quick decrees restricting local water use given alarmingly low groundwater levels, French Environment Minister Christophe Béchu said on Monday. The announcement came after Béchu met virtually with prefects to get a view of the country's overall water situation as the country experiences its driest winter since 1959. Low water levels last summer impacted hydroelectric production and forced reduced power output at France's nuclear plants, which use river water to cool reactors. In several parts of France there was also an interruption of drinking water, which Béchu said he was keen to avoid this year. A national water resource management plan, initially expected in January, is now slated to be published before the end of March, the ministry said.

☆ Airbus deliveries fell to 20 jets in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) deliveries fell to 20 airplanes in January compared to 30 in the same month last year, the company said on Tuesday, confirming an earlier Reuters report. Detailed Airbus data showed that the cancellation came from Viva Air Colombia, a subsidiary of Irelandia Aviation. Airbus eventually lowered then abandoned that goal in 2022 as supply chain and industrial pressures began to bite harder than expected. It made 663 industrial deliveries for the year or 661 after a Russia sanctions-related adjustment. Industry sources have said the shallower "hockey stick" recovery would allow Airbus' COVID-hobbled supply chain to reset and prepare a more reliable catch-up from mid-decade.

☆ Netherlands, Denmark and Germany buy 100 Leopard 1 Tanks for Ukraine - Dutch gov't
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

THE HAGUE, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are buying 100 Leopard-1A5 battle tanks for Ukraine, the Dutch government said on Tuesday. The Dutch defense ministry said in a statement the tanks would be purchased "directly from German industry". In an interview on Dutch national broadcaster NOS, Netherlands Defense Minister Kasja Ollongen said the tanks, a slightly older model, are "definitely still useable" for fighting in Ukraine. "It's a tested tank, and because they're being tuned up and made ready for fighting, they will definitely be useful for the Ukrainians," she said. Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling, writing by GV De Clercq, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

PARIS, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) deliveries fell by a third to 20 airplanes in January compared to 30 in the same month last year, the company said on Tuesday, confirming an earlier Reuters report. Detailed Airbus data showed that the cancellation came from Viva Air Colombia, a subsidiary of Irelandia Aviation. Airbus eventually lowered then abandoned that goal in 2022 as supply chain and industrial pressures began to bite harder than expected. It made 663 industrial deliveries for the year or 661 after a Russia sanctions-related adjustment. Industry sources have said the shallower "hockey stick" recovery would allow Airbus' COVID-hobbled supply chain to reset and prepare a more reliable catch-up from mid-decade.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy invited to take part in EU summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Council President Charles Michel speak during EU summit, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 3, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBRUSSELS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been invited to take part in a summit of European Union leaders, the EU said on Monday, amid reports he could be in Brussels as soon as this week. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of the EU's national leaders, invited Zelenskiy "to participate in person in a future summit," a spokesman for Michel tweeted. The next EU summit takes place on Thursday and Friday of this week in Brussels. Earlier in the day, multiple media outlets reported that Zelenskiy could attend the summit and may also address a session of the European Parliament.

☆ France moves to block access to pornography sites for minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - France will present this week a digital-certification mechanism to oblige pornography websites to effectively control the age of viewers on their sites from September, French digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday. Sites which do not comply will risk being banned from publishing in France. In 2023, it is the end of access to pornography websites for our children," Barrot said in an interview with French daily Le Parisien. Under current legislation in France and most European countries, users have to 18 to be able to access pornography. But there is no effective control mechanism and users can simply enter a fictional birth date on their screens.

☆ Strikes will disrupt public transport in France on Tuesday, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Clement Beaune, France's Secretary of State for European affairs, speaks at the European Railway Summit in Saint-Denis, near Paris, France, February 21, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Public transport in France will be heavily disrupted on Tuesday due to labour union strikes protesting the government's planned changes to pension, Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on Sunday. "It will be a difficult, very difficult day for public transport... We expect major disruptions," Beaune said on LCI TV. Unions - including the moderate CFDT union - are united against the reform and have vowed to continue strikes and demonstrations until the government drops its plans. Macron has said he was elected on a platform to reform pensions and that without the changes France's pension system cannot remain financially viable.

☆ France extends mandatory COVID tests for Chinese travellers until Feb 15
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 28 (Reuters) - France has extended mandatory COVID tests for travellers from China until Feb. 15, a government decree published on Saturday showed. While Chinese officials have said infections have peaked, some global experts have warned about the possibility of a rise in cases in rural areas less equipped to deal with them as millions of Chinese travel for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holiday. On Dec. 30, France announced it would require travellers from China to provide a negative COVID-19 test result less than 48 hours before departure as China eased lockdown rules. The measure, which had been set to last until Jan. 31, imposed tests on all flights from China - including flights with stopovers - and required travellers on airplanes arriving from China to wear masks. China abandoned its strict "zero COVID" policy in early December after protests against the restrictions, allowing people to travel and the virus to spread rapidly throughout the country.

☆ France to withdraw troops from Burkina Faso within a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Vincent Bado/File PhotoPARIS, Jan 25 (Reuters) - France will withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso in the next month after the military junta asked it to leave, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, in a move that will further reduce its presence in a region facing a growing Islamist insurgency. Protests by opponents of the French military presence have surged in Burkina, partly linked to perceptions that France has not done enough to tackle the Islamist militancy that has spread in recent years from neighbouring Mali. France retains some 200-400 special forces in Burkina. Burkina's national television reported on Saturday that the government had suspended a 2018 military accord with Paris on Jan. 18, giving France one month to pull its troops out. Paris also has a large military presence in Chad.

☆ French city asks Madonna to lend it a painting lost in 1918
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The "Diana and Endymion" painting by Jerome-Martin Langlois, which depicts Roman goddess Diana looking lovingly at the handsome Endymion, was once on display in an Amiens museum but was lost after Germany bombed the city in 1918. Amiens, where French President Emmanuel Macron was born, is a candidate to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. "We do not dispute in any way the legal acquisition that you have made but we are candidates to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. So I would like that on this occasion, this year, you could lend us your painting," Amiens mayor Brigitte Foure said in a video posted on Facebook. Foure said the painting was probably lent to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before World War One, after which Amiens lost trace of it.

☆ Trains, flights cancelled in France on Thursday in strike against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Most trains will be cancelled in France on Thursday, with flights also affected and Paris' subway heavily disrupted, as part of a nationwide strike against the government's plan to make people work longer before they can retire. Unions have called workers to massively walk out of their job on Jan. 19 and take to the streets across France. In Paris, the vast majority of RER commuter trains will be cancelled, while three metro lines will be entirely shut down and many others will be disrupted, the RATP metro operator said. Meanwhile, one in five flights to and from Paris' Orly airport are set to be cancelled. France has a decades-long history of attempts to reform its pension system - one of the most generous and costly in Europe - and of protests to try to stop them.

☆ French court dismisses complicity in war crimes charge against TotalEnergies - lawyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - A French court has dismissed charges of complicity in war crimes against oil major TotalEnergies, lawyers for the NGOs who brought the charge said in a statement. Lawyers for the groups said they had been informed that the public prosecutor had dismissed the complaint. TotalEnergies did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the ruling. It had denied the accusations in October in a statement to French daily Le Monde. Reporting by Silvia Aloisi and America Hernandez, writing by GV De Clercq; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France fines TikTok $5.4 mln for online tracking shortcomings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - France on Thursday fined TikTok 5 million euros ($5.4 million) for shortcomings linked to the short video platform's handling of online tracking known as "cookies", which the ByteDance-owned company said it had now addressed. The CNIL found that for tiktok.com's users, it was not as easy to refuse online trackers as to accept them. The authority also found that internet users were not sufficiently informed about TikTok's use of the cookies. "The CNIL itself highlighted our cooperation during the course of the investigation and user privacy remains a top priority for TikTok," the spokesperson added. Under European Union rules, websites must clearly ask for the prior consent of internet users for any use of cookies - small pieces of data stored while navigating on the Web.

☆ European Commission clears Germany's Uniper bailout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Uniper SE FollowFortum Oyj FollowPARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Tuesday it had approved Germany's 34.5 billion euro ($36.60 billion) plan to recapitalise German natural gas trader Uniper (UN01.DE), subject to future state divestment, management pay and acquisitions. The plan complies with EU State aid rules on the necessity, appropriateness and size of the intervention, the Commission said in a statement. The recapitalisation involves an immediate cash capital increase of 8 billion euros, which will be subscribed at a price of 1.70 euros per share, it added. It also approved authorised capital of up to 26.5 billion euros, which Germany intends to pay in stages through to 2024. Uniper, majority-owned by Finland's Fortum Oy (FORTUM.HE), is Germany's largest gas provider and one of Europe's main gas traders, the Commission said.

☆ EU opens antitrust probe into Broadcom's $61 bln VMware bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - European antitrust regulators have opened an in-depth investigation into U.S. chipmaker Broadcom's (AVGO.O) proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware (VMW.N), the European Commission said on Tuesday. Reuters reported on Dec. 9 that the Commission was set to open a full-scale investigation into the deal, the second biggest globally so far this year. Broadcom on Tuesday reiterated that it continued to expect the transaction would close in its fiscal year 2023, adding it would continuing to work with the European Commission. The proposed acquisition underlines Broadcom's ambition to diversify into enterprise software, but comes as regulators worldwide ramp up scrutiny of deals by Big Tech. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Editing by GV De Clercq and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU countries agree gas price cap after weeks of talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - European Union nations' energy ministers have agreed a gas price cap, a spokesperson for the Czech Republic said on Twitter on Monday. The deal follows weeks of talks on the emergency measure that has split opinion across the bloc as it seeks to tame the energy crisis. According to officials and a document seen by Reuters, European Union countries' energy ministers agreed that the cap on gas prices would be triggered when benchmark gas prices spike to 180 euros per megawatt hour. The EU gas price cap would kick in if prices on the front-month Dutch Title Transfer Facility gas hub contract exceed 180 eur/MWh for three days, the document detailling EU ministers' agreement showed. Three EU officials said that Germany - which had been sceptical about the price cap - had voted to support a European Union deal on a gas price cap on Monday, despite having raised concerns about the policy's impact on Europe's ability to attract gas supplies in price-competitive global markets.

☆ EU warns Meta over Facebook Marketplace antitrust breach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

European Union's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement that she is concerned that Meta ties its dominant social network Facebook to its online classified ad services, which is called Facebook Marketplace. "This means Facebook users have no choice but to have access to Facebook Marketplace," she said. Facebook Marketplace was launched in 2016 and is used in 70 countries to buy and sell items. The Commission said on Monday that it was concerned that Meta is imposing "unfair trading conditions" on competitors of its own classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, that want to advertise on its social networks Facebook or Instagram. The EU competition enforcer launched an investigation into Facebook in June last year, focusing on whether the social network unfairly uses advertisers' data to compete with them in the online classified ads sector.

☆ Condoms to be free for young people in France, Macron says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Young people in France will be able to get condoms free of charge from next year in an effort to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. "In pharmacies, condoms will be free for those aged 18 to 25 from January 1," Macron told reporters during an event about young people's health. Health authorities estimate that the rate of STDs increased by about 30% in 2020 and 2021 in France. Reporting by GV De Clercq Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU Commission proposes ninth package of sanctions against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a ninth package of sanctions on Russia, including adding almost 200 additional individuals and entities on the sanctions list. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement the EU also proposes to introduce sanctions against three additional Russian banks and also wants to impose new export controls and restrictions, particularly for dual-use goods including key chemicals, nerve agents, electronics and IT components. Reporting by GV De Clercq, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU court rejects WhatsApp challenge against EU Data Protection Board
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed as inadmissible an action brought by WhatsApp against a decision of the European Data Protection Board, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Following complaints about Whatsapp's (META.O) use of personal data in Ireland and a European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ruling on the issue, the Irish Data Protection commission in 2021 imposed corrective measures on Whatsapp and fines totalling 225 million euros. WhatsApp had challenged that decision before an Irish court and also requested that the European Court of Justice annul the EDPB's ruling, but the court ruled that Whatsapp's action was inadmissible. It added that the validity of the EDPB's decision could be challenged before a national court. Reporting by GV De Clercq, editing by Marine Strauss, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Macron invites Iraq PM for meeting in France in early 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] French President Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference during a visit to the Gendarmerie school as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in Longvic, France, November 25, 2022 . Christophe Petit Tesson /Pool via REUTERSPARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Iraq's prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to a meeting in France early in 2023, Macron's office said in a statement on Sunday following a phone call between the two leaders. Macron said the two leaders have agreed to reinforce bilateral cooperation between France and Iraq and that France would help Iraq in its fight against terrorism and attacks on its sovereignty. Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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