DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Britain's Charles, Prince of Wales, greets France's President Emmanuel Macron ahead of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain November 1, 2021. Charles had meant to make France his first royal visit after his coronation, but the March trip was abruptly cancelled by violent French protests over pension reforms, much to Macron's embarrassment. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit Paris before heading southwest to the vineyards of Bordeaux. The day after that, Charles and Camilla will visit the flower market named after Queen Elizabeth on Paris' Ile de la Cité. "The king is always very interested in the president's analysis of major international issues," an Elysee official told Reuters.

Persons: Britain's Charles , Prince of Wales, Emmanuel Macron, Jane Barlow, Charles, Camilla, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Elizabeth's, Elizabeth, René Coty, Queen Elizabeth, Boris Johnson, torpedoing, Macron seething, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Prince Charles, Jeff Bezos, Macron, It's Prince Charles, Michel Rose, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Change, Notre, Dame, France, Windsor Castle, of Mirrors, European Union, Canberra, entente, Elysee, Reuters, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, France, Versailles, Bordeaux PARIS, Windsor, Paris, Bordeaux, Europe, Buckingham, of Versailles, la, United States, Australia, Ukraine, Africa

☆ Apple to implement Iphone 12 update in next few days in France - Minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - French Digital Affairs Minister Jean Noel Barrot on Friday said Apple told him that it will implement an update for its iPhone 12 model in the next few days to fix radiation issues which earlier this week triggered a sales halt in France. The French ANFR regulator is preparing to rapidly test this update, which would eventually bring the model into compliance with European standards applied in France, and lift the marketing withdrawal, Barrot's ministry said in a statement. Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Writing by Dominique VidalonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jean Noel Barrot, Apple, Barrot's, Elizabeth Pineau, Dominique Vidalon Organizations: French Digital Affairs, Thomson Locations: France, French

☆ Pope's visit to France stirs debate over immigration, secularism
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pope Francis meets people on the day of the weekly general audience at the Vatican, September 13, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis' scheduled visit to France next week has stirred debate in the French political class, with left-wing politicians criticising the president for attending Mass while the far-right objects to the pope's positive views on immigration. Macron's advisers said French leaders had attended Mass before, and there was "confusion" as to what secularism means. "I disagree with Pope Francis," Marechal said on BFM TV on Thursday. France, home to Europe's largest Muslim community, is regularly convulsed with debates on immigration.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Emmanuel Macron, Fabien Roussel, Macron, Marion Marechal, Marine Le, Marechal, doesn't, Michel Rose, Elizabeth Pineau, Philip Pullella, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, French Communist, Thomson Locations: France, Marseille, France's, Republic, Europe, Paris, Rome

LONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - France's radiation watchdog has banned sales of Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone 12 after tests that it said showed the smartphone breached European radiation exposure limits. Apple disputes the watchdog's conclusions, saying the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global radiation standards. The ANFR said it recently carried out random tests on 141 phones, including iPhone 12, bought from shops. Smartphone radiation tests have so far led to 42 imposed sale stops in the country, it said. The ANFR said the iPhone 12 had failed to meet European Union standards, raising questions over whether more sales bans could be coming elsewhere.

Persons: Jean, Noel Barrot, Le, ANFR, Rodney Croft, Apple, Martin Coulter, Jennifer Rigby, Elizabeth Pineau, Mark Potter, Josie Kao Organizations: Agence Nationale des, Apple, Digital Minister, Reuters, International Commission, EU, WHO, International Agency for Research, Cancer, APPLE, Union, Germany's Federal, for Radiation, Thomson Locations: France

☆ France's head of Notre-Dame renovation dies in accident while hiking
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] French Army General Jean-Louis Georgelin, in charge of Notre-Dame Cathedral reconstruction, stays at distance to answer journalists questions in Paris, France, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The man heading the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris following a devastating fire three years ago has died in an accident while hiking in the Pyrenees. General Jean-Louis Georgelin's death was reported by French media and confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron. Notre-Dame will be restored to its previous design, including the 96-metre (315-feet) spire designed by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the mid-1800s. Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jean, Louis Georgelin, Benoit Tessier, Notre, Dame de, General Jean, Louis Georgelin's, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Eugene Viollet, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Frances Kerry Organizations: French Army, Notre, Dame, REUTERS, Rights, Twitter, Olympic Games, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Pyrenees

☆ Eleven dead in fire at French holiday home for disabled
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Tilman Blasshofer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WINTZENHEIM, France, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Eleven people died in a fire that tore through a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. A neighbour, Nathalie, told BFM TV that she heard people scream and saw huge clouds of smoke from her window. "Everything happened very quickly," an unnamed witness told France 3 TV. [1/5]Dark clouds are seen over the remnants of a holiday home in eastern France near Colmar where disabled people were killed as fire broke out during their summer holidays in Wintzenheim, France, August 9, 2023. Kielwasser told reporters it had likely been a low-level fire that had burnt for a while before growing bigger and tearing the house down.

Persons: Nathalie Kielwasser, Elisabeth Borne, Borne, Nathalie, BFM, Tilman Blasshofer, Philippe Hauwiller, Kielwasser, Daniel Leroy, Elizabeth Pineau, Zhifan Liu, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Blandine, Ingrid Melander, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum, Toby Chopra, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: France, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: WINTZENHEIM, France, Wintzenheim, Strasbourg, Colmar, Paris

☆ Silicon Valley presented AI as a noble research tool. Now it's all about cold, hard cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tech firms once had the luxury of pursuing expensive AI research. It's a sign that companies hope AI will play a greater role in boosting revenue. The Financial Times reported that the company axed a team involved in protein folding research as part of its massive restructuring program, which Mark Zuckerberg has called the "Year of Efficiency." The company's vice-president of AI, Joelle Pineau, also said Meta "remains committed" to its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) Team, which conducts "exploratory research based on open science." The race to make money from AI then is heating up.

Persons: that's, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Meta, Joelle Pineau Organizations: Morning, Google, Meta, Financial Times, Facebook, DeepMind, AI Research, FAIR Locations: DeepMind

[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

☆ 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

[1/3] Writer Milan Kundera is pictured in Prague, former Czechoslovakia, May 6, 1963. CTK Photo/Frantisek Nesvadba via REUTERSPRAGUE, July 12 (Reuters) - Czech-born writer Milan Kundera, author of the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" who lived nearly five decades in Paris after emigrating in disillusionment from his Communist-ruled homeland, has died at the age of 94. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Kundera was "a writer and a voice that we will miss". "Milan Kundera's work is at the same time a deep, human, intimate and distant exploration," she said. Fellow Czech writer Karel Hvizdala told Czech Television he saw his friend last November and he was already in poor health.

Persons: Milan Kundera, Frantisek Nesvadba, Kundera, Petr Fiala, Petr Pavel, Pavel, Elisabeth Borne, Milan, Karel Hvizdala, Albert Camus, Daniel Day, Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Philip Kaufman, Timothy Garton Ash, Monde, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Czechoslovakia's, Jan Lopatka, Robert Muller, Elizabeth Pineau, Tassilo Hummel, Michael Kahn, Jason Hovet, Toby Chopra, Kevin Liffey, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: CTK, REUTERS, Moravian, Prague Spring, Czech Television, Czechoslovak Communist, New York Times, Oxford University, Paris Mayor, Czechoslovakia's Communist, Thomson Locations: Prague, Czechoslovakia, REUTERS PRAGUE, Czech, Paris, Brno, France, Communist Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak, Europe, Central Europe, French, Western

France has pledged to invest 12 billion euros in such urban renewal projects between 2014 and 2030 while many priority areas also benefit from other forms of government aid and subsidies. Researchers point out that total state support to poor areas nonetheless amounts to less than 1% of annual national output. Macron said this week that France would push ahead with urban renewal plans and look at ways to get faster results. Thomas Kirszbaum, a sociologist at Lille University who specialises in urban policy and integration, acknowledged that urban renewal efforts often lead to local improvements but did little to address a wider sense of discrimination. Instead, government officials argue that successive urban renewal plans have produced educational and other gains which allay a wider sense of social exclusion.

Persons: Nahel, Horaci Garcia, Macron, Cedric Gouth, Emmanuel Macron, Farid Hamoudea, Woippy, Gouth, ”, Mouhad Moradab, Woippy's, Moradab, Chad Jallouz, Thomas Kirszbaum, Jallouz, Leigh Thomas, Juliette Jabkhiro, Elizabeth Pineau, Tassilo Hummel, Mark John, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Saint, REUTERS, Reuters, Paris, Woippy’s, SECOND, Lille University, Labour Ministry, Thomson Locations: Nanterre, Eloy, Woippy, French, Metz, France, North, Paris, Europe, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Woippy's, Moroccan

☆ 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

The interior ministry said 719 people were arrested on Saturday night, fewer than the 1,311 the previous night and 875 on Thursday night. Their action ... made for a quieter night," the ministry said on Twitter. The biggest flashpoint overnight was Marseille, where police fired teargas and fought street battles with youths around the city centre late into the night. MAYOR'S HOME ATTACKEDIn Paris, police increased security overnight at the city's famous Champs Elysees avenue after a call on social media to gather there. Paris police said six public buildings were damaged and five officers wounded overnight.

Persons: Nahel, Emmanuel Macron, Laurent Nunez, teargas, Juan Medina, MAYOR'S, Elisabeth Borne, Bruno Le Maire, Yann Wernert, Jacques Delors, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Alison Williams, Alex Richardson Organizations: Authorities, Twitter, France, REUTERS, China's Consular, MAYOR'S HOME, Finance, Thomson Locations: Paris, North, PARIS, France, Moroccan, Nanterre, Germany, Marseille, China, L'Hay, Nice, Strasbourg, tobacconists, tatters, Berlin

☆ Home of French mayor ram-raided and torched by rioters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of the southern suburb of L'Hay-les-Roses, said his wife and one of their two children, aged five and seven, were injured as they fled the building in the early hours. Jeanbrun, from the conservative Les Republicains party, was not at home but at the town hall during the incident. The town hall has been the target of attack for several nights since the shooting and has been protected with barbed wire and barricades. "While attempting to shield them and fleeing the attackers, my wife and one of my children got hurt." Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vincent Jeanbrun, Jeanbrun, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Alison Williams Organizations: Thomson Locations: Paris, L'Hay

As Jeanbrun's wife and children, aged 5 and 7, took flight through the back yard, they were targeted with fireworks. Jeanbrun told Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne his wife had had surgery to a broken leg and faced a three-month rehabilitation. "While attempting to shield them and fleeing the attackers, my wife and one of my children were hurt," the mayor said. Jeanbrun's town hall has been the target of attack for several nights since Tuesday's shooting and has been protected with barbed wire and barricades. "I didn’t think we'd ever live through something like this," the mayor told another bystander who wished his wife well.

Persons: Vincent Jeanbrun, Melanie, Jeanbrun, Elisabeth Borne, Yves Herman The, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit van Overstraeten, Richard Lough, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Paris, L'Hay, France, Jeanbrun's

It was the second time this year that unrest in France has forced Macron to postpone high profile encounters with a head of state after Britain's King Charles cancelled a visit due to protests over pension legislation. "A state visit is a visit of friendship, purely ceremonial, there will be a better time to do so," a Macron aide told Reuters, asking not to be named. Macron spoke on the phone on Saturday with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and briefed him on the situation, a spokesperson for the German president said. The state visit was to see Macron cross Germany from west to east before giving a speech on bilateral relations. "The state visit can be made up for later, but the violent protests and the reactions to them also show how charged the political mood in France is at the moment," he added.

Persons: Yves Herman BERLIN, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Britain's King Charles, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, Yann Wernert, Jacques Delors, Andreas Rinke, Elizabeth Pineau, Tom Sims, Richard Lough, Giles Elgood, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, Germany, Paris, Berlin

His death, caught on video, has reignited longstanding complaints by poor and racially mixed urban communities of police violence and racism. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said early on Saturday that 270 people had been arrested on Friday night, bringing the total to more than 1,100 since unrest ignited. In Lyon, France's third-largest city, the gendarmes police force deployed armoured personnel carriers and a helicopter to quell the unrest. Darmanin asked local authorities across France to halt bus and tram traffic from 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) and said 45,000 officers were being deployed, 5,000 more than on Thursday. In Paris, police cleared protesters from the iconic central Place de la Concorde square on Friday night after an impromptu demonstration.

Persons: Nahel, Juan Medina, Macron, Emmanuel Macron, Gerald Darmanin, France's, Benoit Payan, Darmanin, we're, Snapchat, Mohamed Jakoubi, Enzo Santo Domingo, Ravina Shamdasani, Laurent, Franck Lienard, didn't, Lienard, Jacques Chirac, Dominique Vidalon, Marc Leras, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Pascal Rossignol, Elizabeth Pineau, Layli Foroudi, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Alison Williams, Sandra Maler, Dan Wallis, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Government, Marseille, TF1, French soccer, Stade de France, de, Meta, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Nanterre, Paris, France, PARIS, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille, Spanish, Bilbao, Brussels, Aubervilliers, U.S, Geneva, Amsterdam

☆ 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

☆ Macron convenes new crisis meeting after worst night of rioting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who had deployed 40,000 officers on Thursday night in a bid to quell a third night of unrest, said on Twitter that police made 667 arrests. Macron will meet with his cabinet at 1100 GMT in Paris, likely cutting short his attendance at a European Union summit in Brussels, his office said. Twelve buses were set on fire and destroyed overnight in a depot in Aubervilliers, in northern Paris. They said they had made 307 arrests in and around the city and that nine police and fire officers had been injured. In Roubaix, in northern France, a fire destroyed the office of the TESSI company and several cars were set on fire.

Persons: Nahel, Emmanuel Macron, Gerald Darmanin, Macron, Elisabeth Borne, Clement Beaune, Laurent, Franck Lienard, didn't, Lienard, Jacques Chirac, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Pascal Rossignol, Elizabeth Pineau, Marc Leras, John Stonestreet Organizations: Firefighters, Twitter, Nationwide, Transport, RMC, Les, Nike, Police, Thomson Locations: Nanterre, Alma, Roubaix, France, Brussels, PARIS, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse, Lille, Paris, Algerian, Aubervilliers, NANTERRE, Paris's, Rue, Rivoli, France's, Le Vieux, Clichy

But officially colour-blind France has long refused to acknowledge any racial factor was at play. "From that point on, unions were involved in everything that's co-managed, including the managing of human resources," he told Reuters. But these fines are rare and rights groups say police officers often end up with light sentences, fuelling a sense of impunity. A rise in lethal police shootings over the last few years has been linked to a law reform in 2017, which broadens the circumstances in which an officer can use their firearm. "It is completely vague, and it allows to shoot much more freely," said Caille of the left-wing CGT police union.

Persons: Cedric Mas, Olivier Cahn, that's, " Cahn, Christophe Castaner, Gerald Darmanin, Franck Louvrier, Nicolas Sarkozy, Darmanin, Ravina Shamdasani, Anthony Caille, –, Sebastian Roche, Michel Rose, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Rights, Twitter, Cergy University, Reuters, Socialists, United Nations, Police, CGT Police, of, Society, CGT, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Britain, France, United States, Paris, Moroccan, – France, U.S, Nice

☆ Exclusive: EDF CEO tells managers nuclear business to be reorganised
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Electricite de France SA FollowPARIS, June 29 (Reuters) - EDF CEO Luc Remont told managers on Thursday that the state-owned power group's nuclear activities would be reorganised to overcome recurring problems that cut production last year. Two sources said the division would be restructured and five executives charged with drawing up proposals, including nuclear park head Cedric Lewandowski, head of new nuclear projects Xavier Ursat and head of industrial quality Alain Tranzer. France is the region's largest exporter of power, but the outages cut 2022 nuclear power output to the lowest level since 1988. Remont told the group's top 300 managers that talks were still underway with the state and EU competition regulators about its existing and future nuclear activities, the source said. There's no need to wait for a final decision from the president's office," the source said after attending the meeting with managers.

Persons: Luc Remont, Cedric Lewandowski, Xavier Ursat, Alain Tranzer, Emmanuel Macron's, Remont, Elizabeth Pineau, Benjamin Mallet, Josephine Mason, Leigh Thomas, Jan Harvey Organizations: Electricite de, SA, PARIS, EDF, Reuters, French, Thomson Locations: France, EU, Paris, London

☆ Amazon appeals to French court to scrap planned 3 euro book delivery fee
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 27 (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon.com (AMZN.O) has appealed to France's highest administrative court to overturn part of a law seeking to charge a minimum 3-euro ($3.3) delivery fee for books purchased online, it said on Tuesday. The law is due to come into effect in October and represents an increase to Amazon's previous charge of a single euro cent on book deliveries in France. Previous French governments have issued similar legislation, which has been aimed at protecting local, independent bookstores in the face of competition from Amazon. Amazon says such measures will hit lower-income people who may live in rural areas without any bookshops. Guillaume Husson, who heads the Syndicat de la Librairie Francaise bookshops union, criticised Amazon's move and said it showed how the giant online retailer wanted to have a monopoly on the online book market.

Persons: Frederic Duval, Guillaume Husson, Amazon's, Elizabeth Pineau, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Amazon.com, Amazon, French Ministry of Culture, Librairie Francaise, Thomson Locations: Amazon France, France

☆ HIGHLIGHTS-What world leaders said at the Paris finance summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - Following are highlights of what world leaders said at a summit in Paris on Thursday to boost crisis financing for poor countries, reform post-war financial systems and free up funds to tackle climate change. ON REFORM"Even with the capital that the World Bank and the MDBs (multinational development banks) have, there is clearly potential ...to increase financing capacity," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, whose country is the World Bank's biggest shareholder. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen delivers her speech at the U.S embassy to France, ahead of the Global Climate Finance conference, in Paris, France June 22, 2023 World leaders, heads of international organizations and activists are gathering in Paris for a two-day summit aimed at seeking better responses to tackle poverty and climate change issues by reshaping the global financial system. ON FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ARCHITECTURE"It is clear that the international financial architecture has failed in its mission to provide a global safety net for developing countries," said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Reporting by Leigh Thomas, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Lewis Joly, Emmanuel Macron, General Antonio Guterres, Leigh Thomas, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Silvia Aloisi, Christina Fincher Organizations: World Bank, Treasury, U.S . Treasury, U.S, Global Climate Finance, Bank, Thomson Locations: Paris, U.S, France

☆ Zambia poised for debt restructuring deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - A deal on Zambia's debt restructuring is expected to be announced later on Thursday at a Paris summit on easing poor countries' debt burdens, four sources familiar with the matter said. “There has been agreement by creditors on the debt restructuring," one of the sources said. The head of the Paris Club of creditor nations Emmanuel Moulin said on Wednesday that Zambia's creditors were close to being able to propose the terms of a debt restructuring deal at the summit. "On debt restructuring, today we will talk about Zambia which I think is a great case of celebration," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told a panel at the summit. Zambia is seen as a test case for a 2020 G20 common framework for restructuring poor countries' debt, which has faced much criticism for being two slow.

Persons: Emmanuel Moulin, Kristalina Georgieva, Akinwumi Adesina, Chad, Leigh Thomas, Elizabeth Pineau, Chris Mfula, Susan Fenton Organizations: Paris Club, China, IMF, Development Bank, Thomson Locations: Paris, Zambia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lusaka

☆ Gas explosion starts fire in central Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] French police secure the area as firefighters work after several buildings on fire following a gas explosion in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, France, June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, June 21 (Reuters) - A gas explosion started a blaze in buildings in the Latin Quarter of central Paris, officials and witnesses said. Journalist Olivier Galzi told BFM TV that he had seen the facade of a nearby building "completely collapse." Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the fire was locted on Rue Saint-Jacques in the 5th arrondissement close to the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne University. Reporting by Michel Rose, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Tassilo Hummel, Juliette Jabkhiro, Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Jean-Michel Belot and Tassilo HummelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes PARIS, Olivier Galzi, BFM, Gerald Darmanin, Jacques, Christopher Gaglione, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Tassilo Hummel, Juliette Jabkhiro, Elizabeth Pineau, Jean, Michel Belot Organizations: REUTERS, Police, Rue Saint, Jardin du, Sorbonne University, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Rue, Jardin, Jardin du Luxembourg

Search resuls for: "Pineau"

25 mentions found