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☆ EU antitrust regulators approve Vivendi, Lagardere deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 9 (Reuters) - Vivendi (VIV.PA), the French media conglomerate controlled by billionaire Vincent Bollore, on Friday won conditional EU antitrust approval for its acquisition of France's largest publisher Lagardere (LAGA.PA). Vivendi last year announced the deal which would give it control of Lagardere's flagship weekly publications Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and Paris Match. Vivendi said in a statement that it was confident it would finalise those two transactions by the end of October. "The remedies proposed by Vivendi will allow for the preservation of existing competition in those markets, to the benefit of consumers." Reuters reported in April that the remedies were sufficient to help Vivendi gain EU antitrust clearance for the acquisition.

Persons: Vincent Bollore, Margrethe Vestager, Daniel Kretinsky, Yannick Bollore, Foo Yun Chee, Bart Meijer, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Louise Organizations: Vivendi, Paris Match, European Commission, Reuters, Le Monde, TF1, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Czech, Le

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Kyiv defends against heavy air raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Monday, the Ukrainian military hailed advances made in its first successful counterattack against Russian forces besieging the eastern city of Bakhmut. * A top Chinese envoy, Li Hui, was due to begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European countries on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the crisis. * Zelenskiy, in his evening video address, said he was returning home with new military help and newer, more powerful weapons. French President Emmanuel Macron told TF1 television France was open to training Ukrainian fighter jet pilots. * Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that it had downed a long-range Storm Shadow missile supplied to Ukraine by Britain.

☆ A Chinese Ambassador’s Comments on Ex-Soviet States Draw Ire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Steven Erlanger | David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The recent rhetorical gyrations of Chinese diplomats — including Mr. Lu and Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassador to the European Union — suggest that Beijing is still struggling to strike a balance between courting European leaders and supporting Russia, with which it has declared a “no limits” partnership. The war in Ukraine has put Beijing in an awkward position: It has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion while also promising not to help Russia militarily in its war. He said that Crimea was Russian historically and had been handed over to Ukraine. Still, Mr. Lu’s comments have caused confusion and anger in Ukraine and the European Union, especially among those countries of Eastern and Central Europe that were under Soviet rule or occupation. The Baltic nations, which were annexed by the Soviet Union after World War II, are especially sensitive to any suggestion that their sovereignty is under question.

[1/2] Protesters hold placards depicting French President Emmanuel Macron during a demonstration as part of the 12th day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 13, 2023. It would also need to find its way through parliament, where Macron has lost his working majority and debate has become increasingly fractious. The conservative Les Republicains' (LR) party, which the government had hoped it would be able to count on for support, has emerged deeply divided from the pension reform saga. "There are gaping wounds in the country," LR lawmaker Aurélien Pradié, who rebelled against the pro-pension reform party line on the reform, said on Twitter. So while the pension reform is on the statute books, Macron has much political capital still to regain.

☆ 'Do you think I enjoy doing this reform?': France's Macron breaks silence after overriding parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on screen as he speaks during a TV interview from the Elysee Palace, in Paris, on March 22, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday staunchly defended his reforms to the pension system, but said the government could have communicated its policy better. "Do you think I enjoy doing this reform? Macron said the bill needed to be implemented by the end of the year. Strikes have been carried out by teachers, transport workers and refinery workers, who have blocked fuel deliveries in some areas.

☆ Israel is considering sending its Iron Dome air defense system to Ukraine, Netanyahu says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Israel is looking into sending its Iron Dome system to Ukraine, Prime Minister Netanyahu said. The Iron Dome is arguably the world's most advanced missile defense system, designed to intercept barrages of rockets and artillery shells. In an interview with French TV outlets TF1 and LCI broadcast on Sunday, Netanyahu was asked about sending the missile defense system to Ukraine, in response to the country's continuing appeals for military support. Ukraine made a formal request to Israel for Iron Dome and other high-tech defense weaponry in October last year, as The Times of Israel reported. Asked about the attack, Netanyahu stopped short of denying responsibility, but gave no definitive answer as to whether Israel was responsible.

☆ Winter freeze tests French power grid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Temperatures dropping close to zero in coming days will pose the first real test of the resilience of France's electricity grid amid warnings over possible power cuts, though President Emmanuel Macron urged the French not to panic. "Consumption is set to peak at 80 GW (versus 73 GW on Dec. 5), while wind power is expected to be below normal. Should the nuclear availability remain at 37-38 GW the supply gap risk would be much more acute than today." Meanwhile, further delays on nuclear reactors were announced at the weekend. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsReporting by Ingrid Melander and Forrest Crellin, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine, Baltics rebuke Macron for suggesting 'security guarantees' for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

read moreUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's top aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that it is the world that needs security guarantees from Russia, not the other way around. "Civilized world needs 'security guarantees' from barbaric intentions of post-Putin Russia," Podolyak said on Twitter on Sunday. "Someone wants to provide security guarantees to a terrorist and killer state?" "The only security guarantees we should focus on are essentially non-Russian," he said on his Twitter account. "After that, we are ready to sit down at the negotiation table and talk about security guarantees."

☆ Macron says "no panic" about possible French power cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no reason to panic about possible power cuts this winter, but he called on citizens to use less energy and on state utility EDF to restart nuclear reactors to prevent outages in case of cold weather. In an interview with French TV station TF1 recorded during his state visit to the United States this week, Macron denied that the risk of rolling blackouts was due to inadequate management of EDF's (EDF.PA) nuclear reactor restart programme. It is legitimate for the government to prepare for the extreme cases which would mean cutting off electricity for a few hours per day if we did not have enough power," Macron said. The head of French power grid operator RTE said on Thursday that France may face "some days" of power cuts this winter and the government has started briefing local authorities on how to handle any outages. Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Macron says new security architecture should give guarantees for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The West should consider how to address Russia's need for security guarantees if President Vladimir Putin agrees to negotiations about ending the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said in remarks broadcast on Saturday. In an interview with French TV station TF1 recorded during his state visit to the United States last week, Macron said Europe needs to prepare its future security architecture. "This means that one of the essential points we must address - as President Putin has always said - is the fear that NATO comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia," Macron said. Ukraine says negotiations are possible only if Russia stops attacking and pulls out its troops. The United States said at the time that the Russian demands were "non-starters".

☆ World Cup advertisers are operating in a minefield
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN Business —Billions of people watch FIFA’s World Cup every four years, a tantalizing opportunity for advertisers who want to capitalize on the feel-good fervor of the world’s biggest sporting event. In 2018, the World Cup drew in a record 3.6 billion viewers. Given such high levels of engagement, companies are eager to capitalize on the hype and spirit of camaraderie attached to the World Cup. “A Euros or a World Cup for four weeks in the middle of the summer — it’s literally like an island in the middle of the ocean,” ITV sales director Mark Trindler said on an industry podcast this past spring. It had already beaten revenue records for the tournament, and succeeded in bringing more than 20 new advertisers on board.

☆ UK will not take action over Czech mogul's plan to raise Royal Mail stake
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 31 (Reuters) - Britain is no longer intervening in Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's plan to increase his stake in Royal Mail parent International Distributions Services (IDSI.L), sending the company's shares up more than 7% on Monday. In August, Royal Mail said it had been notified by then business minister Kwasi Kwarteng that he was exercising powers to look into proposals by Kretinsky's vehicle, Vesa Equity Investment, under the National Security and Investment Act. The Royal Mail review came days after the government decided not to take action over billionaire Patrick Drahi's stake in telecoms firm BT (BT.L). Vesa, Royal Mail's biggest shareholder which is ultimately controlled by Kretinsky and his business partner Patrik Tkac, in August said it had voluntarily contacted the government to inform them of its intention to increase its stake in Royal Mail, which is currently just over 22%. "Vesa Equity Investment welcomes the decision ... and reiterate our commitment to continuing long term investment presence in the U.K., including our partnership with Royal Mail," a spokesperson said.

☆ French government likely to use special powers to pass 2023 budget bill, prime minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The French government is set to pass the 2023 budget bill using special constitutional powers that would allow it to bypass a vote in parliament, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday. The government will likely use the procedure, under article 49.3 of the constitution, Borne said in an interview on French TV channel TF1, without specifying a date but ruling out its use on Monday. "We will probably have to use the 49.3, but... it won't be tomorrow." Opposition parties would be likely respond with a motion of no confidence, which would likely fail but would nonetheless be damaging as the government seeks to build bridges for a planned pension reform. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mathieu Rosemain; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Courbit-led group offers 20 euros a share for M6 stake - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: A view shows French television group M6 headquarters in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo(Reuters) - French media mogul Stephane Courbit and his investor partners are said to have offered 20 euros ($19) a share for Bertelsmann SE & Co.’s stake in television company Groupe M6, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. The offer is a 39% premium to Friday’s closing price of 14.43 euros per share, and values the 48% stake around 1.22 billion euros. Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky also made an offer for the stake, the report said, citing a person familiar with the matter. In March 2021, when Bertelsmann confirmed talks to sell its stake, French media reported that RTL’s stake was worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.48 billion), valuing all of M6 at about 3 billion euros.

☆ Courbit-led group offers 20 euros a share for M6 stake, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA view shows French television group M6 headquarters in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, May 21, 2021. The offer is a 39% premium to Friday's closing price of 14.43 euros per share, and values the 48% stake around 1.22 billion euros. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReuters could not immediately reach Courbit for comment. In March 2021, when Bertelsmann confirmed talks to sell its stake, French media reported that RTL's stake was worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.48 billion), valuing all of M6 at about 3 billion euros. ($1 = 1.0320 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ MFE teams up with French partner to bid for TV company M6
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA view shows French television group M6 headquarters in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierMILAN, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Italian broadcaster MediaForEurope (MFEB.MI) has submitted a non-binding offer for a controlling stake in French TV company M6 (MMTP.PA), two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. Milan-listed MFE, owned by the family for former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, has teamed up with a French industrial partner which is not currently present in the TV sector, the sources said, without elaborating. Initial offers for RTL's 48.3% stake in M6 were expected by Friday afternoon after a planned tie-up between the company and fellow French broadcaster TF1 collapsed last week. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Silvia AloisiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Initial offers for RTL's 48% stake in French TV channel M6 are expected by Friday after a failed tie-up with France's TF1 broadcaster, a person familiar with the matter said. RTL has been "inundated" with expressions of interest in the M6 stake since TF1 and M6 called off their planned merger last week, its boss Thomas Rabe told the Financial Times on Thursday. Other potential buyers include French media group Vivendi (VIV.PA) and Altice, owned by billionaire Patrick Drahi, alongside Italian media conglomerate MediaForEurope (MFE), Reuters reported on Monday. If RTL wants to sell M6, a deal must be completed by spring 2023, because M6's broadcasting license comes up for renewal in May. In March 2021, when Bertelsmann confirmed talks to sell its stake, French media reported the RTL's stake was worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.48 billion), valuing all of M6 at around 3 billion euros.

PARIS/MILAN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The collapse of a deal to form a French TV giant to challenge U.S. streaming services such as Netflix (NFLX.O) knocked shares in M6 Group (MMTP.PA) and TF1 (TFFP.PA) on Monday. France's two biggest private broadcasters gave up their merger plan on Friday citing French antitrust requirements that rendered the deal unworkable. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"It is extremely disappointing, it shows the incapacity in France of pushing a unifying project to create a French media champion," said Mikael Jacoby, head of continental trading at Oddo Securities. At 1424 GMT, TF1 shares were down 3.3% and shares in M6 were 3% lower. "Hedge funds don't want exposure to the advertising sector, people are very worried about next year," a merger arbitrage analyst said.

☆ Collapsed French merger sends bad TV signal
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Logos of French television networks TF1 and LCI are seen at the Boulogne-Billancourt headquarters, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles PlatiauMILAN, Sept 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A French attempt to join forces against video streaming giant Netflix (NFLX.O) has fallen flat. “Top Chef” channel M6 (MMTP.PA), controlled by Germany’s RTL (AUDK.LU), and Bouygues-backed (BOUY.PA) rival TF1 (TFFP.PA) announced in May 2021 they were planning a merger. With 3.4 billion euros of combined revenue, the tie-up was meant to create a French TV leader. The failed merger is a bad signal for European broadcasters.

☆ France leads European shares lower in mega week for central banks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) traded 0.7% lower, while France's CAC 40 index (.FCHI) dropped 1.3%. Shares in TF1 (TFFP.PA) fell 3.2% and M6 (MMTP.PA) declined 4.5% after merger plans between the French TV companies collapsed, as they noted antitrust requests had made the deal irrelevant. Most market participants expect the U.S. central bank to deliver a third straight 75 basis point hike. "Investors seem to be worried about the upcoming central bank meetings," said Patrick Armstrong, chief investment officer at Plurimi Wealth. European markets closed their worst weekly performance in three months on Friday on escalating recession worries amid aggressive central bank tightening.

☆ Un fermier belgian a mutat din greșeală granița cu Franța: „A făcut Belgia mai mare și Franța mai mică”
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-04 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

În loc să provoace o revoltă internațională, incidentul a fost întâmpinat cu zâmbete pe ambele părți ale frontierei, scrie digi24. Un localnic pasionat de istorie mergea prin pădure şi a observat că piatra care marca graniţa dintre cele două ţări a fost mutată 2,29 de metri. „A făcut Belgia mai mare şi Franţa mai mică, nu e o idee bună”, a declarat David Lavaux, primarul satului Erquelinnes, pentru TF1. Dar primarul din Bousignies-sur-Roc nu a fost de acord”, a glumit edilul belgian. Piatra datează din 1819, când granița a fost marcată pentru prima dată.

Persons: David Lavaux, Napoleon, Fermierul Organizations: TF1 Locations: Belgia, ţării, Franţa, Aurélie, graniţă, Waterloo, belgian, belgiană

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