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☆ Depardieu Sexual Assault Suit Dropped Over Statute of Limitations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A sexual assault lawsuit filed against Gérard Depardieu by a French actress has been dropped because it was past the statute of limitations, prosecutors in Paris said on Monday, but the French actor is still under investigation in a separate case. In the lawsuit that was dropped, the actress Hélène Darras had accused Depardieu of groping her on the set of “Disco,” a comedy released in 2008. Her suit had been filed in September but was made public only last month, shortly before she appeared in a France 2 television documentary alongside three other women who also accused Depardieu of inappropriate comments or sexual misconduct. The documentary, which showed Depardieu making crude sexual and sexist comments during a 2018 trip to North Korea, set off a fierce debate in France that prompted President Emmanuel Macron and dozens of actors, directors and other celebrities to defend Depardieu, splitting the French movie industry. Depardieu, 75, has denied any wrongdoing, and he has not been convicted in connection with any of the accusations against him.

Persons: Gérard Depardieu, Hélène Darras, Depardieu, groping, Emmanuel Macron Locations: French, Paris, France, North Korea

☆ Deadly Paris Knife Attack Revives Terrorism Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A German tourist was killed and several other people injured in central Paris late Saturday after a man attacked them with a knife and a hammer, the French authorities said. The case stirred fears of renewed Islamist terror attacks in a nation already on edge. The other person, a woman, was not injured, Mr. Darmanin said. “This person was clearly ready to kill other people,” Mr. Darmanin told reporters in Paris. The country is still on its highest terrorism threat alert after the killing last month of a teacher in northern France.

Persons: Gérald, Grenelle, Darmanin, Mr Organizations: Eiffel Locations: Paris, Gaza, Filipino, France

☆ France to Ban Smoking in Forests, on Beaches and Near Schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

France will ban smoking on beaches, near public buildings like schools and in public parks and forests next year, the French government said on Tuesday, as it unveiled plans to curb the habit by making it slightly more expensive and far less attractive, especially to younger people. “We have won battles,” Aurélien Rousseau, France’s health minister, said at a news conference in Paris. Noting that the smoking rate for 17-year-olds had already dropped to 16 percent in 2022 — down from 25 percent in 2017 — he added that “tobacco remains a major public health scourge.”The government’s plan is part of an ambitious effort to produce the first “no-tobacco generation” by 2032. While anti-smoking campaigners welcomed some of the measures announced by Mr. Rousseau, they said that lofty objective would be hard to achieve if the government did not act even more forcefully to push up the price of cigarettes.

Persons: ” Aurélien Rousseau, Rousseau Organizations: Mr Locations: France, Paris

☆ Israel-Hamas War France Puts Focus on Dire Conditions in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

President Emmanuel Macron of France has insisted that Israel has the right to defend itself after the Hamas attack, but says it needs to follow international laws on protecting civilians in Gaza. President Emmanuel Macron of France is hoping to secure more humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza at an international conference in Paris on Thursday as conditions in the territory continue to deteriorate under weeks of bombardment by Israel. The goal of the conference is to assess the situation in Gaza with international organizations working there and to find ways of improving access to humanitarian aid. Many civilians fear for their safety daily, even in United Nations-run shelters, some of which have been damaged in Israeli strikes. But Israel — which has rebuffed calls for a cease-fire or a “humanitarian pause” — is not sending a representative.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Uzra Zeya Organizations: United Nations, Amnesty, Gaza, UNRWA, International Committee, Red Cross, European Union, European, Palestinian Locations: France, Israel, Gaza, Paris, United, Palestinian, United States

☆ Bank of England central counterparty stress tests confirm resilience
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Bank of England is seen in the City of London, Britain, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The Bank of England on Wednesday said results of stress tests on central counterparties (CCPs) showed continued resilience at the businesses, which help clear and settle trades in financial instruments and commodities essential for the global economy. "The results confirm the continued resilience of UK CCPs to market stress scenarios that are of equal and greater severity than the worst-ever historical market stresses," said Sarah Breeden, the BoE's Deputy Governor for Financial Stability. The stress tests covered three central counterparties which operate in Britain, ICE Clear Europe Limited (ICE.N), LCH Limited, a part of LSEG (LSEG.L), and LME Clear Limited, owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (0388.HK). The BoE said it would use the findings "to support and inform its ongoing supervision and regulation of UK CCPs".

Persons: Hannah McKay, Sarah Breeden, BoE, William James, David Milliken, Sarah Young Organizations: of, City of, REUTERS, Bank of England, Financial Stability, ICE Clear Europe, LCH, LME Clear, Hong Kong Exchanges, Clearing, HK, LME, Thomson Locations: of England, City, City of London, Britain, LSEG, LME Base

☆ France Links Conversation in Russian to Star of David Graffiti
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The Moldovan pair told investigators that they had acted on the orders of a third party in exchange for payment “as evidenced by a conversation in Russian on their phone,” Ms. Beccuau said. Telephone data led investigators to believe that both couples “were in contact with the same third party,” Ms. Beccuau added. France has reported over 1,100 antisemitic acts since Oct. 7. orchestrated the painting of swastikas and antisemitic slogans in West Germany to spark anti-Jewish sentiment and tarnish the country as neo-Nazi, he said. “Stars of David are part of it, too.”Ivan Nechepurenko contributed reporting from Tbilisi, Georgia.

Persons: David, Laure Beccuau, Beccuau, Ms, “, ”, Olivier Véran, Laurent Nuñez, Mr, Nuñez, ” Dimitri Minic, Minic, ” Antibot4navalny, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: Moldovan, Foreign Ministry, French Institute of International Relations, Nazi Locations: Paris, Europe, Israel, France, Moldova, Gaza, Russia, West Germany, Ukraine, “, Moscow, Russian, Tbilisi , Georgia

☆ Jean-Baptiste Andrea Wins Goncourt Prize With Sprawling Novel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jean-Baptiste Andrea received the Goncourt Prize, France’s most prestigious literary award, on Tuesday for his novel “Watching Over Her,” or “Veiller Sur Elle.”The novel, published by L’Iconoclaste, a small, independent publisher, is a sprawling fresco and star-crossed love story that follows Michelangelo “Mimo” Vitaliani, a dwarf and skilled sculptor who at the end of his life is said to be “watching over” his masterpiece, a mysteriously powerful sculpture. Andrea, 52, a former screenwriter and film director, sets the nearly 600-page novel across several tumultuous decades in 20th-century Italy, including the years of fascism’s rise, when Mimo, young and poor, forges an intense bond with Viola Orsini, the adventurous and ambitious daughter of an aristocratic family. The 10 members of the Goncourt Academy, the French literary society that awards the prize, made their announcement at lunchtime at the Paris restaurant Drouant, where the winners have been declared since 1914.

Persons: Jean, Baptiste Andrea, ”, L’Iconoclaste, Michelangelo “ Mimo, Andrea, Viola Orsini Organizations: Goncourt Academy, Drouant Locations: Italy, Paris

☆ GM, UAW Reach Tentative Labor Deal to End Strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Ryan Felton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The UAW’s accord with GM follows tentative agreements with Ford and Stellantis and is expected to bring the union’s historic walkout that sent more than 45,000 workers to the picket lines to a close . Photo: James Breeden/ReutersGeneral Motors became the last of the Detroit automakers to reach a new tentative labor deal with the United Auto Workers union Monday to end a strike that has spanned more than six weeks, according to people familiar with the talks. This latest accord follows tentative agreements struck last week with Ford Motor and Chrysler-parent Stellantis and is expected to bring the union’s historic walkout that sent more than 45,000 workers to the picket lines at nine U.S. factories and dozens of parts-distribution centers to a close.

Persons: James Breeden Organizations: GM, Ford, Reuters General Motors, Detroit automakers, United Auto Workers, Ford Motor, Chrysler

delivery kits include instructions on reducing the risk of infection for pregnant women who may have to deliver their own babies in a crisis. And as their deliveries approach, many of the pregnant women “don’t know where they’re going to be in the next minute or the next day,” Mr. Allen said. The group said in a statement that women in Gaza have been losing their pregnancies from the stress and shock of the war. Itimad Abu Ward, a midwife and nurse who works as a public health officer for the W.H.O., was among those forced to flee northern Gaza. She said trying to care for pregnant women during the chaotic journey south was near impossible.

Persons: Israel, Dominic Allen, “, ” Mr, Allen, Itimad Abu Ward, Khan Younis, Abu Ward, Khan, ” Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Population Fund, Planning, Protection Association, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Nasser Hospital, Times, Training Center, Medicines Locations: Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Jabaliya

PinnedTrucks appeared to be moving through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza from Egypt, according to images shown on Egyptian state television. It was not immediately clear what the trucks were carrying, and there was no immediate comment from the United Nations, which has been pushing for movement. President Biden said on Wednesday that Israel had agreed to allow food, water and medicine into the blockaded Gaza Strip. Aid trucks have been stuck waiting at the crossing for days as the powers involved haggled over the details of getting the desperately needed supplies through. As the situation in Gaza worsens, Israel is readying a ground offensive in the territory.

Persons: Trucks, Biden, Israel, Judith Raanan, Natalie Raanan Organizations: Diplomats, United, United Nations, Military, Hezbollah Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, United Nations, Israel, United States, Qatar, Chicago, Lebanon, Iran, U.S

We'll show you where to watch UFC 294 live stream no matter where you are and detail the latest UFC 294 PPV prices. If you plan to watch live, you'll want to set an early alarm, as UFC 294 has a 10 a.m. We'll also guide you step-by-step on how to use a VPN to watch UFC 294, no matter where you are. ET / 7 p.m. BST / 5 a.m. AEDT (Sun)How to watch UFC 294 in the USUS viewers can watch the main event of UFC 294 on ESPN Plus this afternoon at 2 p.m. How to watch UFC 294 everywhere elseIf you're not in the US, you still have a few options to watch UFC 294.

Persons: Kamura Usman, Charles Oliveira, Kamaru Usman, Paulo Costo, Chimaev, today's, Alexander Volkanovski, We'll, McGregor, ExpressVPN, Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev, Magomed Ankalaev, Johnny Walker, Ikram, Warlley Alves, Said Nurmagomedov, Muin Gafurov, Prelims, Tim Elliott, Muhammad Mokaev, Mohammad Yahya, Trevor Peek, Javid Basharat, Victor Henry, Abu Azaitar, Sedriques Dumas, Mike Breeden, Anshul Jubli, Nathaniel Wood, Muhammad Naimov, Viktoriia, Jinh Yu Frey, Women's, Shara Magomedov, Bruno Silva Organizations: UFC, Brazilian, Etihad Arena, ESPN Plus, ESPN, TNT Sports, Amazon, Apple, PlayStation, Samsung, BT, BT Sport, You'll, LG Locations: Abu Dhabi, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Asia, Africa, Brazil

Aid convoy trucks waiting at the Rafah border crossing to enter Gaza from Egypt on Thursday. As Gaza grapples with an escalating humanitarian crisis, the prospect of getting aid through the closed Rafah border crossing with Egypt has taken on particular urgency. Hopes are high that the aid trucks would be able to cross into Gaza on Friday, according to European Union officials coordinating aid from the bloc. The American, U.N. and Egyptian officials are discussing who would carry out those cargo inspections, a person directly familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity to speak about the delicate negotiations. “All of Gaza is waiting for the aid,” Wael Abu Omar, the spokesman for Hamas’s interior ministry, said Thursday.

Persons: Biden, Israel, ”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “, António Guterres, Martin Griffiths, Samar Abu Elouf, Wael Abu Omar, Israel readies, Abood, Okal, ” Iyad Abuheweila, Yazbek Organizations: Diplomats, European Union, World Health Organization, International Committee, The New York Times, Palestinian Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Arish, Palestine, Cairo, U.S, Samar, E.U, Palestinian American, Jerusalem

An aerial view of a music festival that was the site of a Hamas attack. “At the moment I am in Gaza,” Ms. Schem says in a solemn, clipped voice. Ms. Schem’s mother, Keren Schem, said last week that she had last spoken to her on Oct. 6, the day before the attack. “She called me to say she was going to a party down south,” Keren Schem said. Keren Schem said one person who was at the show described having seen her daughter walking toward a kibbutz nearby.

Persons: Mia Schem, —, Schem, “, Ms, ”, Shem, Schem’s, Keren Schem, ” Keren Schem, Keren Schem’s, Mia, Nadav Gavrielov Organizations: Hamas, The New York Times Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ One Dead in Botulism Outbreak Traced to Sardines at Bar in France
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A woman has died and at least a dozen other people have become ill with botulism in France after eating homemade sardine preserves at a wine bar in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, French officials said on Wednesday, as they warned that other cases could soon come to light. The sick people had all eaten over the course of last week at the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar, an organic wine bar in central Bordeaux that is popular with foreign tourists, according to French health authorities. One woman who lives in the Paris region died after returning home and checking into a hospital, doctors said on Wednesday. Eight of the other victims are still at a hospital in Bordeaux. Although test results are pending, French health authorities said they were confident that botulism, an extremely rare but potentially life-threatening illness, was the cause, and they blamed the wine bar’s homemade, oil-based sardine preserves.

Organizations: botulism Locations: France, Bordeaux, Paris

☆ Debate needed on impact of a digital pound, says BoE official
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] A woman holds an umbrella outside the Bank of England in the City of London, Britain, July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - A "national conversation" is needed on whether to press ahead with a digital version of the pound, given concerns over privacy and other "anxieties", Bank of England deputy governor designate Sarah Breeden said on Tuesday. Breeden, currently an executive director at the Bank, told parliament's Treasury Committee that the impact on financial stability is also a concern regarding a digital pound. Reporting by Huw Jones and Muvija M, editing by Sachin RavikumarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hollie Adams, Sarah Breeden, Breeden, Huw Jones, Muvija, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: Bank of England, City of, REUTERS, Bank of, Bank, Treasury, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain

Like almost every building in Douar Tnirt, a village high up in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, the home was a rubble of broken mud bricks, its broken doorbell insisting in vain that, even after a powerful earthquake, it was still a place where humans could live. Right after the quake struck on Friday, they started search and rescue with their bare, untrained hands, eventually adding shovels and picks. By Sunday, the government had sent neither emergency responders nor aid to Douar Tnirt and several other mountain villages visited by journalists for The New York Times. “They don’t want to see them, and, well, it’s about respect for the dead,” Ms. Id al-Houcine said. “If you don’t, you don’t.”

Persons: Douar Tnirt, ”, Zahra, “, Id, Houcine, Abdessamad Ait Organizations: The New York Times Locations: Douar Tnirt, Morocco, Marrakesh, Abdessamad Ait Ihia

Residents fleeing their homes in Moulay Brahim, a village near the epicenter of the quake, outside Marrakesh, Morocco, on Saturday. “The current tectonic stresses are therefore only part of the story,” Dr. Hubbard said. Historical earthquakes offer few answers to that question, according to Dr. Hubbard. Another challenging detail to study is an earthquake’s depth, Dr. Hubbard said. The shaking from a deeper earthquakes may not be as strong, but it can be felt across a wider swath of the surface, Dr. Hubbard said.

Persons: Judith Hubbard, ” Dr, Hubbard, ”, Jascha Polet Organizations: Saturday, Earthquakes, San, Cornell University, Geological, Seismological, California State Polytechnic University Locations: Moulay Brahim, Marrakesh, Morocco, Africa, Africa’s, Pacific

“They have nowhere they can go back to,” Mr. Choula said of his family, who spent Saturday night sleeping in a field with several other families. Some are rallying together to send funds and organize shipments of supplies for survivors while others are heading home to help on the ground. But Mr. Dehy said he had received dozens of calls from Moroccans who want to immediately send help home. For Moroccans watching from afar, “the only thing that helps them is knowing that they helped, that they didn’t just stand idly by,” Mr. Dehy said. Mr. Choula, 41, said he was gathering money to send home.

Persons: Youssef Choula, “, ” Mr, Choula, ”, Latif Dehy, Dehy, —, Ella Williams, Talat N’yakoub, It’s, “ I’ve, Williams Organizations: “, French, of, British Moroccan Society Locations: Gloucestershire, England, Marrakesh, Amizmiz, Moroccan, Avignon, France, Morocco, Europe, Britain, ”

The quake had a magnitude of 6.8 and a depth of about 11 miles, the United States Geological Survey said in a preliminary report. Here’s what to know about the earthquake: The United States Geological Survey said it was the strongest quake to hit the area in more than 100 years. The epicenter of the earthquake was just over 30 miles west of Oukaimeden, a popular Moroccan ski resort, the U.S.G.S. As of early morning local time, the full extent of the casualties and damages was not known. The deadliest and most destructive earthquake in Morocco’s recent history was 5.8 magnitude and killed about 12,000 people in 1960.

Organizations: Morocco, Ministry, United States Geological Survey, UNESCO, Heritage, Reuters Locations: Marrakesh, Oukaimeden, Moroccan

As the death toll from the powerful earthquake in Morocco rose on Saturday, questions mounted about the vulnerability of buildings in the seismically active North African country. Moroccan architects said that the hardest-hit areas were rural zones with many earthen houses that were unable to withstand the shaking. “Given the state of the buildings in the country, this death toll was kind of expected,” said Anass Amazirh, an architect in the northern city of Casablanca. Image Rescue workers searching for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, in Morocco’s Al Haouz Province, on Saturday. “These more extreme risks occur regularly in other countries,” the report said, “and Morocco cannot avoid taking them into account.”

Persons: “, ”, Anass Amazirh, Omar Farkhani, Fadel Senna, Mr, Farkhani, Al Hoceima, Al, Haouz, Amazirh Organizations: Morocco’s, of Architects, ., Agence France, Moroccan, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development Locations: Marrakesh, Morocco, Moroccan, Casablanca, Al Haouz, Moulay Brahim, Morocco’s Al Haouz Province, Al, Al Hoceima, “

The earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night hit near Marrakesh, a popular tourist destination, sending both residents and visitors scrambling for safety. “We didn’t know if we had to stand up, to sit down, to run,” Mr. Ait Chari said. Ms. Lorang and hundreds of others found refuge in a courtyard, where some brought out rugs and blankets to sleep. “It was very chaotic.”Mr. Ait Chari, the tour guide, said he was supposed to pick up more clients on Sunday but was unsure flights would be maintained. Many people were still in shock, he said, but there had also been “great solidarity,” as residents cleared roads.

Persons: “, Jen Lorang, ” Ms, Lorang, “ I’ve, Mr, Ait, ”, Jean, Baptiste Guinet Organizations: Big, ”, UNESCO, Heritage, Tourism, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development Locations: Morocco, Marrakesh, Ait Chari, Massachusetts, Seattle, San Francisco, ” Morocco, Agadir, ”, Taroudant

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated its magnitude at 6.8, but the Moroccan geological institute put it at 7.2. That would make it more than twice as large, according to the logarithmic scale on which earthquakes are measured. The U.S. agency said local estimates can often be more accurate, but initial readings of magnitude are measured automatically and need to be reviewed by seismologists. But it was clear that the scope of the catastrophe was extensive, with the rural provinces outside of Marrakesh the hardest hit. Moroccan architects say the area near the epicenter has many earthen houses that are not built to withstand an earthquake of this strength.

Persons: Omar Farkhani Organizations: Geological Survey, seismologists, United Nations ’ Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UNESCO, of Architects Locations: U.S, Moroccan, Marrakesh, Marrakesh’s Medina

Residents of Morocco who experienced the earthquake firsthand said that confusion had quickly turned into chaos when their walls started shaking and objects started crashing to the ground. In Amizmiz, a town about 30 miles southwest of Marrakesh that is near the epicenter, Yasmina Bennani was about to go to sleep on Friday night when she heard a loud noise. “I felt terrorized,” said Ms. Bennani, 38, a journalist who, like many people in the area, lives in a house made of clay bricks. “It didn’t last long but felt like years,” Ms. Bennani said. “The adrenaline took over,” Mr. Kourkouz told BFMTV.

Persons: Bennani, ”, ” Ms, “, “ Mustapha, Hassan, Ilhem, Maftouh, ” Yacine, France’s, Mr, Kourkouz, BFMTV, ” Raja Bouri, Ms, Bouri Locations: Marrakesh, Saturday, Morocco, Moroccan, Agadir

☆ Top French Court Upholds Abaya Ban in Schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A top court in France on Thursday upheld a new government decree barring children in public schools from wearing the abaya, a loosefitting, full-length robe worn by some Muslim women, in a blow to critics who had called the ban discriminatory and had filed an emergency petition to strike it down. The Council of State, France’s top administrative court, which has jurisdiction over disputes concerning civil liberties, ruled that the ban was not a “serious and obviously illegal infringement of a fundamental freedom.”Wearing an abaya is part of a “logic of religious affirmation,” the court said in a statement, adding that the ban was therefore in line with a French law that “prohibits the wearing by pupils of signs or clothing ostensibly expressing religious affiliation, either in and of themselves, or because of the pupil’s behavior.”Since 2004, students have not been able to wear “ostentatious” symbols that have a clear religious meaning, like Catholic crosses, Jewish skullcaps or Muslim head scarves, in middle and high schools.

Persons: ” Organizations: of State Locations: France

For over six years, President Emmanuel Macron has struggled to convince the French that he is a man of dialogue. He went on a countrywide listening tour to calm the storms of the Yellow Vest uprising, convened a citizen convention on climate policy, and created a council of politicians and members of civil society to discuss France’s most pressing issues. But he has generally remained a top-down leader, one who listens before deciding but rarely talks of compromise. Now, more isolated, he is trying political outreach. It looked like a pre-emptive strike aimed at heading off a potentially turbulent “rentrée” — the post-vacation convergence on Paris often marked by resentments reignited after a spell of downtime.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, aloofness, Macron, resentments Locations: France, Paris

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