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☆ Jeddah, sleep, and a French plane, how Zelenskiy reached Japan's G7
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Ukrainians asked that President Zelenskiy be transported by the French army," a French presidential official said, adding that the decision had been made on Wednesday. "It was an opportunity for him to explain his position with countries he doesn't usually talk to," a second French official said. Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Macron in Hiroshima, Zelenskiy thanked France and said he had received "positive signals" from Arab states without elaborating. The aim, French officials said, was to sway their stances. A French government Falcon jet had taken Zelenskiy from Brussels to Poland in February after a European heads of state summit, the French officials said.

☆ Jeddah, sleep and a French plane: How Zelenskiy got to Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Ukrainians asked that President Zelenskiy be transported by the French army," a French presidential official said, adding that the decision had been made on Wednesday. "It was an opportunity for him to explain his position with countries he doesn't usually talk to," a second French official said. Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Macron in Hiroshima, Zelenskiy thanked France and said he had received "positive signals" from Arab states without elaborating. A French government Falcon jet had taken Zelenskiy from Brussels to Poland in February after a European heads of state summit, the French officials said. "A plane in the colours of the French Republic has arrived in Hiroshima," Macron tweeted after meeting Zelenskiy.

☆ Pension reform defiance brings new blood to French trade unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Interest is growing among younger and private sector workers, where unions tend to be less well represented. Vacheron said that more than 30% of the CGT's recent joiners were under the age of 35 while 70% were coming from the private sector, which traditionally is dominated by the CFDT. "Since the retirement reform is contested by the young and old, public and private sector workers, they see a utility in belonging to unions, unions are attractive," Vacheron said. "Unions are rebuilding themselves from the ground up through recruitment and not only street protests," sociologist Michel Wieviorka said. Labour relations consultant Stephanie Matteudi-Lecocq said that the momentum coming from pension reform pushback could ultimately put unions back on more solid footing in companies.

☆ In Taiwan, former UK PM Truss warns against appeasing China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, May 17 (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Liz Truss will say in Taiwan on Wednesday that the West must avoid appeasing China and show unwavering support for the self-governed island, in a speech that risks further damaging Britain's relations with Beijing. Truss is the most well-known British politician to visit Taiwan since former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s, and her trip comes at a time when relations between Britain and China are the worst in decades. China claims Taiwan as its own and has not renounced the use of force to ensure eventual unification. Beijing has previously condemned visits by British lawmakers to Taiwan for what it calls interference in China's internal affairs. "There are still too many in the West who are trying to cling on to the idea that we can cooperate with China on issues like climate change," Truss will say.

☆ Cannes Film Festival 2023 kicks off with 'all killer, no filler' line-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We have 'Indiana Jones,' we've got Martin Scorsese's new film with Leonardo DiCaprio. Festival director Thierry Fremaux pushed back against criticism that Depp was a controversial choice for an opening-night film, telling Variety magazine the actor had not been banned from working. Other jury members include Brie Larson of "Captain Marvel" and Julia Ducournau, one of two women to win the Palme d'Or. Out of competition, Harrison Ford will return as adventurous archaeologist Indiana Jones, 15 years since the last film in the franchise, in the world premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" on Thursday. Festival organizers are concerned the unrest seen during the pension reform protests could also make its way to the festival, said Roxborough.

☆ Air France-KLM posts Q1 revenue beat driven by strong summer bookings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Federica Mileo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Logo of Air France KLM Group is pictured on the first Air France airliner's Airbus A350 during a ceremony at the aircraft builder's headquarters of Airbus in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Regis DuvignauMay 5 (Reuters) - Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) on Friday reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and robust cash flow as it benefited from a global recovery in air travel and strong summer ticket sales. The carrier's revenue grew 42% year-on-year to 6.33 billion euros ($6.97 billion), just above the 6.30 billion euros expected on average by analysts polled by the company. Air France-KLM said it did not see an impact from the cost- of-living crisis, pointing to more than 1.5 billion euros in ticket sales over the first quarter and to a strong demand across its network. Air France-KLM said the impact from French air-control strikes had been limited and was in the millions of euros, which it quantified as smaller than the impact from previous strikes.

☆ France's Constitutional Council rejects bid for pension referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows French national flags on the Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel) before its decision on a request to hold a citizens' referendum (RIP - Referendum d'initiative partagee) about the future of France's pension system, in Paris, France, May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Christian HartmannPARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's deeply unpopular pension law passed another hurdle on Wednesday when the Constitutional Council rejected a second bid by political opponents to hold a referendum on capping the retirement age at 62. Since Macron bypassed parliament, opposition lawmakers have turned to the Constitutional Council twice in an attempt to derail the reform, seeking its approval on each occasion for a referendum on the retirement age. But the pension system is a cornerstone of France's cherished social protection model and labour unions say the money can be found elsewhere, including by taxing the rich more heavily. Nonetheless, French pension payments as a share of pre-retirement earnings are substantially higher than elsewhere, OECD figures show.

☆ France's Le Maire wants to break food price inflation "spiral" by autumn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Le Maire: economic growth remains solidLe Maire: meeting next week to tackle inflation concernsPARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday that he would meet with retailers and suppliers next week to discuss ways to break the food price inflation "spiral" by autumn, which is a major concern for cash-strapped consumers. Le Maire also told Franceinfo radio that economic growth remained solid in France despite recent strikes and protests against President Emmanuel Macron's legislation to raise the retirement age by two years to 64. Le Maire has since repeatedly called on both sides to reopen negotiations to ensure that a recent fall in global wholesale food prices is passed on to consumers. Le Maire has even threatened to take action if they do not respond to his calls. Bank of France governor and European Central Bank member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said last month he expected food price inflation to start easing in the second half of this year.

☆ 'Focused on the job': France's Le Maire defends writing of steamy novel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he was fully focused on creating growth and fighting inflation after coming under fire for penning a steamy novel that was published hours before France's credit rating was downgraded by an agency. "I am 100% focused on the job," Le Maire told Franceinfo radio. It is a graphic account of Oskar having sex with a character named Julia that has exposed Le Maire to mocking and criticism. The French edition of the Huffington Post headlined a story "Bruno Le Maire has written about an anus and no one was ready for this." "These are 10 lines out of a 480 pages book," Le Maire shot back when pushed on his writings during the Franceinfo interview.

☆ Paris police battle anarchists at Labor Day rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsParis police battle anarchists at Labor Day rallyPostedFrench police clashed with black-clad anarchists in Paris and other big cities during trade union-organized protests against President Emmanuel Macron's increase in the retirement age. Workers joined Labor Day rallies across Europe, also called May Day.

[1/9] A demonstrator throws a tear gas during the traditional May Day labour march, a day of mobilisation against the French pension reform law and for social justice, in Nantes, France May 1, 2023. Sophie Binet, leader of the hardleft CGT union, said the pension reform had left Macron isolated. Macron says the French reform is needed to keep one of the industrialised world's most generous pension systems in the black. French pension payments as a share of pre-retirement earnings are comfortably higher than elsewhere and a French man typically spends longer in retirement than those in other OECD nations. Trade unions say the money can be found elsewhere.

☆ Euro zone economy ekes out 0.1% growth in first quarter, misses expectations as Germany stagnates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The print came in below analyst expectations, with a Reuters poll of economists previously forecasting quarterly growth of 0.2%. The economy expanded by 1.3% on an annual basis, just missing an outlook of 1.4%. Earlier this month, statistics agency Eurostat had revised down its fourth-quarter 2022 gross domestic product estimate for the euro zone from 0.1% quarterly growth to zero, following 0.4% expansion in the third quarter. The slight first-quarter growth signal comes as economic performance contends with persistently high inflation. Irish GDP was a notable weak spot, declining by 2.7% on the previous quarter, while Portugal's economy grew by 1.6%.

Persons: Arne Dedert, Carsten Brzeski, Destatis, Emmanuel Macron's Organizations: Getty, Eurostat, ING, European Central Bank, Deutsche Bank, ECB Locations: Frankfurt, Ukraine, Germany, Europe

☆ French police cleared to use drones for crowd monitoring
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] French gendarmes stand in position during a demonstration in front of the Paris City Hall after French government's pension reform received the Constitutional Council's green light and can now be signed into law and enter into force swiftly, in Paris, France, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane MahePARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - French police is allowed from Friday to use drones equipped with cameras for a wide range of tasks including crowd monitoring and border control, following the publication of a decree in the Official Journal on Thursday. This comes just over a year before the Paris 2024 Olympics and at a time when opposition to President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform has triggered huge protests that at times turned violent. The drones can also be used for the prevention of terrorist acts, the regulation of transport flows, border surveillance, and rescuing people, the decree said. The decree details and implements in practice a security law voted by parliament last year.

☆ This France ETF is booming despite domestic turmoil. Thank the Chinese consumer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

EWQ ALL mountain The iShares MSCI France ETF is trading at close to its all-time high. To be sure, the outsized rallies for luxury stocks — and new highs for the fund — could also be a sign that a reversal is near, at least in the short-term. However, Roth MKM chief market technician JC O'Hara said in a note to clients on Sunday that it appears that luxury stocks still have room to run. "We first highlighted the strength of the Luxury Goods market in early December. Since that time, the S & P Global Luxury Goods Index has risen +13%, versus the S & P 500, +1.8%.

☆ The EU's divided approach on China might be coming to an end — and the U.S. is unlikely to be happy about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in early April. Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesEuropean Union officials on Tuesday called for a new and joint approach toward China, following French President Emmanuel Macron's controversial comments on Taiwan earlier this month. This has resulted in a divided approach toward China. watch nowShe contended that the relationship with China "is too important for us not to define our own European strategy and principles." For Europe, the intention is to reduce and avoid risks, rather than a complete disengagement from China.

☆ French court to rule on pension age rise as nationwide protests rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Riot police guard the Constitutional Council building during a demonstration against pension reform in central Paris, France, on Thursday, April 13, 2023. French unions are held strikes and protests on Thursday against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, seeking to maintain pressure on the government before a ruling on the law's constitutionality. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFrance's Constitutional Council will rule on the legality of President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension system reforms on Friday, as nationwide protests against raising the retirement age rumble on. While some hope the Constitutional Council will fully reject the bill, many commentators say that is unlikely. Demonstrators march along the vieux port during the 12th day of nationwide strike on pension reform on April 13, 2023 in Marseille, France.

☆ French pension protesters flood LVMH headquarters in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Security members stand in front of the headquarters of luxury retailer Louis Vuitton after a protest action French SNCF workers, members of French CGT and Sud Rail labour unions in Paris as part of the 12th day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Bart BiesemansPARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - Scores of French workers protesting against pension reforms flooded into the Paris headquarters of luxury group LVMH (LVMH.PA) on Thursday, calling for the rich to contribute more to financing the state pension. France's labour unions have been staging strikes and marches since mid-January in protest against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the legal retirement age. The government says it is necessary to raise the retirement age for most workers to balance the pension budget in years to come. Reporting by Bart Biesemans and Ingrid Melander, writing by Mimosa Spencer; editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Macron bypassed parliament and angered French citizens. Setting the far-right up for a bounce
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

French President Emmanuel Macron. Shahin Vallée senior research fellow, German Council on Foreign RelationsMacron's popularity rating has worsened in the wake of the pension reforms. The proposed legislation pushes the retirement age up from 62 to 64, and for Macron, and his government, it's a necessity in order to balance the public finances. "Macron is not grooming anyone and that's part of the problem," Vallée said, adding that "Renaissance [party] is a one man party." Macron is serving his second mandate as president and the French constitution prevents him from running again for the job in 2027.

☆ France wants independence, will stay 'strong and reliable' US ally, finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday that France and Europe want to pursue an independent policy path from the United States and China, but intend to be "strong and reliable allies of the United States of America." Asked about Macron's comments, Le Maire said the controversy was "much ado about nothing" because the French president has been advocating such an approach for years. I mean that on the geopolitical issues, on the industrial issues, on the technological issues, we want Europe to be more independent," Le Maire said. He said Macron spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden before visiting China and said the U.S., France and Europe have a "coordinated approach" to relations with China. Le Maire said Macron had asked China to hold more dialogue on Taiwan-related issues.

☆ Russia-Ukraine war live: Russia risks becoming China's 'economic colony,' CIA chief says; U.S. faces angry allies over leaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration is continuing to deal with allies upset over revelations from a trove of leaked Pentagon files, which exposed classified details on the war in Ukraine as well as political and military affairs in the Middle East, China, South Korea and elsewhere. Financial data shows a sharp rise in the use of China's yuan for financing globally, as some countries try to move away from reliance on the U.S. dollar. The director of the CIA warned that Russia risks becoming an "economic colony" of China as it becomes more isolated. Meanwhile, world leaders are making their visits to see Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva there now, just days after French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to China.

[1/4] Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet at the Guandong province governor's residence, in Guangzhou, China, Friday, April 7, 2023. Macron's comments came in an interview on a trip to China that was meant to showcase European unity on China policy, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also taking part, but highlighted differences within the European Union. A senior diplomat from Central and Eastern Europe, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "President Macron is not speaking for Europe or the European Union. The French foreign ministry cancelled a planned debrief on the trip for foreign diplomats in Paris on Tuesday as officials scrambled to make sure they had a consistent message and to limit any fallout with Washington. But even some of those broadly supportive of Macron's agenda lamented the handling of the China trip, in which von der Leyen received a much more muted welcome than the French president.

Strikes have rolled through France, Portugal, Britain and Germany in recent weeks and could cause air travel disruption in parts of Europe through the Easter holidays, officials at airlines, airports and air traffic authorities told Reuters. There's no doubt about it," said Steven Moore, who is in charge of air traffic management operations at Eurocontrol. Airlines say they have to pay compensation without themselves getting compensated for air traffic delays. Consumer groups say air traffic control strikes are not new and airlines should be quicker to react and pay compensation. He called last week on the European Commission to do more to stop such strikes hitting overflights, by introducing minimum service rules, though industry experts say strikes are a national issue.

[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.

☆ French feminist politician under fire for Playboy front cover
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 3 (Reuters) - French junior social affairs minister Marlene Schiappa is facing criticism from her own party for posing in a white dress for the cover of Playboy, with French media reporting Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne called Schiappa to express her displeasure. The furor comes at a time of social unrest in the country as the government is facing a big backlash over pension reforms. The Playboy cover will be accompanied by a 12-page interview in which Schiappa, who brought in legislation outlawing catcalling and street harassment, talks about women's and LGBT rights. In France, women are free. The Playboy issue is available to buy from April 8th, according to Le Parisien.

☆ Analysis: French pension standoff causing cracks in Macron's camp, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

With no sign of the protests abating, insiders question whether Borne's government has lost control of the political messaging necessary to appease the street. The situation has deteriorated considerably since Macron decided on March 16 to adopt the reform using special constitutional powers to bypass parliament. When asked about the divisions, the president's office said the majority of Macron's camp remained strong and united. "There are still ministers who are saying 'we should have done this or that', No!," the source lamented. An official in Borne's office said the prime minister had made efforts to preserve unity among ministers and lawmakers.

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