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☆ France says controversy over Morocco aid misplaced
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Paris and Rabat have had a difficult relationship in recent years notably over the issue of Western Sahara, which Morocco wants France to recognise as Moroccan. "This is a misplaced controversy," Catherine Colonna told BFM television when asked why Morocco had not made an official request to Paris for urgent assistance despite accepting help from Spain, Britain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. "We are ready to help Morocco. Paris has made 5 million euros ($5.4 million) available for non-governmental organisations operating in Morocco, Colonna said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told France 2 earlier on Monday that Rabat, a "brotherly" nation, had the capabilities to cope alone with the rescue efforts.

Persons: Catherine Colonna, BFM, Colonna, Emmanuel Macron, Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Gerald Darmanin, John Irish, Nicolas Delame, David Holmes Organizations: United, France, Polisario, Western, Observatory, Immigration, Thomson Locations: Morocco, France, Paris, Rabat, Western Sahara, Moroccan, Spain, Britain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, It's, Algeria, Algiers

☆ As Morocco reels from deadly quake, survivors seek aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province, on September 9, 2023, after an earthquake. Many people spent a second night in the open after the 6.8 magnitude quake hit late on Friday. In Moulay Brahim, a village near the epicenter some 40 km (25 miles) south of Marrakech, residents described how they had dug the dead from the rubble using their bare hands. "We lost our houses and we lost people also and we are sleeping like two days outside," said 36-year-old Yassin Noumghar, another Moulay Brahim resident. Spain received a formal request from Morocco for assistance and it would be sending search and rescue teams, the Spanish foreign minister said.

Persons: Brahim, Yassin Organizations: . Locations: Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz, Marrakech, Spain, Morocco, France, Turkey

☆ Gabon coup: How France's neo-colonial empire in its former territories is disintegrating
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

A torn campaign billboard shows ousted Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba in Libreville on August 31, 2023. AFP/Getty ImagesPropping up ‘democratic dictators’Whilst the international community has condemned the coup in Gabon, it has not attracted the same vehement criticism that last month’s coup in Niger did. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said France was watching the coup d’etat in Gabon “with the utmost attention.”It presents a challenge to France. Large crowds supporting the coup gathered Sunday near the French military base in Niamey, with demonstrators displaying signs demanding French troops withdraw. “The systems of government that former French colonies have, which were imposed by Paris are no longer fit for purpose.

Persons: Leon, Charles de Gaulle, Gaulle, Bongo, jubilation, General Brice Oligui Nguema –, Bongo’s, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, ”, Ali Bongo Ondimba, ’, Oluwole, Elisabeth Borne, Chris Ogunmodede, that’s, Paul Biya, Ogunmodede, ” Ogunmodede, …, ” Ojewale, “, Ndongo Samba Sylla, Emmanuel Macron, Macron Organizations: CNN, Military, Gabonese, Agence France, Presse, Gabon, Getty, Institute of Security Studies, autocrats, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, “, Macron Locations: Gabon, France, Gabon’s, Libreville, AFP, Niger, Gabonese, West, Central Africa, Mali, Senegal, Dakar, ”, Niamey, Paris, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Switzerland, Africa, Russia, Commonwealth, Togo, Macron France, Nigeria, “ Africa

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire attends the China-France Economic and Financial Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, July 29, 2023. He said they had also agreed to bring forward annual price negotiations - initially planned for next year - to September. Le Maire went a step further on Thursday, naming Unilever, Nestle and Pepsi Co as being among the companies which he said were refusing to toe the line on prices. "The large multinationals could do much more," Le Maire said. "No one is willing to say 'I am going to reduce my prices' because the government is saying so," he said.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, Thomas Peter, Le Maire, Le, Sybille De La, Silvia Aloisi, David Holmes, Frances Kerry Organizations: Finance, France Economic, REUTERS, Rights, Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, Federation du Commerce, Pepsi Co, Thomson Locations: China, France, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Paris

☆ Giuliani loses support of billionaires Langone, Cooperman: 'I wouldn't give him a nickel'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Langone contributed $4,600 to Giuliani's 2008 campaign for president, according to FEC records. This executive donated $2,300 to Giuliani's 2008 run for president, according to FEC records. Goodman did not say who is contributing to help Giuliani pay for his legal fees or how much those entities have raised. "I probably will," said Catsimatidis, who owns New York radio station WABC that employs Rudy Giuliani and his son. "I think people should help Rudy Giuliani.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, Giuliani, Rudy, I'm, Brian France, Ken Langone, Forbes, Langone, Cooperman, It's, Leon Cooperman, Trump, he's, Ted Goodman, Goodman, Joe Biden swiped, Andrew Giuliani, John Catsimatidis, Catsimatidis Organizations: New York City, NASCAR, New, FEC, Trump, Billionaire, Commission, CNBC, titans, Former New York City, Wall Street, Washington D.C, Giuliani, Twitter, Giuliani Defense, New York, WABC, New York Republican Locations: Georgia, Washington , U.S, France, New York, New York City, Russian, York City, Bedminster , New Jersey

☆ As France widens weather red alert, grape pickers told to work early
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view shows the city of Lyon after sunrise from the Fourviere esplanade as France issued a "red alert" for four southern regions amid a spell of excessively hot weather, especially in the Rhone valley, France, August 22, 2023. The Haute-Savoie region, which includes the French side of the Mont Blanc, is among the 49 departments under an orange alert for high temperatures. France's weather service on Tuesday widened its "red alert", the most serious warning, to include 15 more departments from Wednesday, which will cover large swathes of the southeastern Provence region and some areas to the southwest. HIGHEST ALERT LEVELMeteo France on Monday issued a red alert for four departments around the Rhone valley - Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire. It has now added the departments of l’Ain, la Loire, l’Isère, la Lozère, le Gard, le Vaucluse, l’Hérault, l’Aveyron, le Tarn, le Tarn et Garonne, l’Aude, le Lot, le Lot et Garonne, la Haute Garonne and le Gers.

Persons: Cecile Mantovani, Mont, Aurelien Rousseau, Jerome Despey, FNSEA, Marc Fesneau, Dominique Vidalon, Sybille de la, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Lyon, France, Rhone, Blanc, Europe's, Haute, Savoie, Mont Blanc, Provence, Drome, Ardeche, Loire, l’Ain, la, l’Isère, le Gard, le Vaucluse, l’Hérault, le, Garonne, l’Aude, la Haute Garonne, le Gers, Languedoc, Burgundy, Meteo France, Toulouse

☆ France issues 'red alert' over heatwave in south
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Electricite de France (EDF) is seen in front of electrical pylons at the Tricastin nuclear power plant site in Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux, France, November 21, 2022. The departments targeted by the alert, which allows local authorities to call off events and close public facilities if needed, are the Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire, Meteo France said. Earlier on Monday, Meteo France had issued an orange alert for half of the country's territory, saying temperatures will reach between 35 and 38 C (95 to 100 F) in most of the affected departments. Temperatures are expected to rise to between 40 and 42 Celsius (104 and 108 F) on Tuesday afternoon in the southern departments of Ardeche, Drome, Vaucluse and Gard, Meteo France said. Some technical issues at the reactor also played a role in delaying the restart to Aug. 25, an EDF spokesperson told Reuters.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Meteo, Forrest Crellin, Dominique Vidalon, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Emelia, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, EDF, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Saint, Rhone, Drome, Ardeche, Haute, Loire, Meteo France, Vaucluse, Gard

CNN —Over 12,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Tenerife after wildfires tore through the Spanish Canary Island. Police data showed the the number of evacuations surged from the 4,500 reported on Friday. While worsening weather conditions that would “complicate firefighting operations” had initially been expected overnight Sunday, the night had been “quiet, with more favorable weather conditions than expected,” local government said. Improved conditions had seen a return of a “certain normality” in firefighting operations, Tenerife firefighters said on X , formerly known as Twitter. Tenerife firefighters called the emergency operations their “largest deployment in history.” They are being assisted by mainland emergency services and the Spanish military.

Persons: ”, Arturo Rodriguez, Fernando Clavijo, Météo Organizations: CNN, Police, Twitter, Europa Press, CNN’s Locations: Tenerife, Island, La Laguna, La Orotava, Northern Africa, Hawaii, Canada, Europe, France, Météo France

☆ West African nations mull troop contributions for possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

West African leaders gather for Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Head of States and Government meeting in Abuja, Nigeria August 10, 2023. ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) said all options were on the table and they still hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Niger crisis. Security analysts said an ECOWAS force could take weeks or longer to assemble, potentially leaving room for negotiations. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Thursday promised to supply a battalion of troops to the standby force. The African Union welcomed ECOWAS' decision to activate a regional force and continue to seek a diplomatic solution.

Persons: Abraham Achirga, Mohamed Bazoum, Alassane Ouattara, Sering Modou, Ledgerhood Rennie, Ikemesit Effiong, Hama Moussa, Issa Seydou, Antony Blinken, Bazoum, They’ve, Pap, Ange Aboa, Alberto Dabo, Alphonso Toweh, Diadie, Edward McAllister, Anait Miridzhanian, Nellie Peyton, David Lewis, Ingrid Melander, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Economic Community, West African States, REUTERS, ECOWAS, Economic, West, Ivory, SBM Intelligence, African Union, Military, EU, Rights Watch, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, West African States, Ivory Coast, Ivorian, Senegal, Sahel, U.S, Niamey, Russia, France, United States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Banjul, Abidjan, Bissau, Monrivia, Diadie Ba, Dakar

☆ Altice’s beaten-up debt is only a bet for the bold
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Violeta Santos MouraLONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Altice’s debt is a bet for the bold. Patrick Drahi’s telecoms group is sitting on a $60 billion debt burden, and faces rising borrowing costs and a corruption investigation. Drahi will therefore need to sell assets to cut debt, which starts to come due in 2025. Both Altice France and Altice International are trying to sell their data centre businesses, which could raise some 700 million euros, bankers say. Yet Altice France alone has some $19 billion of debt coming due by 2029.

Persons: Patrick Drahi, Violeta Santos Moura, Patrick Drahi’s, Drahi –, Armando Pereira, Altice, Drahi, “, ”, Pereira, Xavier Niel’s, Manuel Magalhaes e Silva, Altice International’s, Alexandre Fonseca, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: French, REUTERS, Violeta Santos Moura LONDON, Reuters, Altice USA, Altice, Bouygues Telecom, Banco Espírito Santo, Public, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Moroccan, Europe, United States, Portugal, Israel, Dominican Republic, Orange, Altice France, Banco Espírito, Portuguese, New York, London

☆ European airlines are adding up to 2 hours to flights to go around Niger after the African nation suddenly closed its airspace
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This means airlines flying between Europe and southern Africa have to detour around the volatile nation. Carriers like British Airways and Air France are impacted, the latter adding up to two hours of flight time. Airlines like Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa, and Swiss International Airlines are also avoiding Niger. With the closure of Niger's airspace, airlines are now grappling with an even wider section of no-fly territory in north-central Africa. This map shows the African territories that European airlines cannot fly over.

Persons: —, FlightRadar24, they're Organizations: Carriers, British Airways, Air, Morning, Bloomberg, juntas, BCC, KLM, Cape Town, Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Japan Airlines, Finnair Locations: Europe, Africa, Air France, South Africa, Ghana, Niger, Johannesburg, London, Mali, Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso's, Ouagadougou, Cape, Entebbe, Uganda, Accra, Lagos, Nigeria, Russia, Helsinki, Tokyo, Germany, France, Libya, Sudan

☆ Calm pervades Niger's capital as deadline to reverse coup expires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view of the streets in the capital Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara/File PhotoNIAMEY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Niger's capital was calm on Sunday, with citizens appearing to pay little heed to the threat of military intervention by West Africa's regional bloc, as its ultimatum for the country's coup leaders to reinstate the president expires. "I am not worried because I know that any military intervention by ECOWAS in Niger would be a loss for this organisation. ECOWAS did not respond to a request for comment on what its next steps would be, or when exactly on Sunday its deadline expires. Support for Niger's coup leaders from fellow juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso could undermine the regional response.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Hadjo Hadjia, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Alessandra Prentice, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Defence, Economic, West African, Sunday, Bazoum's, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Russia, China, Mali, Burkina Faso, France

☆ Niger’s coup leader faces a deadline to cede power. Will military action come next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The leaders of a coup in Niger are digging in their heels as they face a looming deadline from neighbors to give up power or face possible military action. President Bazoum’s election win in 2021 marked a relatively peaceful transfer of power, capping years of military coups following Niger’s independence from France in 1960. ECOWAS has shown a willingness to take action in cases where leaders refuse to relinquish power or when political crises escalate. The US and France consider Niger a critical ally and both countries have military bases in Niger. That kind of sentiment suggests that even if the stated goal is to restore democracy, a military intervention may not be welcomed across the country.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, Bazoum’s, Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Oluseyi, ” Adetayo, Jammeh, Nigeriens, Russia, Wagner, ” Ali Sounama Organizations: CNN, Regional, Economic, West African States, Nigerien, The Washington Post, ECOWAS, Local, Political Affairs, Peace, Security Locations: Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Nigeria, Senegal, Bazoum, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, West Africa, Niamey, Nigerien

☆ Niger's ousted prime minister hopes talks can end military coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Niger's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou speaks about the situation in Niger during an exclusive interview with Reuters, in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. Niger's military takeover, the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years, has rocked the western Sahel region, one of the poorest in the world, which has strategic significance to global powers. Still, as the deadline loomed, Bazoum's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou believed a last-minute intervention was possible, he said in an interview in Paris. France said on Saturday it will support efforts to overturn the coup, without specifying whether its backing would entail military assistance for an ECOWAS intervention. Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have also seized power in recent years, said they would support Niger in the event of military intervention.

Persons: Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Stephanie Lecocq, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamadou, Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Mahamadou shrugged, Julitte Jabkhiro, Michel Rose, Clotaire Achi, Louise Dalmasso, Edward McAllister, Jan Harvey Organizations: Niger's, Reuters, REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, Bazoum's, Thomson Locations: Niger, Paris, France, Stephanie Lecocq NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Niamey, Rome, China, Europe, Russia, Nigeria's, Abuja, Mali, Burkina Faso

CNN —France said it backs efforts by members of an African regional bloc to thwart the coup in Niger, as the clock ticks closer to a deadline for the new military junta to stand down or face possible military intervention. “The future of Niger and the stability of the entire region are at stake,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ECOWAS defense chiefs met in Nigeria this week to organize a collective response to the coup and plan a potential military response, which they say is a last resort. “We are determined to stop it, but ECOWAS is not going to tell the coup plotters when and where we are going to strike. “While this coup attempt is a tragedy for Nigeriens, its success would have devastating consequences far beyond our borders.”

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Security Abdel, Fatau, “, ” Bazoum Organizations: CNN, French Foreign Ministry, Economic, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Washington Locations: CNN — France, Niger, Nigeria, ”, Niamey, Niger’s, ” France, France, United States

☆ Niger junta says it will not back down despite 'inhumane' sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In a televised address, Abdourahamane Tiani said the junta "rejects these sanctions altogether and refuses to give into any threats, wherever they come from. Nigeria cut power supplies to Niger, a Niger state utility document showed on Wednesday, while truckers in Niamey were stranded by border closures - early signs of fallout from the bloc's sweeping sanctions that Tiani described as "illegal, unjust, and inhumane." "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. In a further sign of the mounting pressure on the junta, the World Bank on Wednesday suspended disbursements to Niger until further notice. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Christopher Musa, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alessandra Prentice, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie, Grant McCool Organizations: Islamists, West African, West African States, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, REUTERS, British, World Bank, European Union, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niger, Abuja Niger, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigerian, Abuja, Nigeria, Niamey, Nigeria's, Nigerien, disbursements, States, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ West African bloc sends mission to Niger to negotiate with coup leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nigerien security forces prepare to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and threatened to authorise the use of force if the coup leaders do not reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum within a week from last Sunday. "There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite," he told reporters, as regional defence chiefs started a two-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja. "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Abubakar, Christopher Musa, Abdourahmane Tiani, Bazoum, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Charles, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Abuja Junta, Islamists, African, ECOWAS, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, British, European Union, Reuters, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Abuja, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Nigerian, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigeria's, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ Niger coup leaders dissolve govt, declare Tiani head of state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Moussa Aksar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NIAMEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Leaders of the coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as the new head of state on Friday, and said they had suspended the constitution and dissolved all former institutions after overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum. He represents the state of Niger in international relations," an officer said, reading out a statement. African countries, Western powers, regional and international organizations have reacted with alarm to the coup in Niger, insisting that Bazoum be freed and constitutional order restored. Niger borders three countries - Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad - that have also experienced military coups in the last two years. Niger so far has held them off better than Mali and Burkina Faso, where violence has only worsened since the military coups.

Persons: Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, Bazoum, Josep Borrell, Kamala Harris, Boris Pistorius, Bate Felix, Anait, Nellie Peyton, John Stonestreet, Angus MacSwan, Nick Macfie Organizations: National Council, Bazoum, REUTERS, Islamic, West African States, European Union, United, European, EU, German, Spiegel, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, France, Niamey, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's, Nigeria, Guinea, United States, Africa, EU, Germany, Italy

☆ France says Niger coup not definitive, president must be reinstated
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, July 28 (Reuters) - France's foreign minister said on Friday that a power grab in Niger was not definitive and that those responsible still had time to accede to international demands that the ousted president be reinstated. "If you hear me say attempted coup d'etat, it's because we don't consider that things are definitive," Colonna was quoted by French media as saying. Niger President Mohamed Bazoum is being held in the presidential palace and it remains unclear who is in charge of the country after soldiers on Wednesday evening declared a coup that sparked widespread condemnation. In a statement signed by its chief of staff, the army on Thursday declared support for the soldiers who stripped President Mohamed Bazoum of power. "President Bazoum must be restored to his constitutional functions," Colonna said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Catherine Colonna, Colonna, Mohamed Bazoum, Macron, Bazoum, John Irish, John Stonestreet Organizations: West African ECOWAS, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Niger, Papua New Guinea

☆ EDF swings back to profit in H1 thanks to price increases
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Net income came in at 5.8 billion euros ($6.44 billion), compared to a loss of 5.3 billion in the first half of 2022. The earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) reached 16.1 billion euros, from 2.7 billion euros a year earlier. Net debt rose slightly to 64.8 billion euros, from 64.5 billion euros at the end of 2022. The French state became the sole shareholder of the public utility after taking full control at the beginning of June. A government decision in 2022 to limit electricity price increases, as well as reduced power supply due to stress corrosion problems at several EDF reactors led to a record net loss of 18 billion euros in 2022.

Persons: Forrest Crellin, Benjamin Mallet, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: Electricite de, SA, PARIS, EDF, Thomson

News analysisPresident Biden and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, with G7 leaders at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday. Mr. Zelensky has never pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership while the war is raging, nor has anyone else. Mr. Zelensky has never pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership while the war is raging. “I think the win here for Ukraine is the sort of cultural acceptance that Ukraine belongs in NATO,” he said. Image French President Emmanuel Macron has moved from opposition to Ukrainian membership in NATO to strong support for it.

Persons: Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Zelensky, Mauricio Lima, John Kornblum, Mr, Kornblum, “, Emmanuel Macron, Michal Baranowski, François Heisbourg, ” Ben Wallace, Macron, Ludovic Marin, Jens Stoltenberg, Russia —, Olaf Scholz, Germany, Doug Mills, Camille Grand, Heisbourg, Ukraine can’t, ” Lara Jakes Organizations: NATO, Lithuania — NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, Central, Ukrainian NATO, Grad, The New York Times, Ukraine Council, German Marshall Fund, “, ”, Washington, Agence France, Russia, New York Times, Ukraine —, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, VILNIUS, Turkey, Ukraine, NATO, Ukrainian, American, Germany, France, Warsaw, “ Ukraine, Bucharest, French, United States, Bratislava, Central Europe, Russia

☆ Syria aid: Russia slammed as 'inhumane' after blocking UN cross-border aid operation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United States, France and the United Kingdom have condemned Russia’s move to block the proposed extension of a United Nations’ cross-border operation that delivers aid to millions of people in Syria from Turkey. The decision means that UN agencies and humanitarian partners are not authorized to continue using the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Syria-Turkey border to provide humanitarian aid to people in the rebel-held area in northwest Syria. Russia had submitted a draft which provided for a six-month extension but it was voted down by France, the UK and the US. More than 4 million people rely on aidRussia and Syria have argued the humanitarian operation violates Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying food and other aid should be delivered from inside the country. The Syrian regime praised Russia’s decision, saying it vetoed “a Western UNSC draft resolution violating Syria’s sovereignty under the pretext of delivering cross-border aid,” Syrian state-run SANA news said on Tuesday.

Persons: Russia’s, Matthew Miller, “, ”, ” Miller, Vassily Nebenzia, SANA, Bassam Sabbagh, ” SANA, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, State, United Nations Security, Western UNSC, “ Security Locations: United States, France, United Kingdom, Syria, Turkey, Russia, China, Western, Syrian, Syria’s

☆ France protests: Nationwide demonstrations are sweeping the country. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Joshua Berlinger Tara John Barry Neild Xiaofei Xu | Sana Noor Haq | Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Protesters clash with police in Nanterre, France, on Friday, June 30. Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters A firefighter extinguishes a car that was burnt during clashes between protesters and police in Roubaix, France, on June 30. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images People look at burning tires blocking a street in Bordeaux, France, on Thursday, June 29. There was no disruption to the Eurostar service connecting London, Lille and Paris as a result of the protests. Further afield, the US State Department issued a security alert on June 29 covering France.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Nahel, Pascal Prache, Prache, Gonzalo Fuentes, Pascal Rossignol, Bertrand Guay, Kenzo Tribouillard, Philippe Lopez, Firas Abdullah, Zakaria Abdelkafi, Benjamin Girette, Antoine Gyori, Stephanie Lecocq, ”, Gerard Darmanin, Macron, Elton John, Yves Herman, TikTok, Snapchat Organizations: CNN —, Reuters, Fort, Getty, AFP, Anadolu Agency, Police, Bloomberg, Firefighters, Overseas, Rights, Europe, Amnesty, Twitter, UN, Human Rights, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Interior Ministry, Metro, Eurostar, US State Department Locations: CNN — France, Paris, Nanterre, France, Roubaix, Lille, Aubervilliers, AFP, Bordeaux, Cayenne, French Guiana, Brussels, Clamart, Neuilly, Marne, Préfecture, Marseille, London, Britain, “

☆ 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

National police said on Thursday night that officers faced new incidents in Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse and Lille, including fires and fireworks. The local prosecutor said the officer involved had been put under formal investigation over voluntary homicide and would be held in prison in preventive detention. Under France's legal system, being placed under formal investigation is akin to being charged in Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions. He said the officer had aimed down towards the driver's leg but was bumped, causing him to shoot towards his chest. The unrest has revived memories of riots in 2005 that convulsed France for three weeks and forced then-president Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Pascal Prache, Mercedes, Nahel, Gonzalo Fuentes, Laurent, Franck Lienard, didn't, Lienard, Prache, Macron, Jacques Chirac, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Layli, Noemie Olive, Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose, Richard Lough, John Stonestreet, Frank Jack Daniel, Alexandra Hudson, Daniel Wallis, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Nike, National, Lille, Le Vieux Port, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Paris suburb NANTERRE, Algerian, Nanterre, Paris, Rivoli, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse, France's, Le Vieux, Provence, Paris suburb, Clichy, Blanc Mesnil

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