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☆ Morocco's mud brick housing makes hunt for earthquake survivors harder
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Ahmed Eljechtimi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] An excavator removes stones from the road, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, outside Adassil, Morocco, September 11, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Acquire Licensing RightsAMIZMIZ, Morocco, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Rescuers digging on Monday through the rubble after Morocco's deadly earthquake warned that the traditional mud brick, stone and rough wood housing omnipresent in the High Atlas mountains reduced the chances of finding survivors. "This kind of collapse causes greater air tightness due to the types of material, like mud brick," Antonio Nogales, coordinator of operations for Firemen United without Borders, a Spanish rescue team on the ground, told Spain's TVE broadcaster. "Steel and concrete facilitate the possibility of survivors, but these (mud and brick) materials (common in Morocco) mean that in the first moments the chances of getting people out alive are reduced," Nogales said. Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi and Nacho Doce; additional reporting by Aislinn Lang in Madrid; writing by Ingrid Melander; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antonio Nogales, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Nacho Doce, Aislinn Lang, Ingrid Melander, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Firemen United, Borders, TVE, Thomson Locations: Adassil, Morocco, Marrakech, Spanish, Nogales, Madrid

☆ France-born boxer chases Olympic dream with Ivory Coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Clotaire Achi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Sedia Sanogo, 33, captain of the Ivory Coast women's boxing team who dreams to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Games, attends a practice session in Guerville, France, August 25, 2023. "When I watched the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, there were many people from many countries, including my (former) teammates from the French team, but Ivory Coast was not represented," Sanogo, 33, told Reuters. But she chose to run under the flag of Ivory Coast, becoming the African country's first female boxer with Olympic aspirations. "In Ivory Coast, many have a traditional way of thinking. Arthur Boua, the head of Ivory Coast's boxing federation, said he was proud that thanks to Sanogo, the country now had a women's team.

Persons: Sanogo, Benoit Tessier, Denis, Ivory Coast's, Arthur Boua, Ivory, Clotaire Achi, Loucoumane Coulibali, Tassilo Hummel, Ingrid Melander, Conor Humphries Organizations: Ivory Coast, Paralympics Games, REUTERS, Rights, Paris, Rio Olympic, Reuters, Olympic, Thomson Locations: Ivory, Guerville, France, Ivory Coast, Paris, Seine, African, Africa, Dakar, Ivory Coast's

☆ As the Olympics loom, Paris's transport grid worries wheelchair users
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Yiming Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With Paris streets often clogged by traffic, travelling underground is often much quicker but only 9% of metro stations can be accessed without walking up and down steps. Wheelchair users, however, would need to travel by bus as both metro stations have stairs and no lifts, a test ride carried out by Maille, who was accompanied by a Reuters journalist, showed. In Berlin, 83% of underground stations are accessible for wheelchair users, according to the operator. The company also plans to deploy 250 specially refitted buses that can transport more wheelchair users, he added. But wheelchair activist Maille said this won't help many visitors with their trips between hotels and venues.

Persons: Franck Maille, Stephanie Lecocq, Alexander III, la, Maille, Gregoire de Lasteyrie, Yiming Woo, Tassilo Hummel, Ingrid Melander, Ken Ferris Organizations: APF, Madeleine, REUTERS, Rights, la Chapelle, Wheelchair, Reuters, Transport, Thomson Locations: APF France, Paris, France, London, Berlin

☆ Who is Brice Oligui Nguema, the general named as Gabon's transition leader?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 30 (Reuters) - Gabon's military junta named General Brice Oligui Nguema as transition leader on Wednesday, following the apparent ouster of President Ali Bongo. The elite force is in charge of protecting the president, his family and other high-profile figures. ANTICORRUPTION MANDATEShortly after he took on the new role in 2019, Nguema launched an operation named "clean hands" to crack down on alleged state-led embezzlement. The Bongo family has ruled oil-rich Gabon for over half a century. In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde on Wednesday, Nguema said people in Gabon were frustrated with their government.

Persons: General Brice Oligui Nguema, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Nguema, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ingrid Melander, Anait, Sofia Christensen, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Republican Guard, Thomson Locations: Gabon's southeasternmost, Haut, Republic of Congo, United States, Gabon, Libreville, Paris, Johannesburg

High food prices are a concern for all European governments, with retailers and consumer goods groups trading blame. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has imposed mandatory price cuts on some basic food items. And in Portugal, the government announced in March a package to help low-income families, including scrapping the value added tax on essential food products. French retailers have called for more regular price negotiations with consumer goods companies to reflect changes in the price of raw materials. This year those negotiations led to a 10% increase on the price of products on supermarket shelves.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Bruno Le Maire, Mousquetaires, Thierry Cotillard, It's, Carrefour Alexandre Bompard, Viktor Orban, Le Maire, Dominique Vidalon, Helen Reid, Silvia Aloisi, Ingrid Melander, Bernadette Baum, David Evans, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, French Finance, Federation du Commerce, RTL, Carrefour, FDC, Thomson Locations: Nice, France, Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Paris, London

☆ French ban of abaya robes in schools draws applause, criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We were worried by a strong increase in the (the number of pupils) wearing the abaya. Sophie Venetitay, from the SNES-FSU union, said it was key to focus on dialogue with pupils and families to ensure the ban did not mean children will be taken away from state-run schools to go to religious schools. In 2004, France banned headscarves in schools and passed a ban on full face veils in public in 2010, angering some in its five million-strong Muslim community. Abdallah Zekri, vice-chair of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), made a similar point, saying Attal's decision was misguided. "The abaya is not religious attire, it's a type of fashion," he told BFM TV.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Eric Ciotti, Clementine Autain, France Insoumise, Didier Georges, Georges, Samuel Paty, Sophie Venetitay, Pap Ndiaye, Abdallah Zekri, BFM, Juliette Jabkhiro, Tassilo Hummel, Bertrand Boucey, Ingrid Melander, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, FSU, French Council of, Thomson Locations: France, PARIS

☆ Macron says French ambassador will stay in Niger, despite pressure from junta to leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron gives a speech in front of French ambassadors during the conference of ambassadors at the Elysee Palace, Paris, France, August 28, 2023. TERESA SUAREZ/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - France's ambassador to Niger will stay in the country despite pressure to leave from leaders of a recent coup, President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech to diplomats on Monday. Macron also reiterated France's support to Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, whose decision not to resign Macron called courageous. It's based on the courage of President Bazoum, and on the commitments of our ambassador on the ground who is remaining despite all the pressure, despite all the declarations made by the illegitimate authorities," said Macron. On Friday, Niger's junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, TERESA SUAREZ, Macron, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Sylvain Itte, Michel Rose, Blandine Henault, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Ingrid Melander Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Niger's, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Niger, French, United States, Europe

☆ French minister Darmanin warns of risk of Marine Le Pen victory in next election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 25 (Reuters) - French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin - whom President Nicolas Sarkozy said would be a good future head of state - warned on Friday of the risk that far-right politician Marine Le Pen could win the next presidential election in 2027. Le Pen lost to President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the 2022 election, echoing an identical outcome in the 2017 vote. "The fact of the matter is that in five years' time, a victory for Madame Le Pen is quite probable," Darmanin told La Voix du Nord, in an interview published in Friday's paper. "If we let a large part of the working class and middle class go over to Marine Le Pen, the professional classes will not support us in the second round. That is what could get Marine Le Pen elected in 2027, not questions on migration," he added.

Persons: Gerald Darmanin, Gonzalo Fuentes, Nicolas Sarkozy, Darmanin, Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron, Madame Le Pen, Bruno Le Maire, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Bertrand Boucey, Ingrid Melander Organizations: Overseas, REUTERS, Rights, RTL, du, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, French

☆ Wildfires rage in Greece, Spain and Italy as heatwave spreads
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Alexandros Avramidis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Flames burn a tree as a wildfire rages in Alexandroupolis, on the region of Evros, Greece. Authorities urged residents to avoid the heat as France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere suffered hot, dry and windy conditions that scientists have linked to climate change. WILDFIRES IN SPAIN, ITALYThe blaze has burned through 15,000 hectares in 12 municipalities forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. In France, four southern regions - the Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire - were placed under red alert, the most serious warning. Grape-pickers in wine-producing regions of southern France have been advised to start work on the harvest in the early hours of the morning to avoid sweltering in a late summer heatwave.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, I've, Nikos Gioktsidis, Vassilis Varthakogiannis, AEMET, Alessandro Vitaliano, ANSA, Karolina Tagaris, Dominique Vidalon, Gisela Vignoni, Crispian Balmer, Ingrid Melander, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Flames, REUTERS, Greece Firefighters, heatwave, University Hospital, ERT, Rio Marina, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Alexandroupolis, Evros, Greece, Spain, Italy, Europe, France, Turkey, Tenerife, SPAIN, ITALY, Elba, Rio, Rome, Milan, Florence, Drome, Ardeche, Haute, Loire, Rhone, Alexandropoulis, Athens, Paris

More than 60 people, mostly Afghans, were saved by French and British rescue teams, including Idris and 15-year-old Fawad. "When (the boat sank), people were screaming, it was a very difficult moment. The survivors helped each other by taking turns in clinging to or sitting on what was left of the boat, Idris said. The Channel between France and Britain is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making the crossing on small boats dangerous. "I was fast losing the strength to swim, but I kept trying very hard to keep afloat," Idris said.

Persons: Idris, Pascal Rossignol, Fawad, Rishi Sunak, Sheree Sardar, Ingrid Melander, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, United Kingdom . Conservative British, Thomson Locations: Britain, Calais, France, CALAIS, England, British, Afghanistan, London, Iran, Syria, United Kingdom

☆ Olympic triathletes test swimming in the Seine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Yiming Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Olympic triathletes tested swimming in the Seine in Paris on Wednesday, 10 days after heavy rainfall caused the water quality to dip below minimum health standards and forced the cancellation of another open water competition. The Seine is in the spotlight as the river - where swimming has long been banned - is due to be the venue for marathon swimming at next year's Olympic Games. Blummenfelt and others were jumping in to get used to the course and the currents before an official Paris 2024 test event scheduled for Thursday. Bathing in the Seine has been banned since 1923, with promises to restore water quality going back to 1990, when Paris mayor Jacques Chirac - later French president - vowed to make the Seine safe for swimming again. Reporting by Yiming Woo; Writing by Ingrid Melander, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kristian Blummenfelt, Jacques Chirac, Yiming Woo, Ingrid Melander, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Paris, Triathlon, Thomson Locations: Seine, Paris

☆ West Africa bloc seeks ways to engage with Niger junta
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou/File PhotoDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West Africa's regional bloc kept up its search on Sunday for diplomatic ways to overturn last month's coup in Niger, while retaining the threat of military intervention amid a crisis that has sucked in global superpowers. U.S., French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger, in a region where local affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State have killed thousands and displaced millions. Western powers fear Russia's clout could increase if the junta in Niger follows neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which ejected the troops of former colonial power France after coups in those countries. Reporting by Edward McAllister; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, General Abdourahamane Tiani, erodes, Edward McAllister, Ingrid Melander, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, West African States, ECOWAS, Nigerian, al, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, DAKAR, West, Central Africa, United States, West Africa, U.S, al Qaeda, Mali, Burkina Faso, France

☆ Migrant boat crossing Channel from France capsizes, at least six dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Pascal Rossignol | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] "Notre Dame du Risban", an SNSM lifeboat, enters the port of Calais following a rescue operation after a migrant boat trying to cross the Channel from France capsized, in Calais, France, August 12, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal RossignolCALAIS, France, Aug 12 (Reuters) - At least six people died and more than 50 were rescued after a migrant boat trying to cross the Channel from France capsized early on Saturday, local authorities said. "There were too many of them on the (migrant) boat," she told Reuters by phone as she returned to the shore. Thorel, who shared a picture of migrants on the rescue boat, wrapped in survival blankets, said no one died on the boat she was involved with rescuing. UK government figures show that the number of migrant Channel crossings since the start of 2018 exceeded 100,000 this week.

Persons: du Risban, Pascal Rossignol, Franck Dhersin, Sangatte, Anne Thorel, Elisabeth Borne, Herve Berville, Rishi Sunak's, Suella Braverman, Ingrid Melander, Tangi Salaun, Christian Hartmann, David Miliken, Helen Popper, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, Local, Reuters, Maritime Affairs, Britain's coastguard, coastguard, Border Force, British coastguard, Conservative Party, Thomson Locations: Calais, France, Britain, Thorel, Dover, Paris, London

☆ West African regional group weighs next steps on Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou HamidouDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West African leaders were weighing their next moves on Saturday as they seek to overturn a military coup in Niger that has rocked the region but also triggered a groundswell of support in the country. The rally began at a French military base in the capital Niamey, then protesters with signs and flags spread onto surrounding streets. "Down with France.... Down with ECOWAS," referring to the Economic Community of West African States. It was not yet clear how long the ECOWAS force would take to assemble, how big it would be and if it would actually invade.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's, Human Rights Volker Turk, Edward McAllister, Ingrid Melander, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, ECOWAS, al, Islamic, Economic, West, Regional, African Union, European Union, United Nations, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, DAKAR, West Africa, West, Central Africa, U.S, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Russia, France, Down, West African States, United States

☆ Eiffel Tower evacuated after bomb threat - French police
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The Eiffel Tower in Paris, among the most visited tourist sites in the world, was closed to the public on Saturday after being evacuated as a precautionary measure following a bomb threat, a French police source said. Writing by Ingrid Melander Editing by Andrew Heavens and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ingrid Melander, Andrew Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: Thomson Locations: Paris

☆ 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

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

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

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

Assets will be sold within Altice France or outside France to repay debt, Drahi told investors on a conference call. "(The aims is) to raise, one way or another, 3 billion (euros) of equity, plus or minus," Drahi said. Altice France's net leverage ratio at end of June was 6.3 times its yearly core operating profits. Altice France's net debt was close to 24 billion euros at the end of June, up from 23.6 billion at end of March, the group said. Total earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell to 1.02 billion euros from 1.08 billion euros a year earlier.

Persons: Patrick Drahi, Philippe Wojazer, Drahi, Dennis Okhuijsen, Altice, Portugal Altice's, Armando Pereira, Pereira, Mathieu Rosemain, Ingrid Melander, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter Organizations: Altice Group, REUTERS, Altice, Thomson Locations: Franco, Israeli, Paris, France, PARIS, Altice France, Portugal

Fifteen employees have been put on leave in Portugal, France and the United States since news broke about the probe, which is currently limited to Portugal, said Drahi. Pressed by analysts on the call to lay out the role and extent of Pereira's involvement within the Altice group, Drahi said Pereira, whom he hired in 2003, had not held any stake in any Altice entity since 2005. Altice International, the entity that owns telecoms firm PT Portugal, is owned by Drahi's personal holding Next. The other two entities are Altice USA and Altice France, home to France's second biggest telecoms firm SFR. The debt has come under further pressure since Pereira's July detention, with longer-term debt issued by Altice France trading around 80 cents to the euro while those of Altice France Holding trade around 40 cents to the euro.

Persons: Patrick Drahi, Violeta Santos Moura, Drahi, Armando Pereira, Pereira, Altice, Mathieu Rosemain, Yoruk Bahceli, Ingrid Melander, Silvia Aloisi, Conor Humphries Organizations: French, REUTERS, Altice, PT Portugal, Altice International, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Portugal, United States, Altice France

☆ Factbox: Patrick Drahi, the telco tycoon facing debt woes, arrest of aide
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

* Drahi, who lives between Switzerland, the United States and Israel, controls France's second-biggest telecoms firm SFR on top of the most-watched news channel in the country, BFM TV. He also owns the largest telecoms firm in Portugal. * To ease investor concerns about the sustainability of the business, Drahi spun off the U.S. division, restructured debt and took the European arm private. * By 2023, Altice's combined debt, including its three units of Altice France, Altice International and Altice USA stood at around $60 billion. Altice's debt prices trade at stressed levels, having come under further pressure since Pereira's detention in July.

Persons: Patrick Drahi, Violeta Santos Moura, Altice, Drahi, Altice's, Armando Pereira, Pereira, Silvia Aloisi, Ingrid Melander, Sharon Singleton, Louise Heavens Organizations: French, REUTERS, Polytechnique, SFR, U.S ., Altice, Altice USA, BT, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, French, Israeli, Morocco, Drahi, Amsterdam, Belgium, Portugal, Israel, United States, Dominican Republic, Switzerland, London, New York

FILE PHOTO-A woman walks past a Credit Agricole logo outside a bank office in Reze near Nantes, France, May 12, 2021. The results boosted Credit Agricole SA's (CAGR.PA) stock, which was up by about 5% at 0817 GMT, making it the best performer within France's blue-chip index CAC 40 (.FCHI). Helping the positive sentiment, the investment vehicle of the mutual banks that control Credit Agricole said it would spend 1 billion euros on the bank's shares, further tightening its grip on the lender. The vehicle currently owns 60.2% of Credit Agricole SA and said it had no intention to go beyond 65%. Degroof Petercam has client assets of 71 billion euros, while Indosuez said it had assets under management of 130 billion euros at the end of 2022.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Degroof, France's, JP Morgan, Degroof Petercam, Indosuez, Xavier Musca, Musca, Mathieu Rosemain, Geert de Clercq, Piotr Lipinski, Ingrid Melander, Augustin Turpin, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Agricole, CAC, PARIS, Credit Agricole, Credit Agricole SA, Royal Bank of Canada, Barclays, Credit Agricole's, Indosuez, KBC, Thomson Locations: Reze, Nantes, France, Belgian

The beat was underpinned by much lower-than-expected "cost of risk" - money set aside for failing loans - of 166 million euros. Analysts had expected 430 million euros. Dubbed a "year of transition" by Krupa's predecessor Frederic Oudea, 2023 is also marked by a severe downturn at SocGen's French retail banking division, fresh from a merger of its two local networks. The second quarter was also affected by negative exceptional items of 240 million euros, which Credit Suisse analysts said were tied to "legacy legal disputes". Retail banking outside France fared better, as did SocGen's car leasing division ALD Automotive (ALDA.PA), whose sales jumped by more than 17% thanks to the acquisition of rival LeasePlan.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Krupa, Slawomir Krupa, France's, Jefferies, Frederic Oudea, Intesa, LeasePlan, SocGen, Mathieu Rosemain, Augustin Turpin, Ingrid Melander, Mark Potter Organizations: Societe Generale, La Defense, REUTERS, Royal Bank of Canada, European Central Bank, Credit Suisse, Retail, ALD Automotive, Thomson Locations: French, Courbevoie, Paris, France, PARIS, Russia

☆ 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

PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) - France plans to evacuate hundreds of French and European citizens from Niger over the next 24 hours, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, days after a junta seized power in the west African country. She estimated that hundreds of French citizens and hundreds of citizens from other EU countries wanted to be evacuated. The United States, Germany, and Italy have troops in Niger on counter-insurgency and training missions. Colonna said France had talked with authorities in Niger to make sure the evacuation could proceed safely. A spokesperson for the EU Commission said EU utilities had sufficient inventories of natural uranium to mitigate any short-term supply risks.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Catherine Colonna, France's, Colonna, France, DESTABILISATION, France's BFM, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Orano, Bazoum, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Layli, Blandine Henault, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Islamic, Kremlin, EU Commission, Nigerien, Regional, ECOWAS, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: France, Niger, West, Central Africa, Russia, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Sahel, Niger's, Niamey, Italy, United States, Germany, Russian, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea

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