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☆ 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

☆ French lawmakers raise strategic concerns over Atos sale to Kretinsky
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Atos is seen on a company building in Nantes, France, March 11, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File PhotoPARIS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Talks to sell parts of French company Atos (ATOS.PA) to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky are raising concerns among some French lawmakers, who say the deal risks undermining the independence of France's nuclear deterrence. Lawmakers cannot block a sale of a French company, only the government can if it considers there is a strategic reason for doing so. The lawmakers questioned why an alternative French buyer, a consortium of French companies Astek and ChapsVision, who were reported in French media to have been interested, were not given more consideration. A source close to Astek said Atos's cybersecurity business also hosted other sensitive assets crucial to French intelligence interests.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Daniel Kretinsky, Atos, Thursday's, Figaro, Cedric Perrin, Kretinsky, Perrin, Astek, Atos's, Michel Rose, Mathieu Rosemain, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Les, Kretinsky, Casino, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nantes, France, Czech, Europe

REUTERS/Remo CasilliPARIS, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The first military planes carrying mostly European nationals evacuated from Niger landed in Paris and Rome on Wednesday, with France and other countries expected to fly more of their citizens out of the West African country after last week's coup. With the risk of conflict escalating, France, the former colonial power, Italy and Spain said they would evacuate citizens by air. The first French flight left Niger on Tuesday evening and landed in Paris early on Wednesday with 262 people on board, according to Reuters journalists there. An Italian military plane carrying 87 evacuees from Niger arrived in Rome early on Wednesday, according to Reuters journalists at the airport. The United States, Germany, and Italy also have troops in Niger on counter-insurgency and training missions.

Persons: Remo Casilli PARIS, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Charles, Manuel Ausloos, Antonio Denti, Remo Casilli, Shivani, Michel Rose, Sandra Maler, Robert Birsel Organizations: Ciampino, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Niger, Rome, Italy, Paris, France, West, Central Africa, Spain, Italian, Britain, Hungary, Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Germany, Shivani Tanna, Bengaluru

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

PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) - France will evacuate French and European citizens from Niger, starting on Tuesday, its foreign ministry said, days after a junta seized power in the west African country. On Sunday, supporters of the junta burned French flags and attacked the French embassy in Niger's capital, Niamey, prompting police to fire volleys of tear gas in response. According to the French foreign ministry website, there were just under 1,200 French nationals in Niger in 2022. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer. But the juntas of neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea all voiced their support for the coup's leaders on Monday.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Catherine Colonna, BFM, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Bazoum, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Layli, Blandine Henault, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson Organizations: French, Regional, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: France, Niger, West, Central Africa, Russia, Niger's, Niamey, Russian, Sahel, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea

☆ Macron reshuffles ministers after French riots "stunned" country
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] French Junior Minister for Public Accounts Gabriel Attal speaks during a debate on the pension reform plan at the National Assembly in Paris, France February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File PhotoPARIS, July 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday reshuffled his ministers for key domestic portfolios such as education, housing and urban affairs, as his government begins its response to riots that shook the country three weeks ago. Borne, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin all remained in place. "We're in a spirit of continuity but let's not pretend as if there hasn't been something that stunned the country for a few nights," he told them. Other figures who had caused embarrassment to the government in recent months, including a junior minister who had posed for the cover of Playboy magazine during the pension reform crisis, left the cabinet.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Sarah Meyssonnier, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Pap, Sabrina Agresti, Aurelien Rousseau, Elisabeth Borne's, Bruno Le Maire, Catherine Colonna, Gerald Darmanin, Borne, Michel Rose, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Alison Williams Organizations: French Junior, Public, National Assembly, REUTERS, Finance, Playboy, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Algerian, North, Dunkirk, Borne

☆ Macron decides to keep French PM in role despite pension unrest, riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Months of unrest and strikes over Macron's pension reform in the spring as well as five days of riots and looting in French cities earlier this month had fuelled calls among political opponents and some government insiders for a reshuffle. "To ensure stability and in-depth work, the President has decided to maintain the Prime Minister," Macron's office said. But Macron said last week he needed more time to draft policy in response to the riots, which he said required more than "knee-jerk" reactions. A source close to Macron told Reuters changing prime minister now made no sense, since Macron's minority government had not managed to strike a deal with potential right-wing conservative allies in parliament. Macron was keeping the option of offering the conservative Les Republicains the prime minister seat as a prize for a formal coalition, the source added.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Elisabeth Borne, Borne, Macron, Les, Liu Zhifan, Dominique Vidalon, Michel Rose, Sandra Maler, Alistair Bell Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Borne

☆ France to fete India's Modi at Bastille Day celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, July 13, 2023. Modi began a two-day visit to Paris on Thursday. Much before buying Dassault Aviation's Rafale, India bought Mirage jets in 1980s and those still comprise two squadrons of the air force. Later on Friday, Macron will host Modi at the Elysee Palace for talks before a state banquet at the Louvre Museum. Macron has treated only a few global leaders to the Bastille Day military parade.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Macron, Narendra Modi, Pascal Rossignol PARIS, Modi, Triomphe, Macron, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Michel Rose, Frances Kerry Organizations: Indian, REUTERS, Bastille Day, India, Paris, Dassault Aviation's Rafale, Mirage, Louvre Museum, Canberra, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Delhi, India's, Europe, New Delhi, India, Australia, Britain, United States

BRUSSELS/PARIS, July 13 (Reuters) - France's foreign minister and government minister have called EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager to reconsider her appointment of a U.S. economist and former antitrust official to a senior job at the European Commission overseeing Big Tech. Vestager on Tuesday announced the hiring of Fiona Scott Morton, the former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Justice during former President Barack Obama's tenure. Scott Morton will take up her post on Sept. 1 when the current chief economist, Pierre Regibeau, retires. French foreign minister Catherine Colonna said she was astonished at the appointment. "I invite the @EU_Commission to reconsider their choice."

Persons: Margrethe Vestager, Fiona Scott Morton, Barack Obama's, Scott Morton, Pierre Regibeau, Catherine Colonna, Jean, Noel Barrot, Foo Yun Chee, Conor Humphries Organizations: European Commission, Big Tech, Vestager, Tuesday, U.S . Department of Justice, Charles River Associates, DG, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, PARIS, France, Europe

But officially colour-blind France has long refused to acknowledge any racial factor was at play. "From that point on, unions were involved in everything that's co-managed, including the managing of human resources," he told Reuters. But these fines are rare and rights groups say police officers often end up with light sentences, fuelling a sense of impunity. A rise in lethal police shootings over the last few years has been linked to a law reform in 2017, which broadens the circumstances in which an officer can use their firearm. "It is completely vague, and it allows to shoot much more freely," said Caille of the left-wing CGT police union.

Persons: Cedric Mas, Olivier Cahn, that's, " Cahn, Christophe Castaner, Gerald Darmanin, Franck Louvrier, Nicolas Sarkozy, Darmanin, Ravina Shamdasani, Anthony Caille, –, Sebastian Roche, Michel Rose, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Rights, Twitter, Cergy University, Reuters, Socialists, United Nations, Police, CGT Police, of, Society, CGT, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Britain, France, United States, Paris, Moroccan, – France, U.S, Nice

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

☆ French Sunday newspaper on strike over fears of far-right turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The newspaper’s owner, French media group Lagardere (LAGA.PA), on Friday named Geoffroy Lejeune as JDD's new editor-in-chief, succeeding Jerome Begle who left for Paris Match. Lejeune is the former head of magazine Valeurs Actuelles, which has courted controversy with anti-immigrant covers and was fined for racist insult in 2022. The company already owns news channel CNews, which has taken a conservative turn since Bollore took control. In a statement, Arnaud Lagardere said Geoffroy Lejeune was a "raw talent of journalism" that he could not pass up. "Under Geoffroy Lejeune, Valeurs Actuelles spread hateful attacks and fake news.

Persons: Geoffroy Lejeune, Jerome Begle, Lejeune, Vincent Bollore, Bollore, Rima Abdul Malak, Arnaud Lagardere, Valeurs, Michel Rose, Juliette Jabkhiro, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Sunday, Paris Match, European Commission, Lagardere, Vivendi, U.S, Fox, Twitter, Thomson

In the video, a Central African Republic rebel fighter says "the French want to drive Wagner out of Africa". Russia and Wagner have a track record of media manipulation and disinformation, which Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to. The European Union sanctioned Wagner in February for alleged rights abuses and spreading disinformation, including in Africa. The foreign ministry unit doesn’t promote or generate fake news, the two diplomats said. However, the foreign ministry unit, and the broader strategy, will face an uphill battle to convince people in Africa that France has changed, seven analysts and diplomats said.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Vincent Bado, Wagner, Catherine Colonna, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Maria Zakharova, Meta, Anne, Sophie Ave, Lakhta, Prigozhin, Viginum, Faustin, Archange Touadera, “, Michael Shurkin, I'm, Jean Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Michel Rose, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, Central, Facebook, Kremlin, Reuters, Quai D'Orsay, Vigilance, Protection, European Union, West, Central African, Twitter, Democratic, Internet Research Agency, Meta, Global, National Union, Gabonese, Thomson Locations: Burkina, French, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Russia, PARIS, DAKAR, Central African Republic, France, Russian, Africa, Paris, France's, Ukraine, Moscow, Central, West Africa, Quai, Kinshasa, Mali, Sahel, Europe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, U.S, Togo, Libreville, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Dakar

☆ French send deep diving robot to help Titanic sub search
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Louise Dalmasso | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, June 21 (Reuters) - A French robot that can dive to 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) underwater is on its way to help find a tourist submersible that vanished as it descended to the Titanic wreck and it could help free the sub if it is trapped, its operator said on Wednesday. "Victor is not capable of lifting the submarine up on its own," said Olivier Lefort, the head of naval operations at Ifremer, the state-run French ocean research institute which operates the robot. But he told Reuters the robot could help hook the 10-tonne submersible called Titan to a ship with the capacity to lift it to the surface. Ifremer was part of the team that located the wreck of the Titanic in 1985 with American underwater archaeologist Robert Ballard. French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, who is reported to be among the five people inside the missing submersible, previously worked at Ifremer and piloted its flagship Nautile submarine that was used to examine the Titanic wreck.

Persons: Victor, Olivier Lefort, Ifremer, Robert Ballard ., Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Lefort, Michel Rose, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, British, U.S . Navy, U.S . Coast Guard, Canadian, Thomson Locations: Ifremer, Robert Ballard . French, U.S

It felt like it was a bomb, an attack," said Oliur, 27, still shaken by the explosion that he said miraculously left him unscathed. Across the street, local bar L'Oree du Bois had become a rallying point for local residents in search of a place to stay for the night, as they were not hopeful they could return to their homes immediately. Some were speculating about the origin of the blast, suspecting a gas leak, like 75-year-old Monique Mosser. "We're being told it's gas, as they keep digging holes in every street of Paris ...," she said, referring to local work that was being done in the street. Quentin Huet, 20, a student at the nearby Ecole des Mines graduate school, told Reuters it was not just the sound that scared him.

Persons: Rahman Oliur, Jacques, du Bois, Monique Mosser, We're, Mosser, Quentin Huet, Juliette Jabkhiro, Michel Rose, Sandra Maler Organizations: Saint, Firefighters, Ecole des Mines, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, Ecole

[1/6] French police secure the area as firefighters work after several buildings on fire following a gas explosion in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, France, June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, June 21 (Reuters) - A blast ripped through a street in the busy Latin Quarter of central Paris, causing the facade of one building to collapse, blowing out windows and starting a huge blaze. The local deputy mayor, Edouard Civel, referred to a gas explosion in a Twitter post and witnesses told BFM TV there had been a strong smell of gas moments before the blast. The blast occurred in the Rue Saint-Jacques in the 5th arrondissement of central Paris. In 2019, a gas leak caused an explosion which killed 4 people and injured 66 in the 9th arrondissement.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes PARIS, Edouard Civel, BFM, Khal Ilsey, Jacques, Val de Grace, Monique Mosser, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Tassilo Hummel, Juliette Jabkhiro, Elizabeth Pineau, Jean, Michel Belot, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rue Saint, Notre, Dame, Paris, Sorbonne University, du, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Rue, du Luxembourg

☆ Gas explosion starts fire in central Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] French police secure the area as firefighters work after several buildings on fire following a gas explosion in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, France, June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, June 21 (Reuters) - A gas explosion started a blaze in buildings in the Latin Quarter of central Paris, officials and witnesses said. Journalist Olivier Galzi told BFM TV that he had seen the facade of a nearby building "completely collapse." Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the fire was locted on Rue Saint-Jacques in the 5th arrondissement close to the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne University. Reporting by Michel Rose, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Tassilo Hummel, Juliette Jabkhiro, Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Jean-Michel Belot and Tassilo HummelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes PARIS, Olivier Galzi, BFM, Gerald Darmanin, Jacques, Christopher Gaglione, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Tassilo Hummel, Juliette Jabkhiro, Elizabeth Pineau, Jean, Michel Belot Organizations: REUTERS, Police, Rue Saint, Jardin du, Sorbonne University, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Rue, Jardin, Jardin du Luxembourg

☆ Elon Musk repeats call for artificial intelligence regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, June 16 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O) and owner of Twitter, reaffirmed on Friday his view that there should be a 'pause' on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and that the AI sector needed regulation. "There is a real danger for digital superintelligence having negative consequences," said Musk, at the Paris VivaTech event. "I am in favour of AI regulation," he added. Reporting by Silvia Aloisi, Gilles Guillaume, Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Michel Rose; Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Billionaire Elon Musk, Silvia Aloisi, Gilles Guillaume, Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Michel Rose, Louise Heavens Organizations: Billionaire, Tesla, Twitter, Paris, Thomson

☆ Macron to meet Elon Musk in Paris to talk Tesla investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view shows the Tesla logo on the Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, August 30, 2022. "I'm going (into that meeting) with an agenda," Macron told reporters as he visited the VivaTech summit in Paris, France's biggest tech fair, which Musk will visit on Friday. Asked specifically whether he was hoping to secure a Tesla gigafactory, Macron said: "It's up to the company to look at these different issues in Europe. Earlier today, the French minister for digital affairs Jean-Noel Barrot told CNBC: "It will be great to have a Tesla factory in France. France previously tried to convince Musk to build a gigafactory in the country, but he chose Germany for his only such plant in Europe so far.

Persons: Annegret, Emmanuel Macron, Elon Musk, Tesla, Macron, Stellantis, Jean, Noel Barrot, Bruno Le Maire, Musk, Michel Rose, Akash Sriram, Silvia Aloisi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Tesla, Reuters, Peugeot, Mercedes, Benz, CNBC, Finance, Thomson Locations: Gruenheide, Berlin, Germany, France, Spain, Paris, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ France warns Iran on drone deliveries to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 10 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron warned Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday about the consequences of delivering drones to Russia, Macron's office said on Saturday. In a phone call, Macron urged Iran to "immediately cease" the support it is giving Russia in the war against Ukraine. Macron also expressed concerns about the trajectory of the Iranian nuclear programme, the statement said. Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine say the supply of Iranian-made drones to Russia violates a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution enshrining the Iran nuclear deal. Reporting by Michel Rose, Writing by Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Ebrahim Raisi, Macron, Michel Rose, Dominique Vidalon, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Ukraine, Security, Thomson Locations: Russia, Iran, Britain, France, Germany, United States, Ukraine

☆ Protesters prepare last-ditch bid to stop French pension overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Protests have been going on for six months, it's unprecedented," Sophie Binet, the new leader of the hardline CGT union said on BFM TV. "There's a lot of anger but also fatigue," she said, adding that strikers were feeling the pinch on paychecks. Between 400,000 and 600,000 people are expected to turn out at protests across France, authorities said, which would be down from more than a million who took part in marches at the height of the pension protests earlier this year. But unions hope a big protest turnout could pressure lawmakers into reviewing the bill anyway and holding a vote. Opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, say the bill being rejected would revive public anger, branding any such move "antidemocratic".

Persons: Emmanuel Macron's, Sophie Binet, I'm, Jean, Claude Mailly, Macron, Michel Rose, Hugh Lawson Organizations: CGT, Inter, SNCF, Thomson Locations: Macron, France, Paris, Orly

"We'll make your life easier and help you set up shop here," he told ProLogium's Chief Executive Vincent Yang. It is one of four such gigafactories Macron hopes will transform the poor, former coal mining area near Belgium into a hub for the EV battery industry, creating jobs and helping to put France at the forefront of Europe's energy transition. "Results don't just fall from the sky," Macron told Reuters in Dunkirk. At the moment, however, France lags well behind Germany when it comes to attracting battery makers. Still, the IRA almost threw ProLogium's investment in France off course, one French presidential adviser told Reuters.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Vincent Yang, Ludovic Marin, Taiwan's ProLogium, Macron, Yang, ProLogium, we've, it's, ACC's, Heiner Heimes, Stellantis, Mercedes, Ola Kaellenius, Marc Mortureux, We're, GUY, Xavier Bertrand, ProLogium's Yang, Fabien Roussel, Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose, Silvia Aloisi, David Clarke Organizations: Business, EV, Macron, ACC, Mercedes, Reuters, RWTH Aachen University, Automotive Cells Company, Franco, Benz Group, EU, PFA French, U.S . IRA, French Communist Party, Thomson Locations: of Versailles, Paris, France, Versailles, Dunkirk, Germany, Netherlands, Taiwan, Belgium, EUROPE, Korean, United States, Europe, French, Hungary, Italy, Brussels, Washington

☆ Macron tells Eastern Europe - we should have listened to you over Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged on Wednesday that France should have paid more attention to Eastern European nations, which warned about a belligerent Russia before Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine. Macron told a security forum there should be no division between "Old Europe" and "New Europe", referring to enduring divergences between eastern and western European Union members over matters such as Russia. "Let's be grateful and say thank you to the United States. Macron said Russia had suffered clear setbacks in the war, including Finland's accession to NATO and losing legitimacy on the global stage. We can see that what was supposed to be a 'special operation' is already a geopolitical failure," Macron said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Jacques Chirac, EU's, Vladimir Putin, Let's, Donald Trump, Michel Rose, Mark Heinrich, Jon Boyle Organizations: PARIS, Eastern, European Union, Russia, NATO, Thomson Locations: France, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Slovak, Bratislava, United States, Britain, Iraq, Germany, Paris, Poland

☆ Factbox: Why Ukraine is bidding for F-16 jets and will it succeed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WHAT KIND OF FIGHTER JETS COULD UKRAINE GET? Ukraine wants F-16s, which it says are "four or five times" more effective than Soviet-era jets it currently has. However, Polish President Andrzej Duda reiterated on Tuesday that Poland has too few F-16 jets to be able to give any to Ukraine. Britain will not send jets to Ukraine, a spokesperson for Sunak has said, since Britain does not have the F-16s that Ukraine wants. Denmark said in February it was "open" to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

REYKJAVIK, May 16 (Reuters) - European leaders will travel to Iceland on Tuesday for a two-day summit meant to show their support for Ukraine but also send a powerful message on core democratic values many feel are under threat in and outside Europe. The CoE's democratic values are upheld by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, where citizens can take governments to court in case of human rights violations. Even Russia didn't want to leave the Council of Europe, Turkey doesn't want to leave either." European leaders such as Germany's Olaf Scholz, Britain's Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the summit in Reykjavik, while Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address his counterparts via videolink. Macron's office said the Council is looking at how its little-known bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), could help meet the needs of struggling Ukrainians.

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