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☆ Amazon appeals to French court to scrap planned 3 euro book delivery fee
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 27 (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon.com (AMZN.O) has appealed to France's highest administrative court to overturn part of a law seeking to charge a minimum 3-euro ($3.3) delivery fee for books purchased online, it said on Tuesday. The law is due to come into effect in October and represents an increase to Amazon's previous charge of a single euro cent on book deliveries in France. Previous French governments have issued similar legislation, which has been aimed at protecting local, independent bookstores in the face of competition from Amazon. Amazon says such measures will hit lower-income people who may live in rural areas without any bookshops. Guillaume Husson, who heads the Syndicat de la Librairie Francaise bookshops union, criticised Amazon's move and said it showed how the giant online retailer wanted to have a monopoly on the online book market.

Persons: Frederic Duval, Guillaume Husson, Amazon's, Elizabeth Pineau, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Amazon.com, Amazon, French Ministry of Culture, Librairie Francaise, Thomson Locations: Amazon France, France

☆ Titanic sub timeline: when did it go missing and key events in search
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But it starts its descent later, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. ET) - The submersible is scheduled to return to the surface, the U.S. Coast Guard says. The U.S. Coast Guard - which announces this on Wednesday - does not give a precise timing. WEDNESDAYDURING THE DAY - U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Canadian Coast Guard and OceanGate Expeditions establish a unified command to handle the search. ET) - U.S. Coast Guard announces Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises.

Persons: Hamish Harding, Harding, John Mauger, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Stone, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Edmund Blair, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: OceanGate Expeditions, Expedition, Facebook, U.S . Coast Guard, Titan, Atlantic, Communications, Coast Guard, Canadian Research Vessel, MONDAY U.S, Lockheed, Orion, CNN, Stone, . Coast Guard, U.S . Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian, U.S, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: St, John's, Newfoundland, Canada, Instagram, U.S, Cape Cod, France, U.S . Coast

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

☆ Former France captain Henry recalled for Women's World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - Former France captain Amandine Henry was included in coach Herve Renard's provisional 26-player squad for the Women's World Cup, returning to the international set-up after a two-year absence. Henry, who captained France at the 2019 World Cup, and all-time leading goal scorer Eugenie Le Sommer were left out of the squad by Diacre for last year's European Championship in England. France sacked Diacre in March after a number of players, including captain Wendie Renard, said they would no longer represent the national side as long as Diacre was in charge. Defender Renard and her Lyon team mate Le Sommer have been included in the World Cup squad, which will be trimmed to 23 players for the July 20 to Aug. 20 tournament in Australia and New Zealand. France begin their World Cup campaign against Jamaica on July 23.

Persons: Amandine Henry, Herve Renard's, Corrine Diacre, Henry, Eugenie Le Sommer, France, Wendie Renard, Herve Renard, We've, Renard, Le Sommer, Kadidiatou Diani, Marie, Antoinette Katoto, Delphine Cascarino, Hritika Sharma, Peter Rutherford Organizations: France, Diacre, Lyon, World, St Germain, Jamaica, Thomson Locations: England, Australia, New Zealand, France, Hyderabad

PARIS, June 5 (Reuters) - France said on Monday it will provide 2.9 billion euros ($3.10 billion) in state aid to help support an investment of 7.5 billion euros that chipmakers STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries (GFS.O) are making to build a semiconductor factory in Crolles, southeastern France. The 2.9 billion euros are part of the 5.5 billion euros package France has set aside for its investments in the microchip sector by 2030, he added. On April 28, STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries secured EU approval to build the Crolles chip factory with French state aid. France overall aims to create 10,000 new jobs in the semiconductor sector by 2030. ($1 = 0.9352 euros)Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, GlobalFoundries, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: Finance, European Union, EU, America, Thomson Locations: France, Crolles, United States, U.S

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: France, Germany step up military aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

France said it will send dozens of armoured vehicles and light tanks, including the AMX-10RCs fighting vehicles, to Ukraine in the coming weeks. During the past 24 hours, Russian forces launched air strikes, along with missile, drone and heavy rocket attacks, on targets in Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian air force also counted 17 striks on areas where Russian personnel and military equipment were concentrated. * A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the Ukraine crisis. Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany on the multi-day trip.

☆ Tunisia synagogue attack toll up to 6, local media says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Members of the security forces stand near the entrance of Ghriba synagogue, following an attack, in Djerba, Tunisia May 10, 2023. REUTERS/StringerTUNIS, May 10 (Reuters) - A Tunisian security officer who was wounded in Tuesday's shooting attack outside a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba has died, hospital sources said, bringing the death toll to six including the shooter. Israel's Foreign Ministry described the attack as a "lethal shooting incident", with a spokesperson saying it was still under investigation. The United States and France said Tunisian security forces had responded quickly. The pilgrimage has had tight security since al Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue in 2002 with a truck bomb, killing 21 Western tourists.

☆ US, African states race to extend Sudan truce, gunfire still heard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Mahamet RamdaneKHARTOUM, April 27 (Reuters) - The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued. Gunfire could be heard on Thursday in the Khartoum area, a resident told Reuters. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. "Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that," the army statement said. The U.N. refugee agency has estimated 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone.

☆ China’s Ambassador to France Says Ex-Soviet States Lack Basis for Sovereignty
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Stacy Meichtry | Laurence Norman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ambassador Lu Shaye in 2019. Photo: benoit tessier/ReutersCountries across Eastern Europe condemned remarks by China’s ambassador to France claiming that post-Soviet states lack a firm basis for their sovereignty under international law. Ambassador Lu Shaye made the comments during an interview late Friday on French TV, in which he was asked whether he considered the peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, part of Ukraine under international law.

☆ US and France evacuate diplomats from Sudan as battles rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The belligerent parties must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan," Biden said in a statement. It pits Sudan's army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who jointly staged a coup in 2021 but fell out during negotiations over a plan to form a civilian government and integrate the RSF into the armed forces. Saudi Arabia has already evacuated Gulf citizens from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, 650 km (400 miles) from Khartoum. Egypt, which has more than 10,000 citizens in Sudan, urged its nationals outside Khartoum to head to its consulate in Port Sudan, and to a consular office in Wadi Halfa on the border with Egypt, in preparation for their evacuation. It encouraged those in Khartoum to shelter in place and wait for the situation to improve.

☆ HSBC warns France sale in jeopardy over capital concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Lawrence White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Unexpected interest rate hikes have increased the amount of regulatory capital required by the enlarged purchaser after completion, HSBC said. "Unless this issue is addressed, the purchaser will be unable to obtain regulatory approval for the Transaction," HSBC said. Under the terms of the deal, My Money Group is required to use its best efforts to obtain regulatory approval for the transaction, HSBC said. But the buyers have said they are unlikely to be able to do this without amending the terms of the deal, HSBC added. "HSBC remains committed to pursuing the sale providing appropriate terms can be agreed," it said.

☆ France says pesticide ban will not hit grain exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He said that EU countries including Germany and Bulgaria were also using the pesticide on grain exports to Algeria. The questions in Parliament followed a weekend report by l'Opinion newspaper that said French grain exports would come to a halt from April 25. With the deadline looming, French grain producers had called for a swift response from the government. "We are depriving ourselves of a quarter of the outlets for French cereals," Eric Thirouin, head of French grain growers group AGPB, told Reuters. Exports put at risk by the ANSES decision amount to about 4 billion euros ($4.37 billion) in trade surplus, compared with a total grain trade surplus of about 11 billion euros last year, he said.

☆ This is the 2-minute self-care practice 'Queer Eye' star Tan France uses to boost his confidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

If you're looking for a new way to start your day off with some positivity, you might want to consider this practice that Tan France does for just two minutes a day. Juggling many roles requires "Queer Eye" star Tan France to have a consistent practice for his self-care: a stellar morning routine. But he doesn't just stand in the mirror admiring his physical appearance, he actually aims to focus on anything but. "Having that just two minutes each day to remind yourself why you are worthy, actually has changed my life." Take this survey and tell us how you want to take your money and career to the next level.

☆ France says Iran breaching international treaty with prisoner detentions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, March 14 (Reuters) - France accused Iran on Tuesday of breaking an international treaty defining consular relations between states and said Tehran had demonstrated publicly that it was holding foreign nationals arbitrarily. Relations between France and Iran have deteriorated in recent months with Tehran detaining seven French nationals in what Paris has said is state hostage taking. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the French government had interfered and taken "destructive" positions regarding events in Iran. "Obviously, these positions and the measures taken by France will not help in the negotiations for the prisoners," Nasser Kanani told reporters. French foreign ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre said Kanani's remarks were extremely worrying and openly highlighted the "arbitrary character" of the detention of French citizens.

☆ Bundesbank convenes crisis team to assess SVB fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, March 13 (Reuters) - The Bundesbank convened its crisis team on Monday to assess the possible fallout of the collapse of U.S. lender Silicon Valley Bank on the local market, even as no emergency action was foreseen in Europe. U.S. authorities launched emergency measures on Sunday to shore up confidence in the banking system after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) threatened to trigger a broader financial crisis. In the euro zone decisions are made by national supervisors for smaller banks and by the European Central Bank's Single Supervisory Board for large ones. He also noted euro zone banks generally had a more conservative mix of assets than Silicon Valley Bank, which mostly lent to risky tech startups. The source saw no direct implication of the SVB collapse for euro zone banks but cautioned this could change if the fallout in the United States extended to bigger banks, raising the risk of contagion.

Air France said about 20% of short-haul flights would be canceled, but long-haul services would be maintained. The reforms will gradually increase the age at which most French citizens can draw a state pension to 64, from 62. A record 1.3 million people took part in demonstrations on January 19, which brought the country to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. The government has said the pension legislation is necessary to tackle a funding deficit, but the reforms have angered workers at a time when living costs are rising. The legislation is currently before French lawmakers, with a vote on the final version of the text expected later this month.

☆ French court dismisses Uganda lawsuit against TotalEnergies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies TotalEnergies SE FollowPARIS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A French civil court ruled on Tuesday that a lawsuit brought by campaigners against energy major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) over its oil projects in Uganda and Tanzania was inadmissible. TotalEnergies in a statement to Reuters said the court had found it "formally established a vigilance plan comprising the five items required by the duty of vigilance law, in sufficient detail so as not to be considered purely summary". The court in its ruling, the first based on the 2017 law, said nothing prevented France from enacting laws that govern the overseas activities of companies present in France. TotalEnergies had argued a French court did not have jurisdiction over the overseas activities of its subsidiary TotalEnergies EP Uganda. Reporting by America Hernandez and Benjamin Mallet; editing by Silvia Aloisi and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Europe gets ready to revamp its electricity market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

STOCKHOLM, Feb 27 (Reuters) - European Union energy ministers meet on Monday to debate upcoming power market reforms. Currently, power prices in Europe are set by the running cost of the plant that supplies the final chunk of power needed to meet overall demand. Often, that is a gas plant, so gas price spikes can send electricity prices soaring. They say Europe's existing power market is functioning well, and has fostered years of lower power prices, supported renewable energy and helped avoid energy shortages. The Commission initially pitched the reform as a chance to "decouple" gas and power prices in Europe, suggesting a redesign of the current system of setting power prices.

☆ France says sanctions against Russia are 'very efficient' as more are being considered
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

watch nowFrance's finance minister told CNBC that additional sanctions are being considered against Russia for its unjustified war against Ukraine, as current measures have proven to be "very efficient." When you are looking at the assets that have been frozen — more than $58 billion, you can say that sanctions against Russia are efficient," said the finance minister. Bruno Le Maire French finance ministerThe European Union recently ramped up its oil sanctions against Russia. The Group of 7 implemented a $60 price cap on Russian oil on Dec. 5. Reuters reported that the G-7 economies agreed to review the level of the price cap on exports of Russian oil in March.

☆ French agency orders halt in some uses of Syngenta weedkiller
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS (Reuters) -French health and safety agency ANSES on Wednesday ordered a halt to some uses of one of the most widely used weedkillers in France, S-metolachlor, which is produced by Swiss chemicals company Syngenta, after finding excessive levels in groundwater. FILE PHOTO: Corn grows on a field in front of a plant of Swiss agrochemicals maker Syngenta in the northern Swiss town of Stein July 23, 2015. “This will reduce environmental contamination by this substance and thus help gradually restore the quality of groundwater,” it added. Farm office FranceAgriMer said it was too early to estimate the potential impact of the decision on crop production. Anti-pesticide group Generations Futures welcomed ANSES’ decision despite the withdrawal not being total, saying it anticipated a likely European ban on the substance.

☆ Factbox: Will Ukraine get Western fighter jets and what are the challenges?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday several Western countries were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft to defeat Russia's invasion. Ukraine has been asking allies to provide modern fighter jets - dubbed "wings for freedom" in Zelenskiy's speech to British lawmakers this week - to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet MiG and Sukhoi planes. WILL UKRAINE GET THE FIGHTER JETS? Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson did not rule out sending fighter jets but played down expectations, saying the issue was not on Stockholm's agenda at the moment. The Kremlin has said that Western countries would be moving towards direct conflict with Russia if they send jets.

☆ EU looks to tighten borders to keep unwanted migrants away
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"European countries are experiencing a big increase in the number of people who are coming from outside Europe on an irregular basis," said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Still, with global mobility restarting since the COVID-19 pandemic, irregular arrivals into the EU rose last year to their highest level since 2016, reviving harsher anti-immigration rhetoric. WALLS AND FENCES"We need to 'pull the brake' on illegal migration in the EU," said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The EU's executive, which holds the bloc's shared budget, has long refused to finance border walls, though it does pay for surveillance equipment and other infrastructure. Catholic charity group Caritas said EU leaders should look into improving the bloc's asylum procedures and reception centres to "put human rights and dignity front and centre".

France, which relies on its aging nuclear fleet to generate electricity, is leading a campaign to count hydrogen made using nuclear power -- known as "red" hydrogen -- in the EU's new renewable energy targets, which currently focus on green hydrogen made using electricity from renewable sources. After much foot-dragging, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to the hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille in October, a deal formalised at a summit with Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Barcelona in January. In Madrid, officials say the row is a "misunderstanding" and they are willing to be flexible on red hydrogen in other legislation such as the gas market directive, but not in the renewables bill. "Red hydrogen cannot be renewable because nuclear is not an energy that can be considered as such. France wants this to include its red hydrogen but it must first be designated as renewable.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine: The latest news
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] A Ukrainian serviceman looks on, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine January 27, 2023. * The EU's next package of sanctions against Russia will hit the trade and technology that support Moscow's war against Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. ARMS* Portugal will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said, without specifying how many. * Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said the supply of more advanced U.S. weaponry to Ukraine will only trigger more retaliatory strikes from Russia, up to the extent of Russia's nuclear doctrine. CONFLICT* Ukraine and Russia traded almost 200 prisoners of war in a swap announced separately by both sides on Saturday, with the bodies of two British volunteers also being sent back to Ukraine.

☆ Total of 321 heavy tanks promised to Ukraine - Ukraine ambassador to France
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A total of 321 heavy tanks have been promised to Ukraine by several countries, Ukraine's ambassador to France said on BFM television on Friday. "As of today, numerous countries have officially confirmed their agreement to deliver 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine," Vadym Omelchenko, Ukraine's ambassador to France, said in an interview with French TV station BFM. "Delivery terms vary for each case and we need this help as soon as possible," he added. Omelchenko did not provide a breakdown of the number of tanks per country. On Thursday, several Western nations led by Germany and the United States said they would send tanks to Ukraine.

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