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☆ France to withdraw troops from Burkina Faso within a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Vincent Bado/File PhotoPARIS, Jan 25 (Reuters) - France will withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso in the next month after the military junta asked it to leave, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, in a move that will further reduce its presence in a region facing a growing Islamist insurgency. Protests by opponents of the French military presence have surged in Burkina, partly linked to perceptions that France has not done enough to tackle the Islamist militancy that has spread in recent years from neighbouring Mali. France retains some 200-400 special forces in Burkina. Burkina's national television reported on Saturday that the government had suspended a 2018 military accord with Paris on Jan. 18, giving France one month to pull its troops out. Paris also has a large military presence in Chad.

☆ EQRx promised to deliver cutting-edge drugs at half the cost of rivals. A cofounder shares why the once buzzy biotech is walking away from that mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Andrew Dunn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After years of touting the idea of radically lower drug prices, EQRx has walked away from that plan. Cofounder Alexis Borisy said it was due to the FDA not OK'ing drugs based only on Chinese data. EQRx suddenly sounded like a typical biotech company, talking of "market-based pricing" that would "maximize value for shareholders." EQRx's stock is down over 75% since its record-breaking SPACAlexis Borisy, EQRx Chairman, and CEO Melanie Nallicheri. An unclear future for 'radically lower drug prices'EQRx CEO Melanie Nallicheri EQRxIn November, EQRx said it wouldn't pursue radically lower pricing for its first two drug candidates, both cancer therapies.

☆ French city asks Madonna to lend it a painting lost in 1918
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The "Diana and Endymion" painting by Jerome-Martin Langlois, which depicts Roman goddess Diana looking lovingly at the handsome Endymion, was once on display in an Amiens museum but was lost after Germany bombed the city in 1918. Amiens, where French President Emmanuel Macron was born, is a candidate to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. "We do not dispute in any way the legal acquisition that you have made but we are candidates to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. So I would like that on this occasion, this year, you could lend us your painting," Amiens mayor Brigitte Foure said in a video posted on Facebook. Foure said the painting was probably lent to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before World War One, after which Amiens lost trace of it.

☆ Trains, flights cancelled in France on Thursday in strike against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Most trains will be cancelled in France on Thursday, with flights also affected and Paris' subway heavily disrupted, as part of a nationwide strike against the government's plan to make people work longer before they can retire. Unions have called workers to massively walk out of their job on Jan. 19 and take to the streets across France. In Paris, the vast majority of RER commuter trains will be cancelled, while three metro lines will be entirely shut down and many others will be disrupted, the RATP metro operator said. Meanwhile, one in five flights to and from Paris' Orly airport are set to be cancelled. France has a decades-long history of attempts to reform its pension system - one of the most generous and costly in Europe - and of protests to try to stop them.

☆ French court dismisses complicity in war crimes charge against TotalEnergies - lawyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - A French court has dismissed charges of complicity in war crimes against oil major TotalEnergies, lawyers for the NGOs who brought the charge said in a statement. Lawyers for the groups said they had been informed that the public prosecutor had dismissed the complaint. TotalEnergies did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the ruling. It had denied the accusations in October in a statement to French daily Le Monde. Reporting by Silvia Aloisi and America Hernandez, writing by GV De Clercq; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France fines TikTok $5.4 mln for online tracking shortcomings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - France on Thursday fined TikTok 5 million euros ($5.4 million) for shortcomings linked to the short video platform's handling of online tracking known as "cookies", which the ByteDance-owned company said it had now addressed. The CNIL found that for tiktok.com's users, it was not as easy to refuse online trackers as to accept them. The authority also found that internet users were not sufficiently informed about TikTok's use of the cookies. "The CNIL itself highlighted our cooperation during the course of the investigation and user privacy remains a top priority for TikTok," the spokesperson added. Under European Union rules, websites must clearly ask for the prior consent of internet users for any use of cookies - small pieces of data stored while navigating on the Web.

☆ Chronosphere raises additional $115 mln at $1.6 bln valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - Chronosphere has raised an additional $115 million in funding from new investors Alphabet Inc's GV (GOOGL.O) and Geodesic Capital, the cloud-based data organization platform said on Tuesday, valuing the company at $1.6 billion. The latest round saw participation from existing investors Addition, Founders Fund, General Atlantic and Greylock, among others, and brings the company's total funding to $343 million. The cloud native data manager, which counts online brokerage Robinhood Markets (HOOD.O) and payments giant Visa Inc (V.N) among its enterprise customers, said it will use the capital to support the go-to-market efforts of its platform. The extended round adds to Chronosphere's series C raise from last year, where it had raised $200 million led by private equity giant General Atlantic. Reporting by Anirban Chakroborti in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ European Commission clears Germany's Uniper bailout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Uniper SE FollowFortum Oyj FollowPARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Tuesday it had approved Germany's 34.5 billion euro ($36.60 billion) plan to recapitalise German natural gas trader Uniper (UN01.DE), subject to future state divestment, management pay and acquisitions. The plan complies with EU State aid rules on the necessity, appropriateness and size of the intervention, the Commission said in a statement. The recapitalisation involves an immediate cash capital increase of 8 billion euros, which will be subscribed at a price of 1.70 euros per share, it added. It also approved authorised capital of up to 26.5 billion euros, which Germany intends to pay in stages through to 2024. Uniper, majority-owned by Finland's Fortum Oy (FORTUM.HE), is Germany's largest gas provider and one of Europe's main gas traders, the Commission said.

☆ EU opens antitrust probe into Broadcom's $61 bln VMware bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - European antitrust regulators have opened an in-depth investigation into U.S. chipmaker Broadcom's (AVGO.O) proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware (VMW.N), the European Commission said on Tuesday. Reuters reported on Dec. 9 that the Commission was set to open a full-scale investigation into the deal, the second biggest globally so far this year. Broadcom on Tuesday reiterated that it continued to expect the transaction would close in its fiscal year 2023, adding it would continuing to work with the European Commission. The proposed acquisition underlines Broadcom's ambition to diversify into enterprise software, but comes as regulators worldwide ramp up scrutiny of deals by Big Tech. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Editing by GV De Clercq and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU countries agree gas price cap after weeks of talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - European Union nations' energy ministers have agreed a gas price cap, a spokesperson for the Czech Republic said on Twitter on Monday. The deal follows weeks of talks on the emergency measure that has split opinion across the bloc as it seeks to tame the energy crisis. According to officials and a document seen by Reuters, European Union countries' energy ministers agreed that the cap on gas prices would be triggered when benchmark gas prices spike to 180 euros per megawatt hour. The EU gas price cap would kick in if prices on the front-month Dutch Title Transfer Facility gas hub contract exceed 180 eur/MWh for three days, the document detailling EU ministers' agreement showed. Three EU officials said that Germany - which had been sceptical about the price cap - had voted to support a European Union deal on a gas price cap on Monday, despite having raised concerns about the policy's impact on Europe's ability to attract gas supplies in price-competitive global markets.

☆ EU warns Meta over Facebook Marketplace antitrust breach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

European Union's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement that she is concerned that Meta ties its dominant social network Facebook to its online classified ad services, which is called Facebook Marketplace. "This means Facebook users have no choice but to have access to Facebook Marketplace," she said. Facebook Marketplace was launched in 2016 and is used in 70 countries to buy and sell items. The Commission said on Monday that it was concerned that Meta is imposing "unfair trading conditions" on competitors of its own classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, that want to advertise on its social networks Facebook or Instagram. The EU competition enforcer launched an investigation into Facebook in June last year, focusing on whether the social network unfairly uses advertisers' data to compete with them in the online classified ads sector.

☆ Condoms to be free for young people in France, Macron says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Young people in France will be able to get condoms free of charge from next year in an effort to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. "In pharmacies, condoms will be free for those aged 18 to 25 from January 1," Macron told reporters during an event about young people's health. Health authorities estimate that the rate of STDs increased by about 30% in 2020 and 2021 in France. Reporting by GV De Clercq Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU Commission proposes ninth package of sanctions against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a ninth package of sanctions on Russia, including adding almost 200 additional individuals and entities on the sanctions list. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement the EU also proposes to introduce sanctions against three additional Russian banks and also wants to impose new export controls and restrictions, particularly for dual-use goods including key chemicals, nerve agents, electronics and IT components. Reporting by GV De Clercq, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU court rejects WhatsApp challenge against EU Data Protection Board
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed as inadmissible an action brought by WhatsApp against a decision of the European Data Protection Board, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Following complaints about Whatsapp's (META.O) use of personal data in Ireland and a European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ruling on the issue, the Irish Data Protection commission in 2021 imposed corrective measures on Whatsapp and fines totalling 225 million euros. WhatsApp had challenged that decision before an Irish court and also requested that the European Court of Justice annul the EDPB's ruling, but the court ruled that Whatsapp's action was inadmissible. It added that the validity of the EDPB's decision could be challenged before a national court. Reporting by GV De Clercq, editing by Marine Strauss, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei's new startup wants to launch smartphone in the U.S. to take on Apple
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.K.-based consumer tech company Nothing is setting its sights on the U.S., with ambitions of taking on Apple's iPhone. The startup, the hardware venture of Carl Pei — co-founder of Chinese mobile phone maker OnePlus — is in early conversations with American carriers about launching a new smartphone in the U.S., Pei told CNBC, without naming any of the carriers. In July, Nothing launched Phone (1), a mid-range device with a design, price and specs similar to Apple's entry-level iPhone SE. "Now we are in discussions with some carriers in the U.S. to potentially launch a future product there," said the Chinese-Swedish entrepreneur. And if we launch our smartphones there, I'm sure we could obtain significant growth," he said.

☆ Macron invites Iraq PM for meeting in France in early 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] French President Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference during a visit to the Gendarmerie school as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in Longvic, France, November 25, 2022 . Christophe Petit Tesson /Pool via REUTERSPARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Iraq's prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to a meeting in France early in 2023, Macron's office said in a statement on Sunday following a phone call between the two leaders. Macron said the two leaders have agreed to reinforce bilateral cooperation between France and Iraq and that France would help Iraq in its fight against terrorism and attacks on its sovereignty. Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Right-winger Ciotti wins 1st round of French conservative party leadership vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Right-winger Eric Ciotti is in poll position to become the next leader of France's formerly heavyweight conservative Les Republicains (LR) party after winning a first round ballot of party members on Sunday. LR or its predecessors have governed France for much of its post-war history. "I want to be the candidate of hope and of the return of a big political family on the right," Ciotti said in a tweet following Sunday's vote. Both Ciotti, whose home base is the traditionally right-wing Nice region, and Retailleau are politically further to the right than outgoing LR leader Christian Jacob. LR remains a key force in parliament, however, as Macron - who lost his legislative majority in parliament - often relies on the party to get his government's bills voted through.

☆ Airbus says reached settlement with French prosecutor on Libya, Kazakhstan bribery probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Airbus has reached a settlement with the French financial prosecutor (PNF) concerning judicial investigations related to Libya and Kazakhstan, an Airbus spokesperson said on Thursday, confirming a report by news agency AFP. It said the agreement is now subject to court approval. Last month, Airbus confirmed it was negotiating a new bribery settlement with French authorities over past dealings in Libya and Kazakhstan as an extension to a settlement struck in 2020 which included record fines against the planemaker. The initial agreement followed a four-year probe which originated in Britain and later expanded to France and the United States, shedding light on a network of middlemen and disguised payments. Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Writing by GV De ClercqOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France's Macron announces 100 mln euro aid package for Moldova
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Nov 21 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a donor conference for Moldova in Paris, announced an additional international aid package worth more than 100 million euros ($103 million)for the eastern European nation. He said much of that aid would have to be focused on helping Moldova deal with an energy crisis that is the consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ($1 = 0.9756 euros)Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Schneider Electric-Backed Venture Firm to Launch $520 Million Fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

To date, SE Ventures has 30 active investments, including climate and industrial tech ventures, a pace it expects to accelerate with the new fund, he said. About 70% have struck a commercial partnership with Schneider Electric, the company said. SE Ventures first invested in AutoGrid in the company’s Series D fundraising round in 2019. Mr. Hodson said through SE Ventures, Schneider Electric has a good record of targeting investments to areas where it wants to expand. “There’s definitely a market reality where there is a large degree of uncertainty,” Mr. Chaturvedy said.

☆ French archbishop under investigation for 'inappropriate gesture' towards woman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A retired French archbishop is under investigation from judicial and church authorities for what he called "an inappropriate gesture" towards an adult young woman at the end of the 1980s. Monseigneur Jean-Pierre Grallet, 81, the retired former archbishop of Strasburg, said in a statement on Wednesday that he had been informed this summer that the woman had filed a complaint against him. He gave no detail about what kind of behaviour he is under investigation for. Last week, French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said he had abused a 14-year-old girl decades ago and would withdraw from his functions. In total, 11 bishops or former bishops are currently the subject of abuse investigations, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, head of the French bishops' conference, said last week.

☆ Harness: 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Co-founder Jyoti Bansal sold his first company AppDynamics to Cisco for $3.7 billion and just six years later he has brought Harness up to its own $3.7 billion valuation as of its last fundraising in April. Every company is now a software company and with that digital transformation come issues of constant code fixes and cyber vigilance. The aim of Harness is to provide an estimated 27 million software developers globally the ability to create and send code to end users faster, more efficiently, and securely. Key cloud integrations include Google Cloud, AWS and Microsoft Azure. The 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise list is powered and inspired by the members of CNBC's Technology Executive Council (TEC).

☆ French cardinal says abused 14-year girl, withdraws from functions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 7 (Reuters) - French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said on Monday that he had abused a 14-year-old girl decades ago and he would withdraw from his functions. "Thirty-five years ago, when I was a parish priest, I behaved in a reprehensible way with a young girl aged 14. Ricard asked for forgiveness and said he would withdraw from his functions and be available for legal and church authorities. In total, 11 bishops or former bishops, including a former bishop in Creteil, near Paris, Michel Santier, are currently targeted by abuse investigations, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, head of the French bishops' conference, told a news conference on Monday. read moreReporting by GV De Clercq and Ingrid Melander, Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UJET: 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former Motorola and Jawbone executive Anand Janefalker founded UJET to transform the customer experience, applying AI and data analytics to a world in which brands are increasingly relying on technology to make omnichannel service faster and more efficient. Instacart, PayPal's Zettle, Wag!, Money Lion, Turo and Atom Tickets are among clients using UJET across voice, digital and in-app platforms. Investors include some of Silicon Valley's elite, such as Kleiner Perkins and GV (formerly Google Ventures). The 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise list is powered and inspired by the members of CNBC's Technology Executive Council (TEC). Learn more about CNBC Councils.

☆ Axa 9-month revenue up 2%, faces 400 mln euro hit from Hurricane Ian
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The French insurer - Europe's second-biggest after Germany's Allianz - said its nine-month revenue rose 2% on a comparable basis to 78.4 billion euros from 76 billion in the year-earlier period. Property and casualty revenue was up 3% to 40.7 billion euros, while health revenue was up 14% to 13.1 billion. Axa said that Hurricane Ian, which devastated the coastlines of Florida in September, was expected to be one of the costliest hurricanes to hit the United States in recent years. More than 80 people died in Hurricane Ian, which is likely to be among the worst in U.S. history, President Joe Biden has said. Axa also confirmed it was taking part in a capital increase of Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI) for an amount that could reach 200 million euros.

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