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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

☆ France's Constitutional Council rejects bid for pension referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows French national flags on the Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel) before its decision on a request to hold a citizens' referendum (RIP - Referendum d'initiative partagee) about the future of France's pension system, in Paris, France, May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Christian HartmannPARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's deeply unpopular pension law passed another hurdle on Wednesday when the Constitutional Council rejected a second bid by political opponents to hold a referendum on capping the retirement age at 62. Since Macron bypassed parliament, opposition lawmakers have turned to the Constitutional Council twice in an attempt to derail the reform, seeking its approval on each occasion for a referendum on the retirement age. But the pension system is a cornerstone of France's cherished social protection model and labour unions say the money can be found elsewhere, including by taxing the rich more heavily. Nonetheless, French pension payments as a share of pre-retirement earnings are substantially higher than elsewhere, OECD figures show.

Royal Bank of Canada analysts said the results pointed to a strong performance at BNP's trading arm and good cost control. In securities trading, revenue edged down 1.8% but still performed better than some peers including Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), which saw fixed-income trading decline by 17% in the first quarter. At U.S. bank Goldman Sachs, first-quarter sales from fixed income, currency and commodities (FICC) trading, usually a bright spot, plunged 17% to $3.93 billion, while equity trading revenue sank 7% to $3.02 billion. The first quarter net income, group share amounted to 4.44 billion euros, in line with expectations, and up from 1.84 billion a year earlier. The first tranche of 2.5 billion euros was approved in March, a sign analysts deemed reassuring as it took place shortly after the collapse of Credit Suisse.

[1/6] French runner Barbara Humbert, 83, long-distance world record winner in her category who dreams to run the Olympic Marathon For All at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Games, poses during a daily practice session in Villiers-Adam near Paris, France April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesEAUBONNE, France, May 2 (Reuters) - At 83, Barbara Humbert dreams of taking part in next year's Paris Olympic Games 'Marathon For All', a race opening the Olympic route to non-elite competitors for the first time - and she's got the pedigree to beat some runners half her age. Not your typical great-grandmother, the German-born Frenchwoman runs 50 km (30 miles) a week, has competed in dozens of marathons, and has the medals to show for it. "It's extraordinary to have the Olympics in Paris," said Humbert at her home in Eaubonne, an hour's drive north of the capital. They remind Barbara of all the races she's been part of, from Athens to Boston and beyond, amounting to some 8,000 km run, according to her own calculations.

☆ France to mobilise wildfire-fighting forces one month early
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Lucien Libert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] French rescuers from the Securite Civile force attend the presentation of the 2023 plan to fight against wildfires, at Nimes-Garons airbase, France, April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Christian HartmannNIMES, France, April 27 (Reuters) - France will have wildfire-fighting troops and their water-carrying aircraft ready on June 1, one month earlier than usual, to adapt to fires starting earlier than in the past due to climate change, a senior official said. "It's one month earlier than in the past," he said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said earlier this month, amid France's first major blaze this year at the border with Spain, that the country was headed for "an extremely difficult summer 2023, possibly as difficult as summer 2022." Reporting by Lucien Libert; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fake volunteers hope to disrupt Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - An anti-Olympics collective is aiming to disrupt next year's Paris Games by recruiting fake volunteers. Saccage and other critics of the Paris Olympics say the event will negatively impact the environment and benefit big businesses and elites, rather than locals. Paris 2024 organisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment but have said in the past that they would organise "popular and spectacular Games" that will bring in millions of visitors. The Olympics organisers are looking to recruit 45,000 volunteers. Paris organisers said they would take the time to ensure the "sincerity" of candidates and that volunteers would have a background check.

LUXEMBOURG, April 24 (Reuters) - Recent remarks by China's ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states such as Ukraine are totally unacceptable, several EU foreign ministers said before a meeting on Monday. "It is totally unacceptable", Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said ahead of the Luxembourg meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers. It was unclear when Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassador to the EU, gave the interview to the Chinese news outlet The Paper. But its publication came hard on the heels of the remarks by China's ambassador to France. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he disagreed with Lu's comments, while Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn called Lu's remarks a "blunder" and said efforts were being made to calm things down.

☆ French police cleared to use drones for crowd monitoring
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] French gendarmes stand in position during a demonstration in front of the Paris City Hall after French government's pension reform received the Constitutional Council's green light and can now be signed into law and enter into force swiftly, in Paris, France, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane MahePARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - French police is allowed from Friday to use drones equipped with cameras for a wide range of tasks including crowd monitoring and border control, following the publication of a decree in the Official Journal on Thursday. This comes just over a year before the Paris 2024 Olympics and at a time when opposition to President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform has triggered huge protests that at times turned violent. The drones can also be used for the prevention of terrorist acts, the regulation of transport flows, border surveillance, and rescuing people, the decree said. The decree details and implements in practice a security law voted by parliament last year.

☆ Protesters storm Paris Euronext building in anger over pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Noemie Olive | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - A group of protesters briefly invaded offices of stockmarket operator Euronext in Paris' La Defense business district on Thursday, saying big companies must pay up to finance pensions, as part of wider protests against a rise in the retirement age. Waving union flags, the group of a few hundred protesters occupied Euronext's lobby, engulfed in red smoke from flares, and chanted words popular with pension protesters: "We are here, we are here, even if Macron does not want it we are here." At the weekend, Macron signed into law the rise in the retirement age which means citizens must work two years longer, to 64, before receiving their state pension. "We'll continue until the (pension law's) withdrawal," protesters shouted in La Defense's central square, standing by a banner that read: "No to the pension reform". Macron himself faced protests on Thursday during his second public outing since signing the bill into law.

☆ 'French Spiderman' climbs Paris skyscraper as protest against pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] French "Spiderman" Alain Robert climbs the Tour Alto skyscraper at the financial and business district of La Defense, naming his feat "The People", in Courbevoie near Paris, France, April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierPARIS, April 19 (Reuters) - A free climber known as the "French Spiderman" scaled a 38-storey skyscraper in Paris on Wednesday to demonstrate his support for protesters angry about a pension law that will delay the age at which people can retire in France. Alain Robert, 60, climbs without a harness, using only his bare hands and a pair of climbing shoes. "I'm here to show my support for those who oppose the pension reform," he told Reuters before starting his ascent of the 150-metre (492 foot) skyscrapper in Paris' La Defense business district. Under the reform, the French retirement age will gradually rise to 64 from 62.

Unions - and protesters - will pressure Macron not to promulgate the law, and try to find another way out. The Council's decision is expected late afternoon or early evening, likely after 1600 GMT. It could strike down the bill, but this is something it has rarely done and constitutional experts and government sources see this as unlikely. Political observers say the widespread discontent over the government's reform could have longer-term repercussions, including a possible boost for the far right. "I'm not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council's decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who opposes the pension legislation, said earlier this week.

☆ French pension protesters flood LVMH headquarters in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Security members stand in front of the headquarters of luxury retailer Louis Vuitton after a protest action French SNCF workers, members of French CGT and Sud Rail labour unions in Paris as part of the 12th day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Bart BiesemansPARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - Scores of French workers protesting against pension reforms flooded into the Paris headquarters of luxury group LVMH (LVMH.PA) on Thursday, calling for the rich to contribute more to financing the state pension. France's labour unions have been staging strikes and marches since mid-January in protest against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the legal retirement age. The government says it is necessary to raise the retirement age for most workers to balance the pension budget in years to come. Reporting by Bart Biesemans and Ingrid Melander, writing by Mimosa Spencer; editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: What's next for France's pension reform?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here is why this matters and what could happen:VERDICT ON THE PENSION BILL* The Council can strike down the bill altogether if it considers it breaches the Constitution. Opposition parties have asked it to do so, for choosing to tack the pension reform onto a social security budget bill, setting a tight deadline on debates and then bypassing a final vote in parliament. REFERENDUMEven if the Constitutional Council gives its green light - with or without caveats - this may not be the end of the road. Opposition Parliament members want to organise a so-called citizens' referendum on capping the retirement age at 62. If the threshold is met, the Senate and Assembly have six months to examine the proposal to cap the retirement age to 62.

☆ France to witness 12th nationwide strike against Macron's pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Protesters hold a drawing depicting a portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron during a demonstration as part of the tenth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform in Paris, France, March 28, 2023. "I'm not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council's decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen told BFM TV, who is against the pension bill. Macron and his government argue the law is essential to ensure that France's generous pension system does not go bust. Unions say this can be done by other means, including taxing the rich more, or making deeper changes to the pension system. However, the CGT union called for a walkout at all refineries on Thursday as part of the nationwide strike.

☆ Protester runs at Macron during state visit to Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, April 12 (Reuters) - A protester running towards French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to the Netherlands on Wednesday had to be bundled to the ground by security officers. The incident as Macron arrived at an event at the University of Amsterdam science campus, was the second day in a row his state visit had been disrupted by protests, after weeks of demonstrations at home against an unpopular pension law. While anger against his domestic policy has followed Macron to the Netherlands, the French president is also facing criticism from European and U.S. allies over his foreign policy. In a tweet on Wednesday, Macron reiterated that Europe must stand up for itself - without referring to his China comments. Back at home, French unions plan another nationwide day of protests on Thursday against the pension law.

☆ Protesters shout down Macron on visit to the Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Christian Levaux | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

THE HAGUE, April 11 (Reuters) - Anger against an unpopular pension reform in France followed President Emmanuel Macron to the Netherlands where protesters interrupted a speech he was giving on Tuesday at the start of a two-day state visit. Other protesters in the audience targeted the pension law and climate change, while one displayed a banner that read: "President of violence and hypocrisy". During his speech, he defended the pension law, which will delay retirement age by two years to 64. "I will pass (retirement age) from 62 to 64," he said, speaking in English. "When I compare, they (French protesters) should be less angry with me, because in your country it's much higher, and in a lot of countries in Europe, it's much higher than 64."

☆ Macron says France will prepare 'end of life' bill this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He said the bill would build on the work of a group of 184 randomly appointed French citizens who have debated the issue since December. Macron did not say whether he wanted euthanasia or assisted suicide to be allowed in France or if the bill would include either or both. Assisted suicide - where medical personnel give someone the means to kill themselves - or voluntary euthanasia - where a physician plays an active role to end a person's life at that person's request - is allowed in several countries in Europe. Assisted suicide has been legal in Switzerland since the 1940s. Some other countries accept only passive euthanasia, where, at the patient's request, some medical treatments are stopped, causing the person's death.

☆ France's Macron announces water saving plan, says protests will not stop reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to members of the media as he visits Savines-Le-Lac, South Eastern France, March 30, 2023. With the water plan, Macron and his government are looking to move to other topics. "There are protests, but it does not mean everything must stop," Macron said. Before his speech, Macron told reporters that protests would not stop him from adopting new policies. In some towns, half the water is lost to water leaks, with a nationwide average of 20%.

☆ Paris police 'very vigilant' ahead of new round of pension protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A protester walks his dog wearing a CGT labour union vest during a demonstration as part of the tenth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform in Nice, France, March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Eric GaillardPARIS, March 28 (Reuters) - French police are on the lookout for more protesters bent on violence joining marches against planned pension reform, the chief of police in Paris said on Tuesday, hours before a new round of country-wide demonstrations and strikes. Laurent Nunez, president of Paris's Prefecture de Police, told France Inter radio that security agencies believed more people intent on violence could join the protests and police had to be ready. "We are talking about individuals which often are being monitored by intelligence services ... and we are very vigilant about their presence," Nunez said. A total of 13,000 police agents will be deployed during the protests throughout the day, more than ever before, Darmanin said.

☆ New protests against Macron and his pension bill amid warnings of violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Protests against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to delay retirement age by two years to 64 had been largely peaceful so far. In the last nationwide day of protests on Thursday, "Black Bloc" anarchists smashed shop windows, demolished bus stops and ransacked a McDonald's restaurant in Paris, with similar violence in other cities. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin warned on Monday that there was "a very serious risk" of further violence on Tuesday, in the capital and beyond. The government says the pension bill is vital to ensure the system does not go bust. Macron responded that he is more than willing to talk to unions, but on other topics.

☆ Angry youths challenge Macron and his pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Yonathan Van Der Voort | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS via Reuters TVPARIS, March 27 (Reuters) - Teenager Charles Chauliac is angry that French President Emmanuel Macron plans to delay the retirement of hard-working folk like his parents, and that he bypassed parliament to do so. Most evenings for the past few weeks, the 18-year-old has taken to the streets of Paris to try and force a U-turn. Marching through Paris, dodging police, he joins other young people in spontaneous protests, chanting: "We are here, we are here, even if Macron does not want it, we are here." Tags sprayed on the walls of Paris in recent days have targeted Macron, or simply read: Democracy. While some protesters have torched bins, thrown rocks at police or smashed shop windows and bus stops, Chauliac insists he hasn't.

[1/4] Britain's King Charles waves as he arrives for a visit to the new European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, Britain March 23, 2023. Kirsty Wigglesworth/Pool via REUTERSPARIS, March 24 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles on Friday cancelled a state visit to France after social unrest over President Emmanuel Macron's new pension law erupted into some of the worst street violence seen in years across the country. "The King and The Queen Consort's State Visit to France has been postponed. Their Majesties greatly look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said. A Buckingham Palace source said Charles' visit to Germany will go ahead as planned.

REUTERS/Eric GaillardSummary Pushed pension changes through with no voteGovernment barely survived no-confidence motionStrikes and protests continuePARIS, March 22 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said a deeply unpopular new law that raises the retirement age was necessary and would enter into force by the end of the year. "Do you think I enjoy doing this reform? "But there is not a hundred ways to balance the accounts ... this reform is necessary." Polls show a wide majority of French are opposed to the pension legislation, as well as the government's decision to push the bill through parliament last week without a vote. "I don't expect much from Macron's speech," pensioner Jacques Borensztejn said at a rally on Tuesday in Paris.

Protests against the bill have drawn huge crowds in rallies organised by unions since January. Most have been peaceful, but anger has mounted since the government pushed the bill through parliament without a vote last week. The ongoing protests could impact a planned state visit next week of Britain's King Charles, a Buckingham Palace source said. While the opposition has called for Macron to fire his prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, who has been at the forefront of the pension reform, Macron backed her and said that he had tasked her to work on new reforms. "Tomorrow we will be on the streets again to demonstrate against the pension reform and demand its withdrawal," said one of them, CFDT union member Sophie Trastour.

The president, the government and the majority," a senior MP in Macron's camp, Gilles Le Gendre, told Liberation newspaper. Another MP in Macron's camp, Patrick Vignal, bluntly urged the president to suspend the pension reform bill, which will raise the retirement age by two years to 64, given the anger it has triggered, and its deep unpopularity. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes 1 2 3 4 5While Borne said the administration would try in future to better involve citizens and unions in lawmaking, she gave no specifics, and both said they had devoted as much time to dialogue on the pension bill as possible. Other opposition MPs urged Macron to fire Borne, call snap elections and hold a referendum on the pension bill because of the widespread anger. Polls show a wide majority of French are opposed to the pension reform, as well as the government's decision to push the bill through parliament without a vote.

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