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[1/8] Protesters, holding a placard which reads "Members of parliament, do not vote the pension reform bill", gather in front of the National Assembly in Paris as French parliament set to vote on pensions reform bill, France, March 16, 2023. The afternoon vote in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, is a different matter. "It seems that the tally does not ensure a win in the National Assembly," Bruno Retailleau, the head of the LR senators told Public Senat TV. It could decide to resort to a procedure known as "49:3", which would allow it to push the text through without a vote. "If this reform is adopted, the anger and the contestation of this reform will not end," Laurent Berger, the head of CFDT, France's largest union, told franceinfo.

[1/11] Protesters take part in a demonstration against the French government's pension reform plan, as part of the eighth day of national strike and protests, in Ancenis-Saint-Gereon, France, March 15, 2023. The pension bill passed to a joint parliamentary committee on Wednesday where lawmakers from the lower and upper chambers are seeking a compromise text. If a deal is reached, a final vote in both the Senate and National Assembly will be held on Thursday. This new day of protests "is meant to tell lawmakers: don't vote this reform," he said. "In the National Assembly, there will not be an easy vote, nor will there be panic," government spokesman Olivier Veran told Europe 1 radio station.

On Tuesday, a nationwide day of industrial action brought record numbers of people onto the streets against the policy change. But Olivier Gantois, the head of the French Association of Petroleum Industry (UFIP), said there was little impact on consumers for now. The logo of French oil and gas company TotalEnergies is seen at TotalEnergies fuel depot in Mardyck, near Dunkerque, as France faces the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against French government's pension reform plan, France, March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal RossignolThe four French LNG terminals and all of the gas storage facilities also remained blocked, FNME-CGT representative Fabrice Coudour said. The next nationwide day of strikes and protests is set for Saturday.

☆ Macron backs enshrining right to abortion in French constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, March 8 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he backed including the right to abortion in the constitution, a move he said would send a signal of solidarity to women around the world. She was a staunch defender of the right to abortion. The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last June overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognised women's constitutional right to abortion. Both houses of the French parliament have already voted in favour of enshrining the right in the constitution, although the Senate termed it a "freedom" and the National Assembly a "right" to abortion. Macron said a bill would be submitted to parliament to change the constitution in the coming months.

☆ Macron flies to Africa to counter waning French influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will fly to Africa this week in a bid to counter Russian efforts to dislodge France from the continent, after Paris suffered a series of military and political setbacks in its former sphere of influence. France withdrew its forces from Mali last year after the junta there started working with Russian military contractors, ending a decade of operations against Islamist insurgents. Macron has accused Russia of feeding anti-French propaganda in Africa to serve "predatory" ambitions. But French presidential advisers denied in a briefing on Friday that Macron was in a charm offensive to win back lost influence. During the trip, Macron will focus on the environment, with a participation to a summit on forests in Gabon, and will also meet African artists.

☆ Analysis: Pension reform strikes tell story of French work malaise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The reform could yield an extra 17.7 billion euros ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions to plug the government's funding gap, according to Labour Ministry estimates. The 35-hour work week, introduced in 2000, is exacerbating the current malaise, labour experts say. French productivity was also ahead of Germany's $67.06 and Italy's $53.66, according to OECD figures. He once said he didn't like the word "strenuous" when applied to work because "it implied that work is painful." "Pension reform was a red line for me," she said.

☆ France's Macron faces third round of pension reform strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A member of CFDT labour union prepares placards on the eve of the third day of national strike and protests in France against French government's pension reform plan, in Nice, France, February 6, 2023. "Our pension system is structurally in deficit," Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt told parliament on Monday afternoon as lawmakers began debating the bill. The government says the reform will allow gross savings of over 17 billion euros ($18 billion) per year by 2030. Conservative opponents, whose support Macron needs for a working majority in the National Assembly, want concessions for those who start working young. "The reform will never be accepted if the most wealthy don't contribute," former Socialist president Francois Hollande told BFM TV.

The French will have to work two years longer to age 64 before retiring, if the reform, announced on Tuesday, is adopted by parliament. They will also need to work longer to get a full pension. "I don't understand the principle of making people work longer when there are lots of young people looking for work." Unions will in any case get the support of the left-wing Nupes coalition in parliament, which urged workers to protest on Jan. 19. Under its plan, the retirement age will be raised by three months per year from September, reaching the target age of 64 in 2030.

The most likely scenario would see the government raising the retirement age to 64 from 62 currently. But polls show pension reform is unpopular. Some 47% want no change to the retirement age and 25% want retirement to be earlier than now. Macron had to put his first pension reform bid on ice in 2020 as the government rushed to contain the COVID outbreak and save the economy. Now, although recent strike action has been limited to specific sectors, such as refineries and airlines, outrage over pension reform could easily spark broader protests.

☆ France to send Ukraine light combat vehicles, Kyiv wants tanks from allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This is the first time that Western-made armoured vehicles are being delivered in support of the Ukrainian army," the official said. Zelenskiy thanked Macron for the announcement and said it showed the need for others to provide heavier weapons. "We must put an end to the Russian aggression this year," he said, adding that "modern Western armoured vehicles and Western-type tanks" were major assets that Ukraine needed. Macron in October also said Paris would provide air defence weapons as Russia intensified missile strikes on critical infrastructure. Zelenskiy has repeatedly asked Western allies for heavier fighting vehicles such as the German-made Leopard tanks.

☆ BioNTech ships COVID shots to China for use by Germans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BioNTech said it is working with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (600196.SS) to deliver the shots to greater China, with availability expected in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Chengdu. China would need to approve expanding access beyond the about 20,000 German nationals, the source said on Wednesday. "Most of Chinese here got the BioNTech vaccine, the vaccine that was first available. SinoVac vaccine was not available in Europe," a first-generation Chinese expatriate who has lived in Europe for more than a decade told Reuters. The expatriate, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their family in China, said that the government there might only make BioNTech shots available to Chinese nationals if it came to the worst-case scenario.

☆ Macron reforms in the balance as French conservatives choose leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The 56-year-old LR veteran Ciotti, whose home-base is the right-wing Nice region, says he wants to stop what he calls a "migratory invasion." "We are together so that France remains France," Ciotti told a rally last month, saying that authority, identity and liberty were the pillars of his policy, with the fight against Islamism a key issue. LR has lost veteran figures to Macron's camp, including Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and former prime minister Edouard Philippe. Nearly three quarters of LR voters consider LR cannot fly solo, an Odoxa poll for LCP showed last month. The favoured option for LR supporters would be an alliance with Macron's camp, but not far ahead of a deal with the RN.

☆ French baguette makes it onto World Cultural Heritage list
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The humble baguette, France's staple bread, has made it onto the United Nation's cultural heritage list. Paris-based U.N. heritage body UNESCO on Wednesday voted to include the "artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread" on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which already includes around 600 traditions from over 130 countries. This "celebrates the French way of life: the baguette is a daily ritual, a structuring element of the meal, synonymous with sharing and conviviality," said UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay. These days a baguette - which means "wand" or "baton" - is sold for around 1 euro ($1.04) each. ($1 = 0.9645 euros)Reporting by Geert De Clercq and Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, attends the MEDEF union summer forum "La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, LaREF" at the Paris Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, August 30, 2022. 1 telecoms operator Orange (ORAN.PA) said on Wednesday, as the prospect of energy rationing looms amid the war in Ukraine. Executives said at the time there were not enough back-up systems in many European countries to handle widespread power cuts. "The operators put pressure so that we don't cut their antennas, there's a kind of arm wrestling," the source told Reuters. Only a few thousands mobile antennas would be completely shielded from potential power cuts at this stage, a telecoms industry source said, thus covering a fraction of the population and of the territory.

More than a year after Washington, London and Canberra torpedoed a big French submarine contract, pushing Franco-US relations to breaking point, the two countries are expected to put on a show of unity on common threats from Russia and China. The French leader will try to negotiate exemptions for European companies on the model of those Mexico and Canada has already got, a French presidential adviser said. Macron wants France to build more nuclear reactors but it is struggling with corrosion issues at its ageing plants. Macron will also travel to Louisiana, ostensibly to pay tribute to the state's French heritage, but also to discuss energy issues, the French presidential advisor said. "The United States produce cheap gas but sell it to us at high price," Macron told French executives on November 8.

[1/5] A French toreador apprentice of the Arles bullfighting school practices before a bullfight show at the Monumental de Gimeaux arena in Arles, France, November 20, 2022. "Corrida is a tradition, an art, a dance with the bull," said Baptiste, one of about a dozen students who learn to wave the traditional red muleta cloth in front of bulls in the Arles bullfighting school. At the weekend, pro and anti ban protesters marched in several southern France cities where corrida is still allowed. For Caron, exceptions that allow bullfighting in some parts of France and have under a thousand bulls killed per year, should be scrapped. "Since (bullfighting) exists, there are people who have tried to ban it, " said Yves Lebas, president of the Arles bullfighting school.

[1/4] A migrant, in need of urgent hospital care, lies on a stretcher, as officers prepare them for helicopter transport from rescue ship 'Ocean Viking' in the Mediterranean Sea, November 10, 2022. The Ocean Viking, which is operated by the SOS Mediterranee charity, was sailing on Thursday by the French island of Corsica, but had previously been close to Italy. The French would also reinforce controls at its borders with Italy to prevent migrant crossings, he said. Ocean Viking was the fourth. The far-right was quick to react to the decision to let the Ocean Viking dock, with the RN's Marine Le Pen tweeting that he was being "dramatically" soft on immigration.

[1/3] An undelivered Airbus A350 built for Qatar Airways is seen in storage at Chateauroux, France, September 3, 2022 as Airbus and the Gulf carrier remain locked in a contractual and safety dispute. The two leaders discussed the issue last December during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Doha, the French official told Reuters on Wednesday. The exchange marks the first confirmation that a bitter contractual and safety dispute spilled beyond the courtroom. A spokesperson for Qatar Airways could not immediately be reached for comment. The dispute marks a public divorce at the heart of the $150 billion jet industry with billions of dollars at stake.

☆ French 'Beyond Black' painter Pierre Soulages dies at 102
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Pierre Soulages, the French abstract painter best known for experimenting with different shades of black, has died aged 102, the museum dedicated to his life and work in his southwestern hometown of Rodez said on Wednesday. Soulages, who museum head Benoît Decron said died on Tuesday evening in hospital, had worked exclusively with black since 1979, notably in a series of works he called "Outrenoir", or "Beyond Black". Born on Christmas Eve 1919, he also created the 104 stained glass windows that adorn Conques Abbey in southwestern France. Soulages is survived by his wife Colette, who is 101. Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Dominique Vidalon, editing by Tassilo Hummel and John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France's Macron to hold talks with new Italian PM Meloni on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends the first new cabinet meeting, at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, October 23, 2022. REUTERS/Yara NardiPARIS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron, currently on an official visit to Italy, will hold talks with new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later on Sunday, the French presidency said, without providing further details. Meloni was sworn in as Italy's first woman prime minister on Saturday alongside her cabinet team, giving the country its most right-wing government since World War Two. European Commission leaders in Brussels sent her messages of congratulations on Saturday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Elizabeth Pineau and Sophie Louet; Editing by Edmund Blair and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ New contemporary art event boosts Paris scene
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A visitor walks past the "Buste de Diego" (1961) by artist Alberto Giacometti as Paris+ par Art Basel international contemporary art fair opens in Paris, France, October 19, 2022. The event, "Paris+ par Art Basel", was awarded to Art Basel, one of the giants in the art world, which hosts fairs in Switzerland as well as Miami and Hong Kong. Contemporary art, dating roughly from 1945 onwards, made up 23% of the art market in 2020-2021, compared with 3% in 2000-2001, according to the Artprice data bank. The Paris event replaces the International Contemporary Art Fair (Fiac) and follows the high-profile Frieze fair in London. Paris is the only big city in the continent, the only important city for contemporary art, so it was an obvious choice," Kilchmann told Reuters.

A dish of leeks and sprouts sits on a kitchen table at the Eiffel Tower restaurant 'Madame Brasserie' in Paris, France, October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Yiming WooPARIS, Oct 14 (Reuters) - A fancy restaurant on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower may not be the obvious setting for environmental activism, but Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx wants to make it a showcase for climate-friendly cuisine. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"These leeks, in season now, were grown less than 50 km from here. "It is simple, has a limited carbon impact, it is easy to eat and economical - we do our job with minimal environmental impact," he added. Now, his crew cooks on induction cookers with copper casseroles, which only heat the pan itself without warming up the entire kitchen.

Management at Exxon Mobil's (XOM.N) Esso France reached a deal with a majority of unions on Monday, but not the CGT. "I have therefore asked the prefects, as permitted by law, to requisition the personnel needed to the functioning of the company's depots," she said, referring to Esso France. SHORTAGES1/5 People gather during a TotalEnergies and Esso ExxonMobil workers' protest outside Esso refinery in Fos-Sur-Mer, France October 11, 2022. Esso France said it had reached a salary deal with unions on Monday. Even so, the CGT said it had not signed off on the deal, and its workers remained on strike.

Ernaux, the first French woman to win the literature prize, said winning the award was "immense". "It's a long path that she makes in her life," Swedish Academy member Anders Olsson told Reuters. "I did not imagine at the time that 22 years later, the right to abortion would be challenged," Ernaux told reporters in Paris. 1/7 French novelist Annie Ernaux talks to the media after being announced as the winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature, in Cergy-Pontoise, France October 6, 2022. "I always said that I did not want to get the Nobel prize," she told reporters at her French publisher Gallimard's office.

☆ French political rivalries spill onto soccer field ahead of lawmaker charity match
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Marine Le Pen, member of parliament and president of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group gives a news conference at the National Assembly in Paris, France, August 2, 2022. Stepping onto the soccer field along side Le Pen's party lieutenants would only accelerate that process, they said. "Trivialisation leads to alliances between the right and the extreme right, and this is how the extreme right can then govern," he added. Far-right lawmakers said those boycotting the evening game were guilty of holding French voters in contempt. "I'm sorry that the left and hard left are not capable of rising above these political divisions and accepting the result of the ballot box.

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