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☆ Nanterre shooting: More than 600 arrested as France sees third night of violence after 17-year-old shot dead by police
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The boy, Nahel, was shot dead during a traffic stop Tuesday morning in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. The officer said he fired his gun out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car, according to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache. He is currently facing a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported Thursday. This screengrab from video posted on Twitter shows the moment when police interacted with a 17-year-old teen during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb. Fires were set in the Paris suburb of Montreuil early Friday morning.

Persons: France CNN —, Pascal Prache, ”, Mounia, Prache, BFMTV, Stephane Rouppert, Nael, Emmanuel Macron, Nahel, Laurent, Franck Lienard, “, ” Lienard Organizations: France CNN, France, CNN, Twitter, Interior Ministry, BFMTV, French, country’s Foreign, RTL Locations: Nanterre, France, Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Roubaix, Marseille, Lille, Montreuil, Aubervilliers, ”

☆ Shipping tax could yield $100 bln climate windfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

TINOS, June 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The shipping industry emits 2.9% of the world's greenhouse gases. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsPOLLUTER PAYSThe shipping industry uses fossil fuels to power its boats. That said, industry leaders such as container giant Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) are moving into green shipping. This potentially large sum is attracting the attention of people outside the shipping industry, especially those focused on climate change. If a country refused to apply an agreed tax, the international shipping industry would effectively be unable to operate from its ports.

Persons: TINOS, Emmanuel Macron’s, Tristan Smith, Marshall, UCL’s Smith, Al Qaeda, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, International Maritime Organisation, United Nations, European Union, EU, Reuters Graphics Reuters, University College London, Shipping, Climate Fund, World Bank, International Chamber of Shipping, Marshall, Al, Trade Center, Thomson Locations: Paris, Danish, Marshall

☆ Paris rental bikes deliver unexpected anti-abortion messages
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Xiaofei Xu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Paris CNN —Since being launched in 2007, Paris’ public Vélib’ rental bikes have proven a hit with tourists and locals as a trouble-free way to get around the French capital, especially in summer when Metro trains are hot and crowded. In recent weeks, activists have turned some Vélib’ cycles into billboards featuring unexpected messages from a guerrilla advertising campaign opposing abortion rights. The people who put up these stickers “would be overjoyed to revisit abortion rights,” Rotjman, a feminist campaigner since 1974, told CNN. Calls for justiceVélib' rental bikes have proved hugely popular with locals and tourists since their 2007 launch. Vélib’ has yet to confirm how many bikes are impacted and when they will be restored.

Persons: Anne Hidalgo, ”, Isabelle Rome, “, ” Suzy Rotjman, ” Rotjman, Roe, Wade, Emmanuel Macron, Shutterstock, Eugenia Roccella, Vélib ’, Vélib, Sylvain Raifaud, Raifaud, ’ Organizations: Paris CNN, Metro, Paris, “, French, Women’s Rights, CNN, ”, National Assembly, French Senate, Quotidiano Nazionale, Vox Locations: Paris, France, United States, Italy, Spain, Europe, Poland, Hungary

☆ French Protesters Seek Fresh Momentum in Fight Against Macron’s Pension Overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Noemie Bisserbe | Stacy Meichtry | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/french-protesters-seek-fresh-momentum-in-fight-against-macrons-pension-overhaul-4d3d15ee

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ French March in New Pension Protests, but Are They a Final Stand?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Street demonstrations and transport strikes disrupted France again on Tuesday as another day of protests against a widely unpopular pension overhaul took place, in what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to pressure the authorities into scrapping the changes. Tuesday’s protest, the 14th day of nationwide demonstrations since January, reflected the lingering anger at the government’s decision to raise the legal retirement age to 64 from 62 — a move that put France on edge and led to the biggest political threat in President Emmanuel Macron’s second term. But after months of exceptionally large protests that have failed to budge Mr. Macron, and with key parts of the overhaul already enshrined in law, opponents of the reform acknowledge that the chances of turning the tide now are slim and that Tuesday’s actions may be a last stand. “The game is about to end whether we like it or not,” Laurent Berger, the leader of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor, the largest union in France, said on Tuesday as he was getting ready for the march in Paris.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron’s, Mr, Macron, ” Laurent Berger Organizations: French Democratic Confederation of Labor Locations: France, Paris

☆ Macron Faces Fresh Test as Outlook for French Finances Dims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the list of challenges facing President Emmanuel Macron after raucous nationwide demonstrations over his pension measures, add a new one: a cascade of warnings over France’s finances. On Friday, S&P Global cautioned that it still had a negative outlook on France’s creditworthiness. S&P Global maintained its investment-grade credit rating for France, a decision that Mr. Macron’s government had eagerly awaited. But in restating a negative outlook first published in January, the ratings agency cited concern about France’s ability to rein in its public finances amid already elevated general government debt. And it added to concern among analysts about Mr. Macron’s ability, in a tense social and political climate, to move forward with his efforts to lift the country’s competitiveness and growth.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron’s Organizations: P Global, France

☆ Fact Check-Audio translation of Emmanuel Macron’s 2022 UN speech is altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The faked audio also says he was speaking in April 2023, but Macron was in fact speaking on September 20, 2022. There was no session of the UN General Assembly in New York in April 2023. The 78th session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to open on September 5, 2023 (here). Emmanuel Macron did not apologize to African nations for wrongs committed during the French colonial period. Audio of a 2022 speech to the UN General Assembly has been altered.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, “, MACRON, France, Read Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, UN, Assembly, Facebook, “ AS, WE, Reuters Locations: New York, French Republic, France, Ukraine, Kigali

☆ France in 'very close discussions' with S&P ahead of rating update
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks at a joint news conference after his meeting with World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Pool//File PhotoPARIS (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire is in “very close discussions” with credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s, which put France on notice in January for a possible downgrade, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday. “There are very close discussions between Standard and Poor’s and Bruno Le Maire,” Borne told Radio J. “I think there were detailed explanations from Bruno Le Maire to Standard and Poor’s on everything we’re doing to control our public finances and I think that we act in this direction,” she said. Le Maire explained France’s reforms and its objective of cutting the country’s budget deficit to 2.7% of gross domestic product by 2027, she said.

☆ Justine Triet: French film director attacks Macron during Palme d'Or acceptance speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —French film director Justine Triet condemned what she called French President Emmanuel Macron’s “shocking” repression of the pension reform protests during her Palme d’Or acceptance speech at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. “The commodification of culture that the neoliberal government defends is in the process of breaking the French cultural exception,” Triet continued. Triet is just the third woman to win the Palme d’Or, one of cinema’s tpp prizes, after New Zealand’s Jane Campion and France’s Julia Ducournau. “Happy to see the Palme d’Or awarded to Justine Triet, the 10th for France! France’s social unrest has cast a shadow over this year’s instalment of the film festival.

☆ 5 reasons G7 Summit 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —This year’s G7 meeting in Japan holds special significance, not only for its location. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at Hiroshima airport to attend the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Thursday. Together with his wife Britta Ernst, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz boards an air force plane for his trip to Hiroshima and the G7 summit. The biggest challenge for the G7 leaders may be keeping that momentum going. Two of the biggest holders of that debt, Japan and Britain, will be at the table with Biden in Hiroshima.

The most recent innovation has been tamer: People have banged pots whenever the president has appeared. Indeed, France’s labor unions — though representing a smaller share of the work force than elsewhere in Western Europe — have been united in their opposition, making them a redoubtable force. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who leads the left-wing coalition NUPES, has been a central figure in the parliamentary fight against Mr. Macron, nearly bringing down his government with a no-confidence vote in March. And yet it is not France’s left that has benefited from the popular rebellion. In a situation that seems tailor-made for a resurgence of the left, how is it that, for the moment at least, it is not just the right but the far right that has benefited?

Paris CNN —France’s finance minister is in the spotlight. “It is about music, my passion for music,” Le Maire insisted of the novel, whose central character is a piano virtuoso. Some in France chastized the finance minister for devoting time to writing, especially as the country weathers economic headwinds. The French finance ministry confirmed to CNN that Le Maire had warned the French presidency of the book before its release. And the finance minister seemed unabashed on Twitter.

☆ French Protesters March Against Macron’s Pension Overhaul on May Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Matthew Dalton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Protesters in Marseille, France, on Monday. Photo: Jeremy Suyker/Bloomberg NewsPARIS—French protesters took to the streets on May Day in a nationwide demonstration against President Emmanuel Macron and his unpopular overhaul of France’s pension system. Unions sought to use the traditional workers’ day march as a moment to voice the nation’s anger over the pension law, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030. Mr. Macron passed the law in March without approval by the legislature, invoking a provision of the French constitution that gives the president such powers.

☆ Anger Over Pensions Law Fuels May Day Protests in France
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

French workers headed to the streets across the country on Monday, as the annual May Day demonstrations in France coincided with smoldering anger over an unpopular pension overhaul that President Emmanuel Macron pushed through last month. From Le Havre in the north to Marseille in the south, tens of thousands of people had taken to the streets by midmorning, and the protest was set to culminate in the afternoon with a march in Paris, the capital. Laurent Berger, the leader of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor, the largest union in the country, presented the marches as a way to continue the fight against the pension overhaul. “I don’t accept the 64 years,” he said on Sunday. “I will never accept them.”

☆ France pension protests explained: France is still mad -- but can the protests last?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Joseph Ataman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In 1995, weeks-long mass protests forced the government of the day to abandon plans to reform public sector pensions. For many in France, the pensions system, as with social support more generally, is viewed as the bedrock of the state’s responsibilities and relationship with its citizens. Nathan Laine/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesIn contrast, during the Yellow Vest protests, started in opposition to hikes in fuel prices, violence gradually soured public support. That these pensions protests continue to hold such popular goodwill is an ominous sign for Macron’s future plans. The size and violence of pensions protests spiked when Macron forced the legislation past the country’s lower legislative house without a vote.

☆ The Eurozone Economy Shows Signs of Modest Growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Why It Matters: The eurozone economy has regained its footing — for now. But countries swiftly stockpiled energy reserves, and a mild winter, together with mass conservation efforts, helped Europe avoid the worst. The data show that the eurozone economy is regaining its footing — though only slowly. On an annual basis, growth contracted in the first quarter from a year ago by0.1 percent in the eurozone’s largest economy. Growth picked up in Italy, Belgium and Spain, and jumped further ahead in Portugal, where the economy expanded 1.6 percent in the first three months.

☆ How US and allies can find common ground on China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

That said, the U.S. and its allies have many common values and interests with regards to China. Reuters GraphicsJapan, Australia and other Asian countries also need American support to counter the challenge from a more assertive China. The G7 finance ministers last week took a step to address this concern. But it is unclear how much headway the G7 will make as China has already invested heavily in many poorer countries. It is not just the group’s finance ministers who are seeking to coordinate their approach.

☆ Macron Wins Approval to Raise France’s Retirement Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Noemie Bisserbe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension-overhaul plans have left his parliamentary ranks in disarray. PARIS—President Emmanuel Macron ’s plan to raise the country’s retirement age cleared the final hurdle to becoming law with the approval of France’s Constitutional Council, providing relief to his embattled government after a monthslong battle with unions and millions of protesters. The court’s nine judges ruled that Mr. Macron’s government didn’t violate the constitution in passing the legislation in March.

☆ World leaders are lining up to meet Xi Jinping. Should the US be worried?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —Xi Jinping has had a busy couple of weeks. “(Chinese leaders) believe it’s time now for China to make its strategic plans,” said Li Mingjiang, an associate professor of international relations at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Beijing has watched uneasily as the war in Ukraine has driven the US and its European allies closer. When French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing last week, Xi drew comparisons between China and France: both “major countries with a tradition of independence,” Xi said, and “firm advocates for a multi-polar world” – or a world without a dominant superpower. But how Beijing navigates these initiatives, observers say, comes down to a bottom line that’s integrally related to Xi’s global ambitions and world view.

Paris CNN —France’s top court on Friday approved the government’s unpopular plans to raise the age of retirement by two years to 64, a huge win for President Emmanuel Macron in the face of mass protests across the country. The Constitutional Council – akin to the US Supreme Court – struck down some elements of the new law, but the most controversial element remains: the gradual upping of the retirement age. Sweeping protests have paralyzed major services across France year this year over Macron’s proposed changes to the pension system. Ahead of the ruling, heightened security was in place in Paris amid expectations of spontaneous protests. With regular, incremental increases, by 2030 the retirement age will have reached 64.

☆ LMVH: China reopening gives Tiffany and Dior owner a boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Shares in LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury group, jumped to a record high after it reported strong first-quarter sales buoyed by the economic re-opening in China. The stock of Europe’s most valuable company rose 4.6% Thursday to hit €875 ($965) apiece, boosting the fortune of its owner Bernard Arnault, already the world’s richest man. The owner of brands such as Tiffany & Co. and Dior reported late on Wednesday sales of €21 billion ($17 billion) in the first three months of the year, up 17% from the same period in 2022. In Europe and Japan, first-quarter sales were strong, rising 24% and 34% respectively, thanks to “robust demand” from local consumers and international travelers. In the United States, sales rose 8%.

☆ Macron: France's 'tone deaf' president faces backlash over Taiwan comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In it, he said that Europe must not become “just America’s followers” when asked about the prospect of China invading Taiwan. One said that Macron is “simply tone deaf to everything happening in the world. They were surprised to see Macron’s comments so soon after that meeting. For all that Macron’s comments could be put down to a president under pressure at home doing things on the world stage to create a distraction, his comments on Taiwan have done real damage to the fragile transatlantic relationship. It might not have been his intention, but Macron’s comments have come at a yet unknown cost.

☆ Opinion: Amid fallout of Macron-Xi meeting, another world leader tries his luck
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. Like most of China’s diplomacy, the country paints itself as champion of global peace, even as it launches menacing military maneuvers. French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, April 6. Just hours after Macron left, China launched an alarming military operation, encircling Taiwan in a simulation of an assault.

☆ China investment drowns out decoupling rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, April 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - International companies are reinforcing President Xi Jinping’s message that China is open for business. Japan Display’s (6740.T) shares soared 21% on Monday after the Apple (AAPL.O) supplier said it would provide its OLED technology to China’s HKC. And Europe’s Airbus (AIR.PA) just moved to double capacity in China, agreeing to push ahead with a second China assembly line despite failing to win any new orders during French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent state visit. The new commitments provide a reminder that multinational companies are making – and want to make more – money in the People’s Republic. At least some of the decoupling rhetoric is being drowned out.

☆ Fact Check-Video of French police clashing with firefighters is from 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Footage of a face-off between French police and firefighters during a protest in 2020 has been falsely linked online to demonstrations in 2023 against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the pension age. “An astonishing video of French firefighters taking on police in Paris four days ago,” wrote one user sharing the video on Facebook on March 28 (here). But the video was originally shared by French news agency Hors-Zone Press in January 2020 (here). According to a Reuters report, the 2020 clash broke out while French firefighters were demonstrating over their working conditions and demanding more pay (here). The video shows a clash between French police and firefighters during a demonstration in 2020.

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