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☆ Putin just made one of his most explicit threats of nuclear war yet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's Vladimir Putin menaced the West with the prospect of nuclear war. The Russian president said that the West was risking "the destruction of civilization." AdvertisementRussia's President Vladimir Putin menaced the West with the prospect of a nuclear attack over its support for Ukraine. Putin made the remarks on Thursday in the opening minutes of his annual state-of-the-nation speech to Russian lawmakers and top officials. They outline conditions for how much of Russia's military defense system needs to be destroyed to trigger nuclear warfare, per the FT.

Persons: Russia's Vladimir Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Service, Ukraine, NATO, Business Locations: NATO, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russia relishes NATO disarray after hasty denials of plan to deploy ground troops to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The United States, Germany, the U.K., Spain, Poland and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were among those denying that sending ground troops into Ukraine was an option. She claimed NATO countries' denials that they planned to send their ground troops into Ukraine showed the West had "betrayed Ukraine and will continue to use and betray it," repeating Moscow's baseless claims that Western countries are using Ukraine to destroy Russia. After the conference, Macron said discussions had also covered the possibility of deploying ground troops, although he said there was no agreement on the issue. France was left looking increasingly isolated throughout the day Tuesday, with the White House also distancing itself from Macron's comments. When asked about Macron's comments, Kirby said "well, that's a sovereign decision that every NATO ally would have to make for themselves.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Mikhail Metzel, Emmanuel Macron, Jens Stoltenberg, Dmitry Medvedev, Macron, Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon, Maria Zakharova, Macron's, Stephane Sejourne, John Kirby, Kirby, General Stoltenberg, —, Biden, Timothy Ash, Ash Organizations: Defence, Sputnik, Reuters, NATO, Russian, Russia's Foreign Ministry, Ukraine —, Russian Foreign, Tass, Chesnot, Getty, White, . National Security, Kremlin Russia, Kremlin, Russia, BlueBay Asset Management Locations: Nazi Germany, Moscow, Russia, Reuters Russia, Ukraine, United States, Germany, Spain, Poland, NATO, Russian, France, Canada, Paris, France's, Republic, U.S

☆ Sweden is exactly what the West needs to counter Putin's underhand tactics
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sweden this week became the newest member of the NATO alliance. On Tuesday, Hungary's parliament voted to approve Sweden's NATO membership in a move that may be exactly what the West needs to counter Putin and his underhand tactics. Sweden has accused Russia of spreading misinformation about Koran burnings to damage its bid for NATO membership. NATO has some major challengesDespite the boost from Sweden's membership, NATO still faces some of the gravest challenges in its history. "The same is true for Finland and Sweden's NATO membership."

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, He's, Putin, Oscar Jonsson, JONATHAN NACKSTRAND, Nima Khorrami, St, Russia's, It's, Shawn Coover, Emmanuel Macron, Jonsson, Khorammi, Donald Trump Organizations: NATO, Service, Russia, Swedish Defence University, Business, Forces, Swedish Amphibious Corps, US Marine Corps, Stockholm Archipelago, Getty, Arctic Institute, Staff, US Locations: Sweden, Ukraine, Russian, Hungary's, Russia, Baltic, Europe, Stockholm, NATO, St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, USSR, Crimea, South Carolina, Western, Finland

☆ NATO countries scramble to deny ground troops will go into Ukraine after Moscow warns of 'inevitable' conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

France's suggestion that Ukraine's allies could potentially send ground troops into Ukraine has caused indignation and outrage in Russia, with officials warning that it could provoke a direct conflict between Russia and NATO member states. Eyebrows were raised Monday when French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that European heads of state and Western officials, who met in Paris on Monday, had talked about the possibility of sending ground troops into Ukraine. "There is no consensus today to officially, openly, and with endorsement, send troops on the ground. Moscow was quick to seize on the comments, with the Kremlin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov telling reporters Tuesday that if European NATO members sent troops to fight in Ukraine it would make a conflict between Russia and NATO inevitable. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also weighed in, advising any countries considering sending troops to Ukraine to "use their heads," news agency TASS added.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Dmitry Peskov, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov Organizations: NATO, Kremlin's, TASS Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Western, Paris, Moscow, Europe

☆ Russia offering African governments 'regime survival package' in exchange for resources, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - Jan. 20, 2023: A banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen during a protest to support the Burkina Faso President Captain Ibrahim Traore and to demand the departure of France's ambassador and military forces. Russia's military intelligence service is offering African governments a "regime survival package" that provides military and diplomatic support in exchange for access to strategically important natural resources, according to a new report. Russia's Defense Ministry was not available to comment on the report's findings when contacted by CNBC. Wagner has for many years been a key component of the Kremlin's efforts to grow its influence in politically unstable countries across central Africa and the Sahel, including the Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso and Sudan. The report's authors Jack Watling, Oleksandr V Danylyuk and Nick Reynolds explained that the GRU chose to divide Wagner's activities in two.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Jack Watling, Oleksandr V Danylyuk, Nick Reynolds Organizations: Royal United Services Institute, Wagner Group, Russia's Defense, CNBC, Central African, Volunteer Corps, Russian Military of Defense Locations: OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, Africa, Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Ukraine

☆ Brazil Retail Billionaire Abilio Diniz Dies at 87
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian billionaire Abilio Diniz, who built an empire in the supermarket retail sector, died on Sunday in Sao Paulo, according to his press office. The 87-year-old had been hospitalized at the Albert Einstein Hospital and suffered respiratory failure due to pneumonitis, his press office said in a statement. Diniz played a pivotal role in the history of Brazilian retail, serving most recently as vice-chairman of Carrefour Brasil and as a board member of the French group Carrefour. Diniz remained with the company he founded until 2013, when he took over as chairman of Brazilian food processor BRF, where he served for five years. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesIn 2014, Diniz acquired a stake in Carrefour Brasil through his private investment company Peninsula.

Persons: Abilio Diniz, Diniz, Pao de, Marcela Ayres, Chris Reese Organizations: Reuters, Albert Einstein Hospital, Carrefour Brasil, Carrefour, Forbes Locations: BRASILIA, Sao Paulo, French, Carrefour Brasil

☆ Putin Opponent Alexei Navalny Dies in Arctic Jail, Russia Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Guy Faulconbridge, Felix LightMOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's most prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny collapsed and died on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" Arctic penal colony where he was serving a long jail term, the Russian prison service said. "Russian authorities publish a confession that they killed Alexei Navalny in prison," Navalny aide Leonid Volkov wrote on social media. "Alexei Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression," France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said. "My sincere belief is that it was the conditions of detention that led to Navalny's death," Russian newspaper editor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov told Reuters. Navalny long forecast Russia could face seismic political turmoil, including revolution, because he said Putin built a brittle system of personal rule reliant on sycophancy and corruption.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Leonid Volkov, Stephane Sejourne, Vladimir Putin's, Navalny's, Kira Yarmysh, Dmitry Muratov, Putin, Yulia, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Federal Penitentiary Service, Nenets Autonomous, IK, Kremlin, Peace, Reuters, KREMLIN, U.S, CIA Locations: Nenets, Nenets Autonomous District, Kharp, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Germany, Siberia, Europe

☆ Macron, Zelenskiy to Sign Bilateral Security Agreement on Friday - Elysee
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Ukraine will sign a bilateral agreement on security commitments this Friday, the French presidency said on Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron was expected to finalise the security deal in Ukraine this month, but he postponed the trip for security reasons. Photos You Should See View All 22 ImagesMacron's office said details of the agreement would be given during a press conference. According two diplomats aware of the talks, France would announce a 200-million-euro fund for civilian projects to be carried out by French companies. He has already said Paris would send a regular supply of air-to-surface missiles and 40 additional long-range cruise missiles.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine's, Zelenskiy, Macron, Michel Rose, John Irish, Ingrid Melander Organizations: PARIS, NATO Locations: France, Ukraine, Republic, Germany, Paris

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — China's Pan Zhanle backed up his world record in the swimming relays by winning the men's 100-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships on Thursday. The 19-year-old Pan swam the fastest 100 in history with a time of 46.80 seconds in the lead-off leg of China’s gold medal-winning 4x100 relay team. HIGH DIVINGWith a huge final dive, Britain's Aidan Heslop claimed the men's title off the 27-meter tower at Doha Old Port. WATER POLOCroatia advanced to the Saturday championship in men's water polo with a 17-16 semifinal victory over France on penalties. Italy claimed the other spot in the final with an 8-6 victory over Spain.

Persons: Zhanle, Pan, didn't, ” Pan, let's, ”, Caeleb Dressel, Kyle Chalmers, Alessandro Miressi, Hungary's Nandor Nemeth, Britain's Laura Stephens, Helena Rosendahl Bach, Lana Pudar, Rachel Klinker, ” Stephens, “, Sarah Sjöström, Swede, Aidan Heslop, France's Gary Hunt, Catalin, Petru Preda, James Lichtenstein, Heslop, you’ve, ” Heslop, ___ Organizations: Paris, Olympic, Doha, Doha Old Port, Croatia Locations: DOHA, Qatar, Paris, Australia, Italy, Denmark, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Doha, United States, France, Croatia, Spain

☆ I'm an American who's lived in Paris for years. These 8 things have really surprised me about living in the French capital.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Amanda Rollins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Because of France's social security, I spend significantly less on healthcare than I did in the US. Getty ImagesThe most surprising thing about moving to Paris was the realization that healthcare costs significantly less here than it does in the US, where steep copays and premiums are par for the course. Of course, I knew about France's healthcare system before I relocated, but it was something altogether different to experience it firsthand. The US has a mixed healthcare system that doesn't provide universal coverage, so it was quite the change to see France's social security, a government-funded healthcare system, cover every person who permanently resides in the country. Everyone in France contributes to social security, so it isn't free, but the healthcare system reimburses most medical costs.

Persons: I've, begrudgingly Organizations: Getty, US Locations: France, Paris

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Siobhán Haughey of Hong Kong captured her first long-course world title, winning the women's 200-meter freestyle Wednesday at the World Aquatics Championships. Haughey, a three-time champion at the short-course worlds, finally touched first in the big pool after years of close calls. She was the Olympic silver medalist in both the 100 and 200 free at the Tokyo Games, in addition to a runner-up finish in the 100 free at last summer's world championships in Fukuoka. Also, Haughey finished fourth in the 200 free — just off the podium — at both the 2019 and 2023 worlds. “I really wanted to win this one,” said Wiffen, the short-course world record holder in the 800 free.

Persons: — Siobhán Haughey, Hong, Haughey, “, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, ”, Wiffen, Mollie O'Callaghan, Ariarne Titmus, Zealand's Erika Fairweather, Brianna Throssell, Elijah Winnington of, Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri —, Iffland, Molly Carlson, Jessica Macauley, Kaylea Arnett, France's Gary Hunt, ___ Organizations: Tokyo Games, Paris Olympics, Doha, Australia, Doha Old Locations: DOHA, Qatar, Hong Kong, Fukuoka, “ Paris, Paris, Elijah Winnington of Australia, Doha, Doha Old Port, Canada

☆ France, Ukraine to Sign Security Deal Soon, French Foreign Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By John IrishPARIS (Reuters) - France and Ukraine are soon likely to sign a bilateral agreement on security commitments, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron was expected to finalise a security deal in Ukraine this month, but he postponed the trip for security reasons. "A bilateral accord is in discussion and will be signed probably soon between the President Emmanuel Macron and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy," Sejourne told a hearing in parliament. According two diplomats aware of the talks, France would announce a 200-million-euro fund for civilian projects to be carried out by French companies. "In the coming days we will give numbers and give you transparency on the military and the civilian aid," Sejourne said.

Persons: John Irish PARIS, Stephane Sejourne, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sejourne, Macron, John Irish, Mark Heinrich, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: French, NATO, Institute Locations: France, Ukraine, Germany, Paris, Kiel

A TV presenter gets ready for the daily reporting from the floor of the German share price index DAX at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, November 15, 2023. LONDON — European markets were set for a lower open Wednesday as investors assessed incoming corporate earnings and inflation prints in both the U.S. and the U.K. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was predicted to open 15 points lower at 7,492 points, the DAX down 40 points to 16,833 points and France's CAC lower by 15 points to 7,605, according to IG data. Losses deepened after new figures showed U.S. inflation rose by more than expected in January, as stubbornly high shelter prices squeezed consumers. Wednesday will see reporting from several major European businesses, including ABN AMRO and Capgemini.

Persons: DAX Organizations: LONDON, U.S, U.K, CAC, of Labor Statistics, Dow, U.S . Federal, ABN AMRO, Capgemini Locations: Frankfurt, Germany

That may relieve pressure on the central bank to alter its longstanding ultra-lax monetary policy and raise its benchmark interest rate from minus 0.1%. Inflation has been cooling enough that the Federal Reserve has hinted it may cut its main interest rate several times this year. Reports showing the U.S. economy and job market remain remarkably solid, along with some comments from Fed officials, have been forcing the delays. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 27 cents to $77.19 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 149.67 Japanese yen from 149.34 yen.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Australia's, Korea's Kospi, ” Yeap Jun Rong, that’s Organizations: TOKYO, CAC, FTSE, Dow Jones, Nikkei, Bank of Japan, IG, Federal Reserve, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent, U.S Locations: Asia, China , Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States

☆ Hezbollah Chief Says Shelling on Israel Will Stop Only When 'Aggression' on Gaza Ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Tuesday that his armed group's cross-border shelling into Israel would only end when Israel's "aggression" on the Gaza Strip stops, saying diplomatic efforts so far to bring a halt to hostilities along Lebanon's border seemed to only benefit Israel. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his group would only stop its exchanges of fire if a full ceasefire was reached for Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 206 Images"On that day, when the shooting stops in Gaza, we will stop the shooting in the south," he said in a televised address. The cross-border shelling has already killed around 200 people in Lebanon, including more than 170 Hezbollah fighters, as well as 10 Israeli troops and five Israeli civilians. Nasrallah said residents of northern Israel "will not return" to their homes, and threatened that even more would be displaced.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Gaza, Hamas, Reuters Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Beirut, Lebanon, France, Britain

☆ In Bid to Curb Immigration, France to Scrap Birthright Citizenship in Mayotte
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Located close to the impoverished Comoro islands off the East African coast, the former French colony has become the centre of fierce social unrest, with many residents blaming undocumented immigration for the deteriorating conditions. Much poorer than mainland France, Mayotte has been shaken by gang violence and social unrest for decades. Since January, island residents have been staging strikes and erecting roadblocks to protest against what they say are unacceptable living conditions, paralyzing large parts of local infrastructure. It comes less than three weeks after France's highest court scrapped large parts of a new immigration law designed to toughen access to welfare benefits for foreigners and curb the number of new arrivals into the country. Immigration is a hot-button issue in France, one of Europe's strongholds for far right anti-immigration parties.

Persons: Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, Tassilo Hummel, Sophie Louet, Bernadette Baum Organizations: PARIS Locations: Mayotte, Madagascar, France, Republic

☆ Desperate Palestinians in Gaza's Rafah Fear Coming Israeli Assault
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

War in Israel and Gaza View All 206 Images"If there will be more displacement, I'm not moving," she said. Israeli air raids have started targeting Rafah over recent days. On Sunday, Hamas said Israeli air raids in the Gaza Strip over the previous four days had killed two hostages and injured eight others. The group said any Israeli assault on Rafah would "blow up" the discussions for deal to free the remaining hostages. My children keep asking me when Israel will invade Rafah and where we will go and if we will die.

Persons: Mohammad Salem, Nidal, Abu Mustafa family's, we’re, Laila Abu Mustafa, Benjamin Netanyahu, Abu Mustafa, Israel, Netanyahu, Mariam, Mohammad, Dan Williams, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Angus McDowall, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Sunday, ABC, France's Foreign Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, DOHA, Egypt, Rafah, Israel, Qatar, United States, Gaza City, Mohammad Salem, Mughrabi, Doha, Jerusalem, Cairo

☆ Coup juntas threaten to quit West Africa bloc: Here’s what it means for the region — and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

ACCRA, Ghana - ECOWAS flag with member flags at the second extraordinary summit on the political situation in Burkina Faso, in Accra, Ghana, on February 3, 2022. OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - Jan. 20, 2023: A banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen during a protest to support the Burkina Faso President Captain Ibrahim Traore and to demand the departure of France's ambassador and military forces. Mali has ruled out leaving WAEMU, while Burkina Faso is considering it. "Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will likely draw on the extractive sector to improve their weak economies. A recent UN Development Programme report surveyed 5,000 people who had directly experienced a recent coup or unconstitutional change of government, including citizens of Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan.

Persons: NIPAH DENNIS, Bola Tinubu, Vladimir Putin, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Alex Vines, there'd, Tinubu, Ouattara, —, Vines, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk Maplecroft, Durmaz, Balima Boureima, insurgencies, Wagner, Niger, specter, Mohamed Bazoum, Rey Byhre Organizations: Getty, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Nigerian, Africa, Chatham House, CNBC, Algeria —, West, Cote D'Ivoire, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Wagner Group, West African Economic, Monetary Union, CFA, National Council for, UN Locations: ACCRA, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Accra, AFP, Mali, Niger, Sahel, Mauritania, OUAGADOUGOU, Chatham, France, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Malian, Russia, Bamako, Mucahid, West Africa, Togo, Benin, Cote, NIAMEY, NIGER, Niamey, West, U.S, Moscow, WAEMU, Seme, Chad, Guinea, Sudan, The Gambia, Tanzania, Kati

☆ Societe Generale posts sharp profit drop as net banking income slides
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Societe Generale on Thursday reported a sharp decline in fourth-quarter net profit on the back of weaker net banking income, but launched a new 280 million euro ($302 million) share buyback program. The French lender posted a group net income of 430 million euros, slightly above a consensus analyst forecast of 404 million euros, according to LSEG data, but well below the 1.07 billion euros recorded for the final quarter of 2022. It comes after the bank posted posted a group net income of 295 million euros for the third quarter, as resilient investment bank performance offset a sharp downturn in its French retail business. Thursday's result took France's third-largest listed bank's annual net profit to 2.49 billion euros, slightly above analyst expectations of 2.15 billion euros. However, quarterly net banking revenue dropped 9.9% year-on-year to 5.96 billion euros, which the bank attributed largely to a decline in net interest income in French retail, and its private banking and insurance division, along with the negative impacts from unwinding hedges.

Persons: Slawomir Krupa, Krupa, BoursoBank Organizations: Generale, SocGen, Global Banking, Investor Solutions, Retail Banking, Soc Locations: France

PARIS (AP) — The French foreign ministry said that it summoned Russia’s ambassador to France on Monday over the deaths of two French nationals working for nongovernmental organizations in Ukraine. The humanitarian workers were killed in Russian strikes on Thursday near the front line of fighting in the war in Ukraine north of the Dnipro River. Three other French nationals were wounded in the strikes. A day after the strikes, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “Russian barbarity has targeted civilians in Ukraine ... Russia will have to answer for its crimes.”The French aid workers were killed in the town of Beryslav in the southern Kherson region, Gov. French President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to visit Kyiv in the next few weeks, denounced the attack as “cowardly and outrageous.”The French foreign ministry said that officials would also use the summoning of Russia's ambassador to “denounce the resurgence of disinformation targeting France.”Photos You Should See View All 45 Images___Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Persons: Russia’s, Stephane Sejourne, Oleksandr Prokudin, Emmanuel Macron, “ Organizations: PARIS, French, Gov, Kyiv Locations: France, Ukraine, Dnipro, Russia, Beryslav, Kherson, russia, ukraine

☆ French Minister Heads to Mideast With Post-War Gaza Plans in Mind
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By John IrishPARIS (Reuters) - France's foreign minister travels to the Middle East on Saturday to test ideas about reviving an Israeli-Palestinian political process after the Gaza war as Europe tries to play a role in a conflict that has deeply divided the European Union. He was referring to Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne's trip to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon, where he will also continue French efforts to defuse tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. European Union member states are divided on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and their response has mostly been to try to ease the humanitarian situation in the enclave. The Gaza war was triggered by fighters from the Hamas militant group who stormed across the border fence into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 27,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, thousands more wounded, the enclave left in ruins and many more displaced.

Persons: John Irish PARIS, Christophe Lemoine, Stephane Sejourne's, Israel, Josep Borrell, John Irish, William Maclean Organizations: European Union, Union, EU Locations: Gaza, Europe, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Iran, EU, Paris

PARIS (AP) — France’s National Assembly takes up a bill Tuesday meant to enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in the French Constitution, the first key step in a legislative process that also requires a vote in the Senate. The measure has been promised by President Emmanuel Macron following a rollback of abortion rights in the United States. Macron's government is aiming for the second method, though the measure's level of support in the Senate is less certain than in the National Assembly. None of France’s major political parties represented in parliament is questioning the right to abortion, and a majority of deputies in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, are expected to vote in favor of the proposal. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesAbortion in France was decriminalized under a 1975 law, but there is nothing in the constitution that would guarantee abortion rights.

Persons: —, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: PARIS, Assembly, Senate, National, National Assembly, Down Locations: French, United States, France, Europe, Poland

The sight of tractor barricades creating long lines of vehicles highlighted the gulfs in economic and social opportunity between town and country in France. At Jossigny near the Disneyland theme park outside Paris, protesters blocked all six lanes of the A4 highway, parking their tractors so they formed what looked like an ear of wheat when seen from the air. Some vehicles carried placards declaring “No food without farmers" and “The end of us would mean famine for you." South of the capital, protesters used forklifts to deposit hay bales to block the A6 highway, broadcaster BFM-TV's images showed. Traffic authorities in the Paris area reported protests causing snarls on multiple major highways heading into the capital.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Attal, “, ” Arnaud Rousseau, Russia's, Rousseau, ___ Leicester, Le Organizations: Paris, Protesters, RTL, Taxi Locations: JOSSIGNY, France, Paris, Ukraine, Jossigny, Europe, Russia, ”, Le Pecq

French farmers are putting pressure on the government to respond to their demands for better remuneration for their produce, less red tape and protection against cheap imports. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin held a security meeting Sunday before potential road blockades around Paris, his office said in a statement. Earlier Sunday, two climate activists hurled soup Sunday at the glass protecting the “Mona Lisa” and shouted slogans advocating for a sustainable food system. The Louvre employees could then be seen putting black panels in front of the Mona Lisa and asking visitors to evacuate the room. Angry French farmers have been using their tractors for days to set up road blockades and slow traffic across France.

Persons: Mona Lisa ”, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, Leonardo da, “, ”, Mona Lisa, Gabriel Attal, ” Attal Organizations: PARIS, Sunday, Louvre Museum, French, Farmers, Rural Coordination Locations: Paris, Garonne, ”, France, Indre

☆ French Farmers Block Highways Around Paris as Protest Reach Capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, France (Reuters) - Farmers blocked one of France's main motorways liking Paris with the northern city of Lille, the Benelux and Britain on Friday, causing kilometres of traffic jams, the first major traffic disruption caused by the protest movement in the French capital. The roadblock on the A1 north of Paris lead to traffic jams of around 4 km (2.5 miles) in the morning, according to the transport ministry's online service Bison Fute. French media reported farmers had also set up first roadblocks on traffic axes in the Essonne department south of Paris in the early morning hours, while most protests were expected to start in the early afternoon. The government said it would announce first immediate measures aimed at taming the farmer outrage later on Friday with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal expected to speak in the afternoon. So far, the government has not specified when and where Attal is due to speak or what measures could be announced.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Yves Herman, Tassilo Hummel, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Farmers Locations: PARIS, France, Paris, Lille, Benelux, Britain, Essonne

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