Page 15 - France

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at Paris airport for alleged offences

The 39-year-old billionaire is suspected of failing to take steps to prevent criminal use of Telegram, AFP said, adding he's expected to appear in court on Sunday

Arrest of Telegram's head not a political decision: France President Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest in France of the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, wasn't a political move but part of an independent investigation. In France's first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on the social media platform X that his country is deeply committed to freedom of expression but freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. He said the arrest is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter. French media reported that Durov was detained at a Paris airport on Saturday on an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses.

Yet to see accusations against Telegram founder Pavel Durov: Kremlin

Durov, who has dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into allegedly allowing wide range of crimes to be committed using Telegram

Telegram questions grounds of CEO's detention, says it abides by EU laws

Telegram issued a statement on its platform and on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the Dubai-based company abides by European laws

French authorities arrest suspect behind arson attack at synagogue

French police apprehended and detained the suspect behind the arson attack on a synagogue in a southwestern Mediterranean town that injured a police officer, the country's acting interior minister said early Sunday. Two cars parked at the Beth Yaacov synagogue complex in the seaside resort town of La Grande Motte near Montpellier were set ablaze just after 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) Saturday, the National Antiterrorism Prosecutor's Office said in a statement Saturday. The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been arrested," Gerald Darmanin, the acting interior minister, said in a post on X. He visited the site on Saturday afternoon along with acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and met with local officials and the synagogue staff. Darmanin also hailed the professional conduct of police forces and its elite intervention unit despite the gunfire during the operation. He did not provide further information. Firefighters discovered additional fires at two entrances to th

France's Macron holds talks with political players in bid to form new govt

After the excitement of the Paris Olympics and a Mediterranean vacation, now French President Emmanuel Macron has to figure out how to make his country governable again. Faced with a hung parliament, social tensions and ballooning debt, Macron kicked off talks Friday with key political players in a bid to choose a new prime minister who would form a government and end the deadlock created by snap legislative elections last month. Members of the left-wing New Popular Front coalition that won the most seats pressured Macron for a quick decision. Their nominee for prime minister, little-known civil servant Lucie Castets, said after Friday's meetings in the Elysee Palace that she was ready to govern, and ready for compromise to get things done. But the party only has about a third of the seats in the National Assembly, France's powerful lower house of parliament, and no party has a majority. Macron's centrist alliance came in second and the far-right National Rally came in third. There

French President to hold talks with key players in bid to form new govt

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold talks with key political players in a bid to form a new government, after surprise legislative elections last month resulted in no party winning the majority at the National Assembly, France's powerful lower house of parliament. Macron's office said meetings with leaders of France's main political parties will be held on Friday and Monday at the Elysee presidential palace in order to keep moving towards the broadest and most stable majority possible. The appointment of a prime minister will follow on from these consultations and their conclusions, the statement said. A leftist coalition, the New Popular Front, won about one-third of the seats at the National Assembly, more than any other group, in last month's legislative elections. Macron's centrist alliance came out second and the far-right National Rally emerged in third position. The absence of any dominant political bloc -- and the prospect of a hung parliament and political paralysis

French economy gets boost in August from 2024 Olympics, PMI shows

France, the euro zone's second-largest economy, has been banking on the Games to bolster its tepid growth rate

French destroyer rescues mariners from tanker stricken in Red Sea attacks

A French destroyer rescued 29 mariners from an oil tanker that came under repeated attack in the Red Sea, officials said Thursday, while also destroying a bomb-carrying drone boat in the area. Yemen's Houthi rebels are suspected to have carried out the assault on the Sounion. The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year. The Sounion is now at anchor in the Red Sea and no longer drifting, the European Union's Operation Aspides said. However, it wasn't clear if the vessel was still ablaze. The vessel had been staffed by a crew of Filipinos and Russians. Military officials did not name the French destroyer involved in the rescue. In the attack Wednesday, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 140 km (90 miles) west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeid

France's sporting goods retailer Decathlon to invest $111 mn in India

The retailer, which entered India in 2009, sells a host of sports accessories ranging from footballs and yoga mats to bicycles and exercise equipment

Baloch leaders meet French senators to urge intervention in ongoing crisis

The meeting, aimed to raise international awareness about the challenges facing the region

2 fighter jets crash in northeastern France, search underway for 2 onboard

Two French fighter jets collided and crashed Wednesday in northeastern France, French military authorities said. One pilot was found unharmed and a search is ongoing for two other people. According to France's Army of Air and Space, a branch of the French Armed Forces, two Rafale fighter aircraft collided while returning from a refueling mission in Germany and crashed near Colombey-les-Belles, a town in northeastern France. The pilot of one plane was found unharmed, officials said. A search is underway for the two people onboard the second plane, reported by French broadcaster BFM to be an instructor and a trainee. One of the pilots has been found, he is safe and sound. The search is still ongoing," French Minister of the Armed Forces Sbastien Lecornu wrote on social media. We thank our armed forces as well as to the gendarmes mobilised in the search and in securing the area. The regional prefecture is appealing to members of the public to come forward with any information.

Star Olympian shooter Manu Bhaker locks Rs 1.5 crore deal with Coca-Cola

Following the Paris Olympics victory, Manu Bhaker's endorsement fee has surged six times, from the previous Rs 25 lakh to approximately Rs 1.5 crore now

Indian Railways cancels Rs 30,000 cr tender for 100 Vande Bharat trains

The cancellation of the tender comes after the railways found the price quoted by the lowest bidder, Alstom India, to be too high

France's beautiful dream fades as Paris Games give way to political crisis

Talks over government jobs and budget cuts loom, with voter anger sure to follow

Visitors to Paris museums, restaurants up 25%: France tourism minister

Tourism Minister Olivia Gregoire said that the number of people staying at hotels in French cities hosting Olympic events had risen 16%

Paris Olympics 2024: Israeli athletes receive threats amid Gaza conflict

Olympics 2024: Last week, Paris prosecutors initiated an investigation into death threats sent via email to Israeli athletes

French imports of Russian LNG surge, Ukraine supporters call for halt

Shipments of Russian liquified natural gas to France more than doubled the first half of this year, according to new analyses of trade data, at a time when Europe has tried to pull back from energy purchases that help finance the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Europe has restricted oil imports from Russia, but natural gas is still allowed. And while companies in France are importing the most, one analysis found EU countries overall imported 7% more Russian LNG, natural gas that has been chilled and liquified for easier ocean transport, in the first half of this year compared to the same period a year ago. Oleh Savytskyi, a founder of nonprofit Razom We Stand, which campaigns for tougher sanctions on Russian fossil fuels, said the EU's goal of phasing out all Russian fossil fuels by 2027 was appallingly off track. He said countries buying Russian LNG are sabotaging the continent's energy transition and contributing billions to Russia's war effort. European governments have said banni

French Air and Space Force to take part in Tarang Shakti in Tamil Nadu

The French contingent's participation forms part of its two-month long mission across the Indo-Pacific region

Viral Turkish Olympian Yusuf Dikec reveals how he took up shooting sport

Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec became a global sensation after Tuesday's shooting event at Paris Olympics when he appeared at the prestigious elite Games dressed casually in a plain t-shirt