Page 23 - France

Artistic ironworkers reinstall Notre Dame cathedral cross in Paris

The cross at the apse of Notre-Dame de Paris, which survived the devastating 2019 fire, has been reinstalled atop the cathedral's framework after a meticulous restoration by artistic ironworkers from Normandy. The imposing cross, spanning 12 metres and weighing 1.5 tons, is the only element of the choir roof that resisted the flames. It was reinstalled on Friday. Approximately 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen, architects and professionals have contributed to the ongoing restoration project, aiming for the cathedral's reopening on December 8, 2024. The fire, which occurred on April 15, 2019, caused the collapse of Notre-Dame's spire and part of its roof. Five years later, the restoration has made significant progress, including the reinstallation of the spire's lead-covered needle. The 2019 fire was a significant blow to the cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site and a symbol of Christianity that welcomed 12 million visitors each year.

Billionaire Peugeot family faces rare revolt by shareholders after losses

Peugeot Invest, controlled by the French clan and headed by eighth-generation scion Robert Peugeot, 74, is likely to face a group of disgruntled minority investors at an annual meeting on Friday

Priority to return to calm amid unrest: Macron in riot-hit New Caledonia

President Emmanuel Macron arrived Thursday in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where Indigenous people have long sought independence from France. Macron, who briefly spoke to reporters after his arrival at La Tontouta International Airport, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the New Caledonian capital of Noumea, said he viewed a return to calm as the top priority. He said that his wish, along with that of his ministers and the government, was "to be alongside the people and see a return to peace, calm and security as soon as possible. Macron added he plans to meet with local officials and discuss the resources needed to repair the damage wrought by days of shootings, arson and other violence that has left at least six dead and a broad trail of destruction estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros (dollars). We will discuss questions of economic ...

France less attractive for renewable investment, says TotalEnergies

France hopes to have 45 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind in operation by 2050 to achieve carbon neutrality

LVMH deepens partnership with Alibaba to enhance tech presence in China

The partnership also illustrates the growing focus of the high end luxury brands on improving online shopping

New Caledonia protesters, cops play cat and mouse before Macron's arrival

Macron will meet elected officials and local representatives on Thursday for a day of talks focused on politics and on the reconstruction of the island, his aides said

Macron urges TotalEnergies to stay in France amid talks of US listing

A pillar of France's CAC 40 blue chip index, TotalEnergies is one of the world's largest oil companies

France, Belgium support bid for arrest warrants of Israel, Hamas leaders

The accusations center on war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel

New Caledonia unrest: Oz, New Zealand send planes to evacuate nationals

The Australian and New Zealand governments announced on Tuesday they were sending planes to evacuate their nationals from violence-scorched New Caledonia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed Australia had received clearance from French authorities for two flights to evacuate citizens and other tourists from New Caledonia amid violent unrest that has beset the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. We continue to work on further flights, Wong wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday. The Department of Foreign Affairs said 300 Australians were in New Caledonia. New Zealand also announced it was sending a plane on Tuesday to evacuate 50 of its nationals from Noumea, the Pacific island's capital, in the first in a series of proposed flights to bring its citizens home. New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the Government, Peters

France unrest: Protestors block New Caledonia roads as police pour in

Road blocks were making it difficult to supply food to stores in several areas and provide secure travel for medical staff, New Caledonia government officials said

Why New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory, is roiled by violence

A turmoil, which has claimed two lives and left three others seriously injured, has thrust New Caledonia into the spotlight

France declares emergency in New Caledonia amid violent protests

The violence, the worst in decades, is the latest flash point in long-running tensions over Paris' role in the archipelago

TotalEnergies will continue to be listed in France: CEO Patrick Pouyanne

Poyanne said the LNG market was 'tense' but would have more supply and, as a result, lower prices by 2027-2030

IndiaSkills competition expects to send 58 entrants to Lyon for world event

Biannual WorldSkills Competition is considered the Olympics of international skilling events

Microsoft pledges $4.3 bn investment at Macron's 'Choose France' summit

Microsoft announced its most substantial commitment yet to France, pledging on Monday to invest 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) this year to bolster the country's burgeoning artificial intelligence sector. The move is part of a broader effort unveiled during President Emmanuel Macron's pro-business event, Choose France, which aims to attract foreign investment and stimulate economic growth. Microsoft's vice chair and president, Brad Smith, visited the company's French headquarters with Macron. We will build out the computing capacity here in France," Smith said. "We will put this infrastructure to work for everyone in France. The plan includes expanding next-generation Cloud and AI infrastructure and delivering up to 25,000 of the most advanced GPUs, or graphics processing units, to France by the end of 2025. Additionally, Microsoft will launch an AI skilling initiative to train one million French people by the end of 2027, emphasizing the importance of equipping citizens with ...

France gets $16 bn in foreign investments as part of 'Choose France' event

That amount represents an increase from last year's summit, which brought in 13 bn euros

Pfizer, AstraZeneca announce new investments of nearly $1 bn in France

Their investment pledges came as President Emmanuel Macron prepared to kick off on Monday the annual 'Choose France' event aimed at wooing big overseas businesses and investors

Help us avoid a 'new Cold War': China's Xi Jinping to France's Macron

Xi is in Paris on a state visit before heading to Serbia and Hungary in his first trip to the bloc in five years

Expect India to become 2nd largest market for Citroen in 5 years: CEO

French automaker Citroen expects India to become its second biggest market after home country in the next five years, for which it will accelerate network expansion besides introducing new products, company global CEO Thierry Koskas said on Thursday. The company will be incorporating learnings from the past few years of its presence in India to attract more consumers besides looking to rope in a brand ambassador to push the brand's visibility in India. "India is an important market for Citroen and in a few years, it will become the second biggest market for us after our home market France," Koskas told PTI here in an interview. At the moment, India is "probably in the top 10 markets for Citroen, more towards the 10th rather than upwards", he said, adding, "So, there is a lot of room for improvement, but I think it's absolutely possible." Asked by when Citroen expects India to become its second biggest market, he said, "To become the number two, I think it's absolutely doable in the

NPCI, Bank of Namibia ink an agreement to develop UPI-like system

The development follows NPCI's push to take UPI rails international after breaking into other markets such as France, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Mauritius