Page 26 - France

Shashi Tharoor awarded top French honour for deepening India-France ties

Shashi Tharoor was given the honour, also called 'Knight of the Legion of Honour' by Gerard Larcher, Chairman of the French Senate, on behalf of the President of the French Republic in New Delhi

EAM Jaishankar, French Senate chairman discuss strategic partnership

French Senate Chairman Larcher is on an official visit to India on February 19 and 20 accompanied by a delegation of five senators, the French Embassy in India said

Chairman of French Senate Gerard Larcher on two-day visit to India

Chairman of the French Senate Gerard Larcher is on a two-day visit to India beginning Monday to strengthen bilateral ties and parliamentary cooperation. Larcher is accompanied by a delegation of five other senators who are members of the Senate's foreign affairs and defence committee. This is the first official India visit of a chairman of the French Senate, the Upper House of France's Parliament. Larcher and his delegation will meet with Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar. They will discuss ways to increase cooperation and mutual understanding between the French Senate and India's Parliament, including through a dedicated agreement, the French embassy said in a readout. The chairman of the French Senate will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said. Larcher had previously met Prime Minister Modi during the latter's visit to Paris on July 14 last year. The prime minister was received at the French Senate by Larcher and leaders of all major parliamenta

Statsguru: Indian farmer protests mirror similar scenes in France, Germany

Farm protests in Europe include opposition to new laws that seek to limit emissions from agriculture

In today's Russia, free spirits are sent to Gulag: French President Macron

Reacting to the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, French President Emmanuel Macron said that free spirits are sent to the Gulag and condemned to death in today's Russia

Zelenskyy signs security pact with France after similar deal with Germany

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement with France hours after he officialised a similar one with Germany. The agreements send a strong signal of long-term backing as Kyiv works to shore up Western support nearly two years after Russia launched its full-scale war. Zelenskyy was greeted in Paris at the Elysee presidential palace by President Emmanuel Macron. The agreement provides an additional package worth 3 billion euros (USD 3.2 billion) in military aid this year, the largest annual amount France has given to Ukraine since the war began. The outcome of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine will be decisive for our interests, our values, our security and our model of society, Macron said. Yes, we must further invest to support Ukraine at a greater scale and in the long term, he added. Macron said he would travel to Ukraine by mid-March. Zelenskyy's stop in France comes after he met earlier in the day in Berlin with German

France, Ukraine to sign security pact in Paris in presence of Zelenskyy

French President Emmanuel Macron will sign a bilateral security agreement with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Friday in Paris to provide long-term support to the war-ravaged country which has been battling Russia's full-scale invasion for nearly two years. The French presidency said in a statement Thursday that Macron and Zelenskyy's bilateral meeting in late afternoon will be followed by a news conference and a working dinner at the Elysee presidential palace. It did not release specific details about the agreement. Macron said earlier this year that France was negotiating a bilateral deal on the model the one Ukraine recently agreed with the United Kingdom, which covers 10 years and provides a package worth 2.5 billion pounds (USD 3.2 billion) over the next fiscal year. It is the largest the UK has given to Ukraine since the war began. A French official, speaking anonymously because he was not allowed to disclosed the details of the deal, said the agreement aim

France, Ukraine to sign security pact in Paris in presence of Zelenskyy

French President Emmanuel will sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday in Paris, the French presidency said in a statement. It did not release specific details about the agreement, to be signed at the Elysee presidential palace. This will be the third visit by Zelenskyy to Paris since Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago, following those in February and May 2023, the statement said.

France accuses Russia of disinformation campaign in key election year

French government officials on Monday accused Russia of operating a long-running online manipulation campaign against Ukraine's Western backers in the lead up to the second anniversary of Moscow's military invasion of its neighbour. French foreign ministry officials said in a media briefing that Russia has stepped up efforts to manipulate information and spread deception, targeting Kyiv's allies in the West, including Poland, Germany and France. They referred to messages on social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, and websites like Sputnik as "massive in scope" and "complex in structure". The aim of Russia's disinformation campaign remains the same, officials said: To amplify Russia's success in the Ukraine war, justify its invasion, discredit and diminish Ukraine's military resistance and undermine civilians' resilience in the face of daily attacks on cities and towns, and fracture Western support for Ukraine's military and slow if not stop supply with weapons ...

Your visit will boost India-France friendship: PM Modi to Emmanuel Macron

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said French President Emmanuel Macron's recent India visit and participation in the Republic Day celebrations will surely boost India-France friendship. The French president was on two-day visit to India last month and was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations here on January 26. Macron on Sunday shared a video montage from the visit on X and wrote, "A look back at an exceptional trip in India." Tagging his post, Prime Minister Modi said, "It was an honour to have you in India, President @EmmanuelMacron." "Your visit and participation in the Republic Day celebrations will surely boost India-France friendship," Modi said. India and France on January 26 unveiled an ambitious defence industrial roadmap to co-develop critical military hardware, firmed up a space situational awareness programme, while the Tata Group and Airbus announced to jointly build H125 helicopters, following talks between Modi and Macron.

Now, pay for Paris' Eiffel Tower visit through India's UPI, says NPCI

Eiffel Tower is the first merchant to offer UPI payments in France, and the service will soon be extended to other merchants in the tourism and retail space across France and Europe

French farmers' union call for end of blockades as anger spreads in Europe

Farmers' complaints across Europe include being choked by green rules, taxes, rising costs and unfair competition from abroad

Protesting farmers put France's govt in a bind with tractors and hay bales

Farmers have captured France's attention by showering government offices with manure and besieging Paris with traffic-snarling barricades of tractors and hay bales. The farmers say their protests aren't a moment too soon. Grievances have long been brewing in the European Union's leading agricultural power. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused painful economic shocks, including higher costs, bringing farmers' anger to a head in France and other European countries. Climate change and pressure for more sustainable and more productive agriculture are also squeezing the 500,000 or so French farmers, who already have to compete against counterparts from far afield. Here's a look at the movement, its origins and future: WHY ARE FARMERS PROTESTING? Protesters say it's becoming harder than ever to make a decent living from their fields, greenhouses and herds. For the worst off, it's impossible. Energy costs surged with the February 2022 launch by Russia of full-scale war in Ukraine

Soup thrown at Mona Lisa in Louvre Paris; da Vinci's artwork 'safe'

According to the Louvre museum officials, the artwork, guarded by a glass shield, did not face any damage. The Paris museum plans to lodge a complaint against the protestors

Ready to 'break new ground' to solidify ties with France, says Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered to "break new ground" to give a fillip to the China-France ties, days after French President Emmanuel Macron's high-profile visit to India during which the two countries unveiled an ambitious defence roadmap besides intensifying cooperation in the strategic Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region. Macron's visit to India also coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France. In his message on the occasion, Xi said As today's world is once again at a critical crossroads, China and France should jointly open up a path of peace, security, prosperity and progress for human development. Xi said China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties and he stands ready to work with Macron to take the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an "opportunity to uphold fundamental principles, break new ground, build on past achievements, open up a new future, and make China-France comprehensive ...

French farmers to continue protests despite govt's offer of concessions

French farmers vowed on Saturday to continue protesting, maintaining traffic barricades on some of the country's major roads a day after the government announced a series of measures that they do not fully address their demands. The farmers' movement, seeking better remuneration for their produce, less red tape and protection against cheap imports has spread in recent days across the country, with protesters using their tractors to shut down long stretches of road and slow traffic. They've also dumped stinky agricultural waste at the gates of government offices. While some of the barricades were gradually being lifted on Saturday, highway operator Vinci Autoroutes said the A7, a major highway heading through southern France and into Spain, was still closed. Some other roads were also partially closed, mostly in southern France. Vinci Autoroutes noted that the blockades on two highways leading to Paris have been removed. The highway from Lyon, in eastern France, to Bordeaux, in the .

France will support any Olympic bid by India: Prez Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday assured India that the hosts of the 2024 Olympics will back them to organize the multi-sport event in the country in the near future

India, France agree to intensify cooperation in Southwest Indian Ocean

The two leaders stressed, in particular, the urgent need for the reform of the United Nations Security Council

Comfort of India-France friendship will illuminate path forward: President

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said the comfort of the India-France friendship and the strength of "our partnership will illuminate the path forward". Murmu received Emmanuel Macron, the President of the French Republic at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here and hosted a banquet in his honour. Welcoming President Macron, she said the leaders of the two countries being guests of honour in each other's successive National Day parade and celebrations, is a historic moment, and "a symbol of the depth of our friendship and the strength of our partnership". Macron was the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations on Friday at Delhi's Kartavya Path. Murmu expressed satisfaction that both sides have outlined an ambitious vision of "our partnership for India's Amrit Kaal and added that this visit has strengthened our resolve to realise this vision". "The president was confident that the comfort of the India-France friendship and the strength of our partnership will illuminate the path

Protesting over poor prices, French farmers block road linking France-Spain

The protests are now affecting traffic trying to cross into France from Spain on the AP-7 highway that runs along the Mediterranean coast from southern Spain to the frontier