Page 28 - France

Macron seeks to refresh his presidency, says country has 'aces' to succeed

President Emmanuel Macron used a prime-time news conference ON Tuesday to lay out broad plans to strengthen and better prepare France for global crises, saying the country has "all the aces to succeed". The press conference was Macron's latest effort to reinvigorate his presidency after a series of bruising domestic battles, notably about France's retirement age and how to better control immigration, and riots last year that swept hundreds of cities, towns and villages after the fatal police shooting of a teenager. Now, Macron is hoping to hit reset and make a fresh start in a year when France will be in the global spotlight as host of the Summer Olympics in Paris. Last week, Macron installed a new prime minister, France's youngest ever, and new ministers -- also part of a renewed drive by Macron to infuse his leadership with renewed energy. On Tuesday night, the new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal (34) and Cabinet members looked on, seated together to one side, as Macron held court in

From the US to France: Here's how the world is celebrating Ram temple

From the United States to France and Australia, festivities to mark the historic occasion have been arranged all across the world

Who is Gabriel Attal, France's youngest and first openly gay PM

On 9th January, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Gabriel Attal, aged 34, as the new Prime Minister, making him the youngest to ever hold the position. Watch the video to learn more.

LIVE: UP declares Jan 22 as dry day; schools, colleges to remain close

Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

French PM Elisabeth Borne resigns amid political turmoil over Macron's immigration law

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resigned on Monday, ahead of the European parliament elections and Paris Olympics, as President Macron seeks new momentum for his second term.

Meet Gabriel Attal, France's youngest & first openly gay prime minister

Gabriel Attal will be the youngest in modern French history, as well as the first openly gay man to hold the position

Gabriel Attal becomes France's youngest PM as Macron shakes up govt

Gabriel Attal was named on Tuesday as France's youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron's office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government spokesman and education minister. He is France's first openly gay prime minister. His predecessor Elisabeth Borne resigned Monday following recent political turmoil over an immigration law that strengthens the government's ability to deport foreigners. Macron, a 46-year-old centrist whose term ends in 2027, is to name a government in the coming days.

French PM Borne resigns following recent political turmoil over immigration

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resigned on Monday following recent political turmoil over a new immigration law, paving the way for President Emmanuel Macron to seek fresh momentum by appointing a new government in coming days. The shakeup was widely seen as an attempt by the 46-year-old centrist Macron to head off a looming lame-duck status. Macron's term is to end in 2027, and he won't be able to run again for president in line with the French Constitution. In her resignation letter, Borne suggested she resigned at Macron's request, citing the president's will to appoint a new prime minister. Borne's resignation followed the passage late last month of contentious immigration legislation backed by Macron aimed at strengthening the government's ability to deport some foreigners, among other measures. Macron's centrist alliance was able to pass the measure only after making a deal with the conservative Republicans party, which many observers saw as the government's shift to t

France sets up an exclusive Country Pavilion at TNGIM 2024 to boost ties

France has set up an exclusive country pavilion at the third edition of the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet, a two-day event from January 7, which is aimed at fostering economic ties with India, an official release on Saturday said. The Consulate of France in Puducherry and Chennai and the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that France is one of the country partners for the event and has set up an exclusive France Country Pavilion at the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2024. "This significant initiative aims to foster economic ties between India and France while showcasing the prowess of French companies in Tamil Nadu, a region with long-standing historic, cultural, and business significance," an official release said. France has partnered with the Tamil Nadu government since the maiden GIM in 2015 which was held under the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and again in the second edition in 2019 when 'Edappadi' K Palaniswami of the AIADMK was the chief ...

CID records statements of 66 passengers of flight sent back from France

The statements of all 66 passengers from Gujarat on the Nicaragua-bound flight that was sent back to India by France have been recorded as part of the state CID's probe into alleged human trafficking, and an FIR will be lodged soon, an official said on Saturday. The flight operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines had landed at Vatry near Paris on December 21 after which French authorities intervened to probe a human trafficking angle. The flight, with 276 passengers, landed in Mumbai on December 26. While the flight that landed in France had 303 Indian passengers, 27 sought asylum in the European nation and stayed back. Speaking about the probe, Sanjay Kharat, Superintendent of Police, CID-Crime and Railways, who is investigating the case, said details of 15 immigration agents suspected to be involved in the case have been gathered. "There were 66 persons from Gujarat on board. The CID Crime has recorded their statements. They are now back in their native villages in th

Carrefour says it will not sell PepsiCo products due to price hikes

Carrefour is telling customers it will no longer sell PepsiCo products like Pepsi, Lay's crisps and 7up because they had become too costly

Most passengers back, consular help will be given to those in France: MEA

Bagchi noted that the chartered flight was heading from UAE to Nicaragua. He said that the cases are being dealt with by French authorities as per their local laws

Push to safeguard Paris Olympics promises of jobs, new starts after riots

With a name that doesn't ring old-school French like Jean, Pierre or Jacques, and a home address in a tough suburb of Paris where riots flared, Salah Benkadmir is discovering how hard it can be to make prospective employers in France see beyond their prejudices. Despite having a high school diploma in sales and work experience as a vendor on his resume, the 19-year-old job seeker says that when he sends it to stores making hires, often no one calls him back. I feel like I've got a label stuck to me. It is very unpleasant," he says. But with the Olympic Games soon to hit Paris, Benkadmir thinks his fortunes may be about to improve. Organizers urgently need thousands of security guards to help keep athletes and spectators safe and reduce the likelihood of another deadly extremist attack in the French capital. Demand for people at checkpoints, to scan tickets and help manage crowds is so great that France's state employment agency is offering free and expedited security guard training

L'Oreal heir Francoise Meyers becomes first woman with $100 bn fortune

The milestone came as shares of L'Oreal SA, the beauty products empire founded by her grandfather, rose to a record high, with the stock set for its best year since 1998

Jacques Delors, former European Union's Commission president, dies at 98

Delors served an unprecedented three terms as the President of the European Commission, from January 1985 untill the end of 1994

25 Indians from grounded plane seeking asylum in France freed: Reports

Twenty-five Indian passengers who had stayed behind seeking asylum in France after their flight from the UAE was grounded last week over suspicion of human trafficking before being allowed to take off for India have now been freed, according to local French media reports on Wednesday. These 25 passengers were not on the flight carrying 276 mostly Indian passengers which took off for Mumbai on Monday afternoon after four days of being held at Chlons-Vatry airport near Paris. The 'Le Monde' newspaper quoted prosecutors to say that the local judge had ordered their release on formal grounds, considering that the head of the border police at France's main Charles De Gaulle airport "had not referred the case to him" within the timeframe stipulated by law. "They are therefore free to do as they please, even if they are in an irregular situation on French territory," the Bobigny public prosecutor's office told the French newspaper. The 25 passengers, who had applied for political asylum i

Gujarat police begin questioning of passengers sent back from France

To unearth a suspected illegal immigration network, the police have begun questioning some Gujarat residents who reached their native places on Wednesday, days after their plane was grounded in France over suspected human trafficking, an official said. The Nicaragua-bound aircraft, an Airbus A340, carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday. According to a senior official of the state Crime Investigation Department (CID), those passengers included at least 21 from Gujarat. We have learnt that 21 passengers were from Gujarat and some of them have reached their respective places in the state. Our teams are in the field right now and we have already begun their questioning, Superintendent of Police, CID (Crime), Sanjay Kharat said. The police will try to find out how the passengers were contacted for possible illegal immigration into America, how they were supposed to go

Gujarat police to coordinate with passengers who returned from France

The Gujarat Police have formed teams to unearth a suspected illegal immigration network involving "agents" and will coordinate with the passengers of a plane that has landed in Mumbai from France, a senior official said. Many passengers of the plane hail from Gujarat, he said. The aircraft, an Airbus A340, carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday. "The CID crime wants to take action against agents who had promised help to the victims to enter the US and other countries (illegally). We have formed four teams which will get information from the victims regarding promises made to them by these agents," Superintendent of Police, CID (Crime), Sanjay Kharat said. He said most of the passengers on the chartered plane that returned from France were from Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana and Anand districts in Gujarat. "Police will coordinate with the passengers when they reach

'Donkey' flight, stranded in France, lands in Mumbai. Here is all we know

The Airbus A340, carrying 303 passengers, had taken off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was grounded at the Vatry airport

CISF interrogates Indian passengers implicated in alleged trafficking scam

The CISF personnel officials have interrogated some of the passengers, following which they allowed them to go. Meanwhile, some passengers are still being interrogated