Page 32 - France

France grounds flight carrying 303 Indians on human trafficking suspicion

French authorities grounded a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua carrying 303 Indian passengers after receiving a tip that it could be carrying victims of human trafficking, prosecutors said on Friday. Special investigators are questioning all those aboard and two people are in custody pending further examination, the Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement. It said an anonymous tip signalled that the flight, operated by Romania-based charter company Legend Airlines, was carrying people who could be victims of human trafficking. It was grounded Thursday after it stopped for refuelling in the city of Vatry east of Paris. The passengers initially remained in the A340 plane but were then transferred into the main hall of the small Vatry airport, where cots were set up for them to stay overnight, the administration for the Marne region said. Investigators from a specialised French organised crime unit, border police and aviation gendarmes are working on the ...

French President Emmanuel Macron set to be Republic Day chief guest

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, people familiar with the development said on Friday. India had invited US President Joe Biden to grace the occasion but he expressed inability to travel to New Delhi in January. French President Macron has been invited as the Republic Day chief guest, the people cited above said.

EU countries agree on compromise for overhaul of bloc's fiscal rules

European Union finance ministers on Wednesday sealed a deal to reform the 27-nation bloc's fiscal rules after France and Germany finally adhered to a compromise. EU countries had been negotiating for months a reform of the bloc's fiscal rules limiting debt and deficits for member states, known as the Stability and Growth Pact. The rulebook, which has often proved difficult to enforce and has served as a source of tension, was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic but should be reactivated next year. Once this agreement is formalised into a general approach, which should happen very soon, negotiations can begin with the European Parliament so that EU Member States have clarity and predictability on their fiscal policies for the years ahead, said Valdis Dombrovskis, a European Commission executive vice president. The deal was announced a day after France and Germany reached an agreement on the compromise put forward by Spain, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Coun

Macron defends divisive immigration bill, denies govt's tilt to far right

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that a contentious immigration bill backed by the far right is imperfect and needs some fixes but is what the French wanted," and is not a victory for the far right. The president on a much-listened-to talk show explained and defended the divisive immigration bill that critics claim plays into the hands of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally group at the National Assembly. It's the fruit of a compromise, Macron said. Critics claim the bill in part mimics the far-right party's long-standing demand for national preference by which the French, not foreigners, must profit from the riches of the land. The bill strengthens France's ability to deport foreigners considered undesirable and makes it tougher for foreigners to take advantage of social welfare, among other measures. Some decried it as a betrayal of French values. It passed the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, with a 349-186 vote late Tuesday

Macron's govt faces heat as France approves divisive immigration bill

French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist government faced an uproar on Wednesday after parliament approved a divisive immigration bill backed by the far right. The bill, meant to strengthen France's ability to deport foreigners considered undesirable, passed the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, with a 349-186 vote late Tuesday. It had been adopted by the Senate. Macron's health minister resigned to show his opposition to the draft legislation, and some left-leaning lawmakers in the centrist alliance decided to abstain or vote against it. Interior Minister Grald Darmanin, who championed the bill, said the government wants greater firmness against foreign offenders. Who here can say that we must allow criminals, people on our land, who attack us, attack our professors, and who attack our police forces and who attack the youth on the cafe terraces, without reacting? he said in a speech at the National Assembly. He singled out the recent school attack where a teach

I didn't change my number, still open to talk with Putin for peace: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he would still consider talking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin if it helps creating a sustainable peace between Ukraine and Russia. Macron and Putin enjoyed a good working relationship before Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. In weeks preceding the start of hostilities, Macron's diplomatic efforts failed to stop the war but he then kept open a line of communication with the Russian president for months. Their diplomatic and personal links deteriorated badly as the war dragged on. Earlier this year, Macron weighed the possibility of stripping Putin of France's highest medal of honor. Putin was asked Thursday during his year-end news conference by a journalist from the French channel TF1 about his views on France and Macron. Putin said: "At some point, the French president stopped the relationship with us. We didn't do it, I didn't. He did. If there's interest, we're ready. If not, we'll cope. Speaking in Brussel

iPhone maker Apple's market value approaches that of French stock market

The combined market value of companies listed in Paris was about $3.2 trillion as of Wednesday's close versus the technology giant's $3.1 trillion

29 member countries of GPAI unanimously adopts New Delhi declaration

The Minister also informed that Senegal was elevated to the steering committee during the second day of the summit, as India looks to further expand GPAI during its presidency in the coming year

IOA to conduct seminar with Nada for athletes prior to Paris Olympics 2024

"We want to educate the athletes bound for the Olympic Games on the anti-doping rule violations to ensure proper compliance during the games," IOA President PT Usha said

France's fashion group SMCP strikes deal with Reliance to expand into India

Reliance Brands, a subsidiary of Ambani's Reliance Retail, has partnership deals with dozens of high-end European and American labels, including Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Valentino and Tiffany

China to allow visa-free entry to five European countries and Malaysia

China announced on Friday that it will allow visa-free entry for citizens of five European countries and Malaysia as it tries to encourage more people to visit for business and tourism. Starting December 1, citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia will be allowed to enter China for up to 15 days without a visa. The trial programme will be in effect for one year. The aim is to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. China's strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals, discouraged many people from visiting for nearly three years. The restrictions were lifted early this year, but international travel has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. China previously allowed citizens of Brunei, Japan and Singapore to enter without a visa but suspended that after the ...

French foreign minister holds talks in China on climate and global tensions

France and China should work together to reduce global tensions and address issues such as climate change and biodiversity, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Friday. Colonna was on an official trip to Beijing ahead of a major UN climate conference starting next week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and an EU-China leaders meeting next month. Her visit coincided with the start of a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war. "As big powers, we both share the responsibility to tackle global challenges .... and we can make concerted efforts in alleviating tensions around the world, she said at a meeting with Premier Li Qiang, China's No. 2 leader. Today's tensions range from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine to the competition between China and the YS over trade, technology and security. A delegation of Arab foreign ministers held talks in China and France in recent days as part of a series of meetings with permanent members of the UN Security Council to push for a cease-fire in

French military to send 15,000 soldiers to security ops for Paris Olympics

France's military is planning to contribute 15,000 soldiers to the massive security operation for next year's Paris Olympics, an army general involved in the preparations said Thursday. The bulk of the military force nearly 10,000 troops will be deployed in the Paris region, where most Olympic events will be concentrated, said Gen Christophe Abad, the military governor of Paris who serves as military adviser to the French capital's police chief. Military forces will also be employed for the games as far as 15,000 km (nearly 10,000 miles) away in Tahiti, where navy vessels will safeguard the venue there for Olympic surfing. In Paris, a temporary military camp for 5,000 troops will be set up in a park in the southeast of the capital, putting the force close to the city's Olympic sites, Abad said. The security operation for the July 26 to Aug 11 Olympics, and Paralympic Games that follow, is unprecedented in scale for France. Tens of thousands of police officers and private security

COP28 at UAE: US, France to propose halt in pvt finance to coal-fired units

Chrysoula Zacharopoulou told the Indian government about the plan, called the "New Coal Exclusion Policy", for private financial institutions and insurance companies

France issues arrest warrants for Syrian prez, generals over war crimes

French judicial authorities issued international arrest warrants for Syrian President Bashar Assad, his brother, and two army generals for alleged complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity, lawyers for Syrian victims said. They include a 2013 chemical attack on rebel-held Damascus suburbs. A victim of the attack welcomed the move as a reminder of the horrors of Syria's civil war and urged countries where Assad might travel to arrest him. While he is unlikely to face trial in France, international warrants for a serving world leader are very rare and send a strong message about Assad's leadership at a time when some countries have welcomed him back into the diplomatic fold. In addition to President Assad, the arrest warrants were issued for his brother, Maher Assad, the commander of the 4th Armored Division, and two Syrian army generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan, the lawyers said. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government on the warrants. Jeann

France issues arrest warrants for Syrian prez for involvement in war crimes

French judicial authorities on Wednesday issued international arrest warrants for Syrian President Bashar Assad, his brother and two army generals alleging their involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity including in the chemical attack in 2013 on rebel-held Damascus suburbs, lawyers for Syrian victims said. In addition to President Assad, the arrest warrants were issued for his brother, Maher Assad, the commander of the 4th Armored Division, and two Syrian army generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan. Jeanne Sulzer and Clemence Witt, lawyers at the Paris Bar who represent the plaintiffs, and NGOs behind the complaint, hailed the decision Wednesday. It marks a crucial milestone in the battle against impunity, Sulzer told The Associated Press on the phone. It signifies a positive evolution in case law recognising the grave nature of the crimes committed. The Paris prosecutor's office has not publicly commented on the arrest warrants that remain secret under French l

Over 180,000 people in France march against anti-semitism amid Israel war

More than 180,000 people across France, including 100,000 in Paris, marched peacefully on Sunday to protest against rising anti-semitism in the wake of Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, representatives of several parties on the left, conservatives and centrists of President Emmanuel Macron's party as well as far-right leader Marine Le Pen attended Sunday's march in the French capital amid tight security. Macron did not attend, but expressed his support for the protest and called on citizens to rise up against the unbearable resurgence of unbridled anti-semitism. However, the leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, stayed away from the march, saying last week on X, formerly Twitter, that the march would be a meeting of friends of unconditional support for the massacre in Gaza. The interior ministry said at least 182,000 people marched in several in French cities in response to the call launched by the leaders of the .

France announces 100 mn euro loan to support India's Smart Cities Mission

The loan supports India's innovative flagship Smart Cities Mission and builds on the CITIIS 1 programme, also supported by the European Union

3 French airports forced to evacuate after series of email threats

Three French airports in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Lille were evacuated on Wednesday following security alerts, police said. They were the latest in a series of evacuations around France this week that included popular tourist attractions the Louvre Museum and Versailles Palace following the killing of a teacher in the northern city of Arras on Friday. All the threats up to Wednesday proved false. Emailed threats of an attack were received at the airports in the southeast city of Lyon, the southern city of Toulouse and Lille in northern France, police said, without elaborating on the contents of the emails. The prefecture for the Lyon region said Wednesday that the threat at the airport was a false alarm and reminded the public that communicating false information can lead to prison and a heavy fine. Meanwhile an abandoned piece of luggage briefly disrupted operations at the airport in the Riviera city of Nice, the airport said. The Louvre Museum and the Palais de Versaill

Louvre Museum in Paris evacuated after threat, France under high alert

The Louvre Museum in Paris is evacuating all visitors and staff and closing early Saturday because it received a written threat. It said the move was linked to the government's decision to put France on high alert after a fatal school stabbing by a suspected extremist. The Louvre communication service said no one has been hurt and no incident has been reported. Paris police said verifications in the museum are underway. Police officers cordoned off the area as tourists and other visitors streamed out of the museum. The French government raised the threat alert level and is deploying 7,000 troops to increase security after Friday's school attack. The government is also concerned about fallout in France from the war between Israel and Hamas. The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, welcomes between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors per day.