Page 32 - France

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.

France deploying 7K troops after deadly school stabbing by Islamic radical

France will mobilize up to 7,000 soldiers to increase security around the country after a teacher was fatally stabbed and three other people wounded in a school attack by a former student suspected of Islamic radicalisation, the president's office said on Saturday. Some children and personnel returned to the Gambetta-Carnot school in the northern city of Arras as it reopened Saturday morning, after a schoolday attack Friday that rattled France in a context of global tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. Counterterrorism authorities are investigating the stabbing, and the suspected assailant and several others are in custody, prosecutors said. The suspect is a Chechen who had attended the school and had been under recent surveillance by intelligence services for radicalisation. The government heightened the national threat alert, and President Emmanuel Macron ordered up to 7,000 soldiers deployed by Monday night and until further notice to bolster security and vigilance around France,

Teacher dead, 3 wounded after France stabbing attack; echoes 2020 killing

A man of Chechen origin who was under surveillance by the French security services over suspected radicalisation stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school and critically wounded two other people in northern France on Friday, authorities said. The attack was being investigated as potential terrorism amid soaring global tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas. It also happened almost three years after another teacher, Samuel Paty. was beheaded by a radicalised Chechen near a Paris area school. French anti-terror prosecutors were leading the investigation into the stabbings at the Gambetta-Carnot school, which enrols students ages 11-18 and is located in the city of Arras, some 115 miles (185 kilometres) north of Paris. A colleague and a fellow teacher identified the dead educator as Dominique Bernard, a French language teacher at the school. President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the school hours after the attack, said the victim stepped in and probably saved many .

France bans pro-Palestinian protests, vows to save Jews from antisemitism

France's interior minister on Thursday ordered local authorities to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid a rise in antisemitic acts since Hamas attacked Israel over the weekend. President Emmanuel Macron urged French people not to allow the war in the Mideast erupt into tensions at home. Soon before Macron spoke in a televised address to the nation about the Mideast conflict, Paris police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who had defied a ban and demonstrated Thursday against the Israeli government. "Let us not bring ideological adventures here (to France) by imitation or by projection. Let us not add national fractures ... to international fractures,?" Macron pleaded. "Let us stay united." With several French-Israeli citizens believed held hostage by Hamas, Macron pledged that France would protect its Jewish citizens and be 'ruthless toward all those who bear hate" and noted concerns about hostility toward France's Muslims too. Fighting i

Rajnath Singh meets CEOs of top French defence companies in Paris

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met with the CEOs of the top French defence companies with a focus on their plans for collaboration with India in France.During the interaction Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault; Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group; Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus; and Olivier Andries, CEO of Safran Group were present.Union Minister visited the Safran Engine Division's R & D Centre at Gennevilliers near Paris, France during the second and final leg of his two-nation tour.During his visit to the Centre, he witnessed the latest developments in aero-engine technology.Olivier Andries, Global CEO Safran welcomed Rajnath Singh to the facility and, along with his team, gave a detailed briefing to him. Safran expressed interest in being a part of the Indian growth story by working with its counterparts on mutually agreed joint projects.Singh highlighted the advantages of co-development and co-production in India, including the possibility of exports to ..

Cabinet approves digital tech MoUs with France, two other countries

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the country's three separate memorandum of understandings with Papua New Guinea, France, Trinidad and Tobago in the field of digital technologies. The MoU (memorandum of understanding) with France intends to promote closer cooperation and exchange of information pertaining to digital technologies, and will mutually support each participant's goal to promote access to digital technology in their countries, according to an official statement. "The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of the French Republic on cooperation in the field of Digital Technologies," the statement said. The MoU is likely to enhance bilateral cooperation in digital technologies in the G2G (government-to-government) and B2B

US, UK, Germany, Italy, France extend support to Israel amid Hamas attack

"We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned," the statement by leaders read

India, France forge deeper ties in Space sector at Indian Space Conclave

The first day was dedicated to India-France collaboration in the space sector. The event was attended by representatives of the French and Indian space industry leaders, startups and govt officials

Rajnath Singh to visit Italy, France from Oct 9-12 to strengthen ties

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a four-day visit to Italy and France beginning Monday to expand bilateral strategic engagement and explore industrial cooperation for joint development of military hardware. In the first leg of his two-nation tour, Singh will travel to Rome where he will hold wide-ranging talks with his Italian counterpart Guido Crisetto, according to the defence ministry. The relationship between India and Italy was elevated to the level of strategic partnership in March during the visit to India of the Italian prime minister. "Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Italy and France from October 9 to 12, " the ministry said. In Paris, Singh will attend the fifth annual India-France defence dialogue with his French counterpart Sebastian Lecornu. "India and France recently celebrated 25 years of strategic partnership. Both countries enjoy a deep and wide-ranging bilateral defence relationship, including significant industrial cooperation," the defence mini

France's withdrawal from Niger can jeopardise counterterrorism ops in Sahel

The French troops withdrawing from Niger were seen as a key line of defence for about a decade in Western efforts against jihadi violence in Africa's Sahel region, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert. As the US keeps pushing for a diplomatic solution to resolve Niger's political crisis, analysts say the country's junta might struggle to sustain its relative peace with no external support. French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed to withdraw France's ambassador and troops from Niger after the July coup that deposed its elected president and triggered anti-French sentiment in the former colony. In response, the junta welcomed the end of imperialist and neo-colonialist forces" and said Monday that the withdrawal must follow a negotiated framework and mutual agreement. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Kenya on Monday that Washington's desire is for Niger's political crisis to be resolved through diplomatic means and that the United States will continue to evalu

France will end its military presence in Niger, pull ambassador: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup. France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup and refused a request by the new junta for its ambassador to leave. With tensions mounting, Macron said that he told the ousted President Bazoum on Sunday that France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France. And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities. He noted that France's military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger's government at the time.

King Charles III is to visit fire-damaged Notre-Dame cathedral in France

King Charles III is to address French lawmakers, meet with sports groups in the northern suburbs of Paris and pay a visit to fire-damaged Notre-Dame cathedral Thursday, on the second day of his state visit to France. The first day of Charles and Camilla's trip started with a ceremony at Paris' Arc de Triomphe and a state dinner at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday. Charles praised France's welcome and added: It is incumbent upon us all to reinvigorate our friendship to ensure it is fit for the challenges of this, the 21st century. The king is to make a speech Thursday at the Senate in front of lawmakers from both the upper and the lower house of parliament. Charles and Camilla will then head to Saint-Denis, north of Paris, to meet community sports groups and stars as France currently hosts the Rugby World Cup. Saint-Denis, a multicultural, working-class suburb, will serve as a major venue in next year's Olympics. It is also home to the basilica that houses the tombs of French

France rolls out red carpet for King Charles III's 3-day state visit

King Charles III of the United Kingdom starts a three-day state visit to France on Wednesday meant to highlight with great pomp both nations' friendship, after the trip was postponed in March amid widespread demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron's pension changes. Charles and Queen Camilla will be greeted by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne at Paris-Orly airport, before heading to the city centre for a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in the presence of Macron and his wife, Brigitte. The visit shows the deep historical ties that unite our two countries. It is also an opportunity to showcase France's cultural, artistic and gastronomic excellence, the French presidency said. At the Arc de Triomphe, both nations' hymns will be played before a review of French troops and a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark the shared sacrifices of the past and an enduring legacy of cooperation, according to Buckingham Palace. The jet fighters of the Patrouille de France a

French Ambassador-designate describes India-France partnership as universal

The India-France partnership is "universal" as it goes from the "sea to the space", France's Ambassador-designate to New Delhi Thierry Mathou said on Monday, vowing to work towards further strengthening it. Mathou's comments came shortly after he arrived in New Delhi. He succeeds incumbent Emmanuel Lenain. In his arrival message, Mathou also quoted 19th-century French historian Jules Michelet who described India as "the matrix of the world". "I am taking office at an exceptional time. This year is not only an opportunity to celebrate the length and depth of the relationship between our two nations. "It is also the moment that has been chosen to look towards the future by setting the course of our partnership for the next 25 years up to 2047 which will celebrate the centenary of India's independence and of the diplomatic relations between France and India," Mathou said. He also hailed India's approach of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam -- One Earth, One Family, One Future" during its G20 ..

France govt plans to allow selling fuel at loss to curb inflation

"With this unprecedented measure, we will get tangible results for French people without subsidizing fuel," Borne said. She ruled out the government cutting fuel duties

iPhone 12 complies with radiation standards: Apple disputes French findings

It said it was contesting the results of the review made by AFNR and would continue to engage with the authority to show it is compliant

G20 Summit 2023: PM Modi, Macron talk defence, nukes, space, and climate

PM discusses Security Council reforms with Brazil's Lula

PM Modi to hold working lunch meeting with French President Macron today

According to the French President's office Macron leaves for Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon