Page 34 - France

French Stuntman, Remi Lucidi, dies after falling from a 68-story building

French Stuntman, Remi Lucidi died after falling from a 68-story building in Hong Kong. The man was last seen alive at 7.38 pm when he tapped on the window of the penthouse, startling a maid inside

French embassy in Niger attacked as protesters with Russian flags march

Thousands of supporters of the junta that took over Niger in a coup earlier this week marched through the streets of the capital, Niamey, on Sunday waving Russian flags, chanting the name of the Russian president and forcefully denouncing former colonial power France. The protesters marched through the city to the French Embassy, where a door was lit on fire, according to someone who was at the embassy when it happened and videos seen by The AP. Black smoke could be seen rising from across the city. The Nigerien army broke up the crowd of the protesters. Russian mercenary group Wagner is already operating in neighbouring Mali, and Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to expand his country's influence in the region. However, it is unclear yet whether the new junta leaders will move toward Moscow or stick with Niger's Western partners. Days after the coup, uncertainty is mounting about Niger's future, with some calling out the junta's reasons for seizing control. President ...

Macron becomes 1st French president to visit Sri Lanka, pledges assistance

During the visit, Wickremesinghe and Macron held friendly and productive bilateral discussions which lasted for an hour and fifteen minutes, the Sri Lankan President's office said

French President Macron meets Lanka counterpart during historic visit

Macron arrived in Sri Lanka on the night of July 28 following his trip to the South Pacific region

French Prez Macron to visit Sri Lanka on Friday, to hold bilateral talks

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Colombo on July 28 on his maiden trip for bilateral talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe, it was announced on Thursday. Macron will be on his return home from a 5-day visit to the Pacific islands of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, President Wickremesinghe's office said. The official visit by Macron is the first such by a French president to Sri Lanka, officials said. Macron is to meet with Wickremesinghe for bilateral talks Friday evening before leaving early Saturday morning. Wickremesinghe had met Macron in Paris in June during the heads of state sessions of the Conference for a new global financial agreement.

Govt goes into pantomime mode to assuage foreign critics

Political observers will do their own math to explain what might have led to such an unusual alignment of political correctness

Apple hit with french watchdog complaint over use of advertising data

Apple Inc. was hit with a complaint from the French antitrust watchdog over allegations it has imposed unfair conditions for the use of user data in advertising through its app store

Is Mbappe going to Saudi Arabia? Al Hilal offers 300 million euros to PSG

In recent reports by top media outlets in Europe Saudi Arbaia's Al Hilal club has already offered 300 Million Euros to French Club Paris Saint Germain to sign Kylin Mbappe

IAF asks Dassault to integrate Indian weapons on Rafale fighter jets

The Rafale is used by many countries including India, France, Egypt, Qatar and many others along with Greece, Croatia, UAE and Indonesia, have placed orders for these planes

Ray-Ban, Oakley maker accused in lawsuit of inflating prices 1,000%

The consumers claim the unlawful collusion was concealed by an arrangement between the companies to keep the terms of their agreements from being publicly disclosed

India extends UPI services to France, first in Europe after Singapore

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has set up connectivity with Lyra in France

Gucci's CEO is stepping down as its French parent shakes up leadership

The president and CEO of Gucci is stepping down later this year, the latest shakeup to the luxury fashion brand and coming as part of a series of changes to its parent company, the French conglomerate Kering. Marco Bizzarri will depart the Italian design house in September after eight years at the helm, with Kering saying on Tuesday that he "masterminded the execution of Gucci's outstanding growth strategy since 2015". He was part of Kering's leadership for 18 years. Bizzarri will be replaced by Jean-Francois Palus, who is now Kering's managing director. Palus will be tasked with strengthening Gucci's teams and operations as the brand rebuilds influence and momentum, according to the company's statement. Historically, Gucci accounted for most of Kering's profits, but it has been under some scrutiny after underperforming rivals. Kering also said it was promoting Yves Saint Laurent President and CEO Francesca Bellettini as deputy CEO for brand development, managing all of its fashion

India, France negotiations continue on Scorpene submarine deal: Report

Both countries hailed the success of the 1st Scorpene submarine construction programme (P75 - Kalvari), a model of 'Make-in- India' and the sharing of naval expertise between companies in 2 countries

India, France to develop new generation military equipment: French envoy

India and France agreed to develop new generation military equipment as part of a long-term roadmap during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain said on Tuesday. The envoy also said that there is "real" political consensus in France on enhancing ties with India as he cited Modi's meetings with President of the French Senate Grard Larcher, President of French National Assembly Yal Braun-Pivet and Prime Minister lisabeth Borne. "It shows that when it comes to India in France, there is real consensus. There is no difference. Everybody is so supportive and that is one of the trademarks of this partnership,"Lenain said at a media briefing. Prime Minister Modi visited Paris on July 13 and 14 during which both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expand overall strategic cooperation including in defence. "Defence cooperation has always been very important for the two countries as we feel that in order to be independent, we have to be secure. And

Techno-commercial negotiations on Rafale-M, Scorpene not yet final: Reports

The negotiations on cost and techno-commercial details relating to India's proposed procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines from France are not yet concluded, sources said on Tuesday. India's state-run ship-builder Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and French defence major Naval Group firmed up a framework agreement on July 6 for the Scorpene submarine project but negotiations on price and other technical details are yet to be firmed up, they said. On the procurement of the Rafale-M, the naval variant of the jet, the sources said the deal will be sealed once the techno-commercial negotiations are concluded. Expansion of overall India-France defence cooperation, especially to co-develop and co-produce key military platforms, was one of the outcomes of talks between Prime Minister Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. On the decision by the two sides for co-development of a fighter aircraft engine by French defence major Safran in India,

Contingent that participated in Bastille Day made India proud: Army chief

Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Monday felicitated members of the tri-services contingent which participated in the Bastille Day Parade in France last week, and said they have made the armed forces and India proud. At an event held at the Manekshaw Centre here, the Army chief also said the Indian contingent who went to France has played a significant role in boosting the image of the country. "You have not only made the three services -- army, air force and navy -- proud but also made the whole nation proud," he said in his address. The sending of a tri-services contingent from the army, the air force and the navy, was in itself very significant, Gen Pande said. He also mentioned that some members of the Punjab Regiment got to visit the war memorial at Neuve-Chapelle, a World War I memorial in France built in memory of Indian soldiers who laid down their lives, and pay their respects there. The Indian tri-services contingent participated in the Bastille Day celebrations in Franc

French tourism businesses wary of customers drying up as droughts worsen

At the pristine southern French lake of Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon, tourists in pedal boats and on white water rafts and the businesses that welcome them have been buoyed by generous rainfall and good water management this spring. After a prolonged drought last summer, then another in the winter that followed, the once cracked lakebeds are now abundantly watered. Dams are releasing water into reservoirs on a consistent schedule for activities in the lake. But tour operators are still wary. Rafting and kayaking is great, but if tomorrow there is not enough water in the river, we will have to reinvent ourselves, said Antoine Coudray of Secret River Tours, that operates in the gorges of Verdon. The artificial lake of Sainte-Croix, a bustling tourist attraction, is one of three reservoirs in the area built for 16 hydroelectric dams. The dams supply the southeastern region of Provence-Alpes-Cte d'Azur with 35 per cent of its electricity needs. Human-caused climate change is lengthening .

A qualified success

Absence of mega-defence deals dims the optics

PM Modi's visit to France, UAE not just 'high on optics': Minister Puri

The BJP on Sunday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visits to France and the UAE "successful" and said they were not just "high on optics" but also "high on substantive outcomes". Prime Minister Modi on Saturday returned after "successful" visits to France and the United Arab Emirates. "The prime minister's visits to France and UAE were successful and outcome positive," Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri told reporters at the BJP headquarters here. It has been India flavour and India story in many parts of the world since the prime minister embarked on an official visit to the US, Australia, Egypt, France, the UAE and Japan starting in May, Puri said. "Certainly, all of these visits have very positive outcomes in both bilateral and multilateral arena, he said. "In terms of both the sheer momentum of our exchanges with the outside world and also the kind of events which are planned for the coming weeks leading up to the G20 summit, I think it's India flavour and India sto

PM urges French industries to look at investment opportunities in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged French industry leaders to look at investment opportunities in infrastructure and other segments of the economy and become part of the Indian growth story. Addressing the India-France CEO forum along with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, Modi highlighted the ongoing economic reforms and the initiatives taken by his government in renewables, startups, pharma, IT, digital payments and infrastructure to foster business. The Forum consisted of 16 CEOs from the French side and 24 from the Indian side from diverse sectors, including aviation, manufacturing, defence, technology, and energy, among others. "Prime Minister encouraged the CEOs to utilise the investment opportunities in India and be a part of India's growth story", India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a release. Guillaume Faury, Airbus; Henri Poupart Lafarge, Alstom; Peter Herweck, Schneider Electric; Namita Shah, Total Energies; Philippe Errera, Safran; and Paul Hermel