Page 38 - France

France to deploy 40,000 officers to quell violence after police shot teen

France's government vowed to restore order on Thursday after two nights of urban violence triggered by the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old, announcing it would deploy tens of thousands more officers and crack down on neighborhoods where buildings and vehicles were torched. Bus and rail services were shutting down at 9 pm (1900 GMT; 3 pm EDT) to safeguard transportation workers and passengers, a decision sure to impact untold thousands of travellers in the French capital and its suburbs. Our transports are not targets for thugs and vandals! Valerie Pecresse, head of the Paris region tweeted. France's government says it would deploy 40,000 police officers and take a zero-tolerance approach in neighbourhoods where buildings and vehicles were torched. Ministers fanned out to areas scarred by the sudden flare-up of rioting, appealing for calm but also warning that the violence that injured scores of police and damaged nearly 100 public buildings wouldn't be allowed to continue.

India, France launch Strategic Space Dialogue to strengthen partnership

India and France have launched the Strategic Space Dialogue, seeking to further deepen their nearly-six-decade-old partnership in the sector. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the inaugural India-France Strategic Space Dialogue was held in Paris on Monday. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra led the Indian delegation for the talks with French Secretary-General, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Anne-Marie Descotes. The nearly-six-decade-old Indo-French space partnership spans collaborations in technologies for satellite launches, research, operational applications, innovation and NewSpace partnerships for deep space exploration. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) have been partnering in the fields of space medicine, astronaut health monitoring, life support, radiation protection, space debris protection and personal hygiene systems. Earlier this month, CNES President Philippe Baptiste travelled to

2024 Olympics: Flame to be carried for 68 days before cauldron is lit

The Olympic flame for the 2024 Paris Games will pass through 64 departments including five overseas and 400 towns over 68 days before the cauldron is lit. Organizers announced the route for the torch relay on Friday at a Paris university. Paris 2024 is the greatest collective project in our history, organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said. The torch relay plays an important role because it has the capacity to touch so many people. The torch will be lit by the sun's rays on April 16 in Ancient Olympia, Greece. It will then be carried around the nation before its handover in Athens. The flame will leave Athens on April 27 aboard a three-mast ship named Belem for the French port of Marseille a former Greek colony founded 2,600 years ago. The Belem was first used in 1896, the same year the modern Olympics came back. It will be skippered by French navigator Armel Le Clac'h, winner of the solo around-the-world race Vende Globe in 2017. The crew will reach Marseille on May

UEFA Euro Qualifiers: France emerge victorious, defeat Greece 1-0 at home

In the UEFA EURO Qualifiers match, France defeated Greece 1-0 in a thrilling encounter on Tuesday at the Stade de France stadium.

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France accuses Russia of faking websites to sow confusion about Ukraine war

France's government accused Russia on Tuesday of operating a long-running online manipulation campaign, including impersonating the websites of leading French media and the French Foreign Ministry, aimed at spreading confusion and false information about the war in Ukraine. The French agency responsible for fighting foreign digital interference, VIGINUM, said it has monitored the alleged operation since soon after Russia invaded its neighbour and that France was one of several European countries targeted. It said it traced the campaign to Russian individuals, companies and state entities or entities affiliated to the Russian state. Last month, the agency detected a mirror website mimicking the French Foreign Ministry's and intervened with protective and preventive measures, VIGINUM said in a report published Tuesday. France condemns these actions, which are unworthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. No attempt at manipulation will distract France from its

France hails 'hero with rucksack' who intervened knife attack on children

The attacker slashed at the 24-year-old man with the knife that he used to savagely stab one young child after another. But rather than run, Henri held his ground using a weighty backpack he was carrying to swing at the assailant and parry his blade. French media hailed Henri as the hero with a rucksack Friday after he was shown in a video grappling with the assailant and charging after him during the knife attack that critically wounded four children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old, and also injured two adults. Henri had a heavy rucksack on his back and was holding another in his hand when the attacker slashed at him. Even after being slashed at, Henri still continued to harass the attacker by pursuing him inside a playground where the man repeatedly stabbed a child in a stroller and then out of the park again, carrying his rucksacks all the while. He appeared to hurl one of the sacks at the assailant at one point and then pick it up again to take another ...

Child victims of stabbing attack in France in critical but stable condition

France's president travelled on Friday to the side of families traumatised by the savage stabbings of four very young children, all said to be in stable condition after emergency surgery, while investigators worked to unravel the motives of a Syrian man taken into custody. President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte traveled together to a hospital treating three of the four children who suffered life-threatening knife wounds in Thursday's still unexplained attack in and around a play park in the Alpine city of Annecy. Macron's prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, said all four children aged between 22 months and 3 years underwent surgery and are under constant medical surveillance. Their situation is stable, she said. Government spokesman Olivier Veran, a medical doctor by training, said two of the children remain in critical condition. Most of the children were rushed after the attack to a hospital in the French Alpine city of Grenoble the first stop for Macron and his wife on

India, France, UAE begin two-day mega wargame exercise in Gulf of Oman

The navies of India, France and the United Arab Emirates have carried out a two-day mega wargame in the Gulf of Oman reflecting their growing cooperation to deal with challenges in the maritime sphere. It was the first edition of the wargame involving navies of the three countries, officials said on Thursday. Indian Naval ship INS Tarkash, French ship Surcouf, French Rafale aircraft and the UAE Navy's maritime patrol aircraft participated in the exercise that began on Wednesday. "The exercise featured a wide spectrum of naval operations such as surface warfare, involving tactical firing and drills for missile engagements on surface targets, helicopter cross deck landing operations, advanced air defence exercise and boarding operations," said an Indian Navy official. The official said the exercise aimed to enhance trilateral cooperation between the three navies and pave the way for adopting measures towards addressing traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime environme

India, France, UAE begin maiden joint maritime exercise in the Gulf of Oman

The two-day maritime exercise will involve a wide range of naval operations, including surface warfare and helicopter cross-deck landing operations

Knife attacker injures several people, including children, in France

France's interior minister says an attacker with a knife injured children and others in a town in the Alps on Thursday. Gerald Darmanin said the attack took place in a square in the town of Annecy. In a short tweet, he said police have detained the attacker. Several people including children have been injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy, he tweeted.

Unions plan last wave of protest against Macron's higher retirement age

French unions are seeking to reignite resistance to President Emmanuel Macron's higher retirement age with what may be a final surge of nationwide protests and scattered strikes on Tuesday. A third of flights were cancelled at Paris' Orly Airport because of strikes, and about 10 per cent of trains around France were disrupted. Some 250 marches, rallies and other actions are planned around the country on the 14th day of national protest since January over the pension reform. Macron's move to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 -- and force the measure through parliament without a vote -- inflamed public emotions and triggered some of France's biggest demonstrations in years. But the intensity of anger over the pension reform has ebbed since the last big protests on May 1, and since the measure became law in April. Some see Tuesday's actions as a last big show of opposition for the movement. Macron says the reform was needed to finance the pension system as the population ages. ..

Kylian Mbappe named Ligue 1 Player of the Year for fourth consecutive time

Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe takes home the trophy -- Ligue 1 Player of the Year -- for the record fourth consecutive year.

PSG goalkeeper Sergio Rico hospitalized after being hit by a loose horse

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico was hospitalized with a head injury after being hit by a loose horse in an accident in Spain. The player's representatives said in a statement that the accident happened near the southern Spanish city of Seville on Sunday, where Rico used to play for Sevilla. Sergio is in good hands, fighting to recover, the statement said, adding that the next 48 hours will be important to determine the progress of his recovery. The statement said Rico had just arrived from France and was headed to a mass with his relatives when the accident happened. Earlier media reports said Rico was horse-riding at the time of the accident. French champion PSG said it remains in constant contact with his loved ones. PSG won the French league on Saturday. Several clubs and players sent messages of support for the 29-year-old Spanish keeper.

France bans domestic flights to curb emissions; trains to ramp up frequency

The decision was undertaken in an attempt to cut carbon emissions

Records of French slaves to be inscribed on UN world heritage register

Several hundred documents and items revealing the names and other details of victims of slavery in France's colonial empire is being added to UNESCO's Memory of the World register. This latest addition, which the UN cultural agency approved last week, marks the first time that France has pushed for the inscription of documents on the UNESCO register that were previously archived in France's present-day overseas territories. The Memory of the World program and register was set up in 1992 to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, decay over time, according to UNESCO. The documents date from between the 17th and 19th centuries, from places including the modern-day nations of Haiti, Mauritius and Senegal and the French overseas territories of Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Mayotte, Martinique and Reunion. They represent just a fraction of some 4 million people "enslaved in the French colonial empire, whether victims of trafficking or born locall

Anti-migration operation on French African island of Mayotte stirs tensions

Facing a migration quagmire on the French island territory of Mayotte, off Africa's east coast, France's government has sent in 2,000 troops and police to carry out mass expulsions, destroy slums and eradicate violent gangs. But the operation has become bogged down and raised concerns of abuse, aggravating tensions between local residents and immigrants from the neighbouring country of Comoros. It is also laying bare entrenched poverty among both communities, tensions over the island's status and deep inequalities between Mayotte and the rest of France. While Mayotte is a part of France, Comoros 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the northwest across a strait in the Indian Ocean was also once a French colony but has been independent since 1975. Mayotte is by far the poorest corner of France, but its average annual income of around USD 3,500 is still more than double that in Comoros. This has created a powerful pull. How can they imagine for a second that (the operation) will make thi

French court upholds Sarkozy's 3 year sentence in corruption case

The Court of Appeal of Paris has upheld a prison sentence of three years, including two suspended, against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling

Tata Group Chairman Chandrasekaran gets France's highest civilian award

Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran has been given France's highest civilian award Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur for his contributions to strengthen the trade relationship between India and France. French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna gave the award to Chandrasekaran on behalf of the French President on Tuesday evening. "Our Chairman N Chandrasekaran receives the Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur from French Minister for Europe & Foreign Affairs @MinColonna. He was conferred the highest civilian award of France for his contributions to strengthening the trade relationship between India & France," Tata Group said in a tweet. Similarly, after presenting the award, in a tweet Colonna said Tata group of companies "is a major player in the Franco-Indian partnership: I had the pleasure of presenting its CEO, on behalf of the President of the Republic, with the insignia of Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur. Dear Natarajan Chandrasekaran, you are a friend

First lady's relative attacked as Macron commits to retirement age increase

French first lady Brigitte Macron issued a rare statement Tuesday condemning a physical attack on her great-nephew that took place on the sidelines of a demonstration against her husband's contested pension reform. Police said eight people were arrested in the northern French city Amiens in connection with the Monday night assault on Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, 30, who runs a family chocolate shop. Brigitte Macron called out the assault's cowardice, stupidity and violence. I am in full solidarity with my family and have been in touch constantly since 11 p.m. yesterday, she said. I have on several occasions denounced this kind of violence that can only lead to the worst. Trogneux was reportedly heading to his apartment above the chocolate shop when he was attacked. His father, Jean-Alexandre Trogneux, said the assailants insulted the president, his wife and our family before making an escape. While giving a speech in Iceland, French President Emmanuel Macron called the violence ...