Page 43 - France

Nobel Prize in Literature 2022: A look at past 10 awardees and their work

With this year's Annie Ernaux, Nobel has now 17 women among its 119 literature laureates

Protesters attack French Embassy in Burkina Faso's capital after coup

Angry protesters attacked the French Embassy in Burkina Faso's capital on Saturday after supporters of the West African nation's new coup leader accused France of harboring the ousted interim president, a charge French authorities vehemently denied. Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba was overthrown late Friday only nine months after he'd mounted a coup himself in Burkina Faso, which has been failing to effectively counter rising violence by Islamic extremists. Comments by a new junta spokesman earlier Saturday set into motion an outburst of anger in Ouagadougou, the capital. Video on social media showed residents with lit torches outside the perimeter of the French embassy. Damiba's whereabouts remained unknown but France's Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement: We formally deny involvement in the events unfolding in Burkina Faso. The camp where the French forces are based has never hosted Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba nor has our embassy. Capt. Ibrahim Traore, who was

France registers slight spike in births after 6 years of gradual decline

In 2021, 742,100 babies were born in France, which means that there were 2,033 births per day, a soike after six years of decline

A shift towards indigenisation: 'Make in India' fortifies defence spending

An analysis of defence capex over the past 12 years shows a noticeable shift towards indigenisation

TotalEnergies shuts France's largest refinery over wage demand strikes

French multinational energy and petroleum company TotalEnergies has started to shut down the country's largest refinery in the Normandy region as a result of a strike over wage demands

President Zelensky meets French FM to seek support for war-torn Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with visiting French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna to discuss support for Ukraine, the presidential press service reported

France to continue energy tariff shield of $15 billion in 2023 budget bill

France will continue its energy tariff shield costing 16 billion euros ($15 billion) in the country's 2023 budget bill, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced

French President Macron calls for dialogues between Armenia, Azerbaijan

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the resumption of dialogues between Armenia and Azerbaijan to solve their ongoing border conflict.

Plane overshoots runway, closes airport indefinitely in southern France

An airport serving France's southern Mediterranean coast is closed indefinitely after a cargo plane overshot its runway on landing and finished nose-down in the water of an adjacent lake before dawn on Saturday. The three people aboard were rescued unharmed from the Boeing 737 that was laden with air freight and came to a stop in reeds, grass and water at the airport outside the city of Montpellier, regional authorities said. The airport is closed to passenger and cargo flights until the plane has been moved, authorities said. An accident investigation in underway.

Paris taps French stage director Thomas Jolly for Olympic opening

Paris Olympic organizers appointed prize-winning French theater director Thomas Jolly to direct the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2024 Games and the Paralympics. As artistic director, the 40-year-old Jolly will be tasked with bringing to life Paris' ambitious plan to hold the July 26, 2024, opening ceremony in the French capital's city center, along the Seine River, taking it out of the traditional Olympic Stadium setting for the first time. Paris organizing committee head Tony Estanguet said Jolly knows how to break norms and take them to the next level and that he'll be able to imagine unprecedented artistic concepts for the shows. Estanguet also said the Place de la Concorde, the large central Paris square where King Louis XVI and others were executed during the French Revolution, is being considered as a venue for the Paralympic opening ceremony, which Jolly will also direct. The closing ceremonies will be held at the Stade de France, the stadium that hosted the World C

Over 300 French companies urge govt to take action on surging energy prices

Over 300 French companies have alerted the country's government to the negative effects of the surging energy prices, Minister Delegate for Industry Roland Lescure has said

PM Modi was right when he said not the time for war: French prez at UNGA

French President Emmanuel Macron told world leaders at the UN General Assembly session that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was right when he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that this is not the time for war. Modi, who met Putin last week on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan's Samarkand, had told the Russian leader that "today's era is not of war". He has spoken to Putin several times over the phone regarding this issue and underlined the importance of democracy, diplomacy and dialogue. "Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India was right when he said the time is not for war. It is not for revenge against the West or for opposing the West against the East. It is the collective time for our sovereign equal states to cope together with challenges we face," Macron said during his address at the General Debate of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. "This is why there's an urgent need to develop a new contract

No nation can stay 'indifferent' on Russia-Ukraine war: Emanuel Macron

French President Emanuel Macron admonished countries not to stay neutral about condemning Russia's war in Ukraine as he declared that Moscow's invasion amounts to a new form of imperialism. The war in Ukraine and its effects on food prices, fuel costs, Ukrainian nuclear power plants, and the larger context of tensions between Russia and the West is looming over the annual gathering of presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other dignitaries. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has yet had its turn to speak during the nearly weeklong series of speeches. Macron made the war the centrepiece of his speech, arguing that the conflict threatens to usher in a world where "the security and sovereignty of everyone no longer depends on a balance of strength, on the strength of alliances, but rather that of armed groups and militias." "Who here can defend the idea that the invasion of Ukraine justifies no sanction?" he asked. "Who of you here can consider that the day when something similar with a

French PM Elisabeth Borne announces 2nd bicycle fund worth 250 mn euros

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced a second bicycle fund of 250 million euros ($250 million) for 2023.

Jaishankar participates in India-UAE-France trilateral Ministerial meet

As part of his diplomatic meetings in the US, S Jaishankar participated in a trilateral Ministerial meeting of India-UAE-France with his counterparts and exchanged ideas between the strategic partners

Top French honour for Indian scientist and industrialist Swati Piramal

Prominent Indian scientist and industrialist Dr Swati Piramal has been conferred France's top civilian honour for her contributions in the fields of business and industry, science, medicine, and towards strengthening Indo-French ties. Piramal, 66, is the vice-chairperson of the Mumbai-headquartered Piramal Group, a business conglomerate with interests in pharmaceuticals, financial services, real estate and glass packaging. The Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur or Knight of the Legion of Honour was conferred on her in an investiture ceremony by Catherine Colonna, France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, during a visit to India this week. The award was conferred on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron. Dr Piramal is not only a leading and outstanding businesswoman, but also a businesswoman who gives back to society, said Colonna. Her strong influence on business and industry, public policy, healthcare governance and women's leadership is widely recognised in India and .

Flights disrupted as French air traffic controllers launch national strike

Many domestic and some international flights were cancelled in France Friday as air traffic controllers went on a national strike over pay and recruitment issues. French civil aviation authority DGAC warned that domestic traffic would be severely disrupted with many flights cancelled and other experiencing long delays. Travellers have been advised to postpone their trip if possible. Air France said it has cancelled 55% of its short- and medium-haul flights and 10% of its long-haul flights. The company could not rule out further delays and last-minute cancellations, it said in a statement. Other companies operating in France, including Ryanair, Easyjet and Volotea, have also cancelled flights. France's main union of air traffic controllers, the SNCTA, called the one-day strike to demand higher pay amid soaring inflation and demanding more staff to be hired in the coming years.

3,700 hectares of land burnt as wildfires continue in France's Gironde

Wildfires continue in France's southwestern department of Gironde, with more than 3,700 hectare of land burnt since Monday, the Prefecture of Gironde announced in a statement

France's railway giant SNCF to pay additional 1.7 bn euros for electricity

French national railway company SNCF has said that the electricity bill for passenger trains will rise by nearly 1.7 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in 2023 due to the rise of electricity price

'Want number of Indian students in France to climb to 20,000 by 2025'

France wants the number of Indian students in the country to rise to 20,000 by 2025, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Wednesday. Colonna is currently on a three-day visit to India. "We want the number of Indian students to rise up to 20,000 by 2025. I know it's an ambitious target, but I also know that between India and France, sky is the limit," she said during an interaction with students at the Lady Shri Ram College here. The French minister stressed that gender balance was a necessity in the field of education. "Much has changed when it comes to gender balance but we are still not there yet," she said. As part of her official visit from September 13-15, Colonna will travel to Mumbai for engagements with industry leaders and site visits on Thursday. She will also hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on September 14 "on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest".