PARIS, France (AFP) — A landslip caused by heavy rains Tuesday led three carriages of a Paris suburban RER train to overturn, slightly injuring seven people, France’s transport minister said. “There has been… a landslip on the RER B” between the southern suburbs of St-Remy-les-Chevreuse and Orsay, the minister, Elisabeth Borne, told Franceinfo radio. It caused “three carriages to overturn. Fortunately, there are only seven slightly injured.” © Agence France-Presse
Tag: France
France challenges Beijing in South China Sea
by Daphné BENOIT Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France is increasing its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, sending warships through the South China Sea and planning air exercises to help counter China’s military build-up in disputed waters. In late May, the French assault ship Dixmude and a frigate sailed through the disputed Spratly Islands and around a group of reefs that China has turned into islets to push back against Beijing’s claim […]
Ubisoft sees blockbusters shaped by fans and stars
by Glen Chapman Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — French video game giant Ubisoft is teaming up with a firm founded by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt to crowd source material for a forthcoming title, the companies announced Monday on the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Ubisoft has long tapped into feedback from players while designing games, but the latest step will allow some to make content woven into scenes. An invitation to collaborate […]
‘French Spiderman’ foiled in Seoul skyscraper attempt
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — French urban freeclimber Alain Robert attempted to scale the world’s fifth-tallest building Wednesday, getting more than half way up the 123-storey Lotte World Tower in Seoul before security forced him to abandon the ascent. The 55-year-old, dubbed the ‘French Spiderman’, made his way up the building bare-handed and without ropes as staff pursued him from inside. “I climbed about 75 stories and then after that, it was a bit like cat […]
Nadal, Sharapova eye French Open semi-finals
PARIS, France (AFP) — Rafael Nadal sets his sights on a 27th Grand Slam semi-final when he faces Diego Schwartzman of Argentina in the French Open quarter-finals on Wednesday while Marin Cilic tackles Juan Martin del Potro in a battle of former US Open champions. In the women’s last-eight, Maria Sharapova faces fellow former Paris champion Garbine Muguruza. Top seed Simona Halep, twice a runner-up, takes on two-time major winner Angelique Kerber. Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) […]
One dead as record storms sweep across France
PARIS, France (AFP) — A man was found drowned in his car in northern France on Tuesday following a fresh round of powerful rainstorms that have damaged homes, destroyed vineyards and flooded roads over the last fortnight. An unusually long bout of warm and humid weather across the country has led to a series of thunderstorms that have dropped record amounts of rain in some areas. National weather service Meteo France said it estimated the […]
Migrant ‘Spiderman’ who saved child praised by France’s Macron
by Ambre TOSUNOGLU / Clare BYRNE Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A Malian migrant who scaled a Paris apartment block to save a four-year-old child was hailed Monday as an “example” by President Emmanuel Macron, who welcomed him to the presidential palace and offered him citizenship. Two days after his daring rescue — viewed millions of times online — Mamoudou Gassama, nicknamed “Spiderman” by French media for his astonishing climbing ability, met Macron […]
Police widen probe into Chechen-born Paris knife attacker
by Sophie Deviller and Sofia Bouderbala Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Investigators on Sunday widened a probe into the Chechen-born 20-year-old whose stabbing spree in central Paris, claimed by the Islamic State group, left one person dead and four seriously wounded. The man, identified as naturalized Frenchman Khamzat Azimov, carried out the attack Saturday night in a lively area of theatres and restaurants near the city’s historic opera house. The knifeman, whose rampage […]
French FM slams ‘unacceptable’ US sanctions on Iran
PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s foreign minister on Thursday condemned the United States for reimposing sanctions against foreign companies trading with Iran, labelling the move “unacceptable” in comments that expose the deepening rift between Washington and its European allies on the issue. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of a landmark deal curbing Iran’s nuclear program and reintroducing sanctions on the Islamic republic and those who trade with it. The decision […]
Anger in France over Trump comments on Bataclan attacks
by Adam PLOWRIGHT Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Saturday condemned remarks by US President Donald Trump about the 2015 attacks in Paris and called on him to show respect for the victims of the worst bloodshed on French soil since World War II. “France expresses its firm disapproval of the comments by President Trump about the attacks of November 13, 2015, in Paris and asks for respect of the memory of […]
Thousands stage anti-Macron protest in Paris
by Nadeje Puljak Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) –Depicting the object of their ire as Napoleon, Dracula, Jupiter, a banker-king and Margaret Thatcher, tens of thousands marched through central Paris on Saturday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s sweeping reforms, a year after he took office. Some 2,000 security forces including riot police were deployed just in case a generally good-natured rally went the same way as May Day protests hijacked by anarchists. Marchers […]
Macron warns over China dominance in Indo-Pacific
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — No country can be allowed to dominate the Indo-Pacific, the leaders of France and Australia said Wednesday, as regional capitals fret over the rise of an increasingly assertive China. French President Emmanuel Macron said the two nations — alongside fellow democracy India — had a responsibility to protect the region from “hegemony” — a veiled reference to Beijing’s growing might. “What’s important is to preserve rules-based development in the region… and […]
