Tag: France

France’s Macron sets sights on EU cheap labour rule

by Laurence BENHAMOU with Nina LAMPARSKI in Vienna Agence France-Presse SALZBURG, Austria  –  The EU is a “real step” closer to overhauling a controversial rule on detached workers, after talks with leaders from eastern and central Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday. The so-called Posted Workers Directive allows firms to send temporary workers from low-wage countries to other member states without paying local social charges. The regulation has come under fire from rich nations like […]

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One dead after van hits people at Marseille bus stops

by Catherine Rama  and Andrea Palasciano Agence France-Presse MARSEILLE, France – One person was killed and another seriously injured in the southern French city of Marseille on Monday after a convicted criminal with psychiatric problems drove a van into people waiting at two bus stops, police said. The incident comes with Europe on high alert following last week’s car ramming attacks in northeastern Spain. But Marseille’s prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said there was no evidence of a […]

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French police arrest man over soldier car attack: security sources

  PARIS, France (AFP) — French security forces have shot and arrested a man suspected of being behind an attack on soldiers in a Paris suburb on Wednesday, security sources told AFP. The man, aged in his late 30s, was intercepted on a motorway north of the French capital in the vehicle used to drive into the soldiers, the sources said, asking not to be named because they were not authorised to speak. One source […]

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Frenchman completes electric tour of France on skateboard

PARIS, France (Reuters) — Frenchman Fabrice Gropaiz completed his tour of France on an electric skate on Saturday (July 29), ending his challenge on the streets of Paris. Roughly 20 years after setting a record for the first world tour on roller skates, Gropaiz challenged himself to tour Fance on an electric skateboard, in preparation for his next around-the-world journey. Public-relations specialist Gropaiz became the first person to successfully rollerblade around the world when he […]

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French minister promises troops the means to tackle jihadists

NDJAMENA, Chad(AFP) — French Defence Minister Florence Parly arrived in Chad on Sunday, at the start of a tour of three Sahel countries, assuring that French troops in the region will have the means to carry out their mission against jihadist insurgents. “You can count on my determination that you will have the necessary means to carry out your mission,” she told the head of Operation Barkhane — a 4,000-man French mission to shore up […]

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Fires in southern France ‘under control’

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — Huge fires that forced mass evacuations of residents and holidaymakers in southern France were “under control” early Thursday, firefighters said, although they warned new blazes were still starting. In the village of Bormes-les-Mimosas, located near beaches popular with tourists on the Cote d’Azur, “the fire is not completely under control but we are winning the fight,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Bernier, the civil security officer leading the emergency effort there. “Things are […]

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10,000 evacuated over new wildfire in France

by Claudine Renaud / Ambre Tosunoglu Agence France Presse MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — At least 10,000 people were evacuated overnight after a new wild fire broke out in southern France, which was already battling massive blazes that have consumed swathes of forest, authorities said Wednesday. The new fire came a day after France asked for Europe’s help to tackle the flames already raging in the tinder dry south, including near the popular resort of Saint-Tropez. […]

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Hundreds battle wild fires across southern France

BASTIA, France (AFP) — Hundreds of firefighters were battling blazes across southern France on Monday, with one inferno spreading across 900 hectares of forest and threatening homes on the island of Corsica, emergency services said. Residents were evacuated from homes at the edge of the town of Biguglia, on the island’s northeastern coast. “The fire is very fierce and heading to urban areas of Biguglia,” lieutenant-colonel Michel Bernier, of France’s civil defense forces, told AFP. The […]

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Antidepressants during pregnancy linked to autism in kids: study

  PARIS, France (AFP) – Children exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy are more likely to suffer autism, but the added risk is very small and may not, in fact, stem from the drugs, researchers said Wednesday. The connection between medications used to treat depression and autism in children has shown up in earlier research, but investigators have been unsure whether the link is down to pre-existing illness the antidepressants, or some other mix of factors. […]

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Controversial French anti-terror bill clears hurdle

PARIS, France (AFP) – A controversial bill to toughen France’s security laws cleared its first hurdle late Tuesday when the conservative-dominated Senate approved the legislation by a majority. Senators backed a first reading of the bill by 229 votes to 106, meaning the text will now be handed to the lower house, the National Assembly, for debate in October. The new laws — a campaign pledge of President Emmanuel Macron — will replace a state […]

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Macron and Trump mark France’s Bastille Day

by Gina DOGGETT Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) –President Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump marked France’s national day together on Friday at a military parade which clearly delighted the US leader and showcased warming relations between the two men. But the day was tinged with mourning, coming a year on from a jihadist massacre that claimed 86 lives in the southern city of Nice, where Macron led remembrances after the Paris ceremonies. Trump was […]

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France to cut 11B euros in taxes next year: PM

PARIS, France (AFP) – France will cut taxes on businesses and individuals by roughly 11 billion euros ($12.6 billion) next year, faster than the government had originally intended, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said. The goal is to create incentives for investment, hiring and economic growth, Philippe told Les Echos daily in an interview published on its website late Tuesday. President Emmanuel Macron has promised to put France’s financial house in order, with plans to […]

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