Uruguayans admit France gave ‘football lesson’ at World Cup Montevideo, Uruguay | AFP | Uruguayans were gracious in defeat after France ended their World Cup hopes on Friday with a 2-0 quarter-final victory. “France crushed Uruguay!” admitted Observador, one of Uruguay’s main newspapers. “They handed out a football lesson, dominating …
Read More »Maduro brushes off risk of new sanctions after Sunday’s vote
Paris, France | AFP | Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday dismissed the threat of new sanctions following an early election called for Sunday, which critics have denounced as a sham aimed at tightening his grip on power. “These are unacceptable threats toward any sovereign nation,” Maduro said in an …
Read More »France revises growth upwards in boost for Macron
Paris, France | AFP | France’s economy grew 2.2 percent in 2017, according to revised figures published Tuesday — good news for President Emmanuel Macron as he pursues ambitious reforms designed to make the country more competitive. National statistics office INSEE revised its growth for last year up from 2.0 …
Read More »Rambo returns for one last mission
Cannes, France | AFP | Rambo is back on the warpath. US film star Sylvester Stallone has revealed that his muscle-packed combat hero Rambo is getting ready to draw blood again in a fifth sequel next year. Stallone — now 71 — posted a teaser poster on his Instagram account …
Read More »Tens of thousands stage anti-Macron protest in Paris
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 …
Read More »Anger in France over Trump comments on Bataclan attacks
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 bloodshed that saw jihadists attack the Bataclan concert hall and other targets. “France expresses its firm disapproval …
Read More »Guinea president to take legal action over Bollore row
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Guinean President Alpha Conde said Thursday he would file a complaint in the French courts over allegations raised in a corruption case embroiling French billionaire Vincent Bollore. “I shall bring a complaint in Paris for false accusation,” Conde told reporters in Conakry, without giving further …
Read More »Macron says will scrap ‘exit tax’ on high-earners
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron intends to scrap a 30 percent “exit tax” on top-earners who transfer their assets outside of France, in a bid to boost the attractiveness of the country for foreign investors. The levy was introduced in 2012 under former rightwing president Nicolas …
Read More »Putin, Macron diverge on Iran deal as Trump decides
Paris, France | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron launched a joint defence of the Iranian nuclear deal on Monday but expressed differences on how to move forward as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether to scrap it. The Kremlin said Putin and Macron were …
Read More »‘We should never go back’, Macron, May say on chemical weapons
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday urged the world to keep up the fight against chemical weapons on the anniversary of an international convention banning their use. “On the 21st anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and following Douma and …
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