London, United Kingdom | AFP | Pierre-Ambroise Bosse loves gambling and on Tuesday he rolled the dice and won the biggest prize of his life, the 800 metres world title, to give France their first ever gold in the event. The 25-year-old, who had finished a valiant if frustrating fourth in …
Read More »Tainted eggs scandal spreads to Britain, France
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Britain and France said Monday that some insecticide-tainted eggs may have entered the country, as millions of chickens faced being culled in the Netherlands in a growing European contamination scandal. Belgium meanwhile vowed full transparency about why it kept the scandal secret despite originally learning in …
Read More »France remains world’s favourite tourism destination
Madrid, Spain | AFP | France retained its position as the world’s favourite tourism destination in 2016, the UN’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Wednesday, defying concerns over terror attacks. The United States came second followed closely by Spain, according to annual figures that the Madrid-based UNWTO normally announces in January, …
Read More »Macron courts the stars; meets Rihanna on education
Paris, France | AFP | France’s Emmanuel Macron continued to reach for the stars Wednesday, hosting R&B icon Rihanna for what she called “incredible” talks at the presidential palace in Paris two days after Irish rocker Bono. Barbados-born Rihanna is an ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education, which is …
Read More »Popularity tumbles for France’s Macron: poll
Paris, France | AFP | A poll out Sunday shows the popularity rating of France’s new President Emmanuel Macron has slumped 10 points to hit 54 percent over the past month. While Macron has made a strong start on the world stage and won a solid majority in parliament, his first …
Read More »US fines BNP Paribas $246 mn over forex oversight
Washington, United States | AFP | US regulators on Monday fined French banking giant BNP Paribas $246 million for poor oversight of its foreign exchange traders who manipulated trading prices. The move came six months after the Federal Reserve permanently barred former BNP trader Jason Katz from the banking industry, …
Read More »Study finds our Sun is like other stars, resolving mystery
Washington, United States | AFP | Our Sun is much like other stars, and not an anomaly because of its magnetic poles that flip every 11 years, scientists said Thursday. The report in the journal Science aims to lay to rest the controversy over whether our solar system’s star is cyclic, …
Read More »Merkel, Macron put defence at heart of blooming ties
Paris, France | AFP | France and Germany agreed Thursday to begin work on a joint fighter jet, a major advance in their relations designed to underline their united front in the face of fracturing Western relations. Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the …
Read More »Who are the 3 African leaders who will sue Transparency over corruption case?
Bata, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | The leaders of the oil-rich African nations of Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo will sue Transparency International over a case in France involving allegedly ill-gotten properties worth hundreds of millions, President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea has said. French human rights lawyer William Bourdon …
Read More »Football: Five facts on new Arsenal striker Lacazette
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Five facts on French international striker Alexandre Lacazette, after he signed for English Premier League side Arsenal on Wednesday for a club-record fee that could rise to 60 million euros ($68m, £52.56m) from Ligue 1 outfit Lyon: Falls foul of Lyon faithful Lacazette may have …
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