Paris, France | AFP | Some 15 suspected jihadists have been killed near the Niger-Mali border by a joint franco-nigerien task force, the French military high command said. “On the night of December 27 (…) an air raid mounted by fighters and Tiger attack helicopters struck” jihadists gathered near Tongo …
Read More »French ‘yellow vest’ protests planned for Saturday, New Year’s Eve
Paris, France | AFP | The “yellow vest” anti-government protests that have rocked France will be held on Saturday and New Year’s Eve, and continue into 2019, several sources in the movement said Thursday. “The yellow vests are still mobilised,” said Laetitia Dewalle, one spokeswoman of the protest movement which …
Read More »100 years ago, airmail took flight
Paris, France | AFP | On December 25, 1918 a daring French industrialist launched the world’s first ever airmail service, flying between the southwestern French city of Toulouse and Barcelona in northeastern Spain. It was the beginning of an adventure which would soon see pioneering pilots from the company, best …
Read More »Mars InSight deploys French-made quake sensor on Red Planet
Washington, United States | AFP | The US space agency’s unmanned Mars Insight lander, which touched down on the Red Planet last month, has successfully deployed its key, quake-sensing instrument on the alien world’s surface, NASA said Thursday. The seismometer, known as the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS, …
Read More »Macron calls for order after ‘yellow vest’ attack on police
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron called for “order” on Sunday after a sixth weekend of “yellow vest” anti-government protests marked by dwindling participation and a violent attack on police in Paris. Speaking during a visit to the central African state of Chad where he was visiting …
Read More »Macron takes champagne and foie gras to French soldiers in Chad
N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron paid a pre-Christmas visit to French soldiers in Chad on Saturday, bringing enough champagne, foie gras and chocolate for 1,300 troops along with him. Macron landed at Kossei air base near N’Djamena, the nerve centre of Operation Barkhane, a four-year campaign …
Read More »Oil giant Total fined in France for Iran corruption
Paris, France | AFP | A French court on Friday fined oil giant Total 500,000 euros ($575,000) for corruption over bribes it paid to secure a huge gas concession in Iran in 1997. The French company was accused of paying $30 million in bribes in return for help in securing …
Read More »France boosts pay for police in wake of ‘yellow vest’ protests
Paris, France | AFP | The French government will give police officers a long-sought raise after a strike called in the wake of the “yellow vest” anti-government protests, which have strained security forces already on high alert after years of jihadist terror attacks. The accord was announced just before midnight …
Read More »France fines Uber 400,000 euros over huge data breach
Paris, France | AFP | France’s data protection agency said Thursday that it had fined the US ride-hailing group Uber 400,000 euros ($460,000) over a 2016 data breach that exposed the personal data of some 57 million clients and drivers worldwide. Uber drew the wrath of users and regulators after …
Read More »France to push ahead with digital tax starting January 1
Paris, France | AFP | France will push ahead with its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday, as the European Union struggles to finalise a new EU-wide levy. France has been driving hard for a new so-called “GAFA …
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