Madrid, Spain | AFP | Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema has mocked France striker Olivier Giroud by likening himself to a Formula One car and Giroud a go-kart. Benzema has not played for France since 2015 and watched from afar as Giroud spearheaded the team’s World Cup triumph in Russia two years ago. With over 500 …
Read More »Son of Congo president not charged in France
Paris, France | AFP | A son of Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso has not been charged in a French probe into the assets in France of the families of several African leaders, his lawyer said Friday, although his name has been cited in the investigation. A lawyer …
Read More »From Singapore to UK via the Alps: how one man spread coronavirus
Paris, France | AFP | A British man managed to pass on the coronavirus to at least 11 other people without ever setting foot in the epicentre of the outbreak in China, in an infectious journey that shows how the deadly virus can spread rapidly around a globalised world. …
Read More »France, US agree to extend digital tax row talks
Paris, France | AFP | Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump have agreed to extend negotiations on a dispute over a French tax on digital giants to the end of the year, postponing Washington’s threat of sanctions against Paris, a French diplomatic source said Monday. The source said the French and …
Read More »W.African anglophone states criticise move to rename CFA
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | English-speaking West African countries on Thursday criticised a move to rename the CFA franc used by former French colonies, saying the move jarred with plans to introduce a region-wide currency of the same name. Members of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) Convergence Council said …
Read More »US wants to reduce presence in Africa, warns top officer
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The United States wants to reduce its military presence in Africa, Washington’s top military officer said, as France hosts Sahel leaders as it seeks to bolster the fight against jihadists in the region. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said …
Read More »France urges US to ‘come to its senses’ on digital tax
Paris, France | AFP | Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called Monday on the United States to not follow through on threats to impose sanctions on France in a dispute over taxation of tech giants and warned of retaliation. “This trade war is in no one’s interest and I call on …
Read More »Merkel, Macron, Johnson agree to work towards ‘reducing tensions’ in Mideast
Berlin, Germany | AFP | The leaders of Germany, France and Britain on Sunday agreed to work towards bringing about de-escalation in the Middle East amid heightened tensions following the US drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, a German government spokesman said. “The chancellor, the French president and …
Read More »France says world ‘more dangerous’ after US killing of Iran general
Paris, France | AFP | The US killing of a top Iranian military commander has made the world “more dangerous,” France’s Europe minister said Friday, calling for efforts to de-escalate the deepening conflict in the Middle East. “We have woken up to a more dangerous world,” Amelie de Montchalin told …
Read More »Born to revolt: Why the French go on strike
Paris, France | AFP | France, it sometimes seems, is either in the throes of a major strike or facing the looming shadow of one. Workers in the country go on strike more than most nations in Europe. The current open-ended stoppages, which began on December 5, have halted most public …
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