Europe

Macron ‘completely changed’ France’s image, says tech billionaire

by Clare Byrne Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) m– President Emmanuel Macron has “completely changed” France’s image, telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel said Wednesday, crediting the youthful, pro-business politician with attracting an influx of tech talent. “He has given France a pro-startup, pro-entrepreneur image abroad that we did not really have before,” said Niel, who bankrolled a giant startup incubator on the banks of the Seine river in Paris that opened a month after Macron’s election […]

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Trump willing to be questioned ‘under oath’ in Russia probe

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would “love” to be questioned under oath by Russia collusion prosecutor Robert Mueller, saying it could happen in the coming weeks. Trump confirmed that his lawyers are in discussion with Mueller, who is leading the investigation into collusion between the US president’s election campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, and also into allegations that Trump tried to obstruct his probe. “I would love […]

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Tennis: Cornet investigated after missing three drugs tests

PARIS, France (AFP) – Frenchwoman Alize Cornet was placed under a disciplinary investigation on Wednesday after missing three random drug tests, the French tennis federation (FFT) announced. The FFT said they had been informed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) that 27-year-old Cornet, ranked at 42 in the world, had missed the tests in a 12-month period and will not be considered for Fed Cup duty while the inquiry is ongoing. However, she insisted that the ITF […]

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British PM urges social media investors to act on abuse

DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May will encourage activist investors on Thursday to pressure social media firms into clamping down on fake news, hate speech and sexual harassment. “Investors can make a big difference here by ensuring trust and safety issues are being properly considered. And I urge them to do so,” she will say in a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos. She will highlight how a group of shareholders recently demanded […]

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UK’s globetrotting trade chief defends globalism

by Jitendra Joshi Agence France-Presse DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) — Britain will stand by the poverty-alleviating benefits of free trade as it charts its difficult divorce from the EU, a top minister said Tuesday despite the country’s need to cosy up to President Donald Trump’s America. In an interview with AFP at the World Economic Forum, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said he would use the Davos meetings to press Britain’s case in talks with US and other […]

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World powers meet to pressure Syria on chemical attacks

by Valérie Leroux Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Diplomats from 29 countries including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meet in Paris on Tuesday pushing for sanctions and criminal charges against the perpetrators of chemical attacks in Syria. Tillerson and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian will also co-host a meeting of ministers ahead of a new round of peace talks in Vienna later this week and again in Sochi in Russia the week after. The […]

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France’s Carrefour revamps operations with job cuts, China deal

PARIS, France (AFP) – France’s Carrefour group said Tuesday it is overhauling its business in a transformation plan involving thousands of job cuts, a product revamp and new partnerships in China. Carrefour, which was the world’s second-biggest retailer at the start of the century after US giant Wal-Mart, has since slipped to ninth position, according to the Deloitte consultancy, having been overtaken by the likes of Amazon and Costco. “Carrefour has not sufficiently developed with its customers,” […]

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UK man ‘obsessed’ with Muslims hit group with van: court

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A British man “obsessed” with Muslims deliberately drove into a group outside a mosque in an act of terrorism intended to kill as many as possible, a court heard Monday. Darren Osborne is accused of murdering 51-year-old Makram Ali and trying to kill others in the Finsbury Park area of north London in June last year, after growing angry at recent terror attacks and child sexual exploitation scandals involving gangs of mainly […]

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Oil spill disasters in the past 50 years

PARIS, France (AFP) – Concerns are growing over an oil slick off China’s east coast after an Iranian tanker, the Sanchi, exploded and sank a week ago following a collision at sea. Here is a look back at the major oil spills around the world in the past five decades: Shipwrecks – Atlantic Empress and Aegean Captain, 1979: The two Greek-registered tankers collide and catch fire off Tobago in the West Indies, spilling an estimated 287,000 tonnes […]

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Macron hosts 140 CEOs in pre-Davos charm offensive

by Laurence Benhamou Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – President Emmanuel Macron’s campaign for a “French Renaissance” kicks into overdrive Monday as he welcomes 140 multinational business leaders before this week’s jamboree of the rich and powerful in Davos. The business-friendly president will host executives at the grand Versailles chateau near Paris for an event billed as a warm-up for Tuesday’s opening of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountains. Several firms will use the conference […]

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IOC, two Koreas meet to finalise historic Olympic deal

by Ben Simon Agence France-Presse LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) – After the two Koreas struck a deal for the North to attend the Winter Games in the South, Olympic bosses will try Saturday to resolve the devils in the details of the landmark pact. With less than three weeks to go before the Games in Pyeongchang begin, the most momentous decisions have already been made. North and South Korea will march together at the opening ceremony under a […]

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Tensions rise as new inmate attack fuels French prison strikes

by Marie DHUMIERES / Joseph Schmid Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – French police fired tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards at Europe’s biggest jail on Friday, as a fresh assault by inmates on staff at a facility in Corsica fueled demands for better security. The scuffles at the huge Fleury-Merogis prison just south of Paris came as unions were pressing a fourth day of strikes across France sparked by a […]

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