France

Yellow Vests launch MEP candidate list

Members of France's Yellow Jackets movement announced the first names on a list of candidates to run in May's European Parliament election, according to French media. The list so far…

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France and Germany sign new bilateral treaty between the two countries for deeper cooperation and paved way for EU reforms

A follow-up pact to the Elysee Treaty marks the latest gesture of friendship between France and Germany. The new bilateral pact pledges deeper cooperation between the two nations and paves…

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France summons Italian ambassador after Di Maio accuses France of exploiting Africa and fuelling migration

France has summoned Italy's ambassador after the Italian deputy prime minister accused the French of exploiting Africa and fuelling migration. On Sunday, Luigi di Maio called on the European Union…

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Wife of former Interpol chief applies for asylum in France

The wife of the former Interpol chief being held in China on corruption charges has applied for asylum in France, her spokesperson has said. Grace Meng was put under police…

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France tiggers hard-Brexit contingency plan

France is to invest €50 million to help its ports and airports cope in the event of a hard Brexit, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Thursday. The planned spending is…

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Massive explosion at Lyon University

A massive explosion has been seen at a university building in Lyon, France. Footage of the blast shows a fireball erupting into the sky above the building where a smaller…

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Fourth victim found under rubble after explosion in Paris bakery

Update via France24 - A powerful explosion and fire caused by a gas leak at a Paris bakery on Saturday killed two firefighters and a Spanish national and injured almost…

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60 arrests made in France following violent clashes with Yellow Jackets protesters

French police made nearly 60 arrests in Paris and dozens more in cities across the country following violent clashes with Yellow Jackets protesters, AFP reported. The Interior Ministry said that 32,000…

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Sunday Morning Briefing and News Paper Review

Good morning, Your morning briefing gives you a roundup of the main headlines from the world and the main stories reported in today's front pages of Malta's newspapers. Latest Headlines Left-wing…

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French Mirage disappears amidst fear it may have crashed

A French Mirage 2000-D fighter jet has disappeared from radar in a mountainous region of eastern France, prompting fears it may have crashed. French officials said the plane vanished from…

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Deal reached brings end to saga of 49 people stranded off Maltese shores

An agreement on a deal has been reached which will bring to end the saga of a group of 49 long-suffering migrants disembarking in Malta from two NGO rescue ships…

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Sicilian notorious mafia boss Totò Riina’s daughter opens Paris restaurant “Corleone”

The daughter of a notorious Sicilian mafia boss has opened a restaurant near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris called Corleone. Lucia Riina, a painter and the youngest child of…

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France and Germany ready to take 100 persons from Malta – Malta insists for redistribution of the 249 migrants which disembarked in Malta in December – EU intensifies diplomatic efforts to solve impasse UPDATED with Maltese Government Position

Update: The government said it would be providing any assistance to the stranded vessels in case of an emergency, adding that any relocation agreement should include 249 migrants rescued by…

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Italy, Germany, France, Portugal, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Romania ready to take persons stranded off Malta, if Malta lets them in

Italy, Germany, France, Portugal, Luxembourg, the Netherland and Romania are reported to have expressed their commitment to take the people stranded off Malta in the diplomatic stand-off which is seeing…

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Swedish ambassador to France questions absence of Police in protests hitting Paris

With no police in sight, Sweden’s ambassador to France called on neighbors to help put out a small fire lit outside her Embassy during “yellow vest” protests against high living…

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Yellow Vest protests degenerate on Saturday afternoon

France's Yellow Vest protesters gathered in cities throughout the country on Saturday in "Act VIII" of their movement against French President Emmanuel Macron's economic policies Saturday began peacefully but degenerated…

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Criticism after Yellow Vest leader arrested by French police

One of the leaders of the "Yellow Vest" demonstrations in France was arrested on Wednesday by police in Paris, before being released on Thursday. This signals a harder line from…

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UK and France agree to step up actions to deal with migrant crossing across English Channel

UK and France have agreed to step up action to deal with migrants making the perilous attempt to cross the English Channel in small boats. An “enhanced action plan” to…

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12-year-old rescue after avalanche in French Alps deemed ‘true miracle’ by rescuers

A 12-year-old boy was found alive and uninjured in the French Alps after being buried under an avalanche for 40 minutes, an event his rescuers are calling a true “miracle”.…

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Russia dismisses calls by Germany and France for the immediate and unconditional release of 24 Ukrainian sailors detained by Russia

Update : Russia on Saturday dismissed a statement by the leaders of France and Germany accusing it of using military force and carrying out illegitimate checks on Ukrainian vessels in…

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French company Vinci acquires 50.01 per cent of Gatwick airport

When drones were spotted hovering around Gatwick airport in the week before Christmas, it was not only flights that were delayed — the airport’s owners had to put the sale…

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Recent attempts by migrants to cross the English Channel into Britain is to be treated as a major incident – Update

The recent attempts by migrants to cross the English Channel into Britain is to be treated as a major incident, the UK's Home Secretary Sajid Javid said. Javid said he…

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Macron expresses his regret for Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he deeply regretted U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. In an abrupt policy shift, Trump announced on Wednesday…

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Brexit – The other side of the ‘equation’

BREXIT isn't just about Britain. On the other side of the negotiating table there are 27 other European States which form the European Union. Some of them reacted as follows…

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Macron promises increase in minimum wage and tax concessions

France's President Emmanuel Macron has promised a minimum wage rise and tax concessions in response to weeks of violent protests. BBC reports that speaking in a televised address to the…

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Macron to meet trade unions, employers and associations of local elected officials and Senate after fourth weekend of protests

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet representatives of trade unions, employers’ organisations and associations of local elected officials on Monday, an Élysée Palace source told France 24 reports on Sunday. Macron will also…

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Hundreds arrested in Paris after new wave of Yellow Jacket protests – Trump uses protest to attack Macron and Paris Climate deal

French authorities arrested hundreds of people on Saturday as a new wave of Yellow Jacket protests got underway in Paris and across the country. More than 600 people were stopped…

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French government to suspend fuel tax

French PM Édouard Philippe preparing to suspend fuel tax increases, according to government source, Euronews reports. Developing Story

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Germany and France seek revival of EU financial transaction tax

Germany and France will on Monday seek to revive the long-delayed EU financial transaction tax by proposing that member states be allowed to use the revenues to reduce their EU…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing with the daily newspaper review and a roundup of the main headlines from around the world. Start your day informed The Malta Independent carries a…

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Macron hold crisis talks after violence in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday surveyed the damage from a day of riots across Paris and led crisis talks that ended with a call for further talks with anti-government…

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French government considers state of emergency over ‘gilets jaunes’ protests

France will consider imposing a state of emergency to prevent a recurrence of some of the worst civil unrest in more than a decade, a government spokesman said on Sunday, as…

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80 injured including 16 police as protests in France end up in clashes

Update : Paris police says at least 80 people have been injured, including 16 police officers, in violent protests in the center of the French capital. Police also say 183…

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Protests in Paris – The Day After

Saturday was a very tense day on the Champs Elysees in Paris as clashes erupted between police and some Yellow Vest protesters. Authorities used water cannons and tear gas for several…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing with a quick roundup of the main headlines from the various portals, agencies and newspapers from Malta, Europe and the world to start your day…

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Yellow vest protests in France continue on Sunday

Fresh clashes in the "yellow vest" fuel price protests across France led to more injuries on Sunday, adding to the more than 400 already reported by the government, as some…

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One dies as 120,000 ‘yellow vests’ demonstrators protested in France against rising fuel costs

A protester has died in an accident and dozens have been injured as demonstrators angry at rising fuel prices disrupt traffic across France. The female protester was struck after a…

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How France and Italy’s rivalry is hurting Libya

Since the 2011 revolution against Muammar al-Qaddafi, Libyans have often blamed outside actors for their continuing woes. Too frequently, this grievance has been overstated and used as an excuse to minimize the…

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100th anniversary of the first world war armistice held in France

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has warned of the dangers of rising nationalism as he addressed Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and other world leaders at a ceremony in Paris to…

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Truce between Trump and Macron on the eve of the Armistice commemoration

It was an awkward truce to avert a Twitter war, a day before the big Armistice Day commemoration in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump, meeting…

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Trump find Macron’s comments on need for European army ‘very insulting’

U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron headed towards a potential clash in talks on Saturday after Trump took offence to what he called a "very insulting" comment…

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UBS faces accusations of laundering the proceeds of tax fraud and illegally soliciting clients in France

French prosecutors argued in a Paris court on Thursday for Swiss bank UBS AG to be fined 3.7 billion euros for helping wealthy French people evade taxes. After a seven-year…

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France considering budget amendment to lower bitcoin related capital gains tax

French lawmakers have adopted an amendment to the 2019 budget bill that will cut capital gains tax on bitcoin sales to 30 percent from 36.2 percent. This will bring cryptocurrency…

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Rescuers find death bodies in site of Marseille’s buildings collapse in city centre

Rescuers have found a second body in the rubble of two buildings that collapsed in Marseille. The buildings - one condemned and apparently vacant, the other containing apartments - collapsed…

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How is France preparing for the eventuality of a ‘No-Deal Brexit’

This looks set to be yet another important week in the Brexit negotiations - but preparations are also being stepped up in case no deal emerges on a withdrawal agreement…

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Macron’s approval ratings continue to drop

French President Emmanuel Macron’s approval ratings continue to slip, with only 26 percent of French people saying they have confidence in him, according to a new opinion poll published Wednesday. That’s…

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France launches nation-wide investigation into incidents of babies born with missing or malformed arms at abnormal rates

France has launched a nationwide probe into incidents of babies being born with either missing or malformed arms after abnormal rates of deformations were detected in several regions of the…

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French, German, Russian and Turkish leaders meet in summit on Syria

A four-way summit on Syria has ended with no major breakthrough, even as the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France agreed that a fragile ceasefire in Idlib should be…

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Former French President Sarkozy loses appeal on election campaign funding

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has lost an appeal against an earlier decision to send him to trial over charges of illegal campaign financing, in a case known as the…

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France plans to introduce congestion pricing

France plans to make it easier for cities to introduce congestion pricing in a bid to reduce traffic jams and air pollution, the transport minister said on Thursday. Elisabeth…

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Turkey to host summit on Syria with Russia, Germany and France next week

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host a summit on the Syria conflict with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France on October 27 in Istanbul, his spokesman said Friday.…

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Macron reshuffles government cabinet

French President Emmanuel Macron reshuffled his government on Tuesday, naming loyalist and head of his ruling party Christophe Castaner to the sensitive post of interior minister. The reshuffle is an…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, The latest revelations from the #DaphneProject dominate the headlines in Malta. The murder of the Bulgarian journalist, almost a year after Caruana Galizia's murder, also leads to focus…

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Macron’s power machine spins out of control (POLITICO)

When Emmanuel Macron swept to power, French media marveled at the organizational skills of a man they dubbed the country’s first “managerial president.” There were wide-eyed articles about Macron’s color-coded…

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Macron accepts interior minister’s resignation

France's Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation of his interior minister, the Elysee Palace said Wednesday, in the latest blow to the president who had earlier refused to allow his loyal…

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Paris to build memorial for heroic animals killed at World War I

After heroically delivering a message in World War I, French pigeon Le Vaillant died of gas poisoning. A century later, it looks as though he and the thousands of other…

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French police raid HQ of Muslim Association in counter-terrorism operation

Around 200 French police officers have raided the headquarters of a Muslim association as well as the homes of members of the club, in a swoop that authorities said was part of…

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