France

24 March 2022; MEMO: A French court, on Wednesday, annulled the government's decision to close a mosque near the city of Bordeaux, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Sefen Guez Guez, the lawyer of the Association of the Al Farouk Mosque, said that the Bordeaux Administrative Court annulled the Gironde Governorate's 14 March decision to close the mosque for six months.

Noting that the court's decision was a step against the "unfair" closure of mosques in recent years, Guez added that Muslims can come together in the mosque.

PARIS, March 24. /TASS/: France’s car producer Renault has suspended the operation of its Moscow plant and it is assessing available options regarding the stake in Avtovaz, the company’s press service said in a statement on Wednesday.

PARIS, March 22 (Reuters) - Voters told French President Emmanuel Macron to focus more on the needs of his country in a call-in radio show on Tuesday amid criticism that his last-minute election campaign has been too dominated by the conflict in Ukraine.

Macron, who has spared no effort to mediate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, entered the presidential election race just a month before the first round and has kept the number of campaign events to a minimum.

PARIS, March 20. /TASS/: The French authorities have frozen the funds of the Bank of Russia worth 22 bln euro, as well as accounts and property of individuals sanctioned by western countries, France’s Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire said in live broadcast of the RTL radio station on Sunday.

PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) - A Paris taxi driver whose Tesla Model 3 crashed in December, killing one person, has filed a legal complaint against the U.S. carmaker, his lawyer said on Sunday.

The French government said in the days after the accident that Tesla (TSLA.O) had told it that there was no immediate indication of a technical fault. 

Sarah Saldmann said her client had on Friday filed a criminal complaint with public prosecutors in Versailles alleging that Tesla had "put the lives of others in danger".

PARIS, March 18 (Reuters) - French President Macron on Friday told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that he is "extremely concerned" about the situation in Mariupol, which has been hit by constant shelling over recent days, according to the French presidential office.

The call lasted just over one hour, the Elysee added.

PARIS (AP) — Tired-looking. Unshaven. Wearing jeans and a hoodie. As he runs for re-election next month, French President Emmanuel Macron released unusual pictures of himself working nights and weekends at the Elysee palace, where he is spending most of his time focusing on the war in Ukraine — while avoiding traditional campaign activities.

If it’s a campaign strategy it seems to be paying off, reinforcing his position of frontrunner in the presidential race while making it difficult for other contenders to challenge him.

PARIS, March 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN biodiversity negotiations began in Geneva on Monday to hammer out a global deal to better protect nature that is due for approval later this year.

Almost 200 countries are due to adopt a global framework this year to safeguard nature by mid-century from the destruction wrought by humanity, with a key milestone of 30 per cent protected by 2030.

“The world is clearly eager for urgent action to protect nature,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in a press release.

PARIS, March 15 (Reuters) - The Eiffel Tower grew 6 metres (19.69 ft) on Tuesday after a new digital radio antenna was attached to the top of the Paris monument.

The tower, built by Gustave Eiffel in the late 19th century, now measures 330 metres after the DAB+ (digital audio) antenna was airlifted onto its peak by helicopter under a leaden sky.

PARIS (AP) — France lifted most COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, abolishing the need to wear face masks in most settings and allowing people who aren’t vaccinated back into restaurants, sports arenas and other venues.

The move had been announced earlier this month by the French government based on assessments of the improving situation in hospitals and following weeks of a steady decline in infections. It comes less than a month before the first round of the presidential election scheduled on April 10.