France

PARIS, Jan 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French citizens will be evacuated from the Wuhan area in China that is the centre of a coronavirus outbreak, French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn said.

“French citizens will be repatriated by airplane directly to France, with the agreement of the Chinese authorities. This will take place midweek,” Buzyn told reporters.

PARIS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- French judges placed seven men under formal investigation on suspicion of planning assaults in the western city of Brest, where France's second main military port is located, local radio reported on Saturday.

The men, aged 16 to 38, are suspected of plotting attacks against several targets, the report said, citing a source close to the investigation.

The suspects were put under formal investigation over charges "of belonging to a criminal association in relation to a terrorist undertaking." They would stay in custody pending trial, it reported.

BEIRUT, Jan 26 (NNN-NNA) – French President, Emmanuel Macron, assured that, France is committed to supporting Lebanon to preserve its unity and stability, said a statement by the Lebanese Presidency.

“We hope that this new cabinet works on achieving the Lebanese people’s hopes, by implementing the reforms promised during the CEDRE Conference,” Macron said, during a phone call with Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, to congratulate him on the government formation.

21 January 2020; AFP: Presidents 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 US leaders, who spoke on Sunday, had agreed to give negotiations a chance to "find a solution in an international framework" and avoid "a trade war that will benefit no one".

PARIS (Reuters) - European industrial policy chief Thierry Breton said on Monday that if discussions at the OECD level on taxation for digital companies such as Amazon (AMZN.O) or Google GOO.O do not bear fruit, the European Union will take action.

“I do not know any optional voluntary tax... On the big digital players, this is obviously not an option,” Breton told a news conference. “If it cannot be reached, we would take up the issue at the level of the Commission,” he added.

PARIS (Reuters) - It is up to U.S. authorities to make a move in coming days on a French digital tax targeting big tech companies, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday.

Le Maire also said that European Union would retaliate if the U.S. set up sanctions against France.

PARIS, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French trade unions blocked ports and disrupted power production, searching for a way to force President Emmanuel Macron to ditch a planned pension overhaul as the impact of transport strikes weakens.

Ferry services to Britain suffered delays and at least 20 bulk carriers waiting to export cereals were kept at anchor outside France’s major ports, data from financial data provider Refinitiv showed. Electricity output was down about 9per cent of available capacity.

PARIS (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday he expected carmaker Renault (RENA.PA) to name its new chief executive in a few days.

Le Maire also said on French CNews TV that media reports that some Nissan (7201.T) executives wanted to break up the alliance with Renault were “malicious”.

Nissan said on Tuesday it was “in no way” considering dissolving its alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T) and that the alliance was the source of Nissan’s competitiveness.

PARIS, Jan 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France’s premier will present new proposals on Saturday on the government’s hotly-contested pensions overhaul, seeking to appease unions waging a damaging, weeks-long transport strike.

After a day of meetings with labour bosses which he described as “very frank, very constructive and, I think very useful,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he would unveil “concrete proposals” Saturday “which could be the foundation of the compromise” being sought.

ABIDJAN, Jan 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A child stowaway found dead in the undercarriage of a plane that landed in Paris has been identified as a 14-year-old Ivorian schoolboy, the transport ministry said.

A statement named him as Ani Guibahi Laurent Barthelemy, born on Feb 5 2005 in Yopougon, a rundown district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s economic hub.

“His identity was confirmed by his parents,” the ministry said.