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 …
Read More »West Africans rename common currency, sever its links to France
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Eight West African countries Saturday agreed to change the name of their common currency to Eco and severed the CFA franc’s links to former colonial ruler France. The CFA franc was initially pegged to the French franc and has been linked to the euro …
Read More »French companies keen on partnering with Ugandan firms
Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Following a series of high-level meetings with President Yoweri Museveni and local business executives, Momar Nguer who recently led a business delegation of top French executives to Uganda declared the mission a success. The 25-member delegation recently traveled to Kampala under their MEDEF …
Read More »Canada set to follow France lead in taxing digital giants
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Canada will impose a levy on internet giants such as Amazon, Google and Facebook similar to France’s digital services tax that created tensions with Washington, two ministers said Monday. “We’ve been very clear that we want to make sure that digital companies pay their fair …
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