Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | France on Tuesday handed over 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and three amphibious vehicles to the Central African Republic to shore up its beleaguered armed forces. French Defence Minister Florence Parly oversaw the handover at a ceremony at M’Polo military base in the capital …
Read More »France tells Trump to stop interfering in its politics
Paris, France | AFP | The French government on Sunday urged Donald Trump not to interfere in French politics after the US president posted tweets about the protests rocking the country and attacked the Paris climate agreement. “We do not take domestic American politics into account and we want that …
Read More »Over 1,700 arrested in latest ‘yellow vest’ protests in France
Paris, France | AFP | More than 1,700 people were arrested across France during the latest round of “yellow vest” protests, in which demonstrators clashed with riot police, the interior ministry said Sunday. Clashes broke out in several cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse, during a fourth weekend of …
Read More »Western donors pledge over 2bn euros anti-terror aid for Africa’s Sahel
Nouakchott, Mauritania | AFP | Western donors said Thursday they have pledged 2.4 billion euros ($2.7 billion) in funding aimed at preventing terrorism and lawlessness along the southern rim of the Sahara. The updated pledge total was announced in a final statement from a donors conference held in the Mauritanian …
Read More »US urges UN to condemn Iran missile test
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Tuesday urged the UN Security Council to condemn Iran for carrying out a ballistic missile test, describing the launch as dangerous and a violation of a UN resolution. The council met behind closed doors at the request of France …
Read More »Will Macron’s U-turn stop France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests?
Paris, France | AFP | The French government has announced a major U-turn in suspending fuel tax rises in a bid to end increasingly violent demonstrations. But who are the “yellow vest” protesters, and will the tax relief and other concessions be enough to mollify their anger? – Who …
Read More »UN Security Council to meet on Iran missile test
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday at the request of France and Britain after they accused Iran of test-firing a medium-range missile at the weekend, diplomats said. The United States said the missile launch on Saturday was a …
Read More »What next for France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests?
Paris, France | AFP | Protests by people clad in luminous vests have played havoc with traffic across France and prompted violent clashes in Paris in recent days. But who are the “yellow vest” protesters, and what will become of them? What are these protests about? The movement sprang up …
Read More »Macron acknowledges protests, but won’t ‘change course’
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron sought to take the heat out of mass anti-government protests over taxes on Tuesday, saying he had heard the anger but would not change course. The 40-year-old centrist acknowledged that many struggling households felt penalised by an increase in fuel taxes …
Read More »Macron to address nation after violent Paris protests
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron is to address his nation on Tuesday following persistent and sometimes violent protests over fuel taxes that are morphing into a movement against his business- and environment-friendly policies. Paris saw clashes between police and demonstrators Saturday on the Champs-Elysees where barricades …
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