Page 4 - France

Dominique Lapierre, French author of The City of Joy', dies aged 91

Dominique Lapierre, the bestselling French author well-known in India for his ode to the city of Kolkata titled The City of Joy', has died aged 91, his wife has confirmed. Lapierre, who was conferred the Padma Bhushan in the 2008 Republic Day honours, founded a humanitarian association with his wife entitled the City of Joy Foundation rescuing children suffering from leprosy from the slums of Kolkata. Dating back to 1981, it was supported by the royalties from his many literary successes. "At 91, he died of old age," the author's wife Dominique Conchon-Lapierre was quoted as saying by the French newspaper Var-Matin' on Sunday. The couple's foundation from the 1980s is believed to have rescued 9,000 children suffering from leprosy and other diseases due to malnutrition and poverty in India. The charity website notes that it has also helped fight back tuberculosis in 1,200 villages, dug 541 tube wells for drinking water, provided medical assistance to over 5 million patients over the

FIFA WC: Mbappe's brace helps France trounce Poland 3-1 to reach QFs

Just before halftime, Giroud handed France the lead, becoming their men's all-time leading scorer. Mbappe then dominated the second half with a magnificent brace

Fifa World Cup FRA vs POL Highlights: Mbappe's brace takes France to last 8

Fifa World Cup 2022, France vs Poland, Round of 16 Highlights: Kylian Mbappe's two rocket goals plus Olivia Giroud's record 53rd international goal took France over the line as they beat Poland 3-1

US, France to form united front to ask Vladimir Putin to end Ukraine war

Both Biden and Putin skipped an opportunity to talk at the recent G20 summit in Bali in Indonesia where India made a strident appeal to find peaceful ways to end the war

French govt calls on high-risk groups to get 2nd Covid booster shot

There is currently a subvariant that is spreading fast in France, French government spokesperson Olivier Veran underlined

Biden says climate law has 'glitches' after criticism by France's Macron

President Joe Biden on Thursday acknowledged glitches in America's clean energy law that have raised concerns in Europe, but said there's tweaks we can make to satisfy allies. Biden made the comments during a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. Biden, who is honouring Macron with the first state dinner of his presidency on Thursday evening, said he and the French president spoke a a good deal about European concerns over his signature climate change law during an Oval Office meeting. Macron has made clear that he and other European leaders are concerned about incentives in the new law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, that favor American-made climate technology, including electric vehicles. Macron said that while the Biden administration's efforts to curb climate change should be applauded, the subsidies would be an enormous setback for European companies.

Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron vow unity against Russia, discuss trade row

Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron vowed to maintain a united front against Russia on Thursday amid growing worries about waning support for Ukraine's war effort in the US and Europe. Biden also signalled he might be willing to tweak aspects of his signature climate legislation that have raised concerns with France and other European allies. Biden was honouring Macron with a grand state dinner Thursday evening - the first of the US president's COVID-19 shadowed presidency for a foreign leader. But following up on Biden's upbeat comments might not go as smoothly as that fancy affair. Republicans who are about to take control of the House have shown less willingness than Biden to spend billions on Ukraine, and Democratic lawmakers said Thursday they were not about to jump back into the climate legislation. In fact, for all the positive statements, Macron's visit to Washington has been tempered by his criticism of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and the challenges both leaders fa

Biden hosts his french counterpart Macron amid friction over US climate law

Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron are celebrating the longstanding US-French relationship but these are friends with differences. The French president is using his visit to Washington to sharply criticize aspects of the US president's signature climate law as a bad deal for Europe. Biden is set to honour Macron with the first state dinner of his presidency on Thursday evening. First, the two leaders will sit down in the Oval Office for morning talks that officials from both sides said were expected to largely center on the leaders' efforts to stay united in their response to Russia's war in Ukraine and to coordinate their approach to an increasingly assertive China. But ahead of Thursday's meeting, Macron made clear that he and other European leaders remain deeply concerned about the incentives in a sweeping new climate-related law that favour American-made climate technology, including electric vehicles. Macron on Wednesday criticised the legislation, known as the Inflatio

French GDP growth slows to 0.2% in Q3 after 0.5% rebound in Q2

France's GDP growth in the third quarter slowed down to 0.2 per cent in volume terms following a 0.5 per cent rebound in Q2

Gland Pharma stock seen underperforming after acquiring France's Cenexi

Lack of near-term visibility on profitability for the core business is another concern about Indian firm

Fifa World Cup: Australia beat Denmark reach Round of 16, Tunisia shock FRA

Fifa World Cup 2022 Highlights: Historic day for Australia as they qualified for the Round of 16 for only the second time in their World Cup history. They beat Denmark 1-0. Tunisia shocked France 1-0

Biden, Macron ready to talk Ukraine, trade during French Prez' state visit

French President Emmanuel Macron is headed to Washington for the first state visit of Joe Biden's presidency a revival of diplomatic pageantry that had been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden-Macron relationship had a choppy start. Macron briefly recalled France's ambassador to the United States last year after the White House announced a deal to sell nuclear submarines to Australia, undermining a contract for France to sell diesel-powered submarines. But the relationship has turned around with Macron emerging as one of Biden's most forward-facing European allies in the Western response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This week's visit it will include Oval Office talks, a glitzy dinner, a news conference and more comes at a critical moment for both leaders. The leaders have a long agenda for their Thursday meeting at the White House, including Iran's nuclear programme, China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and growing concerns about security a

Int'l students contribute 5 bn euros a year to French economy: Survey

The survey identifies five main sources of funding for students, with family support at the top of the list, reports Xinhua news agency

US-France competition heats up for fighter jets to deck INS Vikrant

The intense competition between US aerospace giant Boeing and French major Dassault Aviation to deck their fighter jets on India's INS Vikrant seems to have heated up

French Armed Forces Minister visits indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

A French high-level delegation led by Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu visited the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant on Sunday, said a statement by Southern Naval Command

FIFA World Cup 2022: Kylian Mbappe nets brace as France defeat Denmark

France became the first team to qualify for the Round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 as Kylian Mbappe's brace fired them to a 2-1 victory against Denmark in Group D

Germany, France pledge mutual support to avert possible energy crunch

Germany and France have pledged to provide each other mutual support in preventing a possible energy crisis after supplies from Russia dried up amid the war in Ukraine. As part of a joint agreement signed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Friday, Germany will provide France with electricity while getting much-needed natural gas in return. Friends help each other in need, Scholz said after the signing ceremony in Berlin. Borne echoed that sentiment, saying the friendship between the two European heavyweight was crucial. It has already proved it can withstand tests and master many challenges, she said. Before Russia launched its war in Ukraine nine months ago, Germany was heavily reliant on Russian gas supplies. Since then, Germany has scrambled to find other sources, including by ramping up imports of liquefied natural gas. France, meanwhile, is struggling to meet its electricity needs due to repairs at several of the country's nuclear po

EU weighs plans to impose rules on charity-run migrant rescue ships

European Union interior ministers on Friday weighed proposals to ease tensions between France and Italy over migrants arriving on their shores without authorisation, including a possible crackdown on charity-run ships doing search and rescue work in the Mediterranean Sea. In recent weeks, several hundred people hoping to enter Europe have been stranded at sea aboard aid ships while countries bicker over whether and where they should be allowed to disembark. It comes during a year in which more than 90,000 migrants have so far arrived in Europe though the Mediterranean, chiefly from Libya and Tunisia an increase of almost 50% over the same period in 2021. Almost 2,000 people have died or are missing at sea. A diplomatic row erupted earlier this month when Italy maneuvered France into accepting a humanitarian rescue ship, the Ocean Viking, with 234 migrants aboard. The right-wing government in Rome had refused to grant it access to a port for weeks. France retaliated by suspending i

French Armed Forces Minister to visit India on Sunday for defence dialogue

Minister Lecornu will also meet National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, Ajit Doval for discussions on regional security issues and our close cooperation in combating terrorism

Defending champions France rally from a goal down to trounce Australia 4-1

A brace by Olivier Giroud and a goal each by Adrien Rabiot, and Kylian Mbappe helped defending champions France to carve out an emphatic 4-1 win over Australia