Author: Gaston Babineaux

British drivers taking their car across the Channel to France this summer have been reminded that they will need to display a clean air sticker if they plan to enter one of several cities, or face a fine of up to €180 (£154). In a similar move to the clean air and ultra-low emission zones that have been introduced in the UK, France has more than 12 zones, including Paris and several others cities popular with UK tourists. The RAC has warned all cars and motorbikes entering such zones across the Channel – even those from abroad – need to display a sticker,…

Eleven people have died in a fire at a holiday home for disabled people in north-east France. The death toll was confirmed by a public prosecutor after firefighters spent hours combing the destroyed building – a converted barn – for the bodies of victims. The private gîte at Wintzenheim in the Haut-Rhin, near Colmar, had been hired by a group from Nancy for the holidays. Lt Col Philippe Hauwiller, of the fire service said the bodies had been found on the first floor of the building and were identified by drones. Hauwiller added: “It’s hard to say at this stage how…

Berlin, Warsaw (11/8 – 60) The Russian invasion of Ukraine has yet to see an end. Russia has mobilized everything in its power to overcome Ukraine, including recruiting citizens of Kazakhstan to join its military forces. Russia lures Kazakh citizens through digital recruitment advertisements, recently prominent on a number of the country’s internet user pages. Several pop-up ads have started appearing on the internet pages of Kazakh residents, announcing openings for enlistment in the Russian army, with a joining-up bonus of more than USD 5,000. The advert cleverly targets the patriotic soft side of the Kazakhs, displaying flags of the…

What is Our Common Agenda of the UNSG ? Published in September 2021, Our Common Agenda Report of the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) is the United Nations’ new road map. It proposes an action plan that aims to ramp up implementation of existing agreements, particularly the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). France supports this crucial initiative in line with its commitments to reinvigorated multilateralism that is adapted to new global challenges. In 2022, the UNSG launched discussion on Our Common Agenda Report conclusions. They should contribute to the adoption by Member States of a Pact for the Future at the Summit of the Future scheduled…

The President, alongside other world leaders, will attend the event slated from June 22 to 23. President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, arrived Paris, France for a two-day New Global Financial Pact summit.  Tinubu was received at the airport by Ambassador Kayode Laro and other top government officials from the Nigerian Embassy and French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the plane touched down at 6:47pm local time. The Nigerian President left Abuja through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport earlier today for the event slated for June 22 and 23. During his time in Paris, the President will to join world leaders…

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance is being investigated by French authorities, according to media reports in France. The investigation is focused on its anti-money laundering procedures. It follows the announcement of the company’s departure from the Netherlands after it failed to obtain a licence from the Dutch central bank. In a statement Binance confirmed French authorities visited its offices last week and will comply accordingly. “We had an on-site visit last week by the relevant authorities. Binance, as always, was fully collaborative and we met our obligations accordingly. We continue to work closely with regulators and law enforcement agencies…

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron buried the latest dispute between their countries Tuesday during a meeting at which they seemed to agree on all topics, from military support for Ukraine to the need to slow down migration across the Mediterranean Sea. One of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, which occurred off southern Greece last week, has injected new urgency into European Union efforts to fix the 27-nation bloc’s immigration and asylum policies. After his talks with Meloni at the French presidential palace, the centrist Macron praised the “good work and coordination between our two countries″ on migration,…

France has hit back at a wave of online scams involving influencers, who have persuaded their followers to part with savings for miracle cancer cures or other fake products. A new law threatens online content creators with steep fines and two-year jail terms for promoting dangerous services or misleading commercial practices. But it is not just the state that has intervened. Audrey, a mother of two children, was so shocked by the power of influencers, some of whom had made their names on reality TV shows, she set up her own Instagram account to call them out. “I told myself…

The HATVP is one of the most powerful and scrutinized institutions in France, as it played a key role in the fall of ex-prime minister François Fillon. A decade after the creation of the most feared ethics regulator in France, former French President François Hollande defended the institution and advocated for the establishment of an EU body in a similar vein — especially in light of corruption scandals such as Qatargate. Speaking exclusively to POLITICO, the Socialist politician addressed growing criticism of France’s ethics body Haute Autorité de la Transparence pour la Vie Publique (HATVP). The regulatory agency was created…

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with a delegation of the European Union led by Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan as part of the Tashkent International Investment Forum, UzA reported. The parties considered various aspects of the multifaceted partnership between Uzbekistan and the EU, primarily in trade and economic sphere. They noted with sarisfaction growth in the volume of mutual trade observed in recent years, the increase in the number of joint ventures and investment projects implemented under the EU GSP+ preferential system. The sides also exchanged views on the current issues of the international agenda. Source: AKI Press