Author: Raimond Broussard

Kylian Mbappé is captaining France to a comfortable start in qualifying for the European Championship though Serbia’s Dušan Vlahović was the standout striker on Monday. France’s 1-0 win at Ireland was earned by defender Benjamin Pavard’s rasping 50th-minute shot that was a rare show of attacking force in Dublin. Like France, Serbia has begun its qualifying program with two wins thanks to Vlahović striking twice late in a 2-0 win at Montenegro. The first in the 78th was a slick first-time shot to meet a cross from the left flank. Poland got its first points after beating Albania 1-0 though it was…

Blihe Waterfall in Bosnia and Herzegovina is at the center of attention of tourists with its natural beauty. Blihe Waterfall, located near the city of Sanski Most in the northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, fascinates its visitors with its nature and beauty. Known for its lush nature and natural beauties in the Western Balkan countries, Blihe, one of the dozens of waterfalls located on the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is shown as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country, with a height of 60 meters between the rocks. While Blihe Waterfall is one of the frequent destinations…

On December 14, the Avaza tourist zone on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea hosted the First Trilateral Summit of the Presidents of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Turkey – Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkmenistan – Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Initially, negotiations were held in a narrow format. Their details are not reported by the press service of the heads of state. Then the meeting continued in an expanded format. The President of Turkey in his speech touched upon the topic of gas transportation security, which has become relevant due to the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. “The importance of energy…

Air France-KLM said today that its 2023 bookings were almost back to pre-pandemic levels as it reported a better-than expected fourth-quarter operating profit with global travel demand seeing a rebound. The airline’s shares rose more than 6% in early trade, hitting their highest since June and outperforming the broader weak stock market. The carrier reported its highest fourth-quarter revenue at €7.1 billion, up almost 50% year-on-year. Operating profit fell 45% to €134m on the back of higher costs including fuel, but it beat estimates. Last year was a difficult one with the travel industry struggling with pandemic-related restrictions and as…

Pro-Russia activists joined nationalist protesters outside the Serbian presidency building this week, in the latest sign of Russia’s growing influence in the country. The protesters chanted slogans such as “no surrender” and “treason”, warning of riots if Serbia backed a European Union plan to normalise relations with Kosovo. Serbian President Alexander Vucic condemned the protesters as “anti-Serbian”, but the government denied that Moscow stoked the protests. The ongoing war has increased tensions in Belgrade, and the president has received death threats if he signed a deal on Kosovo. Three men have been charged with calling for a violent change of…

Renault and Nissan aim to rejuvenate their two-decades-old cooperation with a range of industrial projects as part an agreement that will see Renault reducing its stake in its Japanese partner. The two companies plan to present details of their deal in London on Feb. 6, sources said. Renault, Nissan and junior partner Mitsubishi Motors will embark on about five projects, code-named “reloaded,” with others to follow, sources said. One involves India, where the companies operate a plant on the outskirts of Chennai making small cars, engines and gearboxes, and another is for joint work on commercial vehicles. Other projects will…

A look at France’s rugby team ahead of the Six Nations starting on Feb. 4: FRANCE COACH: Fabien Galthié (4th 6N) CAPTAIN: Antoine Dupont 2022 SIX NATIONS: 1st BEST SIX NATIONS RESULT: Champion 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2022 OUTLOOK: How do you do better than a perfect year? That’s the only real question for coach Fabien Galthié after his team peaked in 2022 by completing a calendar year of test rugby with a perfect winning record for the first time. Ten straight wins extended France’s overall streak to 13, a run that includes victories against everyone else in the…

Chelsea have signed Lyon right-back Malo Gusto for £26.3m, with the 19-year-old spending the rest of the season back in France on loan. Gusto becomes the latest Chelsea arrival, on a seven-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge, and will end 2022/23 with his former club, for whom he has made 15 Ligue 1 appearances this season. His signing takes Chelsea’s January spending past the £200m mark, following on from Noni Madueke’s arrival in West London last week. Lyon head coach Laurent Blanc had previously said that the board had guaranteed to him that Gusto would stay at the club for the…

Some environmental groups have taken legal action against French bottled water and dairy group Danone over its plastic use, accusing it on Monday of failing to sufficiently account for all the plastic used along its production cycles. Danone, the world’s biggest yoghurt maker which also produces infant formula and the popular mineral water brand Evian, said in a statement emailed to Reuters that it was “very surprised by this accusation which we firmly refute”. The case, brought at a Paris civil court on Monday, comes as a growing number of non-governmental organisations are acting against large companies by using a…