France

PARIS (AP) — A former Liberian rebel is going on trial Monday in Paris on charges of crimes against humanity, torture and acts of barbarism during the West African country’s civil war in the 1990s.

Kunti Kamara, 47, is notably accused of “complicity in massive and systematic torture and inhumane acts” against the civilian population committed in Liberia’s Lofa county in 1993-1994, as one of the leaders of the Ulimo armed group. He was then less than 20 years old.

He was arrested near Paris in 2018 and faces life imprisonment.

PARIS (AP) — Nicolas Toulliou had just proposed marriage to his girlfriend. Nelson Marinho Jr. was heading off on a new oil exploration job. Eric Lamy was about to celebrate his 38th birthday.

They were among 228 people killed in 2009 when their storm-tossed Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris slammed into the Atlantic. After more than a decade of legal battles, their families at last have a chance at justice.

PARIS, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- France's energy sobriety plan will cost 800 million euros (785 million U.S. dollars), Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on Thursday.

Pannier-Runacher also presented the measures to be taken by the government.

Public lighting in the streets will be on for less time and less intensively, companies must commit to switching off the lights in unoccupied buildings, and working from home will be encouraged in public administrations. Remote working allowance for public servants will be increased by 15 percent.

6 October 2022; MEMO: Eutelsat alleged, on Thursday, that Iran had jammed two of its satellites since 26 September, adding that it had asked the relevant authorities to stop the interference immediately Reuters reports.

Paris-based Eutelsat also said in a statement that it had reminded the Iranian authorities that intentional jamming is "explicitly prohibited" by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations.

PARIS, Oct 6 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged the governments of its member States to increase support for teachers, warning of a deficit of 69 million teachers to provide universal basic education by 2030.

On World Teachers’ Day, celebrated every Oct 5 since 1994, UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay called attention to a phenomenon that hits hardest in sub-Saharan Africa.

4 October 2022; MEMO: France's far-right politician, Marine Le Pen, has demanded more mosques be closed in the country, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Her demand comes despite the closure of 24 mosques in France in the past two years upon the order of Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin.

In an interview with French TV channel, BFMTV, Marine Le Pen said: "He (Darmanin) closes a mosque there, a mosque here. He dismisses a preacher once in a while, but he must close all extremist mosques in our lands."

PARIS (AP) — Paris will not broadcast World Cup matches on giant screens in public fan zones amid concerns over rights violations of migrant workers and the environmental impact of the tournament in Qatar.

It follows similar moves by other French cities, despite France going in as the defending champion.

“There is the problem of the environmental impact,” Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, told France Bleu Paris radio on Tuesday, citing “air-conditioned stadiums.”

PARIS (AP) — Turmoil at the French Olympic Committee is casting yet another shadow on French sports in the buildup to the Paris Olympics.

Since the committee removed secretary general Didier Seminet last month, president Brigitte Henriques has started suing him for “psychological violence.”

The committee confirmed Henriques began the legal action but declined to make further comments about the case when contacted by The Associated Press on Monday.

29 Sep 2022; MEMO: The government in France has announced that it is closing another mosque. Media reports yesterday said that the closure of the Obernai Mosque in the Bas-Rhin region is because the Imam has been accused of extremism, taking an anti-French position and making provocative comments against the values of the republic.

PARIS (AP) — France forecasts growth to slow down substantially next year in the EU’s second-biggest economy, amid fears of a recession in neighboring Germany as the economic situation in Europe is slammed by the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

France’s budget, presented Monday in a Cabinet meeting, is based on an predicted growth of 1% next year — down from an estimated 2.7% this year.

As the country faces soaring energy and food prices, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said inflation in France is expected to reach 6% in the coming months and 4% later next year.