France

Paris, Sep 16; AP/GANASHAKTI:  Former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked classified documents detailing government surveillance programs, is calling on French President Emmanuel Macron to grant him asylum.

Snowden, now living in Russia to avoid prosecution in the United States, stressed in an interview broadcast Monday on France's Inter radio that "protecting whistle-blowers is not a hostile act" and that he feels entitled to get protected status in France.

PARIS, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France and Germany have agreed to block Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency, the French finance ministry said on Friday.

In a joint statement, the two governments affirmed that “no private entity can claim monetary power, which is inherent to the sovereignty of nations”.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday that Facebook’s new cryptocurrency should not be allowed to operate in Europe while concerns persist about sovereignty and persistent financial risks.

12 September 2019; AFP: Leonardo da Vinci's famous mechanical lion on Wednesday went on display in Paris for a month, in a tribute to the Renaissance master 500 years after his death.

The lion, which is two metres (six feet, seven inches) high and three metres long and made of wood with a metal mechanism, is a reconstruction based on a rudimentary sketch left by da Vinci.

PARIS (Reuters) - French National Assembly President Richard Ferrand was determined to stay in his job after investigating judges placed the close ally of President Emmanuel Macron under formal investigation in a financial impropriety case, his office said.

Judges in the northern city of Lille questioned Ferrand all day Wednesday in a case that could bring renewed scrutiny to Macron’s promise to clean up French politics.

Ferrand’s office said he denied any wrongdoing, adding he would use the investigation to defend himself and was confident the case would be dropped.

PARIS, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- France on Wednesday warned against any project that would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach lasting peace in the Middle East, reiterating that the two-state solution was crucial to end the years-long conflict.

"France calls on the parties to refrain from any measure likely to undermine the two-state solution, the only way to satisfy the legitimate aspirations of the Israelis and the Palestinians," said the French Foreign Ministry in a statement.

PARIS (Reuters) - Three alleged victims have come forward in a French investigation into whether late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein committed any sex crimes in France, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday.

The people were questioned in recent weeks, it said. A broader appeal for further potential victims to get in touch with investigators has now been launched on social media, the prosecutor’s office added.

PARIS, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed on Sunday to convene a Normandy format meeting to make progress to stop hostilities in eastern Ukraine after detainees swap between Moscow and Kiev raised hope to end the year-long conflict, according to a press release issued by Macron's office.

MONTPELLIER (France), Sept 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French police clashed on Saturday with anti-government protesters seeking to inject fresh momentum into demonstrations calling for social justice and the ouster of President Emmanuel Macron.

The “yellow vest” movement began last November but had tapered off over the summer, but its leaders hope to galvanise support for a fresh wave of rallies across the country as the government begins a reform of France’s retirement system.

PARIS, Sept 8 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — The French government announced on Saturday it has sent 38-strong firefighting brigade to Bolivia and will send three drones to help put out wildfires in the Amazon.

A joint communique from the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior adds that the firefighters and troops from Civil Security left from Vatry airport, in the northern department of Marne, with two tons of equipment that will be donated to fight the flames.

PARIS (Reuters) - France will continue efforts to bring Iran into full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, French defense minister Florence Parly said, adding that U.S. and European moves to strengthen security in the Gulf must be “complementary and well coordinated”.

“We can only confirm our goal, which is to bring Iran to fully respect the Vienna deal,” Parly told a news conference on Saturday with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Paris.

“We must do everything we can to contribute to ease tensions with Iran and to ensure navigation safety,” she added.