France

16 August 2019; DW: Amid ongoing pro-democracy protests, French climber Alain Robert scaled a Hong Kong skyscraper with a reconciliation flag. Robert said he hoped to "raise a smile," but many were less than pleased with the stunt.

Alain Robert, a climber dubbed the "French Spiderman," clambered up a building in Hong Kong on Friday, hosting up a flag meant to symbolize reconciliation between the territory and China.

14 August 2019; DW: Paris police have closed off streets near the Notre Dame cathedral as part of a lead decontamination effort. Several residents and activists had criticized authorities for underestimating the effects of lead pollution.

Paris authorities began decontamination work around Notre Dame on Tuesday, closing off streets surrounding the scorched cathedral.

10 Aug 2019; MEMO: France does not need the permission of other states to try to defuse tensions with Iran, its foreign minister said on Friday after US President Donald Trump accused President Emmanuel Macron of sending “mixed signals” to Tehran, reports Reuters.

PARIS (AP) — The trade war between the United States and China and a broader decline in world economic growth are weakening the demand for oil and pushing prices down, the International Energy Agency said Friday.

The Paris-based agency, which advises many developed countries on energy policies, cut its forecast for oil demand growth this year and next as trade tensions weigh on activity in the energy-hungry manufacturing sectors around the world.

04 August 2019; AFP: A French daredevil who spent years developing a jet-powered hoverboard zoomed across the English Channel on Sunday, fulfilling his quest after pulling off a tricky refuelling manoeuvre that cut short his first attempt 10 days ago.

Franky Zapata blasted off on his "Flyboard" from Sangatte on the northern coast of France at 8:17 am (0617 GMT) for the 35-kilometre (22-mile) trip to St. Margaret's Bay in Dover.

04 August 2019; DW: Dozens have been arrested in Nantes during a protest over police tactics. The death of Steve Maia Canico at a local music festival has become a rallying cry for those criticizing French police for using excessive force.

03 August 2019; DW: A pilot of a firefighting plane has died after his plane crashed while battling a forest fire in southern France. The fire has been blazing for several days and has ravaged nearly 800 hectares in the region.

A firefighting plane battling a forest fire near the southern French commune of Generac crashed on Friday, killing its pilot, local authorities said.

29 July 2019; DW: At least three people were killed when young shooters opened fired at a gas station in southern France. The mayor of Ollioules urged parents to watch their children, saying "delinquency" was at the root of the problem.

A shooting at a gas station in the southern French town of Ollioules on Sunday night killed three people and wounded one other.

Two men and one woman were among those killed, regional newspaper Var-Martin reported.

PARIS, July 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) – French President Emmanuel Macron said he will host his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin for talks at the Bregancon fort off the Mediterranean coast on August 19, just days before a summit of the G7 leaders of industrialized nations.

Macron, who arrived this week for his summer vacation at the medieval French fort on an islet near Bormes-les-Mimosas, announced Putin’s visit to reporters during a visit to the local town on Saturday evening, French news agency AFP reported.

PARIS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- France hopes leaders of G7 would agree on a universal tax of digital activities at the bloc' summit next month in France, French Minister of the Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire said Saturday.

"We hope between now and the end of August -- the G7 heads of state meeting in Biarritz -- will reach an agreement," Le Maire told a press conference.

"The challenge that we have to overcome is the digital economy which is not taxed at the same level as the other economic activities," he said.