France

A FRENCH ARMY BASE, France (AP) — Battle cries pierce the smoke and rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire as Ukrainian soldiers fight through and take enemy trenches and dugouts that hide gruesome, bloody remains.

“Grenade!” one screams in Ukrainian. Another yells: “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

This time, no lives or limbs were lost. Because this time, the rounds fired were blanks and the “enemy” troops were, in fact, French soldiers whose intention was not to kill the Ukrainians but instead to help shape them into better, more lethal warriors.

PARIS, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Thousands of marchers joined lawmakers in Paris on Sunday to condemn a surge in antisemitic acts in France during the conflict in the Gaza Strip, but arguments over political participation clouded an intended show of unity.

The protest, called by the leaders of France's two houses of parliament, was prompted by a three-fold increase in the number of antisemitic incidents compared with the whole of 2022, according to French authorities, since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

PARIS (AP) — Western and Arab nations, international agencies and nongovernmental groups stressed the urgent need for aid for Gaza civilians at a Paris conference Thursday, held as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory worsens amid Israel’s massive air and ground campaign against Hamas.

The gathering ended a few hours before the White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in Gaza, starting on Thursday.

PARIS (AP) — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has set off a cacophony of criticism over her plans to attend a weekend march to protest rising antisemitism in France, with critics saying that her once-pariah party has failed to shake off its antisemitic heritage despite growing political legitimacy.

09 November 2023; MEMO: Thirteen NGOs held a news conference, Thursday, in Paris to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after attending an international conference on humanitarian aid for the Gazan population, Anadolu Agency reports.

The conference that was organised by President Emmanuel Macron was aimed at mobilising the main players in the humanitarian response in Gaza and to determine concrete action to support the Palestinian residents.

09 November 2023; MEMO: Israeli officials have refused to attend today’s “humanitarian conference” for Gaza in Paris, organised by French President Emmanuel Macron. Despite its absence, Macron’s office insists that Israel shares “an interest in the humanitarian situation improving in Gaza.”

Macron and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conversation on Tuesday, and they are scheduled to engage in further discussions following the end of the aid conference, explained the Elysee Palace.

PARIS (AP) — Western and Arab nations, international agencies and nongovernmental groups stressed the urgent need for aid for Gaza civilians at a Paris conference Thursday, held as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory worsens amid Israel’s massive air and ground campaign against Hamas.

The gathering ended a few hours before the White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in Gaza, starting on Thursday.

PARIS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - France will send dozens of armoured vehicles to the Lebanese army so it can properly carry out patrol missions in the country, France's defence minister said in remarks published on Monday.

Speaking to Lebanon's L'Orient Le Jour newspaper after a trip to the country, Sebastien Lecornu said it was vital to beef up the Lebanese national army so that it could coordinate well with the United Nations peacekeeping force as tensions mount between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

PARIS (AP) — French power network operator Enedis said Sunday that one of its technicians was killed as it battles to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes in the wake of major storms.

The 46-year-old man killed Saturday was working in a rapid-reaction force deployed in the Brittany region of northwest France that was battered Thursday by Storm Ciarán. Packing record-breaking winds and rain, the storm killed 14 people across Europe.

PARIS, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Russian tycoon Alexey Kuzmichev has been detained for questioning in France in connection with alleged tax evasion and money laundering and for violating international sanctions, the French Financial Prosecutors’ office said on Tuesday.

Searches took place on Monday at Kuzmichev's Paris home and in the Mediterranean Var region as part of the investigation, the office said, confirming a report in French daily Le Monde.

Kuzmichev was still being detained on Tuesday but has not yet been charged in the case.