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Stolen Roman Statue Returned To France After 50 Years

David — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 14:01:51 +0000

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Almost half a century after it was stolen, a Roman statue of the god Bacchus has been handed back to the French museum where it was displayed.

The 1st Century bronze of Bacchus as a child was taken by thieves in December 1973, along with 5,000 Roman coins.

Art detective Arthur Brand traced the statue to the museum when a client was offered it by an Austrian collector.

“Fifty years after a theft it’s unheard of that something comes back – normally it’s been destroyed,” he told the BBC.

The 40cm-high (15.7in) statue was dug up on the site of the Gallo-Roman village of Vertillum in eastern France in 1894 and years later featured in a Paris exhibition of France’s finest art pieces.

When Mr Brand handed the statue back to the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais this week, director Catherine Monnet said she realised how much more beautiful it was than the copy that had been put on display.

The Dutch art sleuth, who has built a reputation for tracking down stolen masterpieces around the world, said the museum was “flabbergasted” when he told them he had traced their missing statue.

He described how he had been contacted by a client who wanted to know more about the statue after he was offered it by an Austrian collector, who had bought it legally and in good faith.

There were no databases in 1973 but Mr Brand eventually found a reference to it in an archaeology magazine dating back to 1927, and French police then found their report from the time of the theft.

“I contacted the collector. He didn’t want to have a stolen piece in his collection so he wanted to give it back, but French law dictates that a small amount has to be paid for safekeeping.”

That small amount in relation to the statue’s value is still a considerable sum of money.

While half was paid by the local authority in Chatillon, the rest was provided by an auction house specialising in ancient art in the English port town of Harwich. “The piece belongs in the museum so it’s only right people can get together and make that happen,” said Aaron Hammond of Timeline Auctions.

According to Mr Brand, the museum director cried tears of joy when she saw the statue: “I thought she was going to drop it she was so nervous.”

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French Envoy To Return To U.S. After Fence-Mending Biden-Macron Call

admin — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 05:38:12 +0000

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The U.S. and French presidents moved to mend ties on Wednesday, with France agreeing to send its ambassador back to Washington and the White House acknowledging it erred in brokering a deal for Australia to buy the U.S. instead of French submarines without consulting Paris.

In a joint statement issued after U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone for 30 minutes, the two leaders agreed to launch in-depth consultations to rebuild trust and to meet in Europe at the end of October.

They said Washington had committed to stepping up “support to counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel conducted by European states” which U.S. officials suggested meant a continuation of logistical support rather than deploying U.S. special forces.

Biden’s call to Macron was an attempt to mend fences after France accused the United States of stabbing it in the back when Australia ditched a $40 billion contract for conventional French submarines and opted for nuclear-powered submarines to be built with U.S. and British technology instead.

Outraged by the U.S., British and Australian deal, France recalled its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra.

“The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners,” the joint U.S. and French statement said.

“President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, interacting for the first time since the submarine crisis erupted, had a ‘good exchange’ on the margins of a wider meeting at the United Nations on Wednesday, a senior State Department official told reporters in a call.

The two top diplomats were likely to have a separate bilateral meeting on Thursday. “We do expect that they’ll have some time together bilaterally tomorrow,” the official said and added that Washington ‘very very much welcomed’ France and European Union’s deep engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Earlier on Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki described the call as “friendly” and sounded hopeful about improving ties.

“The president has had a friendly phone call with the president of France where they agreed to meet in October and continue close consultations and work together on a range of issues,” she told reporters.

Asked if Biden apologized to Macron, she said: “He acknowledged that there could have been greater consultation.”

The new U.S., Australian, and British security partnership (AUKUS) were widely seen as designed to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific but critics said it undercut Biden’s broader effort to rally allies such as France to that cause.

Biden administration officials suggested the U.S. commitment to “reinforcing its support to counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel” region of West Africa meant a continuation of existing efforts.

France has a 5,000 strong counter-terrorism force fighting Islamist militants across the Sahel.

It is reducing its contingent to 2,500-3,000, moving more assets to Niger, and encouraging other European countries to provide special forces to work alongside local forces. The United States provides logistical and intelligence support.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. military would continue to support French operations, but declined to speculate about potential increases or changes in U.S. assistance.

“When I saw the verb reinforce, what I took away was that we’re going to stay committed to that task,” he told reporters. – Reuters

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France Cancels Defence Meeting With UK Over Submarine Row, Sources Say

admin — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 08:50:10 +0000

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France has cancelled a meeting between Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly and her British counterpart planned for this week after Australia scrapped a submarine order with Paris in favour of a deal with Washington and London, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Parly personally took the decision to drop the bilateral meeting with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, the sources said.

The French defence ministry could not be immediately reached. The British defence ministry declined to comment.

The sources confirmed an earlier report in the Guardian newspaper that the meeting had been cancelled.

The scrapping of the multi-billion-dollar submarine contract, struck in 2016, has triggered a diplomatic crisis, with Paris recalling its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra.

France claims not to have been consulted by its allies, while Australia says it had made clear to Paris for months its concerns over the contract.

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden will speak by telephone in the coming days to discuss the crisis, the French government’s spokesman said on Sunday.— Reuters

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One Person Found Dead In French Wildfire Near Saint Tropez

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 09:05:22 +0000

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One person has been found dead as French firefighters battled through the night to contain a wildfire in the hills behind the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez, the regional government said on Wednesday.

A government official for the Var region, where the fire broke out on Monday, said the blaze had still not been contained.

Around 20 other people were suffering from inhaling smoke from the fire, whose flames could be seen across much of the Var area.

President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday left his nearby summer retreat to thank the firefighters for their efforts.

Waves of extreme heat have hit much of the Mediterranean region in recent weeks, with wildfires in Spain, Greece, and Turkey raising uncomfortable questions over global warming and countries’ preparedness.

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France’s Renault, China’s Geely To Explore New Hybrid-Focused Venture

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 05:24:43 +0000

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France’s Renault SA (RENA.PA)said on Monday it is looking to revive business in China by forming a hybrid vehicle joint venture with Geely Holding Group (GEELY.UL), a year after it ended its previous operation in the world’s largest car market.

The two companies have signed a framework agreement to set up the joint venture, which would make and sell Renault-branded petrol-electric hybrid cars in China using Geely’s technologies, supply chains, and manufacturing facilities while Renault would focus on sales and marketing.

Reuters reported the plan earlier on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

As part of the partnership, the two automakers also agreed to explore a joint localization of Geely’s Lynk & Co-brand hybrid vehicles in South Korea where Renault has been manufacturing and selling cars for more than two decades.

The venture would focus on China and South Korea initially but would likely be expanded to cover fast-growing Asian markets.

Geely and Renault are also looking at developing full electric battery cars for the venture, one source familiar with the matter said.

The new venture is modeled on an EV-focused venture Geely set up in 2019 with Daimler (DAIGn.DE), which plans to manufacture in China and sell Smart-brand EVs based on Geely technology using Daimler’s global sales network.

The Geely-Renault venture, however, would be completely separate from Geely’s venture with Daimler.

For Geely, China’s biggest local automaker by sales, the newest new joint venture would strengthen its strategy to use partnerships with other automakers to share technologies, supply chains, and manufacturing, which reduces development costs of EV and other future mobility technology.

For Renault, the partnership would help the French automaker rebuild its presence in China after it ended a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group (0489.HK) in 2020.

Renault and Geely would make the cars “in Geely’s existing factories” with an aim to eventually export the vehicles, one document read. However, one source said they were unlikely to immediately disclose which plants production would take place.

The proposed Renault-Geely joint venture could be controlled by Geely, one of the sources said, in contrast to Geely’s Smart joint venture with Daimler, in which both companies have an equal share.

Renault and its global alliance partner Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) had the same Chinese partner Dongfeng before the Renault-Dongfeng joint venture was dissolved.

Renault and Nissan also have long designed, produced, and marketed cars jointly that share platforms and other vehicle components to reduce manufacturing and other costs.

It was not immediately clear how Renault’s new partnership with Geely would impact the Renault-Nissan alliance.

Two Nissan management leaders told Reuters they were unaware Renault was in negotiations with Geely. They said Nissan could possibly benefit if it tapped into Geely’s supply chains but it was too early to assess the impact.

Automakers are keen to use petrol-electric hybrid vehicles, which have better fuel efficiency than all-petrol counterparts, to meet increasingly tougher auto regulations around the world. These hybrid vehicles, which drivers cannot charge with electricity directly, are different from plug-in hybrid cars.

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Sayonara Tokyo, bonjour Paris : l’objectif olympique passe à 2024

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 05:12:15 +0000

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Des milliers de personnes ont fait la fête dimanche à l’ombre de la tour Eiffel pour assister à la cérémonie de clôture des Jeux olympiques de 2020 retardés et célébrer le statut de la capitale française en tant qu’hôte de la pièce maîtresse de 2024.
Le contraste était dramatique après les Jeux de Tokyo qui se sont déroulés dans des stades pour la plupart vides et sous des protocoles stricts de Covid-19.

“Sur le plan émotionnel, cela m’a fait penser aux Jeux olympiques de 2012 et 2016 quand tout un stade est avec vous et vous encourage, ça fait chaud au cœur”, a déclaré la star française du judo Teddy Riner, qui a concouru au Japon.

Les athlètes qui avaient participé aux Jeux de Tokyo ont été acclamés par la foule alors que les pensées se tournaient vers 2024.

“J’ai raté la plupart des Jeux olympiques parce que je travaillais la nuit, donc c’est agréable de revoir les meilleurs moments”, a déclaré Alix, 22 ans, alors que les moments forts des deux dernières semaines étaient retransmis sur un écran de télévision géant.

“Ça fait chaud au coeur de voir le public, on vient de vivre des JO qui étaient un peu différents”, a admis le gymnaste Samir Ait Saïd qui a porté le drapeau français lors de la cérémonie d’ouverture le 23 juillet.

“Ça me booste l’âme dix fois, je’ suis blessé et j’ai déjà envie d’aller m’entraîner !”
Le nageur Florent Manaudou, médaillé d’argent au 50 m nage libre, a prédit que les Jeux de 2024 seront un moment emblématique pour le pays.

“On sent que les fans sont en fête et qu’ils se préparent petit à petit à vivre les Jeux dans trois ans ici.”

Le médaillé d’argent du décathlon Kevin Mayer s’est dit ravi de “voir tous ces petits enfants avec des étoiles dans les yeux”.

“Cela me rappelle moi-même quand j’étais petit.”
À la tête du comité d’organisation 2024, Tony Estanguet a déclaré que les Jeux se déroulent comme prévu.

“Pour le moment, tous les indicateurs sont au vert”, a-t-il déclaré.

Le seul point faible pour les Parisiens a été la décision de ne pas hisser un drapeau français géant à la Tour Eiffel en raison des vents violents.

“Cela aurait été majestueux”, a déclaré Gaelle, une étudiante invitée.

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France’s Macron Calls For Talks To End Conflict In Ethiopia’s Tigray

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:21:49 +0000

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(Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron called for the opening of talks to end hostilities in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement came after calls Macron held earlier in the day with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Sudanese counterpart Abdalla Hamdok.

Macron also said all restrictions should be lifted to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid in Tigray, where thousands of children could suffer life-threatening malnutrition, according to the United Nations children’s agency.

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Les législateurs français approuvent le projet de loi pour lutter contre la quatrième vague de coronavirus

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 04:41:28 +0000

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Le Parlement français a approuvé lundi un projet de loi qui rendra les vaccinations contre le COVID-19 obligatoires pour les agents de santé et exigera un laissez-passer sanitaire renforcé dans un large éventail de lieux sociaux alors que la France se bat contre une quatrième vague de infections à coronavirus.

Les visiteurs se rendant dans les musées, les cinémas ou les piscines en France se voient déjà refuser l’entrée s’ils ne peuvent pas produire un laissez-passer attestant qu’ils ont été vaccinés contre le COVID-19 ou qu’ils ont eu un test négatif récent. Le pass a été requis pour les festivals à grande échelle ou pour aller en boîte.

À partir de début août, le pass sera en outre nécessaire pour entrer dans les restaurants et les bars et pour les trajets longue distance en train et en avion.

Les mesures contenues dans le projet de loi doivent prendre fin le 15 novembre. Un dernier feu vert de la Cour constitutionnelle, la plus haute juridiction du pays, sera nécessaire avant que la loi puisse entrer en vigueur.

D’environ 4 000 nouveaux cas par jour début juillet, les infections quotidiennes en France ont progressivement augmenté, atteignant 22 000 la semaine dernière, avec des hospitalisations également en hausse.

Comme de nombreux autres pays d’Europe, la France est aux prises avec la variante hautement contagieuse Delta, identifiée pour la première fois en Inde, qui menace de prolonger la pandémie et de faire dérailler la reprise économique.

Les autorités redoublent d’efforts pour faciliter la vaccination de masse et intensifient la sensibilisation de ceux qui n’ont pas pris de rendez-vous.

Dimanche, 49,3% des 67 millions d’habitants de la France avaient reçu deux doses – ou une seule injection – d’un vaccin COVID-19, encore loin de tout seuil, selon certains experts, pourrait aider à freiner largement la transmission du COVID-19, un mécanisme appelé ” immunité collective.”

Des experts de l’Institut Pasteur du pays ont déclaré en début d’année qu’un assouplissement total des restrictions dans le pays pourrait être envisagé sans résurgence épidémique si plus de 90 % des adultes recevaient un vaccin.

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Le procureur français ouvre une enquête après une plainte contre le logiciel espion Pegasus

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 10:06:03 +0000

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Le parquet de Paris a ouvert mardi une enquête sur les allégations du site d’information d’investigation Mediapart et de deux de ses journalistes selon lesquelles ils auraient été espionnés par le Maroc à l’aide du logiciel espion Pegasus au cœur d’un scandale mondial.

Une enquête publiée dimanche par 17 organisations de médias, dirigée par le groupe de journalisme à but non lucratif basé à Paris Forbidden Stories, a déclaré que le logiciel espion, fabriqué et autorisé par la société israélienne NSO, avait été utilisé dans des tentatives de piratage réussies de 37 smartphones appartenant à des journalistes. , des représentants du gouvernement et des militants des droits humains.

Mediapart a déclaré lundi dans une série de tweets que les services secrets marocains avaient utilisé Pegasus pour espionner les téléphones portables de deux de ses reporters.

“La seule façon d’aller au fond des choses est que les autorités judiciaires mènent une enquête indépendante sur l’espionnage généralisé organisé en France par le Maroc”, a déclaré Mediapart dans l’un de ses tweets.

Le Maroc a publié un communiqué officiel rejetant ce qu’il a qualifié d'”allégations infondées et fausses”.

Le communiqué du parquet de Paris ne mentionne pas le Maroc mais indique simplement qu’il a décidé d’ouvrir l’enquête après avoir reçu la plainte de Mediapart et de ses reporters.

Il enquête sur une série de crimes potentiels liés au cyber-espionnage.

The Guardian, l’un des médias impliqués dans l’enquête, a déclaré que l’enquête suggérait “un abus généralisé et continu” du logiciel de piratage de NSO, décrit comme un logiciel malveillant qui infecte les smartphones pour permettre l’extraction de messages, de photos et d’e-mails, enregistrer les appels et activer secrètement micros.

NSO a déclaré que son produit était uniquement destiné à être utilisé par les services de renseignement et d’application de la loi approuvés par le gouvernement pour lutter contre le terrorisme et la criminalité. Il a publié une déclaration niant le signalement de Forbidden Stories et de ses partenaires.

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La France signale plus de 10,000 nouveaux cas de coronavirus pour le troisième jour

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 09:20:24 +0000

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La France a signalé dimanche plus de 12.500 nouveaux cas de coronavirus, le troisième jour où le décompte a dépassé les 10.000, alors que la propagation rapide de la variante Delta plus contagieuse de COVID-19 a conduit à un bond de nouveaux infections.

Le ministère de la Santé a toutefois déclaré que les 12 532 nouveaux cas signalés dimanche, qui portaient le total à 5,87 millions, comprenaient des données non publiées la veille.

“Le chiffre journalier publié aujourd’hui (+12 532) ne doit donc pas être interprété comme une augmentation exceptionnelle du nombre de cas quotidiens, dans un contexte néanmoins de forte dynamique dans l’évolution du nombre de cas”, précise-t-il dans une note publiée sur son site Internet.

Le ministère avait signalé 10 949 cas samedi et 10 908 cas vendredi.

La France a également signalé dimanche 891 personnes dans les unités de soins intensifs avec le nouveau coronavirus, soit une augmentation par rapport à la veille, tandis que le nombre total de décès dans les hôpitaux a augmenté de cinq pour atteindre 111.472.

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