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Louvre Museum in Paris closes for security reasons

The museum, the largest in the world, was evacuated and closed at midday on Saturday amid security reasons….reports Asian Lite News

Citing security concerns, Paris’ iconic Louvre Museum on Saturday abruptly closed its doors to the public. “For security reasons, the Musee du Louvre is closing its doors today, Saturday, October 14,” the museum said on X.

“Dear visitors, For security reasons, the #Louvre museum is closing its doors today, Saturday, October 14. People who have booked for a same-day visit will be refunded. We thank you for your understanding,” as per the museum’s post on X.

The museum, the largest in the world, was evacuated and closed at midday on Saturday amid security reasons.

It has been reported that France is on an “emergency attack” alert a day after an attack in Arras. The Louvre is a national art museum in Paris, France which is home to works like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

A school teacher was killed and two students were left injured after a stabbing incident in northern France, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

The incident happened at a high school in Arras, France and the suspect was arrested at the scene.

This comes as Israel and Hamas are engaged in an intense battle after the latter launched a surprise attack on the former on October 7, launching a barrage of rockets into Israel, leading it to an even stronger counter-offensive.

Reacting over the incident, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the stabbing happened in Arras, a city in northern France.

“A police operation took place at the Gambetta High School in Arras. The perpetrator was arrested by the police,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

After the incident, President Emmanuel Macron was en route to the school and France’s anti-terrorism prosecution office said it was opening an investigation, The Washington Post reported.

The attacker was allegedly a man of Chechen origin and was known to the security services for his involvement with radical Islam, The Washington Post reported citing Europe 1, a radio station.

It further reported citing French media reports that the attacker was a former student at the school. Further details are underway in the case. 

ALSO READ: Vivek Ramaswamy Eyes Stronger India Ties

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Europe

Nearly 100 arrested on fifth night of unrest in Paris

Yesterday, the mayor of a Paris suburb said his home was attacked, calling it “an assassination attempt” on his family, as per reported by CNN…reports Asian Lite News

At least 78 people were arrested across France, including 20 in Paris, following unrest after the death of the teenager, who was fatally shot by a police officer in a Paris suburb, BFMTV reported.

BFM TV is a 24-hour rolling news and weather channel based in France and available globally via digital, cable and satellite television. The situation seemed calmer on Sunday with 45,000 gendarmes and police mobilized in the country after five consecutive nights of riots.

France has been rocked by a wave of protests following the death of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old of Algerian descent who was shot by a police officer in Nanterre earlier in the week.

Earlier on Sunday, the grandmother of the teenager appealed to protesters to end the violence and said that they should not damage schools or buses, CNN reported.

While talking with CNN’s affiliate BFMTV, the victim’s grandmother requested the protesters on Sunday and said, “They should not damage the schools, not break the buses, it was the moms who take the buses.”

“I’m tired,” the grandmother said, adding that Nahel’s mother, “doesn’t have a life anymore.”

Yesterday, the mayor of a Paris suburb said his home was attacked, calling it “an assassination attempt” on his family, as per reported by CNN.

“At 1:30 am, while I was at the city hall like the past three nights, individuals rammed their car upon my residence before setting fire to it to burn my house, inside which my wife and my two young children slept,” said Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun of L’Hay-les-Roses, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, in a statement.

“While trying to protect the children and escape the attackers, my wife and one of my children were injured.”

Jeanbrun said that he had “no words strong enough to describe his emotion towards the horror of this night” and thanked police and rescue services for their help, CNN reported.

The Creteil prosecutor’s office has classified the incident as an “attempted murder,” prosecutor Stephane Hardouin told reporters Sunday.

Since the protest started on Tuesday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Saturday that most of the detained people are minors. The minister added that the average age of the more than 2,000 detainees is 17 years old.

Macron condemns attack on Paris Mayor’s home

Slamming the attack on Paris Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun’s home early Sunday morning, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, called the incident “particularly shocking” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

He made the remarks during her visit to the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris on Sunday. Along with her, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also visited the Paris suburb to show their support for local mayor Vincent Jeanbrun.

Amid the heavy protests, the house of a Mayor of a Paris suburb was attacked early Sunday morning.

Earlier in the day, PM Borne took to Twitter and called the attack as an “intolerable act” adding that the perpetrators will be prosecuted with the “utmost firmness”.

“The attacks on the mayor @VincentJeanbrun and his family are intolerable. To this elected representative of the Republic and to all the elected victims of violence, I repeat my solidarity and that of the Nation. The culprits of these heinous acts will be prosecuted with the utmost firmness,” he said on Twitter.

At the time of the attack, mayor Jeanbrun was staying in the heavily barricaded town hall. The rioters torched his car and rammed their own vehicle into his house. The mayor’s wife and two children were able to escape through the backyard during the assault, France 24 reported.

“At 1:30 a.m., while I was at the city hall like the past three nights, individuals rammed their car upon my residence before setting fire to it to burn my house, inside which my wife and my two young children slept,” said mayor Vincent Jeanbrun.

Protests have erupted in France after the death of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was shot by a police officer in Nanterre earlier this week. The funeral of Nahel Merzouk took place at a mosque in Nanterre on Saturday amid heavy security presence.

Meanwhile, Germany is also watching the intense situation in France “with concern” and expressed confidence that the French President will find ways to improve the situation.

A day after President Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to his country over the violence, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that he was following riots in France “with concern”, France 24 reported.

France is a “friendly neighbouring country” and Paris and Berlin together “make sure that the European Union, which is so important to our common future, works well,” Scholz told broadcaster ARD in an interview.

“That is why we are of course looking at (the riots) with concern, and I very much hope, and I am certainly convinced, that the French president will find ways to ensure that this situation improves quickly,” France 24 quoted Scholz as saying.

The German presidency announced Saturday that Macron was cancelling his scheduled visit over the nationwide violence in France.

The death of Nahel Merzouk has sparked a debate on policing in France’s marginalised communities and raised questions on whether race played a role in his death, the CNN report said.

The officer who is accused of shooting him was taken to jail. Nahel Merzouk’s mother Mounia while speaking to television station France 5 on Friday blamed only the officer who shot her son for his death. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Nahel’s grandma pleads for halt to rioting in France

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Paris hosts India-France strategic space dialogue

France’s support was vital in India’s accession to MTCR, WA and AG while France continues to support India’s bid for accession to the NSG…reports Asian Lite News

The inaugural India-France strategic space dialogue was held on Monday in Paris.

“The inaugural India-France Strategic Space Dialogue was held in Paris on 26 June 2023. The Indian side was led by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and the French side by Secretary-General, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Anne-Marie Descotes,” read the Ministry of External Affairs press release. Both India and France have deepened their cooperation to address contemporary trends in international affairs such as unfolding strategic complexities in the Indo-Pacific Region.

In 2022, India and France agreed to set up an Indo-Pacific Trilateral Development Cooperation Fund that will support sustainable innovative solutions for countries in the Indo-pacific region.

India and France’s strategic relationship has improved in the past few years. Air India will acquire 250 aircraft, including 40 wide-body planes, from Airbus, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said in February at a virtual event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.

France has emerged as a key defence partner for India, becoming the second largest defence supplier in 2017- 2021.

India and France support a multi-polar world order. France has continued to support India’s claim for permanent membership of the Security Council and the reforms of the United Nations.

France has provided consistent support to India’s candidature for membership in all four Multilateral Export Control regimes, viz. Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) and the Australia Group (AG).

France’s support was vital in India’s accession to MTCR, WA and AG while France continues to support India’s bid for accession to the NSG.

India and France have had regular exchanges of visits at the highest level. PM Modi is expected to attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on July 14 in Paris.

PM Modi has been invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Parade in Paris.

According to the official statement, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Parade alongside their French counterparts.

PM Modi’s visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, the official statement read. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Global financing summit kicks off in Paris

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Global financing summit kicks off in Paris

Stressing on the involvement of developing countries in the global fight against the climate crisis, Macron called for ‘climate solidarity’…reports Asian Lite News

The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact kicked off at Paris on Thursday, with more than 300 participants from various sectors. The two-day summit is being held at the Palais Brongniart, which used to house the Paris stock exchange.

The international financing system “is the fruit of a past consensus, which was able to show its effectiveness,” but it “is no longer entirely suitable, and must be realigned with our objectives,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in his opening speech.

Macron called for more funding to meet the challenges of poverty, biodiversity and climate. He told delegates that the world needs a “public finance shock” — a global push of innovation and financing in order to combat these challenges considering that the current system was “not well suited to address the world’s challenges.”

“Facing these challenges at the same time, poverty, climate and biodiversity, we must invest more, and we are not up to the task,” he added at the beginning of the two-day summit.

Stressing on the involvement of developing countries in the global fight against the climate crisis, Macron called for ‘climate solidarity’.

The participants are expected to discuss climate change-related financing issues through six round tables, including overhauling the international financial architecture, restoring confidence, forging partnerships for strategies, and creating a conducive environment for the private sector.

According to a Le Monde report, the global financing summit seeks to ‘redefine North-South relations’. Around 50 heads of state from across the globe, along with representatives from international institutions and civil bodies, are attending the summit.

“The objective of this ambitious conference is to “build a new contract between [the global] North and South,” said Macron. The aim is to “address the needs of developing countries in their fight against poverty and their adaptation to global warming,” he added. The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact will aim to materialise an investment surge for countries in need.

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Atleast 30 injured in Paris explosion

The building was initially engulfed by fire, but the blaze was later brought under control, said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez…reports Asian Lite News

Thirty-seven people have been injured, four of them seriously, after a large explosion in central Paris, authorities said.

The blast took place on Wednesday in a building that housed a design school and the Catholic education system headquarters in Rue Saint-Jacques, in the fifth arrondissement of the French capital, BBC reported.

Emergency workers are searching through the wreckage of the building, with atleast two reported to be missing.

According to witnesses, there was a strong smell of gas before the blast, BBC reported.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said after arriving at the scene that initial checks of camera footage suggested the explosion occurred within the building, which was next to the Val de Grace church.

However, the authorities have said the cause of the blast has not yet been determined, BBC reported.

The building was initially engulfed by fire, but the blaze was later brought under control, said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez.

The area has been cordoned off and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has been to the scene.

He said sniffer dogs had identified where further victims might be found under the rubble.

The area where the explosion took place runs south from the Latin Quarter in Paris’s Left Bank area that is popular with tourists and known for its student population.

A student at Ecole des Mines on Boulevard Saint-Michel told Le Parisien: “I was in front of the Val de Grace, I heard a huge boom and I saw a ball of fire 20 or 30m high. And the building collapsed with a huge noise. I smelled gas, but took several minutes to come to my senses.”

Another witness, Antoine Brouchot, told the BBC he was at home when he heard a “big explosion”.

“I stuck my head out of the window and looked towards Cochin (hospital), then I saw a big cloud of smoke and as I got closer, there was a building that had collapsed and for the moment, there is a fire.”

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Goyal to co-chair India-France business summit in Paris

Goyal will be on an official visit to France and Italy from Tuesday-Thursday during which he would be accompanied by a delegation of top Indian CEOs…reports Asian Lite News

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal will lead the Indian delegation at India-France Business Summit, commemorating 25 years of India-France friendship, on Tuesday in Paris.

Goyal and Olivier Becht, France’s Minister delegate of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad will co-chair the India-France Business Summit. The summit will focus on themes including building a green future, emerging technologies, defence cooperation and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, an official release said on Sunday.

The business summit and CEO roundtable are being organised by the Embassy of India in Paris in partnership with Medef, CII, Business France and IFFCI.

400-plus participants have registered for the business summit and have shown tremendous enthusiasm.

Minister Goyal is also scheduled to meet with French business leaders across various sectors and will attend a CEOs roundtable.

Goyal will be on an official visit to France and Italy from Tuesday-Thursday during which he would be accompanied by a delegation of top Indian CEOs.

“Goyal along with French Minister Olivier Becht will participate in a gala dinner event hosted by the Ambassador of India to France and Monaco Jawed Ashraf that will showcase India’s cultural heritage and soft power and expected to witness the participation of 650+ dignitaries from the French government, the Indian Business Diaspora in France and members of French business community. The Minister will also be interacting with members of the Indian community in Paris,” stated the release by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The minister will later travel to Rome in Italy where he would meet Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation followed by a networking dinner with dignitaries from the government and industry.

He is also scheduled to meet top Italian CEOs for bilateral meetings followed by a CEOs Interactive Business Session, where 35 CEOs are likely to participate. This would be followed by a meeting with Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, who would also interact with Indian CEOs.

This upcoming visit is expected to provide further momentum to bilateral relations with India’s key business partners in the European region. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Streets and fields seethe with protest in France

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Macron launches countdown to 2024 Paris Olympics

Macron also made reference to the ambitious 1.4-billion-euro scheme to clean the polluted waters of Paris’ main river artery…reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron launched the 500-day countdown to the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics on Tuesday, bringing the public up to date with his government’s hopes for the Games, including the ambitious use of the Seine.

Macron addressed hundreds of officials at a “speech of thanks” in the Paris police headquarters, saying that though plans are advancing “nothing should be taken as a guarantee.”

“All that remains for us are 500 short days that separate us from the extraordinary events that are the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, (where) we are going to host the world,” Macron said.

In the speech and on Twitter, Macron thanked the 45,000 volunteers mobilizing to make the Games “a success” and again trumpeted the 5,000 new sports grounds that are in the works. Officials are pushing to get infrastructure and sites ready in time, with projects pockmarking many of Paris’ boulevards.

Macron also made reference to the ambitious 1.4-billion-euro scheme to clean the polluted waters of Paris’ main river artery.

“The Seine and the Marne (rivers) will be made swimmable,” he said.

Several events are to be held in the Seine, including the 10-kilometre swimming marathon — in a mirror of the first Paris Olympics in 1900.

Macron also hopes to ditch tradition by staging the opening ceremony on water in an ambitious plan that will see craft floating on the Seine by the Eiffel Tower — as millions watch.

The Paris Games’ budget is at 4.4 billion euros, according to an Elysee official who spoke anonymously in line with the French presidency’s customary practices.

“The first phase of ticket sales is encouraging,” the Elysee official said. He added that the huge demand for tickets during the first phase of sales earlier this month, when more than 3 million tickets were sold, has made Macron confident that securing the funds for the Paris Games is on track.

Macron has not yet weighed in on a Ukrainian-led call for a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

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Sport Sports

Indian wrestlers hope for tough tasks at Paris

Wrestling as a sport has a rich history, and it has been part of the Olympics since 1896. It is one of the few sports which featured in every Olympic right from 1896….writes Chetan Sharma

As expected, Indian wrestlers had a medal rush as they got a perfect 12 at the Commonwealth Games from their contingent. However, a tougher test awaits them at Asiad, World Championships and Paris Olympics.

Before the start of the Birmingham Games, we had said that the Indian grapplers had a great opportunity to bag 12 medals in all their weight categories. And the results are in front of everybody to see.

Well, there is no rocket science to it. Actually, the past records have suggested that the CWG have always been a happy hunting ground for the Indian wrestlers. And the reason is the level of competition in CWG.

In 2022, the nation ruled the wrestling mat in a depleted field, getting medals in all 12 weight categories and also improving the gold tally from previous editions’ five to six this time.

Asked ‘if it is enough?’ Wrestling ‘gurus’ have their opinions.

“Gold medallists are fine, because they can’t go beyond gold (laughs). But that doesn’t mean they should not work on their weaknesses. Like the margin of win can be improved. But whoever loses gold, will have to work hard as the level of competition will go up from here to Asiad, Worlds and then the Paris Olympics.

“I was impressed with many wins by fall. This is good for wrestling,” a former coach told.

Another coach said, “Women could have won five gold medals. Not impressed with the number frankly. Nothing less than gold in CWG excites me. Paris is too far, so WFI (Wrestling Federation of India) must plan accordingly and grapplers need to give everything in training.”

With a good show at CWG 2022, wrestling fans would be upset with the news that the sports will not be part of the 2026 Games as the host nation Victoria has decided to exclude shooting and wrestling. However, the matter is still in discussion and the decision might get changed (under pressure from several nations).

Wrestling as a sport has a rich history, and it has been part of the Olympics since 1896. It is one of the few sports which featured in every Olympic right from 1896.

Focusing on India’s ‘Road to Paris’ blog, if one checks records, the country has so far won seven medals in wrestling in Olympics.

The first Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal was K.D. Jadhav, who won bronze way back in the 1952 Helsinki Games. Though India’s next triumph came after a long wait of 56 years with Sushil Kumar’s bronze at Beijing 2008. From there on, India has won at least one wrestling medal in each of the last four Olympics.

The latest Olympics medallists in wrestling are Ravi Dahiya (Silver) and Bajrang Punia (Bronze) from Tokyo 2020. Both are in prime form as they also won gold in Birmingham.

Apart from them, few familiar names continued their dominant run, youngsters shot to the limelight, and old guards successfully sought redemption in Birmingham. Sakshi Malik scripted a superb comeback after she was written off following her failure to qualify for Tokyo Olympics. Deepak Punia dethroned two-time gold medallist from Pakistan, Muhammad Inam, to win Gold.

Young Anshu Malik lost her final but finished with a silver in her maiden Commonwealth Games appearance. Vinesh Phogat overcame the lows of Tokyo Olympics and her battle with mental health to become the first Indian woman to win three successive Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya needed a little less than seven minutes to win his maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal as the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist was at his dominant best in the men’s 57kg category. On the other hand, the 19-year-old Naveen won Gold, beating Pakistan’s Mohammed Sharif in the final.

The WFI would be feeling proud with all the wrestlers coming home with medals in their hands.

Overall, the performances were satisfactory but this is just the beginning of a tough journey ahead.

ALSO READ-Olympic champion Eve Muirhead announces retirement

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Woody Allen plans to shoot next film at Paris

‘Variety’ quoted Allen saying that the story of the film will be “in the same vein as ‘Match Point,’ a sort of poisonous romantic thriller…reports Asian Lite News

Legendary filmmaker-writer Woody Allen has plans of shooting his next movie in Paris for which some French actors have been approached. The auteur shared plans of his Paris movie while promoting the French release of his 2020 film ‘Rifkin’s Festival’, reports ‘Variety’.

The New York-based director told the French newspaper aLe Journal du Dimanche’ that he was aiming to relocate to Paris in September to lens his next project which he said will be a French-language movie with a local cast.

According to Variety’, while Allen said he was able to find the financing in the US but didn’t give any further detail, a source close to the project said the financing was not yet in place. The cast will be confirmed once the financing is locked and shooting dates confirmed. The budget is in the $10 million range.

‘Variety’ quoted Allen saying that the story of the film will be “in the same vein as ‘Match Point,’ a sort of poisonous romantic thriller.

He further said, “I kept a wonderful souvenir of the filming of ‘Midnight in Paris’ in 2010. I love this city very much and I’ve visited it often, discovering magical places every time. He revealed that his daughter Manzie Tio was currently on the shoot of ‘Emily in Paris’ in the French capital. Allen won an Oscar for best original screenplay with Midnight in Paris in 2011.

Reiterating what he had told Alec Baldwin in an interview on the actor’s Instagram account, Allen said he was considering ending his directing career after this next movie. “This will be my 50th feature. It might be the last one,” said the 86-year-old director.

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Workers on strike at two airports in Paris

Passengers may anticipate flight delays on Wednesday, the airport authority said…reports Asian Lite News

Workers of two airports in Paris, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly, are going on strike on Wednesday and Thursday to demand higher wages, the airport authority Paris Airports announced.

Paris Airports on Wednesday suggests passengers be at airport at least three hours before an international flight and two hours before a domestic or medium-haul flight, since there will be a longer queue waiting time, Xinhua news agency reported.

Passengers may anticipate flight delays on Wednesday, the airport authority said.

The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has requested airlines to reduce their flight programme on Thursday to and from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Paris Airports also announced that one quarter of flights will be canceled on Thursday. Passengers are asked to check with their airline for the flight schedule.

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