The Nation Newspaper

Tag: France

  • Iceland tackles France for last semi-finals spot

    Iceland tackles France for last semi-finals spot

    After sending England packing Iceland will hope to spring an even more dramatic surprise on one of Europe’s footballing superpowers in the quarter finals as they take on hosts France.

    Didier Deschamps’ squad are still yet to find their best form four games into their tournament and spent the best part of an hour against Ireland sweating on their Euro 2016 future before Antoine Griezmann came to the rescue.

    The indifferent form of the French compares markedly to Iceland, still unbeaten in tournament football and having belied the tag of “plucky underdogs” with a composed, disciplined display against England in which they were by far the better side.

    Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge were unable to find a way past the Icelandic defensive wall, will Dimitri Payet and company endure similar struggles at the Stade de France? If not, the French defence will need to show far more resolve on set pieces than England did.”We keep scaring ourselves, we’re crazy,” the 35-year-old said. “If we keep doing that, we might not go through. We need to stop reacting and start acting.

    Iceland produced the shock of the tournament when they knocked out England on Monday evening, beating the Three Lions 2-1 in Nice.

    But despite the historic result, joint coach Heimir Hallgrimsson believes their best game is still to come, and that all the pressure sits firmly with their opponents.

    “I think you can agree with me that we have been playing better and better throughout the competition, and I think you can agree with me that our best game is still to come.

    “There is a big difference in the pressure on Iceland and on France. France cannot lose the game, it would be horrible for the French nation. But the Icelandic people would be happy if we get a good performance against France.

    “But we are realistic. You dream big. We can play the best game of our lives and still lose against France.”

    Kante will be joined on the sidelines by Adil Rami, who is also suspended for the clash, while exciting youngster Kingsley Coman is a doubt.

     

     

  • Chikatara heading for France

    Chikatara heading for France

    •Striker rejects Al Ahly, Turkish club

    AfricanFootball.com understands that Abia Warriors striker Chisom Chikatara is closing in on a move to France after a much-celebrated transfer to top Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca crashed.

    The player himself has turned down a chance to join Egyptian giants Ahly as well as several clubs in Turkey.

    The CHAN 2014 star, along with club boss Emeka Inyama, was in Abuja this week and it is believed it is in connection with his switch to France.

    “It looks very likely Chikatara will finally move to France,” a top source informed AfricanFootball.com

    “The deal has reached an advanced stage, but at this point in time, I cannot reveal the name of the club.”

    Wydad swooped in for Chikatara after he fired four goals, which included a hat-trick against Niger, at the CHAN in Rwanda.

    They among other things promised to pay $500,000 for his transfer, but eventually they failed to come up with the cash for Abia Warriors boss Inyama to cancel the deal.

  • France: Strike hits all eight oil refineries

    A strike over new labour laws has spread to all of France’s eight oil refineries, the CGT union says, in an escalating dispute with the government.

    An estimated 20% of petrol stations have either run dry or are low on supplies.

    Clashes broke out at one refinery early yesterday when police broke up a picket at Fos-sur-Mer in Marseille.

    Prime Minister Manuel Valls insisted the labour laws would stand, and that further pickets would be broken up.

    “That’s enough. It’s unbearable to see this sort of thing,” he told French radio. “The CGT will come up against an extremely firm response from the government. We’ll carry on clearing sites blocked by this organisation.”

    The strike has gradually spread across France’s fuel infrastructure, hitting oil refineries, fuel depots and petrol stations across the country.

    The government said two out of every 10 petrol stations were affected, but motorists uploaded details of many more that had problems with supplies.ave been providing updates on petrol shortages across the country

    Police moved in early at dawn on Tuesday to dismantle a blockade outside the Fos-sur-Mer oil refinery and petrol depot at Marseille port.

    Tear gas and water cannon were fired, projectiles thrown, and tyres and pallets set alight, reports said. Several people were hurt on both sides.

    In his first intervention in the dispute, President Francois Hollande denounced the blockade as a “strategy supported by a minority”.

    Multinational Total, which owns five of France’s oil refineries, threatened to review its investments in response to the disruption.

    “If our colleagues want to take an industrial asset hostage for a cause that is foreign to the company, you have to ask whether that is where we should invest,” Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne told reporters.

    He cited a planned €500m modernisation plan at Donges, near the western port of Saint-Nazaire, where some of the biggest disruption took place yesterday.

    “I’m not saying we won’t go ahead with it, just that we must learn the lessons of what’s happening and review these plans.”

    The union is aiming to cut output by half at the refineries and wants strikes on the railways as well, in an attempt to reverse labour laws that make it easier for companies to hire and fire staff.

    There are concerns that the disruption may affect the Euro 2016 football championships, with one former union leader saying the event is not “sacred”.

    The government provoked union outrage when it resorted to a constitutional device to force its watered-down labour reforms through parliament without a vote, earlier this month.

  • Buhari vows to eliminate Boko Haram, killer herdsmen, others

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that Nigeria will work with other countries to eliminate Boko Haram and other terrorist attacks in West Africa.
    Buhari also said that Nigeria remains committed to the rescue process of the abducted Chibok girls adding that the Federal Government will not spare any effort to achieve the mission.
    He called on West African countries to strengthen the Multinational Joint Task Force, (MNJTF), to rid the region of the last vestiges of the Boko Haram sect.
    Buhari spoke in Abuja at the ongoing 2nd Regional Security Summit, (RSS), with the theme: Consolidating collective efforts for regional peace and development.
    He said Boko Haram has now resolved to hit and run tactics which he said will not last.
    Among those present at the summit were the President of France and convener of the 1st Security summit, Francois Hollande, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, other Heads of States and government and Ministers.

  • US, France, others storm Abuja for Boko Haram summit today

    A security summit  on ending the Boko Haram menace is coming up today in Abuja  amidst  increasing signs of closer military cooperation between regional powers and international support.

    Expected at the event are French President Francois Hollande, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Britain’s top diplomat Philip Hammond, among the senior foreign dignitaries.

    The US will be represented by Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, along with the State Department’s Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Justin Siberell.

    The  U.S. diplomats will huddle with their African counterparts in hopes of escalating the fight against Boko Haram, just as analysts say signs of real progress are finally emerging in the fight against the brutal jihadi terror group.

    They are likely to push for an expansion of informal education centres for children of families displaced by Boko Haram, some 300 of which the State Department says have already been established.

    But behind the scenes, the Obama administration is also expected to seek greater influence over the direction of the multinational African military campaign against Boko Haram.

    Presidents Idriss Deby (Chad), Patrice Talon (Benin Republic),Paul Biya (Cameroun) and Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger Republic)  are also invited, along with delegations from the European Union and the West African and Central African blocs.

    Nigeria said this week “the successful conclusion of ongoing military operations” and “the speedy resolution of the humanitarian crises” would dominate the talks.

    Boko Haram was named in the latest Global Terrorism Index as “the most deadly terrorist group in the world” in 2014. An estimated 20,000 people have been killed since 2009.

  • Agro-forestry project to create mass employment in Ogun

    Agro-forestry project to create mass employment in Ogun

    An agro-forestry and forest landscape restoration project will soon take-off in Ogun, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

     

    The state Commissioner for Forestry, Mr Kolawole Lawal, told newsmen in Abeokuta on Friday, that the project was aimed at creating employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

     

    NAN reports that the commissioner had earlier held a parley with the Project Consultant, Mr Pierre Decroix, in his office.

     

    He said that the state government would sensitise the occupants of the proposed communities where the projects would be situated on the benefits accruable to them.

     

    “The project will be beneficial to settlers of the affected communities, as it will provide job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths.

     

    “Besides, the project will reduce climate change and enhance food security in the state,’’ the commissioner said.

     

    NAN recalls that Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, had last December, led a delegation from the state to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France.

     

    The delegation had also seized the opportunity afforded it then to hold multilateral talks with officials of Lafarge Holcim and other investors on forest landscape restoration project.

     

    Decroix commended the state government on the initiative, which he said, would be the envy of all, when completed.

     

    He stressed the need for the sensitisation of the occupants of the affected communities in line with global best practices.

     

    According to him, there is also the need for satellite mapping which will supply information on the environment and soil.

  • Paris attack suspect to be extradited to France ‘in few weeks’ – lawyer

    Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in November’s Paris attacks, would be extradited to France from Belgium in a few weeks to allow for additional questioning by Belgian investigators, his lawyer said on Thursday.

    The Lawyer, Sven Mary said Abdeslam, who returned from Paris hours after the IS attacks in which his brother blew himself up, hid from police for four months until he was captured in a raid on a house in district of Molenbeek on March 18.

    His finger prints were found three days earlier in an apartment in the southern Brussels borough of Forest after a gun battle during which an Islamist gunman was shot dead and four police officers were injured.

    “Prosecutors want to question him about that incident.

    “There is a hearing, which will take place regarding the attempted murder of several police officers during the home search in Forest,’’ Mary told newsmen.
    Abdeslam, who previously said that he wanted to be extradited to France, was not present at a court hearing in Brussels.

    “As I said, he wishes to go to France and that is the reason that things need to proceed and why we hope that it will be over in a few weeks,’’ Mary added.
    The shooting and bombing rampage by IS militants killed 130 people in Paris on Nov. 13.

     

  • France makes paying for sex illegal

    France makes paying for sex illegal

    France parliamentary has pass a law making payment for sex illegal.

    The French MPs finally approved the new legislation on prostitution following more than two years of rows and opposition by senators.

    The motion  was passed by 64 votes to 12 with many MPs absent.

    The Guardian reports that  this law had made it illegal to stand in a public place known for prostitution dressed in revealing clothes. It had been widely criticised by charities and support groups on the ground.

    The legislation passed on Wednesday will treat the sex worker as a victim rather than a criminal. It will also make it easier for foreign sex workers, many of whom are illegally in France, to acquire a temporary residence permit if they embark on a programme to find other work.

    A crucial part of the legislation is that it will abolish a controversial 2003 law, introduced by Nicolas Sarkozy when he was interior minister, that banned passive soliciting on the street.

    In France, prostitution itself – receiving money for sex – is not a crime. But activities around it are. Laws prohibit pimping, human trafficking and buying sex from a minor. Brothels were outlawed in 1946.

     

  • ‘My deputy has been vindicated,’ says President Kenyatta

    ‘My deputy has been vindicated,’ says President Kenyatta

    Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday said the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague had vindicated his deputy William Ruto after terminating a criminal case against him and his co-accused Joshua arap Sang.

    “I am delighted that the Deputy President and Mr. Joshua Sang’s innocence has been vindicated by a decision of no-case-to answer at the ICC. This moment is long overdue but no less joyful. I join my brothers in celebrating their moment of justice,” said Kenyatta.

    In a statement sent from France, where he is on a three day state tour, President Kenyatta said that the victory in this case remained “partial and the quest for justice incomplete, because the International Criminal court elected to blindly pursue ill-conceived, defective agenda at the expense of accountability for PEV”.

    “As a result, many victims await justice, and perpetrators are yet to be brought to account. We will continue the work of healing the nation, uniting the people, reconciling communities and ensuring that justice for the victims is achieved,” said the President.

    Kenyatta, who was also cleared of committing similar crimes at the same court, said that from the start of the case he believed that it was ill-conceived and did not properly examine the experience of Kenyans in the 2007/2008 post election violence.

    He said that for six years during the trial he and his deputy endured a “painful journey with the ICC,” adding that they had cooperated with the international court while bearing heavy responsibilities of leadership.

    “This decision brings to a close what has been a nightmare for my nation. With the conclusion of this case at the ICC, our country is fully back on focus to enhance our efforts towards nation building, promotion of peace and security. For my Deputy and I, this focuses us fully on the affairs of running the State, a mandate given to us by the people of Kenya,” said Kenyatta.

    Regarding the victims of the post-election violence Kenyatta said: “Each and every Kenyan was touched by the tragedy that befell our nation in 2007-2008”.

    The President added: “Each and every victim of this unfortunate happening matters. Not one of them has been forgotten. Their suffering demanded of us as leadership to seek reconciliation. My deputy and I campaigned and were elected on a platform to unite and reconcile our motherland.

    “When you entrusted the leadership of the country to our administration, you made us responsible for the healing and reconciliation of our people.”

    Kenyatta said many victims who had been dislocated had now been resettled and compensated and that the government continues to respond to “the outcomes of that unfortunate period of our history.”

    He has invited all Kenyans to the Afraha Stadium, Nakuru, on Saturday 16th April 2016, for a thanksgiving service.

    “This will be an opportunity for prayers for healing, reconciliation and unity of Kenya as we push on the path of inclusive prosperity for all,” he said.

    Nakuru was one of the hotspots of the post election violence that claimed the lives of over 1000 Kenyans and displaced over 600,000.

     

  • France proposes sanctions against Libya

    France says it will propose sanctions against Libya, as fears mount that Islamic State is taking advantage of political instability to establish itself in the country.

    Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told the newsmen in Cairo during his visit to Egypt
    “I do not exclude that we can threaten sanctions. In any case that is what I will propose to my foreign minister colleagues on Monday in Brussels,” Ayrault said.

    France had said in February that it would support levying sanctions against those knowingly hinder the political process.

    The ministry said that there were small numbers of radicals in both political camps in Libya who are trying to derail consensus.

    Ayrault said that it was not time for military action, but that the threat of IS in Libya was real.
    “We cannot continue with this situation, which poses a danger to Libyans and to the entire region; which threatens Tunisia and threatens Europe,’’ he added.

    According to Ayrault, any action in Libya depends on the creation of a national unity government that is recognised by the international community.

    The UN has been trying to broker an agreement between the internationally recognised parliament in Tobruk and a rival Islamist-leaning administration that controls the capital Tripoli.