France

Iran blames bad communication, alignment for jet shootdown

11:11 pm July 12, 2020

Tehran: A misaligned missile battery, miscommunication between troops and their commanders, and a decision to fire without authorization all led to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner in January, killing all 176 people on board, a new report says. The report released late Saturday by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization comes months after the […]

Russia skeptical about nuclear pact extension prospects

8:50 pm July 10, 2020

Moscow: Russia’s top diplomat said Friday he’s not very optimistic about prospects for an extension of the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control agreement because of Washington’s focus on making China sign up to the pact. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Russia only wants to keep the New START treaty as much as the U.S. does and will protect its security […]

26 women accuse Paris street artist of rape, sexual assault

12:13 am July 9, 2020

Paris: Paris police are investigating accusations by 26 women that a street artist in the historic Montmartre neighborhood raped or sexually assaulted them, in what their lawyers describe as a systematic, years-long pattern of targeting and manipulating teen girls and young women. The artist-photographer has not yet been questioned by police and says he has “never hit […]

Worldwide slowdown in fishing unlikely to save rare species

11:55 pm June 29, 2020

Portland: Commercial fishing taking place worldwide has dipped since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but scientists and conservation experts say it’s unclear if the slowdown will help endangered species of marine life recover. Hours logged by fishermen at sea fell by nearly 10 per cent around the world after the March 11 declaration of […]

Rights watchdog urges France to fight racial discrimination

12:05 am June 23, 2020

Paris: France’s human rights watchdog on Monday urged authorities to take key measures to fight racial discrimination as the country has seen a series of anti-racism gatherings in the wake of the death in the US of George Floyd. In an 80-page report, France’s Defender of Rights, Jacques Toubon, said discrimination affects the lives of millions of […]