by admin | May 25, 2021 | Employment, World
Brussels : A total 4.2 billion euros and 50,000 jobs will “go up in smoke” if Italy’s populist government pulls a planned high-speed rail link to France, European Parliament president Antonio Tajani said on Friday.
“The villainous pact on which the Conte government is based is now apparent,” Tajani said.
He was referring to the populist coalition between the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the far-right League party, lead by premier Giuseppe Conte.
“It (the government) is clinging onto power at all costs, at the expense of workers, companies, public health and the environment,” Tajani went on.
If construction of the stalled Turin-Lyon train link through the Alps were to be permanently abandoned, 4.2 billion euros and 50,000 jobs will “go up in smoke”, Tajani said.
Italy’s far-right deputy premier Matteo Salvini is in favour of completing the 8.6 billion euro high-speed rail link, known as the TAV, which the bloc is co-financing, but the project has split the populist government.
While Salvini and his League party wants the TAV to be built, its coalition partner the grassroots 5-Star Movement’s leader Luigi Di Maio and transport minister Danilo Toninelli have long opposed it on cost and environmental grounds.
On Thursday the Italian parliament passed a motion committing the government to “totally rediscuss” the TAV project, a move seen as an attempt to delay any definitive decision until after European parliamentary elections in May.
The project has been delayed for months due to 5-Star’s opposition to it. France and the EU – which is paying for 40 percent of the tunnel — could seek damages from Italy if the project is binned.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Social Media, Technology, World
San Francisco : With efforts to reform a European Union tax law not bringing the desired results, France is going to introduce from January 1, 2019 a digital tax on technology giants such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon, the media reported.
The French government’s “GAFA” tax” is being introduced to combat attempts by the firms to avoid paying what is considered a “fair share” of taxes in the country, by taking advantage of European tax laws, Appleinsider reported on Monday.
The new tax regime is expected to bring in an estimated 500 million euro ($570 million) to the country’s cofferes for 2019, according to French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, The Local Fr said in a report.
Major technology companies have come under the scrutiny of lawmakers in countries like France and Britain for allegedly routing profits through operations in countries with extremely low tax rates or other arrangements.
Earlier this year, the European Commission published proposals for a three per cent tax on the revenues of major tech companies with global revenues above 750 million euro a year and taxable EU revenue above 50 million euro, the BBC reported.
But to become law, EU tax reforms need the support of all member states. And some countries, including Ireland, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Finland are yet to come on board to bring the reforms.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Investing, Muslim World
Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Islamabad : Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday invited more French businesses to benefit from Pakistan’s investor-friendly policies in various sectors.
Talking to French Ambassador to Pakistan Marc Barety, who called on him here, the foreign minister welcomed French automaker Renault’s decision to manufacture vehicles in Pakistan and expressed satisfaction at the two-way flow of investment from both sides.
The ambassador conveyed that there were several French companies interested in doing business with Pakistan. He also assured of France’s full support in enhancing cooperation in all fields of mutual interest.
Qureshi appreciated the development projects undertaken by the French Development Agency (AFD) in hydropower generation and renovation of Lahore Fort.
The two sides appreciated the current trajectory of bilateral relations and agreed to further enhance relations in all areas of mutual interest. They agreed that the exchange of high-level visits was important to further strengthen the bilateral relations. In this regard, the foreign minister stated that the Pakistani side looks forward to the visit of President Emmanuel Macron at his earliest convenience at the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
—AB/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business Summit, Events, Social Round-up, World
Beijing / Jakarta / Paris / Kuala Lumpur: Saturday’s four-nation Istanbul summit on Syria between Turkey, Russia, Germany, and France garnered major coverage by the international media.
Chinese news agency Xinhua on Sunday reported Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks that the summit would succeed in “adopting a sincere and constructive approach,” under the heading “Turkey hosts 4-way summit to seek political solution to Syrian issue.”
China Central Television stressed the leaders’ call to establish a lasting cease-fire and assemble a committee to draw up a new Syrian constitution, underlining French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks on the need to abide by to the Sept. 17 agreement between Turkey and Russia to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib, Syria.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK also stressed the issue of forming a constitutional committee in Syria by the end of the year to “lay the groundwork for democratic elections.”
Indonesian daily Tempo underlined the importance of the Idlib deal as well as Turkey’s proximity to the Syrian conflict and the difficulty in slowing or stopping a new migration wave should clashes resume.
Likewise, French media stressed the call to uphold a lasting and stable cease-fire in Idlib and gather a constitutional committee by year’s-end.
Le Monde reported the decision to underscore the need to “ensure humanitarian organizations’ rapid, safe and unhindered access throughout Syria.”
State broadcaster France Info reported on the reaffirmed commitment to the “safe and voluntary return of refugees to Syria” and to fight terrorism throughout the country.
Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in a joint statement on Saturday called for a constitutional committee on Syria for free and fair elections in the war-torn nation.
The leaders “expressed their support for an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that is facilitated by the United Nations,” according to the statement.
Reporting by Fuat Kabakci, Mahmut Atanur, Omer Aydin and Omer Faruk Yildiz :Writing by Ahmet Salih Alacacı
—AA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Paris : French anti-terrorism units have detained a group of ultra far-rightists suspected of planning assaults against Muslim community in the country, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb has said.
Collomb on Sunday wrote on Twitter: “Arrest of individuals linked to the ultra-right, suspected of acting,” Xinhua news agency reported.
During police raids in Paris region, Corsica Island and cities in central and southwestern France, ten followers of radical far-right movement were detained at the weekend as part of an inquiry opened on June 14 into plans of attacks targeting Muslims, Le Parisien newspaper reported, citing a source close to the investigation.
Aged between 32 and 69 years, the suspects planned “a violent attack with ill-defined outlines at this stage, targeting people of Muslim faith,” it said.
The 10 men, among them a retired police officer, were unknown to the police and were placed into custody for 96 hours.
—IANS
