France has ruled out the repatriation of French jihadists and their families detained in Syria after the fall of the Islamic State group's "caliphate", Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Friday. France and other European nations have been wrestling with how to handle the hundreds of foreign fighters, many of whom are being held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces which led the final push against IS. French daily Liberation reported Friday that in early March the government had been ready to bring home around 250 men, women and children before abandoning the plan given public hostility to the repatriations. The issue is extremely sensitive in France, where a deadly 2015 attack on the capital claimed by IS killed 130 people and set off a wave of other deadly assaults since then. "It's logical that our services considered all hypotheses. This was one of the hypothesis they prepared," Castaner said at a press conference following a meeting of G7 interior ministers in Paris. … [Read more...] about France says won’t take back Syria jihadist fighters and their families
France
France says ‘premature’ to consider further Brexit delay: presidency
France considers it "premature" to discuss an additional delay to Britain's exit from the European Union, demanding that London present "a clear plan" that would justify pushing Brexit back again, a French presidency source said Friday. France had "taken note" of Britain's formal request Friday for an extension to June 30, the source said, adding: "We are waiting for a credible plan between now and the (EU) summit on April 10, when we will study the request." "A delay is a tool, but not a solution in itself," the source said. In a letter, British Prime Minister Theresa May told EU Council president Donald Tusk that she wanted to ensure her country left the bloc in an "orderly way", as she fights to have the current exit deal approved by parliament. The EU has already agreed to move back the original March 29 deadline to April 12 to give May more time to win backing from MPs for a deal. British lawmakers have already rejected the deal she negotiated with the EU three times. Earlier … [Read more...] about France says ‘premature’ to consider further Brexit delay: presidency
France will tax tech giants despite opposition from US
"We are determined to implement a tax on the largest digital companies to bring more justice and efficiency to the international tax system," Le Maire said as he arrived in Bucharest for talks with his eurozone counterparts. Last year France presented a bill that would set a three per cent tax on digital advertising and the the sale of personal data and other revenue from any technology company that earns more than 750 million euros a year worldwide. Eye On France: A tax the world has been waiting for . . .? France's so-called Gafa tax (an acronym of the names of four tech giants, Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon) comes as it was unable to convince the European Union to implement taxation as a bloc. Tech companies currently avoid paying high taxes by registering in low-tax countries like Ireland. The US State department said Thursday that Pompeo had evoked the tax after speaking with French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on the sidelines of a Nato ministerial meeting in … [Read more...] about France will tax tech giants despite opposition from US
New France-UK study finds Levothyrox ‘not equivalent’
A new study into the controversial “new formula” of thyroid medication Levothyrox has found that the two formulas are in fact “not equivalent” for all patients, in contrast to previous claims. According to biostatistic and pharmacology researchers at universities in Toulouse (Occitanie) and London (UK), the two formulas - old and new - of the medication are “not equivalent” for everyone.The report - entitled "Levothyrox New and Old Formulations: Are they Switchable for Millions of Patients?"- was published in professional journal, Clinical Pharmacokinetics.The scientists concluded that almost 60% of patients prescribed the drugs “may not react” in the same way to both formulas, and that the new medicine may not be equally absorbed by everyone.The controversy over the drug dates back to spring 2017, when a new formula of Levothyrox, produced by Merck, was introduced in France. Very quickly, thousands of patients began to report … [Read more...] about New France-UK study finds Levothyrox ‘not equivalent’
France lightens paperwork for no-deal cards
A previous requirement for piles of old EDF bills or similar to prove continuous residency in France would not apply to Britons applying for non-EU citizen residency cards after a no-deal. Further analysis of the new decree published yesterday has clarified that the usual requirement for residency cards of showing proof – usually a utilities bill – for every six months you have lived in France does not appear in the lists of documents required.Some Britons applying for residency cards as EU citizens have struggled with this requirement which, even where people have access to them, requires plenty of photocopying of their archive documents.Instead the new decree simply says that those who ‘have never had a residency card’ in France will have to provide ‘a document establishing the date of moving to France’.British Community Committee of France vice-chairman Christopher Chantrey said this suggests that all that would be needed is either … [Read more...] about France lightens paperwork for no-deal cards