Latest news with #AlexandreDimou
GMA Network
05-08-2025
- Climate
- GMA Network
Big wildfire rages in southern France
French firefighters work to contain a fire as trees burn in the Fontfroide massif, as wildfires continue to spread near Narbonne in Aude department in southern France, July 8, 2025. (File photo by REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou) A wildfire in southern France's Aude region near the Spanish border has scorched around 4,500 hectares (11,100 acres) of forest, the fire brigade said late on Tuesday, as hundreds of firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control. More than 1,250 firefighters have been deployed to the scene, Colonel Alexandre Jouassard, spokesperson for the civil protection agency, told BFMTV. President Emmanuel Macron said on X that the fire was progressing and that "all the nation's resources were mobilized." Two people were injured in the fire, including one seriously, Lucie Rosech, the deputy prefect of Aude, told BFMTV. —Reuters
Japan Today
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
EU sets sights on climate target deal by September
FILE PHOTO: French firefighters work to contain a fire as trees burn in the Fontfroide massif, as wildfires continue to spread during a heatwave near Narbonne in southern France, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou/File Photo By Stine Jacobsen and Kate Abnett Most European Union countries have backed plans to agree a deal on their new climate change target by September, sources familiar with the discussions say. EU countries are negotiating their new 2040 climate change target, which the Commission last week proposed should be a 90% emissions reduction from 1990 levels, although countries would be allowed to buy international carbon credits to meet a limited share of the goal. Denmark, which took over the EU's rotating presidency this month and is chairing negotiations among countries on the target, aims to strike a deal at a summit of ministers in September, Denmark's energy and climate ministry said in a statement. "It is extremely important that we unite the EU around new climate goals... We have a very small window to put a bow on these negotiations," Danish climate minister Lars Aagaard said, following a meeting of EU countries' climate ministers in Aalborg, Denmark, which concluded on July 11. In the meeting, most of the EU's 27 member countries backed the plan to land a deal on the 2040 climate target in September, three sources familiar with the talks said. But a handful of countries, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, opposed a fast-tracked deal - while others demanded changes to the Commission's proposal, the sources said. "This is not a decision that we can just take lightly, it's affecting the whole economy. Working under such time pressure is just not reasonable," Polish deputy climate minister Krzysztof Bolesta told Reuters, of the proposed September deadline. Spokespeople for Hungary and the Czech Republic's EU representations each confirmed their governments opposed the September deadline. Climate change has made Europe the world's fastest-warming continent, fuelling deadly heatwaves and fires. But the 2040 target has stoked political tensions over how ambitious to be in tackling climate change, at a time when Europe is sharply raising defense spending and attempting to support struggling local industries. To attempt to win over skeptical governments, the Commission proposed flexibilities that would soften the 90% emissions target for European companies. Bolesta said countries had raised concerns in Friday's meeting over issues including a lack of clarity on how these flexibilities would work. The EU faces a mid-September deadline to submit a new 2035 climate target to the U.N. - which the Commission has said should be derived from the 2040 goal. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
EU sets sights on climate target deal by September
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: French firefighters work to contain a fire as trees burn in the Fontfroide massif, as wildfires continue to spread during a heatwave near Narbonne in southern France, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou/File Photo COPENHAGEN/BRUSSELS - Most European Union countries have backed plans to agree a deal on their new climate change target by September, sources familiar with the discussions said on Friday. EU countries are negotiating their new 2040 climate change target, which the Commission last week proposed should be a 90% emissions reduction from 1990 levels, although countries would be allowed to buy international carbon credits to meet a limited share of the goal. Denmark, which took over the EU's rotating presidency this month and is chairing negotiations among countries on the target, aims to strike a deal at a summit of ministers in September, Denmark's energy and climate ministry said in a statement on Friday. "It is extremely important that we unite the EU around new climate goals... We have a very small window to put a bow on these negotiations," Danish climate minister Lars Aagaard said, following a meeting of EU countries' climate ministers in Aalborg, Denmark, which concluded on Friday. In the meeting, most of the EU's 27 member countries backed the plan to land a deal on the 2040 climate target in September, three sources familiar with the talks said. But a handful of countries, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, opposed a fast-tracked deal - while others demanded changes to the Commission's proposal, the sources said. "This is not a decision that we can just take lightly, it's affecting the whole economy. Working under such time pressure is just not reasonable," Polish deputy climate minister Krzysztof Bolesta told Reuters, of the proposed September deadline. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore ST will have Govt's 'full confidence and support' in its mission: PM Wong Singapore ST will aim to become an indispensable partner to S'pore's communities: Editor Jaime Ho Singapore Wishes for ST beyond 180: Odes to its enduring role in the Singapore story Singapore Heartbeats & Headlines: ST's 180-year legacy comes to life in immersive exhibition Singapore Trusted news, smarter experience with new Straits Times website and app Singapore Community space Stranger Conversations blossoms as 'library of human stories' and life experiences Singapore Man who killed 5-year-old daughter gets life sentence after he appeals against 35-year jail term Singapore Judge declines to void alleged sham marriage in S'pore, says it is for Parliament to decide Spokespeople for Hungary and the Czech Republic's EU representations each confirmed their governments opposed the September deadline. Climate change has made Europe the world's fastest-warming continent, fuelling deadly heatwaves and fires. But the 2040 target has stoked political tensions over how ambitious to be in tackling climate change, at a time when Europe is sharply raising defence spending and attempting to support struggling local industries. To attempt to win over sceptical governments, the Commission proposed flexibilities that would soften the 90% emissions target for European companies. Bolesta said countries had raised concerns in Friday's meeting over issues including a lack of clarity on how these flexibilities would work. The EU faces a mid-September deadline to submit a new 2035 climate target to the U.N. - which the Commission has said should be derived from the 2040 goal. REUTERS
The Star
09-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Marseille airport closed as firefighters continue to battle wildfire
Smoke rises over Marseille as a fast-moving wildfire spreads on the outskirts the city, southern France, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou PARIS (Reuters) -A wildfire that had reached the northwestern outskirts of France's second city of Marseille lost intensity overnight on Wednesday, but the airport was closed as firefighters continued to battle the flames. Residents who had been told to stay in their homes for their own safety were once again allowed out. "With the fire in northern Marseilles now clearly under control, we can announce this morning that the 16th arrondissement is no longer under lockdown," Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan said in a post on social media platform X. "I call on all Marseille residents to exercise the utmost caution in the area, as emergency services are hard at work," he added. Local officials said that the airport would close for commercial flights to prioritise air resources, although some roads could reopen for the passage of emergency services. It was too soon for the hundreds of residents who had fled from the wildfire to return, officials said. Hundreds of firefighters, aided by helicopters and aircraft, had been fighting the flames, fanned by winds of up to 70 kph (43 mph) and which brought plumes of smoke over the southern coastal city. The fire had burnt through 700 hectares (2.7 square miles) but no fatalities had been reported and hundreds of homes had been saved, regional prefect Georges-Francois Leclerc said late on Tuesday. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told reporters late on Tuesday that the fire had been fast-moving. Climate change has made wildfires more destructive in Mediterranean countries in recent years. This week and last week, fires raged in northeastern Spain, on the Greek island of Crete and in Athens. (Reporting by Makini Brice, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Marc Leras and Richard Lough; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Business Mayor
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
Louis Vuitton captures zeitgeist for conclave chic at Avignon show
T he pageantry and drama of the papacy is very much on trend. Hot on the heels of white smoke at the Vatican and Conclave in cinemas, the gothic Palais des Papes in Avignon, home to the popes of the 14th century, hosted a Louis Vuitton catwalk, the first fashion show at the palace in its 700-year history. There was no shortage of pomp and ceremony in the central courtyard of one of Europe's largest medieval structures, where 400 chairs with tall, arched backs and plush, cardinal-red cushions were ranked tightly for Brigitte Macron, Cate Blanchett, Pharrell Williams, a clutch of celebrities making a post-Cannes detour, and a select few of Louis Vuitton's most deep-pocketed clients. Pharrell Williams. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters Cate Blanchett. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters 'Dressing is a performance,' says Ghesquière. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters In a preview, the designer Nicolas Ghesquière said the collection was part-Arthurian legend, part-Haim sisters on stage. (Danielle and Este Haim were in the audience; the medieval ghosts perhaps watching from within the walls.) 'There is something medieval, for sure, but something futuristic too. This is armour, but for now,' he said. Ghesquière chose the building last year, drawn not by its papal origins but by his own memories of attending the experimental theatre festival it hosts each summer. 'Dressing is a performance that we are all part of. I love that about fashion, I think it's really cool,' he said. Pageantry and drama: a model in Louis Vuitton's 2026 cruise collection in Avignon. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters That the papacy has been so visible this year is fitting for a designer whose nose for the zeitgeist has secured an impressive 11-year run at the helm of Vuitton. 'The coincidence is interesting, of course. And there is a magnetism to this place, to the idea of believing,' he said. Read More Learn Guitar for $17 Through February 4 The venue also reflects the scale of Louis Vuitton. It is the biggest fashion brand in the LVMH stable, which generated $88bn (£65bn) in revenue in 2024. Filling a gothic palace with celebrities is a power flex the 14th-century popes for whom it was built would have respected. Este, left, and Danielle Haim at the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Photograph: Edward Berthelot/Getty Ghesquière understands that luxury has become a vast industry, not because people want to be seen to have an expensive handbag, but because they want to be seen to have status, taste and class, all of which are signalled by taking over the Unesco-listed Palais des Papes. Louis Vuitton will finance a new architectural lighting project to spotlight the facade after dark. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Most of the looks were short tunic dresses worn with slouchy boots, a silhouette that was signalling both heraldic knight and Glastonbury. For evening there were glittering metallic jersey gowns with bishop sleeves: a bit Joan of Arc, a bit Janis Joplin. Short tunic dresses signal both heraldic knight and Glastonbury. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters Ghesquière, who has stayed at the top of the game during two decades when fashion has grown from being a niche interest to a billion-dollar business, has a way of making esoteric historical and futuristic references look entirely contemporary. His job, he says, is 'to stimulate the eye. If you want to create a classic, first you have to make something new.' Ghesquière, who is contracted to Louis Vuitton until 2028, stands out as a beacon of stability in an industry in flux. Calm and smiling even minutes before the show, he said he was looking forward to the next Paris fashion week, which will be packed with designer debuts. 'October will be really exciting. Fashion is exploding. Fashion should always be about change,' he said.
