Latest news with #French-Lebanese
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
France's CMA CGM to redeploy fleet to avoid U.S. port fees on Chinese vessels
By Gus Trompiz PARIS (Reuters) -French shipping group CMA CGM will reorganise its global fleet to avoid U.S. port fees on Chinese-built vessels that are due to take effect from October, the company's finance director said. The port charges are another operational headache for shipping firms wrestling with the fallout from U.S. tariffs, though adjustments made by Washington after an industry backlash have made the fee scheme less disruptive than feared, Ramon Fernandez, CMA CGM's chief financial officer, told Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration aims to use the port fees to counter China's dominance in global shipbuilding and support a revival of U.S. maritime transport. "We have enough ship capacity to adapt to this situation and avoid paying fees," Fernandez said in an interview, adding that less than half of CMA CGM's fleet of around 670 ships were Chinese-built. On a complex scale of fees, Chinese companies operating ships built in China face the steepest levies for calling at U.S. ports. All shipping firms including China's COSCO would adapt to the fees, Fernandez added during a call with reporters, without commenting on the potential impact on Ocean Alliance, a vessel-sharing agreement in which CMA CGM and COSCO are among the partners. The world's third-largest container shipping line, CMA CGM, was hailed by Trump for a plan to invest $20 billion in the United States. Reporting first-quarter results, CMA CGM said a rush to ship goods before the U.S. tariffs announcement on April 2 had supported a 4.2% year-on-year rise in its maritime volumes, contributing to an increase in group sales and profits. Controlled by the French-Lebanese Saade family, CMA CGM also has a large logistics business and growing media interests. Echoing its peers, CMA CGM said the escalation in tariffs in April had stifled trade between China and the U.S., before a revival in demand this week following a Sino-American agreement to scale back tariffs temporarily. The group saw the cancellation of around half of bookings for May shipments between China and the United States prior to an upturn this week, Fernandez said. "Everyone is expecting trade in June to be much more active than was feared just a few days ago." He declined to give an outlook for full-year volume growth in container shipping, citing uncertainty over how the on-off trade war will play out.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
France's CMA CGM to redeploy fleet to avoid U.S. port fees on Chinese vessels
By Gus Trompiz PARIS (Reuters) -French shipping group CMA CGM will reorganise its global fleet to avoid U.S. port fees on Chinese-built vessels that are due to take effect from October, the company's finance director said. The port charges are another operational headache for shipping firms wrestling with the fallout from U.S. tariffs, though adjustments made by Washington after an industry backlash have made the fee scheme less disruptive than feared, Ramon Fernandez, CMA CGM's chief financial officer, told Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration aims to use the port fees to counter China's dominance in global shipbuilding and support a revival of U.S. maritime transport. "We have enough ship capacity to adapt to this situation and avoid paying fees," Fernandez said in an interview, adding that less than half of CMA CGM's fleet of around 670 ships were Chinese-built. On a complex scale of fees, Chinese companies operating ships built in China face the steepest levies for calling at U.S. ports. All shipping firms including China's COSCO would adapt to the fees, Fernandez added during a call with reporters, without commenting on the potential impact on Ocean Alliance, a vessel-sharing agreement in which CMA CGM and COSCO are among the partners. The world's third-largest container shipping line, CMA CGM, was hailed by Trump for a plan to invest $20 billion in the United States. Reporting first-quarter results, CMA CGM said a rush to ship goods before the U.S. tariffs announcement on April 2 had supported a 4.2% year-on-year rise in its maritime volumes, contributing to an increase in group sales and profits. Controlled by the French-Lebanese Saade family, CMA CGM also has a large logistics business and growing media interests. Echoing its peers, CMA CGM said the escalation in tariffs in April had stifled trade between China and the U.S., before a revival in demand this week following a Sino-American agreement to scale back tariffs temporarily. The group saw the cancellation of around half of bookings for May shipments between China and the United States prior to an upturn this week, Fernandez said. "Everyone is expecting trade in June to be much more active than was feared just a few days ago." He declined to give an outlook for full-year volume growth in container shipping, citing uncertainty over how the on-off trade war will play out. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Mail & Guardian
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
Angélique Kidjo still sings with purpose
All Hail Angélique!: At the age of 64, the Beninese-French singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo lives joyfully, performs powerfully and gives relentlessly. Photo: Patrick Fouque It's the first day of the Abu Dhabi Culture Summit and I am sitting, along with about 100 other people, in the main auditorium of the Manarat Al Saadiyat in the capital of the United Arab Emirates for a special performance. The one and only Angélique Kidjo is here. On a small stage on the right of the circular auditorium, the legendary Beninese-French singer-songwriter speaks to the CEO of The Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr about her music and impact. But this is just a precursor for what we have all come to see. It's not long before Kidjo springs to her feet and launches into a medley of some of her greatest hits — with the support of Togolese guitarist Amen Viana and French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf. At first, the crowd is dead quiet, observing the performance as though they aren't witnessing one of the finest musicians Africa has ever produced. 'Are we in a library or a concert?' I wonder out loud. But it's a summit that has far more panel discussions and keynote speeches on the programme than it does music performances, so I shouldn't be surprised that everybody is taking themselves way too seriously. Kidjo isn't deterred. She performs with the energy and vitality of a rollicking sold-out show, her voice soaring and, slowly but surely, she shakes the audience out of its slumber. Enticing us into a call-and-response, initially only a handful heed the invitation to collaborate on her choruses but, gradually, more and more voices join in the celebration and the volume of the music grows. As the sound rises, people rise to their feet. Now we're talking. It takes only 10 minutes to go from folded arms and solemn faces to hand clapping, feet stomping, rhythm swaying and chanting in harmony. Kidjo is singing at the top of her voice, and moving with the careless abandon of a woman who knows joy — pure, unfiltered, boundless joy. That's the reason that she can still perform with such vitality at 64 years of age and still tours, performing at venues across the world. 'Performing is the thing I like the most,' she tells me. 'I don't like studios. I mean, to me, the studio is a way to get on tour. 'That's what I grew up doing. I started singing on stage at six years old, so I got the virus for performing early.' In a few hours, she'll get on a plane to New York to perform at the hallowed concert venue Carnegie Hall. But, for a few precious minutes, I get to speak to Kidjo in her backstage dressing room alongside Jean Hebrail, her husband and musical collaborator of over 40 years. The impact of her music has spanned generations and earned her accolades including five Grammy awards. But perhaps even more impressive is the list of fellow musicians she's collaborated with which includes Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel, Alicia Keys, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Josh Groban and Ziggy Marley. Hebrail shows me a video clip of Kidjo performing with Mama Africa herself, the late great Miriam Makeba, at a concert in 2006. The image of the two icons joyously singing Makeba's classic song Malaika is magical. Yes, Ms Kidjo is loved across the world — but she belongs to Africa first and foremost. 'If I was not born in Africa, I don't think I would be the artist I am,' she says. 'I never deny the place where I am from. We have our issues. We have our problems. But I was born in Africa for a reason. And that reason, I don't know. 'I'm just proud of who I am. Everywhere I go, every time I'm on stage, I always stand knowing where I come from and carrying the African continent on my shoulders.' More recently, Kidjo has collaborated with younger artists like Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, Yemi Alade, EarthGang and Blue Lab Beats. I ask her how these collaborations — which run the gamut from Nigerian Afrobeats artists to a British jazz duo and an Atlanta-based hip-hop group — came about. 'I'm always listening to music and keeping my ear out for new artists that excite me,' she says. 'Sometimes I receive a DM and I say, 'Okay, let's do this. Send me the song.' 'It's always about the song. How is the song we're making going to help us tell a compelling story that's going to outlive us? A story that's going to form part of the heritage of the next generation. I'm always available for any young artist that wants to do something compelling but you have to work hard because I won't work with you if your song isn't good and if it's not going to lift you up to the next level. 'I'm not doing stuff to please you. I'm doing it because I want you to elevate yourself. And when you get there, pass it on to the next generation,' she says. Kidjo is deeply concerned about passing on the knowledge and wisdom to younger generations and leaving behind a world they can be proud to inherit. No wonder she has done so much work advocating for social issues. She's been a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador for more than 20 years and she founded the Batonga Foundation, a non-profit promoting education and leadership for girls in different parts of Africa. She's been a strong advocate for climate justice, refugee rights and global education; her music has been used in UN campaigns and she has addressed the General Assembly calling for more to be done to reduce child mortality rates. While her contributions as a musician are incredible, Kidjo will be remembered for more than her work as an artist. I ask her what the word 'legacy' means to her. 'Well, I didn't start doing music thinking about legacy or being rich,' she says. 'That was not the core of what I wanted to do. 'When I was a little girl I was taught that, when you are given a gift of voice and song, or whatever gift you're given by nature, if it serves you, you have to use it to serve other people. If it makes you happy, you have to share that happiness with others. 'It's not for me to keep my voice to myself; I need to share it with the largest amount of people I can. So, that was the foundation I started on and that's still how I function today. I am always at the service of a song. My desire is to give something to others, not to keep it to myself. 'So, for me, the word 'legacy' is not something I think about at all because, as long as I still have my health and a voice, and I can go out there and have fun on stage and make people happy, that's my salary. 'That's what gives me the strength to go through horrendous hours of travelling around the world, just to be on that stage …' What lingers most is not just Kidjo's voice, or even her accolades, but the sheer force of spirit she brings to every room she enters. On that stage in Abu Dhabi, she didn't just sing — she ignited something in all of us. She reminded us, through movement and music, that joy is a powerful form of resistance and connection. It's the same joy that has propelled her through over four decades of global touring, collaborations and advocacy, and the same joy she insists on sharing with those she mentors. A woman who knows the meaning of joy — Kidjo does more than merely perform, she rises to the occasion, makes the most of her gifts and selflessly shares her voice with others. In the process, she invites us all to rise with her.
Broadcast Pro
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Between Women Filmmakers' Caravan opens fifth round of Film Consultancy Programme
The initiative is designed to support Arab women filmmakers working on fiction or documentary projects at any stage of production. Applications are now open for the fifth round of the Film Consultancy Programme, organised by Between Women Filmmakers' Caravan, which offers support to filmmakers across the Arab world. The deadline for submissions is May 5, and applications can be made via an online form. This programme provides technical support and specialised advice from professional female filmmakers to creators working on documentary or fiction projects at various stages of production. It runs three times a year, with each three-month cycle selecting three projects to participate. The advisory committee for this round includes six prominent female filmmakers from the Arab world: Palestinian editor Ruba Haj Yahya, Lebanese producer Jana Wehbe, French-Lebanese editor Gladys Joujou, director of photography Jocelyne Abi Gebrayel, sound designer and director Rana Eid and Egyptian director Amal Ramsis, who is also the founder and director of Caravan Between Cinemas. Amal Ramsis explained that since the programme's launch in January 2024, it has uncovered numerous exceptional film projects that had not received the attention they deserved, despite their artistic and narrative potential. Many of these projects come from filmmakers across the Arab world who lack access to the limited support available in the market. Ramsis emphasised the need for new mechanisms to support Arab cinema and help filmmakers establish themselves in a competitive industry. The programme also tracks the progress of projects from previous rounds, allowing filmmakers to reapply and receive ongoing support for their development over a longer period. Ramsis noted that the primary aim is to ensure filmmakers feel they have a protective body that supports their projects and gives them a real opportunity to succeed. The Film Consultancy Programme is part of the broader activities of the Between Women Filmmakers' Caravan, which was founded in 2008 in Egypt as an independent initiative managed by female filmmakers. The organisation works to amplify women's roles in the film industry by hosting screenings of films made by women from around the world, building an international network of female filmmakers, and providing education and training in documentary filmmaking. It also supports women's film projects throughout the production process.
CairoScene
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Arab Women Filmmakers Invited to Apply for Film Support Programme
The consultancy programme provides hands-on support to Arab filmmakers working on fiction and documentary projects. Apr 24, 2025 Applications are now open for the fifth round of the Film Consultancy Programme organised by Between Women Filmmakers' Caravan. The initiative is designed to support Arab women filmmakers working on fiction or documentary projects at any stage of production. Conducted three times a year, each three-month cycle selects three projects to receive tailored support from an advisory committee composed of six prominent Arab women filmmakers. The current committee includes a Palestinian editor, a Lebanese producer, a French-Lebanese editor, a director of photography, a sound designer-director, and the programme's Egyptian founder-director. Together, they provide both technical advice and creative guidance to participants. Since its launch in January 2024, the programme has highlighted numerous high-quality Arab film projects that lack sufficient industry support, particularly in terms of funding and development opportunities. The initiative is currently working to establish alternative pathways for filmmakers facing the challenges of a competitive market and limited institutional backing. It not only monitors the progress of previously selected projects but also encourages re-application, fostering long-term development and visibility for creators. Organizers have emphasized the programme's role in helping promising film projects avoid stagnation or abandonment. The consultancy initiative is part of a broader platform developed by Between Women Filmmakers' Caravan, an Egypt-based collective founded in 2008 and run entirely by women. Beyond consultancy, the group provides support through film screenings, educational programs, and training in documentary directing, editing, and cinematography. It also works to strengthen international networks among women filmmakers, with a special focus on the Arab region. The deadline to apply for this cycle is May 5th.
