Latest news with #SudRadio
Arab News
30-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
France says Bessent receptive to idea of zero reciprocal tariffs
PARIS: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is receptive to the idea of zero reciprocal tariffs between France and the United States, French finance minister Eric Lombard said, as France and the European Union continue tariff talks with the US 'He told me that this was not out of reach,' Lombard told Sud Radio on Wednesday as he summarised talks he had held with Bessent. 'We want to get back to zero tariffs. Our American partners have been softening their position,' he added.
Morocco World
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
French Interior Minister: ‘Algeria is Attacking Us'
Rabat – France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau denied today that his country wants to further the crisis and tensions with Algeria, but denounced the country's continued refusal to accept its nationals who are subject to expulsion. In an interview with Sud Radio, Retailleau said France does not want war with Algeria. 'We are not warmongers, we do not want war with Algeria. It is Algeria that is attacking us,' Retailleau said, noting that it is 'essential that Algeria does not haggle when we are convinced, with an identity card or a passport, that the individual is Algerian. It must readmit them.' The interior minister vowed further measures against Algeria as part of a 'graduated response' towards the country. 'We have started to implement this with the suspension of privileges for the Algerian nomenklatura,' he said, referencing the reassessment of the 2007 agreements that allow holders of diplomatic passports to enter France without a visa. The crisis between the two countries is accelerating as Algeria's regime continues to refuse to receive nationals subjected to deportation orders from France. Last week, the Secretary General of Algeria's Foreign Minister held a meeting with the Charge d'Affaires of France's embassy in Algiers to discuss the list of Algerian nationals subject to deportation orders. Algeria, during the meeting, handed a verbal note containing the country's response, reaffirming Algiers' 'categorical rejection of threats, attempts at intimidation, injunctions, ultimatums, and any coercive language.' The ministry further said that the country 'disapproves of France's selective approach to bilateral and international agreements between the two countries,' reaffirming that Algeria is 'guided solely by its duty to provide consular protection to its nationals.' The French government has been seeing Algeria's approach as a 'humiliation and provocative act.' On Tuesday, French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin called on his government to recall France's ambassador to Algeria. He also called for bold measures, like putting an end to diplomatic passports that give the right to Algerians to come to France for medical treatment or shopping. 'We need to make the countries of origin – Algeria must understand this – understand that they must take back the nationals we no longer want on our territory,' he concluded. Like Darmanin, Retailleau stressed the importance of Algeria's engagement in the situation, repeating his threats that he would resign if France backed down against a firm position to tackle Algeria's reluctance. 'If one day I were to face an obstacle that could jeopardize the safety of our fellow citizens, I would have to question myself,' the interior minister said in his today's statement.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Paris Trains Halted After Unexploded World War II-era Bomb Discovered—What Travelers Should Know
A World War II-era bomb was discovered in a rail station in Europe. Train service halted on March 7, 2025, at Paris' Gare du Nord Rail Station. Travelers are advised to re-book for another day or consider a refund. Travelers are on alert and facing delays at the busiest train station in Europe. Paris' Gare du Nord rail station suspended all train traffic, both arrivals and departures, after the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb. The 1,100-pound bomb was found during overnight track maintenance in the middle of the train tracks about 1.5 miles north of the station, according to France 24. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot reportedly told Sud Radio there was "no fear" of an explosion. The bomb has since been successfully diffused, according to estimated 500 trains were cancelled, impacting 600,000 travelers. On social media, masses of passengers were seen waiting for updates after train service was suspended. Eurostar said all of its trains to and from the station—London-Paris, Paris-London, Brussels-Paris and Paris-Brussels—are suspended for March 7. The train operator told Travel + Leisure it expects "normal traffic" between Paris and Brussels, and Paris and London on Saturday morning. Additionally, it plans to run two extra trains on March 8; "one leaving London to Paris in the morning, one leaving Paris to London in the afternoon."The European train operator is offering passengers to change their journey for a different day, or cancel and receive an e-voucher or cash refund. The exchange process will be completed within 28 days. Gare du Nord provides service for over 700,000 passengers a day, and nearly 100,000 per hour during rush hour peak. The station is ranked as the largest in Europe by passenger traffic, according to Railway Technology. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Sky News
07-03-2025
- Sky News
Bomb team dispose of WWII explosive after Eurostar chaos in Paris
Eurostar services are expected to resume between London and Paris on Saturday following the disposal operation of an unexploded Second World War bomb. Thousands of passengers have faced major disruption throughout the day after the cross-Channel operator halted services on Friday morning. All trains between London and Paris will remain suspended for the rest of the day. However, Eurostar has said it expects to run a normal service between Paris and London and Paris and Brussels on Saturday. The company said it will run two extra trains - one leaving London to Paris in the morning, the other from Paris to London in the afternoon. Meanwhile, domestic train services in Paris are resuming and a major highway has reopened following the disposal operation. It wasn't immediately clear how the bomb, discovered near train tracks in northern Paris, was made safe or disposed of. "We're delighted and relieved that all this has come to an end," said French transport minister Philippe Tabarot. Pictures from Gare du Nord show large queues of stranded travellers, while a large crowd of people gathered outside the check-in area at London St Pancras. The travel disruption also spread to the French capital's road network as bomb disposal teams worked at the site of the find. The bomb was discovered at around 4am by workers moving earth near the tracks in the Saint-Denis area, north of central Paris. French transport minister Philippe Tabarot told broadcaster Sud Radio local residents and people near the train stations should have "no fear" of a risk of explosion, stressing the procedures in place for defusing and removing such bombs. First and Second World War bombs are regularly discovered around France but very rarely in such a densely populated area. Eurostar said in a statement it "sincerely apologises for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause". France's national train operator SNCF said services had been suspended at the request of the police and asked "travellers to postpone their trip". Trains to northern France were also brought to a halt from Gare du Nord, which is a major European transport hub and considered the world's busiest railway station outside of Japan. Fridays are the busiest day of the week for Eurostar, as many holidaymakers embark on international weekend breaks. Plans thrown into doubt Lee Bailey told Sky News he arrived at Gare du Nord to find hundreds of people waiting before being told of the unexploded bomb. "It's a new one for me," he said, adding the staff were "extremely professional" and that Eurostar had offered him free rebooking or a refund, and an apology, but no compensation. "I'd like to go to a Michelin (starred) restaurant in Paris on their dime, but that's not happening, apparently," he said. At St Pancras, Charlotte Kidd, who travelled to London from Bath on Thursday night to get to Disneyland Paris for her 30th birthday this weekend, said she was still hopeful of arriving in time. "We've got two hours. If not, we'll try and get there some other way," she said. Emma Roe, part of a group of eight friends, said they were looking up flights to go "maybe to Amsterdam from Luton, just somewhere else". Lauren Romeo-Smith, part of a group planning to travel for a weekend away to celebrate a birthday, said: "We're looking up flights, but our options are limited." Five of the six flights that British Airways is operating from Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle on Friday after midday are full. A ticket for the one with spare seats, which departs at 6.20pm, is being sold for £264. Eurostar said affected passengers can exchange their ticket for free to travel at a different time or date in the same travel class. Trains between London and Brussels are unaffected.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Unexploded WWII bomb causes massive disruption, cancelling trains in and out of France
Commuter traffic at one of France's busiest train stations came to a complete halt Friday morning after workers discovered an unexploded World War II bomb under the tracks north of Paris' Gare du Nord. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told broadcaster Sud Radio that travel throughout the day was expected to be 'strongly disrupted,' urging travelers to postpone their trips. He added that there was 'no fear' or risk of explosion, stressing that procedures were in place for defusing and removing such bombs. The incident disrupted all train services, including local metros, commuter rails, and national and international train services. Eurostar confirmed to NBC News that it had canceled all trains to and from Paris, including those to London, Brussels and Amsterdam, until noon local time (6 a.m. ET), adding that traffic would resume once the police had completed its 'mine clearance operations' and safely disposed of the bomb. The European train operator encouraged all passengers to travel on another day, later adding that they could exchange their tickets for free to travel at a different time or date in the same travel class. Trains between London and Amsterdam, London and Brussels, and Brussels and Marne La Vallée near Paris were running normally, Eurostar added. Workers removing dirt uncovered the unexploded bomb in the train tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, about a mile and a half north of Gare du Nord, at around 4 a.m. local time, according to a post on X by the H line, one of the trains operated by the French National Railways. Police cleared the area and cordoned off the site shortly after. Just before 5 a.m. local time, the RER-B train line posted on X that 'the bomb disposal experts have just arrived to secure the area and evacuate the elements.' Unexploded bombs dating back to World War I and II are regularly discovered around France. In 2019, a bomb weighing nearly a thousand pounds was found at a construction site at Porte de la Chapelle, near the Gare du Nord, causing temporary disruption to Eurostar trains and the evacuation of almost 2,000 people. The French authorities later determined that the bomb was likely dropped by the British Royal Air Force in April 1944, targeting Nazi-occupied Paris before the D-Day landings in Normandy, according to the British newspaper, The Telegraph. This article was originally published on
