France
Former French President Sarkozy loses appeal on corruption conviction; prison sentence upheld
A French appeals court on Wednesday upheld a one-year prison sentence for former President Nicolas Sarkozy on a conviction for corruption and influence peddling.
His lawyer said he will take the case to France’s highest court and insisted that Sarkozy is innocent. The 68-year-old ex-president would not have to serve time until a final ruling, and if definitively convicted, he could ask to serve his sentence at home.
Sarkozy, 68, was convicted in 2021 of trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. It was the first time in modern French history that a former president had been convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison.
Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, denies wrongdoing and appealed the original ruling. The Paris appeals court on Wednesday upheld the conviction and the sentence, according to a court official.
His lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, called the decision “stupefying” and “unjust.”
Sarkozy is entitled to ask to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet, standard practice for sentences of two years or less. He also received a two-year suspended sentence, which he will not have to serve if he commits no new offense in the next five years.
It is one of multiple legal cases Sarkoky has faced. He was convicted later in 2021 of illegal campaign financing of his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid. Last week, prosecutors asked for him to be sent to trial on charges that he took millions in illegal financing for his 2007 campaign by the regime of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Being a US ally doesn’t mean being a ‘vassal’: Macron on Taiwan issue
French President Emmanuel Macron has defended his recent remarks regarding Taiwan, in which he stated that France should not become involved in an escalation between the United States and China.
He made the remarks during a weekend interview following his three-day state visit to China, reports BBC.
Being a US ally did not mean being a “vassal”, he also said.
Politicians and other public figures on both sides of the Atlantic have criticized his statements.However, on a visit to the Netherlands on Wednesday, he stated that he stood by his views, said the report.
Read More: China military displays force toward Taiwan after Tsai trip
“Being an ally does not mean being a vassal... doesn’t mean that we don’t have the right to think for ourselves,” Macron told a press conference in the Netherlands.
Macron also stated that France’s support for the “status quo” in Taiwan had not altered and that Paris “supports the One China policy and the search for a peaceful resolution to the situation.”
Meanwhile, the White House has downplayed the statements, saying the Biden administration is “comfortable and confident in the terrific bilateral relationship we have with France.”
Taiwan’s foreign ministry took a similar approach but stated that it “noted” Macron’s remarks.A top Taiwanese official, on the other hand, was “puzzled” by the comments.
Read More: China's military announces 'combat readiness patrols' around Taiwan
“Are ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ out of fashion?” – wrote Taiwan’s parliament speaker You Si-kun on social media, referring to France’s motto.
According to some analysts, Macron’s remarks signal that the US is equally to blame for the escalating tensions over Taiwan, making it more difficult for the EU to take a tougher stance with Beijing.
Meanwhile, China has appreciated Macron’s statements and stated that it is not surprised by the criticism, added the report.
“Some countries do not want to see other nations become independent and self-reliant, and instead always want to coerce other countries into obeying their will,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
Read More: Australia won’t promise to side with US in Taiwan conflict
Taiwan, with its own constitution and democratically chosen leaders, sees itself as different from the Chinese mainland.
However, Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that will inevitably fall under Chinese rule and has never renounced the use of force to achieve this.
While the United States diplomatically recognizes China’s view that there is only one Chinese government, President Joe Biden has pledged to engage militarily to support Taiwan if it is attacked, the report said.
Beijing began practising the encirclement of Taiwan earlier this week during days of military manoeuvres regarded as retaliation to the recent meeting between Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Read More: Anger spreads in France over Macron's retirement bill push
President Tsai said on Saturday that her administration will continue to collaborate with the US and other democracies while the island faces “continued authoritarian expansionism” from China.
8 people missing in fiery collapse of Marseille building
Eight people remained missing after the building they lived in exploded and collapsed early Sunday near the port of Marseille, leaving mounds of burning debris hampering rescue operations, officials said.
More than 100 firefighters worked against a ticking clock to extinguish flames deep within the rubble of the five-story building, but more than 17 hours later “the situation is not yet stabilized,” Marseille Prosecutor Dominique Laurens said at an evening news conference.
Earlier in the day, officials had thought that between four and 10 people may have been trapped. Laurens said police have yet to confirm the apparent disappearance of a ninth person who lived in a next-door building. Five people suffered minor injuries from the collapse, which occurred shortly before 1 a.m.
Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan said two buildings that share walls with the one that collapsed were partially brought down before one later caved in, another complication in the search and rescue operation. The buildings were among evacuated structures.
Drones and probes have been used to examine the scene for signs of life. The burning debris was too hot for dogs in the firefighters' canine team to work until Sunday afternoon, though smoke still bothered them, the prosecutor said.
“We cannot intervene in a very classic way,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said during a morning visit to the site. He said the fire was burning a few meters under the mounds of debris and that both water and foam represent a danger to victims’ survival.
An investigation has been opened for involuntary injury, at least initially sidestepping possible criminal intentions. A gas explosion was among the tracks to check, said Laurens, the prosecutor. But the start of the probe also was limited by the heat of the blaze.
“The flames weren't pink. They were blue,” Payan said.
Firefighters, with the help of urban rescue experts, worked through the night and all day Sunday in a slow race against time. The delicate operation aimed to keep firefighters safe, prevent further harm to people potentially trapped in the rubble and not compromise vulnerable buildings nearby, already partially collapsed. Some 30 buildings in the area were evacuated, Darmanin said.
Lauren, the prosecutor, said that firefighters “are really in a complicated situation, dangerous for them.” Work is progressing but with safety precautions, she said.
“We heard an explosion ... a very strong explosion which made us jump, and that's it,” said Marie Ciret, who was among those evacuated. “We looked outside the window at what was happening. We saw smoke, stones, and people running.”
The building that collapsed is located on a narrow street less than a kilometer (a half-mile) from Marseille's iconic old port, adding to an array of difficulties for firefighters and rescue workers. The prosecutor said the building and those next door “are not at all substandard buildings.”
Robots were reportedly being deployed. A crane was brought in to clear rubble and firefighters were at one point seen in TV video hosing parts of the debris from a window in a nearby apartment as plumes of smoke rose skyward.
“We’re trying to drown the fire while preserving the lives of eventual victims under the rubble,” Lionel Mathieu, commander of the Marseille fire brigade, said during a televised briefing.
“Firefighters are gauging minute by minute the best way to put out the fire,” Payan, the mayor, said.
“We must prepare ourselves to have victims,” he said grimly.
The collapsed building is located in an old quarter in the center of France’s second-largest city. The noise from the explosion resounded in other neighborhoods. Nearby streets were blocked off.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne both tweeted their thoughts for people affected and thanks to the firefighters.
In 2018, two buildings in the center of Marseille collapsed, killing eight people. Those buildings were poorly maintained — not the case with the building that collapsed Sunday after an explosion, the interior minister said.
Anger spreads in France over Macron's retirement bill push
Protesters disrupted traffic in Paris on Friday as angry critics, political opponents and labor unions around France blasted President Emmanuel Macron's decision to force a bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote.
Opposition parties were expected to start procedures later Friday for a no-confidence vote on the government led by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. The vote would likely take place early next week.
Macron ordered Borne on Thursday to wield a special constitutional power to push the highly unpopular pension bill through without a vote in the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament.
Also Read: France’s Macron risks his government to raise retirement age
His calculated risk infuriated opposition lawmakers, many citizens and unions. Thousands gathered in protest Thursday at the Place de la Concorde, which faces the National Assembly building. As night fell, police officers charged the demonstrators in waves to clear the Place. Small groups then moved through nearby streets in the chic Champs-Elysees. neighborhood setting street fires.
Similar scenes repeated themselves in numerous other cities, from Rennes and Nantes in eastern France to Lyon and the southern port city of Marseille, where shop windows and bank fronts were smashed, according to French media.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told radio station RTL on Friday that 310 people were arrested overnight. Most of the arrests, 258, were made in Paris, according to Darmanin.
The trade unions that had organized strikes and marches against a higher retirement age said more rallies and protest marches would take place in the days ahead. “This retirement reform is brutal, unjust, unjustified for the world of workers,” they declared.
Macron has made the proposed pension changes the key priority of his second term, arguing that reform is needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France, like many richer nations, faces lower birth rates and longer life expectancy.
Macron decided to invoke the special power during a Cabinet meeting a few minutes before a scheduled vote in the National Assembly, where the legislation had no guarantee of securing majority support. The Senate adopted the bill earlier Thursday.
Opposition lawmakers demanded the government to step down. If the expected no-confidence motion passes, which requires approval from more than half of the Assembly, it would be a first since 1962 and force the government to resign.
Macron could reappoint Borne if he chooses, and a new Cabinet would be named. If the motion does not succeed, the pension bill would be considered adopted.
France’s Macron risks his government to raise retirement age
French President Emmanuel Macron ordered his prime minister to wield a special constitutional power Thursday that skirts parliament to force through a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote.
His calculated risk set off a clamor among lawmakers, who began singing the national anthem even before Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived in the lower chamber. She spoke forcefully over their shouts, acknowledging that Macron's unilateral move will trigger quick motions of no-confidence in his government.
The fury of opposition lawmakers echoed the anger of citizens and workers' unions. Thousands gathered at the Place de la Concorde facing the National Assembly, lighting a bonfire. As night fell, police charged the demonstrators in waves to clear the elegant Place. Small groups of those chased away moved through nearby streets in the chic neighborhood setting street fires. At least 120 were detained, police said.
Similar scenes repeated themselves in numerous other cities, from Rennes and Nantes in the east to Lyon and the southern port city of Marseille, where shop windows and bank fronts were smashed, according to French media. Radical leftist groups were blamed for at least some of the destruction.
Also Read: France’s development agency signs deal with Bangladesh to support energy efficiency scheme
The unions that have organized strikes and marches since January, leaving Paris reeking in piles of garbage, announced new rallies and protest marches in the days ahead. “This retirement reform is brutal, unjust, unjustified for the world of workers,” they declared.
Macron has made the proposed pension changes the key priority of his second term, arguing that reform is needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France, like many richer nations, faces lower birth rates and longer life expectancy.
Macron decided to invoke the special power during a Cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, just a few minutes before the scheduled vote in France’s lower house of parliament, because he had no guarantee of a majority.
“Today, uncertainty looms" about whether a majority would have voted for the bill, Borne acknowledged, but she said “We cannot gamble on the future of our pensions. That reform is necessary.”
Borne prompted boos from the opposition when she said her government is accountable to the parliament. Lawmakers can try to revoke the changes through no-confidence motions, she said.
“There will actually be a proper vote and therefore the parliamentary democracy will have the last say,” Borne said.
She said in an interview Thursday night on the TV station TF1 that she was not angry when addressing disrespectful lawmakers but “very shocked.”
“Certain (opposition lawmakers) want chaos, at the Assembly and in the streets,” she said.
Opposition lawmakers demanded the government step down. One Communist lawmaker called the presidential power a political “guillotine.” Others called it a “denial of democracy” that signals Macron’s lack of legitimacy.
Marine Le Pen said her far-right National Rally party would file a no-confidence motion, and Communist lawmaker Fabien Roussel said such a motion is “ready” on the left.
“The mobilization will continue,” Roussel said. “This reform must be suspended.”
The leader of The Republicans, Eric Ciotti, said his party won’t “add chaos to chaos” by supporting a no-confidence motion, but some of his fellow conservatives at odds with the party’s leadership could vote individually.
A no-confidence motion, expected early next week, needs approval by more than half the Assembly. If it passes — which would be a first since 1962 — the government would have to resign. Macron could reappoint Borne if he chooses, and a new Cabinet would be named.
If no-confidence motions don't succeed, the pension bill would be considered adopted.
The Senate adopted the bill earlier Thursday in a 193-114 vote, a tally largely expected since the conservative majority of the upper house favored the changes.
Raising the retirement age will make workers put more money into the system, which the government says is on course to run a deficit. Macron has promoted the pension changes as central to his vision for making the French economy more competitive. The reform also would require 43 years of work to earn a full pension.
Leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told the crowd at the Concorde that Macron has gone “over the heads of the will of the people.” Members of Melenchon’s France Unbowed party were foremost among the lawmakers singing the Marseillese in an attempt to thwart the prime minister.
Economic challenges have prompted widespread unrest across Western Europe, where many countries, like France, have had low birthrates, leaving fewer young workers to sustain pensions for retirees. Spain’s leftist government joined with labor unions Wednesday to announce a “historic” deal to save its pension system.
Spain's Social Security Minister José Luis Escrivá said the French have a very different, unsustainable model and “has not addressed its pension system for decades." Spain's workers already must stay on the job until at least 65 and won’t be asked to work longer — instead, their new deal increases employer contributions for higher-wage earners.
France keen on meeting Bangladesh’s needs for green investments: AFD Executive Director
Dhaka, Mar 5 (UNB) - France, having expertise and experience in tackling climate change issues, is keen on meeting Bangladesh’s financing needs by providing AFD concessional loans for green investments and through supporting the government in addressing climate related issues, says Agence Française de Dévelopment (AFD) Executive Director Philippe Orliange.
With the upgrade from least development country (LDC) status and the “rapid” economic development of Bangladesh, the government is looking for massive capital investments while facing unprecedented environmental and climate change issues, he told UNB in an exclusive interview.
During his two-day visit recently, the highest-level AFD mission to date, Orliange acknowledged the growing collaboration between AFD and Bangladesh over the past decade.
Read more: Tony Blair pays homage to Bangabandhu
The AFD, a financial institution of the French government, is currently operating in 110 countries with an annual commitment of around 12 billion euros – half of it in Africa and the rest in Asia, South America and the Middle East.
The French Embassy in Dhaka and AFD’s Dhaka office organised the Bangladesh visit of the executive director considering the population size of the country that is significant for a development partner.
Orliange, who had a meeting with the finance and ERD secretaries of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and the Bangladesh Bank governor on the same day, said the portfolio of Bangladesh is around 1.4 billion euros
He also attended a roundtable, titled “The role of France in tackling climate change, both globally as well as in Bangladesh”.
The roundtable was facilitated by International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD).
“First of all, let me say that I am quite happy to finally come to Bangladesh, it is a very interesting country from a development point of view. It is really important for AFD to understand a country and its dynamics in order to adapt our services,” said the AFD executive director.
Read more: PM meets Guterres in Doha, discusses Ukraine, Rohingyas
Responding to a question, he said his visit has had three main purposes: acknowledging and celebrating achievements of the AFD-GoB collaboration over the past decade, reassuring the full support of AFD in the future, and exploring new areas of cooperation with the Government of Bangladesh around climate change and green finance.
AFD’s financing in Bangladesh almost tripled over the last three years (a total of 1.4 billion euro has been committed since 2012).
“We signed with the government loans and grants for 543M€ in the last 2 years (2021 and 2022). It was agreed with the government that AFD would commit to around 300M€ annually in the coming years,” Orliange said.
Despite the implementation duration of these kind of development projects, he said, they are starting to witness concrete impacts on the people (access to basic services like electricity, water and sanitation, urban mobility, financial inclusion, social protection).
“We also like to believe the projects funded by AFD have a significant impact on the global adaptation to climate change,” he said.
Read more: Int'l community must renew commitment for real structural transformation in LDCs: PM in Doha conference
The ED said project implementation is a heavy process that could be accelerated sometimes.
“AFD, the Government of Bangladesh and our implementing partners should work together to improve that specific point,” he said.
Responding to a question on his participation at the Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi, Orliange said Raisina is the place where brainstorming results in important decisions, promoting disruptive and important questions on our modern stakes.
The development agenda, especially finance supporting SDGs, is structural in every region, especially in the Indo-Pacific, he said.
Public development banks and development financial institutions play a key role in namely delivering sustainable and high-quality projects, taking into account the needs of partner countries and ensuring lasting benefits for local communities, in the specific context of Indo-Pacific.
There is indeed a pressing need to recognise that among the challenges that the Indo-Pacific is facing, sustainability is no less urgent and strategic than the security agenda, Orliange said.
Responding to a question, Philippe said of course, AFD has started due diligences on a Blue Economy project to improve research capacity of the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (BORI) by acquiring an advanced oceanographic research vessel.
The objective is to help BORI with physical and chemical oceanographic campaigns, underwater mapping, geological sampling, marine biology or fisheries resource assessment, he said.
In terms of green energy, AFD, together with the European Union, is currently supporting the Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) to strengthen its distribution grid by expanding and renovating it, and commissioning smart-grid technology on a pilot basis.
“AFD also recently showed interest in financing solar photovoltaic power plants and hopes to make it concrete soon,” Orliange said.
AFD is also taking part in the European Union’s initiative called “Green Energy Transition in Bangladesh”, to engage in a policy dialogue with the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and especially with Bangladesh’s Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA).
AFD’s role in Bangladesh to help achieve SDGs
AFD’s role could be summarized very succinctly: helping countries achieve Sustainable Development Goals, as they were defined in the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, said the executive director.
In Bangladesh, he said, AFD is working with the GoB on the following SDGs:
· SDG 1 (no poverty)
Through AFD’s cash transfer project, as well as all projects improving living conditions (access to water, energy, transportation).
· SDG 3 (good health and well-being)
Through AFD’s Health and Social Protection projects signed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
· SDG 5 (gender equality)
AFD tries to include a gender component in all of the projects: favouring women’s capacity-building, women empowerment, women entrepreneurship.
· SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation)
Through AFD’s 2 projects with the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) and the upcoming one with the Chittagong WASA.
· SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy)
AFD is working with DPDC on strengthening the power distribution grid of Dhaka. Discussions are progressing with NESCO to strengthen the gird in the north of the country and with BPDB for renewable energy power plants.
· SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth)
Through AFD’s project with the Bangladesh Bank, focus is on improving the working conditions and the safety of workers in the RMG sector.
· SDG 10 (reduced inequality)
Grant-based sub-projects.
· SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities)
A number of projects with financing institutions are in the appraisal phase. These are aimed to finance projects with municipalities, to support the housing sector and urban development overall.
· SDG 13 (climate action)
As mentioned before, all of AFD’s financing need to be “climate-compatible” and the objective of the AFD ED’s visit is to put climate even more at the core of its project origination process.
· SDG 14 (life below water)
AFD is currently appraising a project with the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute that promises to be very interesting.
Responding to a question, Orliange said the AFD Group includes a subsidiary named Proparco, which deals exclusively with the private sector.
Proparco is active in Bangladesh with a growing portfolio in the textile and energy sector (135 million USD committed over 7 projects since 2013). Proparco’s activities are monitored from the regional office based in Delhi, with regular visits and missions undertaken to see the evolution on the ground.
AFD finances the private sector and the industries through public financial institutions.
At the moment, AFD finances three credit lines with Bangladesh Bank, IDCOL and BIFFL which aim to finance private firms investments which qualify.
These investments must prove to save energy (energy efficiency) or to produce green energy from renewables, or to improve the safety and hygiene of the workers.
Other credit lines are under preparation. The promotion of the private sector is crucial to the economic development of the country and AFD is dedicated to play a role in this, said the executive director.
France to unveil new economic, military strategy in Africa
French President Emmanuel Macron will unveil on Monday his country’s changing economic and military strategy in Africa in the coming years, as France’s influence substantially declines on the continent.
Macron is expected to call for a more balanced partnership with African nations, in a speech at the Elysee presidential palace before he begins an ambitious Africa trip on Wednesday to Gabon, Angola, the Republic of Congo and Congo.
Monday’s speech comes at a time when France’s influence on the continent is facing more challenges than it has in decades.
In less than a year, French troops had to withdraw from Mali, which turned instead to Russian military contractors, and most recently from Burkina Faso, which also appears to increasingly look towards Moscow.
A growing anti-France sentiment has led to street protests in several West and North African countries against the former colonial power.
In addition, historical economic ties that France had with the region are being challenged by the growing commercial presence of Russia, China and Turkey.
“It’s not a trip that aims at getting into the race to regain a regretted influence,” a top official at the French presidency said. The trip isn’t aimed to “try to get back to the past. It’s more to respond to a demand for partnership, for relations, but with new methods and a new approach,” he said.
The official was speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the French presidency’s customary practices.
Macron is notably expected to detail changes that France will bring in its military deployment in the Sahel region.
Last year, he announced the formal end of the so-called Barkhane military force after France withdrew its troops from Mali. French operations to help fight Islamic extremists in the Sahel region are now focusing mostly on Niger and Chad, where the country still has about 3,000 troops.
Macron in recent years insisted any French presence in Africa should be based on “partnership” in efforts to move away from post-colonial interference.
“Faced with the strategic threats ahead, whether it’s war in Ukraine, economic shock, pandemic shock, it’s crucial that Europe and Africa are as aligned as possible and get, let’s say, as intimate as possible in their dialogue,” the French official said.
Macron, 45, is the first French president born after the colonial era. He has previously sought to extend France’s cooperation with English-speaking countries, like Ghana and Kenya, and increase French investments in Africa’s private sector.
During this week’s tour, he will notably visit Portuguese-speaking Angola, with the aim to develop links especially in the fields of agriculture and food industry as well as energy, including oil and gas.
Yet Macron’s tour this week in central Africa already faces questions.
Some opposition activists in Gabon have denounced his visit, which they perceive as bringing support to President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family has ruled since the 1960s, before the presidential election scheduled later this year.
Similar questions have been raised in Congo before a December presidential election.
“Before, during and after this trip, the president of the republic, like all French authorities, will show strict neutrality regarding these elections,” the French top official said.
The Elysee stressed that Macron is coming to Gabon mostly to attend a major climate-related summit focusing on the preservation of forests.
He will also seek to show France’s attachment to improving economic and cultural relations with two French-speaking countries, neighbouring Republic of Congo and Congo, not only via talks with authorities, but also by establishing links with local populations, entrepreneurs, artists and activists, according to the Elysee.
BGMEA urges Proparco to provide SMEs with the low-cost fund, grant
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has urged the French Development Agency the financial wing Proparco to provide the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the country with the low-cost fund and grant as they often cannot avail of regular financing schemes due to stringent due diligence.
"Bangladeshi garment factories are making huge investments to make their production process cleaner and more energy efficient. However, the SMEs need low-cost funding to integrate environmental sustainability practices," said BGMEA President Faruque Hassan.
A delegation of Proparco met with Faruque in Paris Saturday to discuss possible collaboration in supporting the sustainable development of Bangladesh's RMG industry.
The Proparco delegation led by Reza Hassam Daya, deputy head of manufacturing, also included Nahema Lemarchand, Jean-Emile Loubet and Théodore Planes.
The two sides discussed the present status of Bangladesh's apparel industry, its vision, challenges and potential.
Faruque informed the Proparco team about the progress made by Bangladesh's RMG industry in the areas of workplace safety, social and environmental sustainability and workers' wellbeing.
Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Press, Publication and Publicity Shovon Islam was also present at the meeting.
Read more: BB relaxes rule of storing audited financial report for CMSMEs
France, Australia to supply Ukraine with artillery shells
France and Australia announced Monday plans to jointly produce and send several thousand 155-millimeter artillery shells to Ukraine, starting in the coming weeks.
The multimillion-dollar plan is the latest offer of support for Ukraine by both countries, and comes amid growing appeals from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for heavy weaponry and long-term supplies from Western allies nearly a year into Russia's war on Ukraine.
The joint announcement, made by Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, also appeared aimed at sending a signal that the two countries have overcome a damaging dispute over submarines.
Australia secretly jettisoned a $60 billion contract for conventional French submarines in 2021 in favor of a deal for nuclear-powered submarines made by the U.S. and Britain instead, deeply harming French-Australian relations.
Read more: France’s defense minister goes to Ukraine to boost support
The production of artillery shells for Ukraine will be led by French manufacturer Nexter in cooperation with Australian manufacturers, the defense ministers said. They did not provide further details, citing national security.
“I’m pleased to announce that Australia and France are working together to supply 155-millimeter ammunition to Ukraine, to make sure Ukraine is able to stay in this conflict and see it concluded on its own terms,” Marles said.
Lecornu said they aim to send the first shells in the first quarter of this year, and that the project is meant to secure a steady supply of shells to Ukraine over time.
Scandal hits another Olympic sport in France -- handball
The head of France's professional handball league has been taken in for police questioning in a child sexual assault and pornography probe, French prosecutors said Wednesday, the latest sports scandal in the country ahead of next year's Paris Olympics.
The Paris prosecutor's office said Bruno Martini was taken into custody Monday morning on suspicion of attempted sexual assault on a 15-year-old, of corrupting a minor and recording pornographic images of children. The president of the National Handball League was then released Tuesday night ahead of an expected plea deal on the child corruption and pornography charges, the prosecutor's office said.
Before moving into handball management, Martini was a star player, keeping goal in 202 appearances for the French national team. He's the latest leader of an Olympic sport in France under police investigation in the countdown to the 2024 Games, which open in Paris in just under 550 days.
French soccer federation president Noël Le Graët is under investigation for sexual harassment and “moral harassment." French rugby federation president Bernard Laporte is appealing a two-year suspended sentence that a Paris court handed down last month. He was found guilty of passive corruption, influence peddling, illegal interest-taking and misuse of corporate assets.
Read more: Olympics Football: Bangladesh Women's team put in Group B
The head of the Paris Games organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, expressed hope Wednesday that the various cases will progress quickly “so we can turn the page.”
“French sports need stability,” he said. “We hope things quickly return to normal.”
The National Handball League’s executive committee held an emergency meeting Wednesday to consider Martini’s position and said it was expecting his resignation as president, calling it “probable and desirable."
Handball is a popular sport in France. The country's men and women are the reigning Olympic champions.
News of the probe involving Martini, a two-time Olympian and two-time world champion with the national team, came as France's men were preparing to play Germany on Wednesday for a semifinal spot at the world championships.