Ukraine will take part in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, the Ministry of Youth and Sports said.
“These games have a special meaning for Ukraine, because it is an opportunity to show the world our will and strength of spirit. Ukraine’s slogan at the Olympic Games is “The Will to Win” This time for Ukraine, the Olympics is, first of all, a big screen to the world. We have to remind that Ukraine is, fights and is able to win. The very fact that in Paris perform under the Ukrainian flag is a great demonstration of willpower,” – stated in the press service of the Ministry of sports.
As reported, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine have developed recommendations for Ukrainian athletes regarding contacts with Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris (France).
Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the European parliament and the lead socialist candidate in France in the upcoming EU elections, has urged Emmanuel Macron to be “firm” against China and “not to remain silent in the face of the crimes” against the Uyghurs.
In an interview with France Inter radio on Monday morning he said it was wrong to roll out the red carpet in the way Macron has for the Chinese president.
“You can receive him, you can talk to anyone, but not like this. Not by taking him to the vacation village of his childhood, to his grandfather’s house, not, as the Élysée puts it, by giving this visit a friendly setting because Xi Jinping is not our friend. In addition to deporting the Uyghur people, repressing the Tibetans and Hong Kongers, suppressing opponents and threatening the Taiwanese.”
Glucksmann also claimed that China is killing French green tech putting solar panel companies out of business with its cut-price alternatives.
“We used to have solar panel champions in France and Europe. Today, how many companies produce solar panels in France? There’s only one left.
He added: “What I want for us is to no longer be the gall guys,” he said noting that when Canada sees distortions in trade with the Chinese it imposed tariffs of over 200%. “In Europe they charge 15%. That’s not a deterrent.”
Starting September 1, it will be impossible to rent electric scooters in Paris, RTBF TV channel reported on Sunday.
According to the channel, the city hall does not intend to renew contracts with three private operators who have deployed a fleet of these vehicles in Paris, which will become the first European capital to ban the service of providing electric scooters to the public.
Providers of this service must remove the scooters from the streets of Paris by the end of August.
This decision is based on the results of a city referendum on the use of electric scooters. More than 100 thousand Parisians took part in the vote. The ban was supported by 89% of those who took part in the referendum on April 2.
The reason for this vote was the problems caused by scooters scattered randomly throughout the city, but especially the concern for the safety of their users.
The RTBF notes the criticism of this referendum by the companies concerned, who primarily point to the low turnout of 7.46%. “The turnout could have been more active and representative if the voting methods had been different: more polling stations, electronic voting, municipal information,” the three private operators wrote in a joint communiqué.
In 2022, about 400 thousand trips on electric scooters were recorded in Paris, the TV channel reported.
Wealthy connoisseurs and collectors of prestigious wines have freed up a few days in early April for a unique sale of thousands of collectible bottles organized by the auction house “Lombray-Tecam” in the chic surroundings of the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
The total value of all lots is tentatively estimated at 6 million euros. All the bottles exhibited at the auction come from the same collection of a major collector and enthusiastic about the history of French winemaking man.
For more than 50 years this enthusiast, now deceased, whose name the auctioneers do not announce, bought up and preserved tens of thousands of bottles. His heirs decided to scatter this collection at auction. In the “Ritz” April 3 7 will go under the hammer about 30 thousand bottles.
Those who have had the opportunity to get acquainted with the collection, they say that this is the very material history of the best millezimy, the milestones of the winemaking of post-war France. The collector bought his wines following recommendations from the most renowned, internationally recognized experts in the wine industry.
“The auction house informed me of a certain significant cellar. But it never occurred to me to be in front of such a treasure. It is a kind of Grail, the best initiation into wine experts,” admires Claude Maratier, a specialist who has been invited to advise a number of famous wine auctions. This time he was asked to authenticate each of the bottles.
According to connoisseurs, the selection is worthy of a museum. Among the tens of thousands of bottles are 2,000 magnums (one-and-a-half-liter jars), hundreds of cases of Bordeaux grands crus classés (collected from the best vineyards). As well as batches of bottles of the legendary Petrus, Le Pin, Haut-Brion, Clinet, Mouton-Rothschild and a whole range of other wines of the southwest of France, coveted by any lover.
The collector, of course, did not forget about Burgundy. Numerous cases of the best Burgundian wines – grands crus and premiers crus – from the estates of Romanée-Conti, Dujac, Georges Roumier, Armand Rousseau and others, whose names alone say a lot to true connoisseurs, were put up for auction.
“To describe it in a few words, very simply: all the best is here. Bidders will see only the famous labels and only the best vintage years, such as many wines of the mythical, especially for the Rhone Valley, 1978. Seeing it all was an exciting sight,” comments Claude Maratier.
“At the same time,” emphasizes the expert, “all these wines are in impeccable state of preservation, as if they were new, fresh off the bottling line. I’ve never seen anything like it. The labels are intact, the capsules on the necks look great – all of which should appeal to discerning buyers. This is a cellar of treasures carefully collected over the years.”
The starting prices of the lots are known. For example, a set of six “magnums” Petrus 1982 will be traded from 40-50 thousand euros. A set of bottles Romanée-Conti 1976 year offered for 50-60 thousand euros.
During a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to hold an international conference on assistance to Ukraine in the coming winter in Paris on December 13, the Elysee Palace said on Tuesday.
“The President of the Republic (…) expressed his determination to help Ukraine weather the approach of winter (…). He indicated that France would increase its support in this regard and take part in international mobilization (aid). The two presidents agreed to organize on December 13 in Paris an international conference in support of the civil resilience of the country during the winter period,” the presidential office said in a communiqué.
We are talking, in particular, about the restoration of infrastructure, electricity and water supply.
The document says that for this “preparatory work with other partners of Ukraine will begin in the near future.”
In addition, according to the communiqué, Macron and Zelensky also agreed on the organization of a bilateral conference aimed at helping Ukraine from French enterprises, which will be held on December 12.
The Spanish low cost airline Vueling will open direct flights from Kyiv (Boryspil International Airport) to Paris (Orly International Airport) from December 5, 2021.
According to the ticket booking system, the airline will fly on the route twice a week: in December with a shifted schedule, and from January 2022 – on Tuesdays and Sundays with a departure from Paris at 06:55 and from Kyiv at 12:10.
Previously, flights between Ukraine and France were operated by UIA, Air France and SkyUp.
As reported, the Hungarian low cost airline Wizz Air announced plans to start operating flights to Paris from Kyiv and Lviv.
Vueling Airlines is a low cost airline based in Barcelona (Spain).
Ukraine and the European Union signed the Common Aviation Area Agreement on October 12. On June 28, 2021, the EU Council agreed to sign with Ukraine, as well as with three other countries – Armenia, Tunisia and Qatar – the Common Aviation Area Agreement. The process of uniting the Ukrainian aviation space with the EU was launched back in 1999. On December 12, 2006, the EU Council authorized the EC to start relevant negotiations with Ukraine. In October 2013, the text of the Common Aviation Area Agreement was agreed upon by the parties, however, due to foreign policy conditions, its signing was postponed indefinitely.
