Tag Archives: France

World

Terrorist kills 3 in Nice

Leave a comment

Newsroom24x7 Network

Nice/Paris: A terrorist armed with a sharp edged weapon and shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Greatest) stabbed to death two persons and beheaded a woman at a church in Nice located in the French Riviera on the south east coast of France on the  Mediterranian sea on Thursday 29 October 2020.

In another incident on Thursday, police shot dead a man who was also shouting “Allahu Akbar” and threatening those around with a handgun in Montfavet, near the southern French city of Avignon.

Nice was also the target of terrorist attack on Bastille Day in 2016 when more than 80 persons, many of them foreigners and young children,  were killed and hundreds were injured when a lorry was ploughed into a crowded  waterfront by a 31-year-old Franco-Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel. The lorry had dug into the large crowd that had gathered at Promenade des Anglais for the Bastille Day fireworks display. The driver had ploughed on for about 2 kms before he was shot dead by the police.

Defence, India

Rafale combat jets have landed in Ambala

Leave a comment

Newsroom24x7 Network

Ambala/New Delhi: On the touch down of Rafale combat aircraft in India on Wednesday 29 July, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that this marks the beginning of a new era in our Military History.

These multirole aircrafts will revolutionise the capabilities of the IAF, Singh added.

Congratulating the IAF on a professionally executed ferry, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “I am sure that 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, will continue to live upto their motto of “Udayam Ajasram”. I am extremely happy that IAF’s combat capability has got a timely boost”.

This aircraft has very good flying performance and its weapons, radar and other sensors and Electronic Warfare capabilities are amongst the best in the world. Its arrival in India will make the IAF much stronger to deter any threat that may be posed on our country, the Defence Minister emphasised.

Singh further said that the Rafale jets were purchased only because Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the right decision to get these aircrafts through an Inter-Governmental Agreement with France, after the long pending procurement case for them could not progress.

Singh has thanked the Prime Minister for his bold initiative and for his courage & decisiveness.

He has also thanked the French Government, Dassault Aviation and other French companies for ensuring the timely delivery of the aircraft and its weapons, despite the severe restrictions posed by COVID pandemic.

The Arrow formation (Rafales) was given ceremonial welcome by SU-30s when it enetered the Indian skies.

Defence, India

Rajnath Singh joins Rafale fighter aircraft handing over ceremony

Leave a comment

Newsroom24x7 Network

Paris: India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, 8 October 2019, participated in the Rafale fighter aircraft handing over ceremony, coinciding with Vijayadashami festival which symbolises the victory of good over evil and marking the Indian Air Force Day, at Merignac in Bordeaux along with French Minister of Armed Forces Ms Florence Parly.

The Defence Minister performed the ‘Shastra Puja’ on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami before flying a sortie in the Rafale fighter aircraft

Singh earlier during the day held talks with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron. He arrived here on Monday for a two-day official visit to France. During the talks, the two leaders comprehensively discussed key aspects of bilateral defence partnership and resolved to continue strengthening the ties between the two countries. “I thanked President Macron for his strong support to further intensifying our strategic partnership, especially in the defence sector, with India and for our ‘Make in India’ initiatives”, Singh said after the meeting.

The Defence Minister also thanked the French President for the strong support by France to India’s strategic interests and principles, including in fighting terrorism.

Earlier, on his arrival in Paris, the Defence Minister had tweeted that France is India’s important strategic partner and its special relationship with India goes far beyond the realm of formal ties. He also said that his visit to France is aimed at expanding the existing strategic partnership between both the countries.

Singh also expressed his deepest condolences, on behalf of the Indian Government and its people, upon the demise of former French President Jacques Chirac, saying Mr Chirac had played a decisive role in forging India-France Strategic Partnership.

India, Sports

Indian racing star Arjun Maini to contest World’s biggest race

Leave a comment

Newsroom24x7 Network

New Delhi: Racing star Arjun Main will become only the third Indian to contest the prestigious “The 24 Hours of LeMans“ at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France.With over a 150 drivers racing across various classes and a history that dates back to 1923, ‘’the 24 Hours of LeMans’ sees a footfall off over 250,000 people over the course of the weekend. Run on the historic Le Sarthe race circuit, which is known for its long back straight where cars can reach over 300 kmph, modern day competitors complete over 5000 kilometers during the 24 hours time period.

Backed by J.K.Racing, Arjun will compete in the LMP2 category with 19 other entries, racing for the British team RLR Msport, Arjun will share his racing duties with gentleman driver John Ferraro and the experienced Frenchman Norman Nato who is a previous winner in Formula 2.

At the age of 21, he will also become the youngest Indian ever to contest the race along with legends such as two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, 4 time World Touring Car Champion Andy Prilaux, as well as former LeMans winners such as Andre Lotterer, Neel Jani and former Formula One race winner Giancarlo Fisichella to name a few of what is proving to be a very talented lineup of drivers.

Speaking about his weekend Arjun said, “Competing in one of motorsport’s biggest races is crazy! The atmosphere during testing alone was something special and I can hardly wait for the actual race weekend. The biggest challenge I will face is the fact that I will be in the car much longer than in any of my previous races and I hope to be as consistent as possible as this will be key is gaining a good result. Another interesting aspect with endurance racing is navigating through traffic. It’s all about risk assessment here, as I need to find the balance between losing time behind a slower car versus gauging if a driver can see me in their mirrors and finding this balance is another crucial aspect to the race. I’m managing my expectations for this race as 24 hours is a very long time in motor racing and anything can happen. Obviously I’m looking to do my best and bring in a positive result for both myself and the team, that being said I also want to make the most of this opportunity as it’s not every day you get to be a part of a historic race such as this.”

Having recently signed a management deal with e-Ace International, Arjun’s manager Tomas Siltanen added, We are expecting that Le Mans 24h will give Arjun a further boost in his career to become full time professional and also Le Mans is the biggest scene to show Arjun’s potential to race among the best in the sport. This is the first time Arjun races the 24h Le Mans so one of the most important is to be consistent and learn from every lap, because we know he has the speed!”