- Leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia meet amid regional tensions
- Klopp's Red Bull decision 'ruined life's work' say Dortmund fans
- Han Kang wins South Korea's first literature Nobel
- S. Korea's Nobel winner Han Kang a modest, thought-provoking writer
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- The almost impossible job: Beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open
- New French government faces key test with budget plan
- Rescuers say Israeli strike on Gaza school kills 28
- Italy's ex-world champion gymnast Ferrari announces retirement
- Zelensky talks 'victory plan' in meeting with Starmer, Rutte
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Federer lauds retiring Nadal's 'incredible achievements'
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Australia beat China 3-1 to resurrect World Cup campaign
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- Nadal defied injury woes in record-breaking career
- Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in epic rivalry
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- Pakistan at 23-1 after Brook triple hundred takes England to 823-7
- Zelensky meets Starmer, Rutte on whirlwind tour of Europe
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Rafael Nadal calls time on epic tennis career
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines confronts China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Kim Sei-young shoots 62 to take two-stroke lead at LPGA Shanghai
- The haircuts that help traumatised Ukrainian soldiers heal
- Sinner crushes Medvedev to set up potential Alcaraz Shanghai semi
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- England's Harry Brook blasts triple century against Pakistan
- Chinese electric car companies cope with European tariffs
- Zelensky in London for whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Record-breaking Root, Brook both pass 200 as England pile up 658-3
- Football mourns Greek defender George Baldock's shock death at 31
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Home is far away for Madagascar in AFCON qualifying
- Two months on, Donbas soldiers begin to question Kursk offensive
- Rugby Australia to counter-sue in dispute with Melbourne Rebels
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines challenges China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Mets advance on Lindor blast, Dodgers stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Injury-ravaged Krygios aiming to return at Australian Open
- Greek international Baldock, dead at 31: family
- EU talks deportation hubs to stem migration
- Deaths and repression sideline Suu Kyi's party ahead of Myanmar vote
- S. Africa offers a lesson on how not to shut down a coal plant
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
French PM, Trudeau defend Canada-EU trade pact
Prime Ministers Gabriel Attal of France and Canada's Justin Trudeau on Thursday defended a trade pact between Canada and the European Union whose ratification has been stymied in France's legislature.
The pair expressed confidence in the continued implementation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), with Attal calling it a "win-win agreement" despite opposition in his own country.
"The figures do not lie," the visiting Attal told a joint press conference. "Since it came into force, trade between our two countries has progressed by more than a third."
Trudeau meanwhile said Canada would continue to "demonstrate the positive impact on citizens of trade and responsible commerce between friends and allies who share the same values."
Following its approval by the European parliament in early 2017, the trade agreement has been applied provisionally since September of that year, but requires ratification in all EU member countries to take full effect.
Amid protests by farmers, France's Senate voted against it last month, in a major blow to the government of President Emmanuel Macron.
Ten European states have yet to ratify the agreement that includes preferential access to Canadian minerals, such as uranium or lithium, which are critical for energy transition and prized by Paris.
Trade between the EU and Canada has increased since the war in Ukraine, as European countries substituted Russian imports for Canadian products.
- Fighting wildfires -
The two leaders also discussed climate change and the devastating forest fires that ravaged Canada last year.
France sent 350 firefighters to help Canada battle the blazes, which destroyed more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres). Smoke from these fires billowed as far as the United States and Europe.
Trudeau announced the purchase of two Canadian water bombers by France and a deal to boost cooperation on dealing with such wildfires.
Attal also "welcomed Canada's support for Ukraine."
He headed to French-speaking Quebec later in the day for talks and a speech to the Quebec National Assembly.
P.Stevenson--AMWN