MOSCOW: With Hollywood boycotting the Russian market over Moscow&#39;s offensive on Ukraine, French films are one of the few cultural windows Russians have left to the West. And even as relations between Paris and Moscow have sunk to their lowest in decades, French cinema has retained its popularity as aficionados seek a big-screen dose of &quot;art de vivre&quot;, the French philosophy of living well and savoring the moment. &quot;French films create a colorful bubble where I want to stay,&quot; Alexandra told AFP, allowing her to &quot;pause my thoughts about what&#39;s going on in the world.&quot; The Moscow cinema hall showing Cedric Klapisch&#39;s dramatic comedy &quot;Colors of Time&quot; -- recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival -- was crowded. Other French films offer a range, from fresh releases such as Luc Besson&#39;s &quot;Dracula&quot; and Quentin Dupieux&#39;s &quot;The Piano Accident&quot; to Ren&eacute; Cl&eacute;ment&#39;s cult classic &quot;Purple Noon&quot;, starring Alain Delon. Russia was the top export market for French films in 2023, and second in 2024 by ticket sales, according to Unifrance, a French cultural body promoting cinema abroad. This comes even as pirate copies of Hollywood films were still being shown in some Russian cinemas. &nbsp;Life-savingThe popularity has endured even as France hit Russia with an unprecedented number of sanctions over the Ukraine offensive, and the Kremlin and Elysee deploy increasingly sharp rhetoric against each other. French President Emmanuel Macron called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin an &quot;ogre&quot; and &quot;predator&quot; earlier this year -- drawing rebukes from officials in Moscow. But big box office releases have kept flowing, with 73 French films hitting Russian cinemas last year. In 2023, animated film &quot;Miraculous&quot; scored more than three million viewers in Russia -- the largest audience for a French film in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. &quot;It would be foolish in this situation to abandon the country that invented cinema,&quot; Konstantin Ernst, the sanctioned head of Russia&#39;s state-run Channel One, told AFP.&nbsp; &quot;The subtlety, depth, and aestheticism of French cinema are closely aligned with the Russian soul,&quot; he added. Many Asian and Latin American producers have tried to fill the void in the Russian market by the formal absence of Hollywood movies -- but with little success. For Marina, a 33-year-old who works at a law firm, they have a &quot;different energy&quot;. &quot;French or European cinema is closer to me in terms of its atmosphere and elegance,&quot; she told AFP. It is &quot;essential, even life-saving&quot;, she added. Different way of livingRussians have for centuries sought to establish cultural bridges to France -- &quot;from French literature in the 19th century to the cinema that replaced it,&quot; Joel Chapron, a French expert on Russian cinema, told AFP. It is &quot;a kind of cultural diplomacy&quot;, he added, offering a &quot;glimpse into the culture they&#39;ve always loved... and an alternative to propaganda.&quot; As Alexandra put it: &quot;Interwoven for centuries, our two cultures are continuing their dialogue.&quot; Even during the Cold War, French cinema was widely popular behind the Iron Curtain. The 1952 swashbuckling comedy &quot;Fanfan la Tulipe&quot; starring Gerard Philippe attracted some 30 million viewers. French actors have also remained high-profile celebrities in Russia. Disgraced star Gerard Depardieu was even granted citizenship in 2013. Unifrance has defended its decision not to join Hollywood in boycotting the Russian market over the Ukraine offensive. &quot;Banning culture would mean severing ties with the Russian population,&quot; a spokesperson told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Cinema was a way of &quot;providing a glimpse to another culture... and to a different way of living,&quot; they added. Channel One&#39;s Ernst hailed that decision as &quot;wise&quot;. Distributors agree. &quot;Closing doors is never helpful,&quot; said Nadezhda Motina, president of Arna Media, which sells French films in Russia. &quot;We must show Russians another world with its values and bring a little sun into cold water,&quot; she said, referring to French writer Francoise Sagan&#39;s novel &quot;Sunlight on Cold Water&quot;.

 French director Cedric Klapisch's dramatic comedy "Colours of Time"

Film & TV

Despite political tensions and sanctions, French cinema thrives in Russia. With Hollywood absent, French films dominate screens, sustaining a historic bond and providing Russians solace, beauty, and “art de vivre.”

French cinema booms in Russia despite political rift

BRUSSELS: Pro-Palestinian protests are shaking major European cities, and calls are growing to ban Israel from sporting and cultural events. European navies have been deployed to protect activists trying to get aid into Gaza, and a wave of countries have done the once-unthinkable and recognized a Palestinian state. As outrage over the humanitarian catastrophe grows, more European leaders, sometimes driven by pressure from their populations, have openly condemned Israel&#39;s war conduct and sought to push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s government to agree to a ceasefire and allow in aid. &ldquo;There has been a ground-breaking shift in Europe where, somewhere over the last year, populations have been putting more pressure on their governments, which has helped break taboos at the top over criticism of Israel,&rdquo; said Sanam Vakil, director of the Chatham House think tank&rsquo;s Middle East and North Africa program. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel&rsquo;s closest EU allies, said last week that she would support European Union sanctions against Israel. It was her toughest position yet, and followed a nationwide strike in Italy and pro-Palestinian protests from Palermo to Milan. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Meloni said: &ldquo;Israel ended up violating humanitarian norms, causing a massacre among civilians.&rdquo; Since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters launched air and ground attacks on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, Israel&rsquo;s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,000 people, according to Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the government and staffed by medical professionals, doesn&rsquo;t differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says women and children make up around half. The war has also destroyed vast areas of Gaza, killed 289 journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, displaced around 90% of Gaza&#39;s population, and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, including an outbreak of famine in Gaza City. Pro-Palestinian protests have grown, according to the Armed Conflict Location &amp; Event Data Project, or ACLED, which monitors worldwide conflicts. From December to April, there were 780 protests across Europe. That has grown to 2,066 in the last five months, an average of at least 15 a day, said researcher Ciro Murillo. The protests cut across parties and include members of Europe&rsquo;s large Muslim communities, an important voting bloc in countries like France and Germany. In the past six months, there were only 51 pro-Israel protests in Europe, about half of them in Germany. ACLED data showed a steep drop in public support for Israel starting a few months after the war began. Speaking at the UN two days after Meloni, Netanyahu seemed to acknowledge the turn. &ldquo;Sure, in the days immediately following Oct. 7, many ... supported Israel. But that support quickly evaporated when Israel did what any self-respecting nation would do in the wake of such a savage attack,&rdquo; he told world leaders. Israel&rsquo;s deep ties with EuropeWith a shared birth in the aftermath of World War II, Israel and the European Union are intricately interwoven. Almost all Jewish Israelis trace their heritage to either the broader Middle East or the Jewish communities of Europe laid waste to by pogroms in the Russian empire and the genocidal Third Reich of Germany. &ldquo;Israel is from Europe, and anyone who fails to admit it or understand it doesn&rsquo;t really understand this country,&rdquo; said Sharon Pardo, a professor at Ben-Gurion University and author of a book on European-Israeli relations, &ldquo;Uneasy Neighbors.&rdquo; Strategic practicality drove Israel towards Europe, even if many considered it &ldquo;a continent of murderers,&rdquo; Pardo said. Israel&rsquo;s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, began building long-standing economic, political and cultural ties with Europe. Today, the EU is Israel&rsquo;s top trading partner. &ldquo;These were the immediate markets for Israeli agriculture; this was the market for weapons for Israel,&rdquo; Pardo said. But the embrace by Netanyahu, Israel&rsquo;s longest-serving prime minister, of far-right European parties has antagonized the European political establishment. &ldquo;Netanyahu&rsquo;s Israel is an anti-European Union country, a Euro-sceptic country that does its utmost to harm the European integration project,&rdquo; Pardo said. Criticism of Israel rises as war in Gaza grinds onThe shocking violence of Oct. 7, 2023, ignited an outpouring of support from European leaders. Ursula von der Leyen, the EU&rsquo;s political chief, visited a still-smoldering kibbutz days later and met with Netanyahu. She pledged EU support for Israel. But nearly two years later, Israel&rsquo;s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, accused her of &ldquo;empowering a terrorist organization&rdquo; with her surprise call for the EU to increase pressure on Israel to halt the war. Von der Leyen said there&rsquo;s been &ldquo;a more systematic shift in the last months that is simply unacceptable&rdquo; in the conflict and that &ldquo;Europe needs to do more.&rdquo; She was likely influenced by growing protests and by EU staff critical of her policies, said Lisa Musiol, head of EU Affairs for the International Crisis Group. She pointed to open letters criticizing the EU&rsquo;s Gaza policy signed by more than 2,000 current EU staffers and 390 former European ambassadors and officials. Von der Leyen proposed increasing EU tariffs on some Israeli goods and sanctioning some Israeli settlers and two members of Netanyahu&rsquo;s Cabinet. She would also sanction 10 Hamas leaders. EU leaders were to discuss the proposals on Wednesday in Copenhagen. Major EU measures require unanimity &mdash; a likely impossibility in the 27-nation bloc &mdash; but some can be passed with a vote weighted by population. That would require Italy or Germany to join nations critical of Israel. All eyes on Merz and MeloniGermany&rsquo;s support for Israel is second only to the United States. But Germany&rsquo;s ruling coalition is split on Gaza, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz&rsquo;s centre-right Christian Democrats supporting Israel and the smaller Social Democrats more critical of the war. Merz has spoken to Netanyahu about his growing concerns and has curbed arms sales to Israel, but said he is not considering sanctions. Germany&#39;s historical responsibility for the Holocaust has shaped its postwar support for ensuring Israel&rsquo;s security and combating antisemitism. Still, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Berlin on Saturday, calling for the war&#39;s end. More likely to swing the vote would be Meloni, who has said she supports Italy joining recent moves to recognize a Palestinian state by European neighbors France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the United Kingdom and Portugal, as well as Commonwealth nations Canada and Australia. In contrast to Germany, Italy has a different historical relationship to Israel, said Elisabetta Brighi, a University of Westminster professor. Deeply influenced by the country&rsquo;s strong trade unions and the Vatican, Italy could switch and join European efforts to pressure Israel over Gaza. &ldquo;Italy has not translated the trauma of fascism the same way that Germany has,&quot; she said. Italy has joined Spain in sending navy ships to protect a flotilla of boats carrying activists seeking to break Israel&rsquo;s blockade of Gaza after the activists said they were attacked by drones near Greece. Calls have also grown to ban Israel from some sporting and cultural events, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying after protesters disrupted the Spanish Vuelta cycling race last month that Israel should be excluded until the &ldquo;barbarity&rdquo; in Gaza ends. Some countries have also threatened to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest &mdash; hugely popular in Israel and Europe &mdash; if Israel is allowed to compete. Israeli military restricts movement, intensifies bombing in Gaza City Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Israeli military issued new orders banning people from returning to northern Gaza while urging residents to leave for the south, as Gaza City came under heavy bombardment. Overnight strikes by Israeli planes and tanks targeted residential areas, killing at least 17 people, including seven in a strike on the old city and six sheltering in a school. Starting Wednesday, the military blocked the coastal road from south to north, allowing only southbound movement. This move pressurizes those still in Gaza City to flee and prevents displaced residents from returning, raising fears of permanent displacement.&nbsp; It also halts the flow of goods from the south to the north, likely worsening food shortages in Gaza City. Similar restrictions separating north and south were imposed earlier in the war but eased during a ceasefire in January.

Europe

Outrage over Gaza has sparked mass protests across Europe, pressuring governments to criticize Israel, consider sanctions, recognize Palestine, and threaten cultural boycotts, straining EU-Israel relations amid deepening humanitarian concerns.

As outrage over the war in Gaza grows, Europe's relationship with Israel falters

UNITED NATIONS: A U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at halting the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program failed Friday after weeks of last-ditch diplomatic talks appeared to break down days before the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders. The resolution put forth by South Korea, the current president of the 15-member council, did not garner the support of the nine countries required to halt the series of sanctions from taking effect at the end of the month, as outlined in Iran&rsquo;s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Only four countries &mdash; China, Russia, Pakistan and Algeria &mdash; supported the effort, with some using the meeting to blast the European leaders for what they called an unjustified and illegal action against Iran. &ldquo;Their only goal now is to use the council as a tool for their bad faith play, as a lever to exert pressure on the state in favor of a state which is trying to defend its sovereign interests,&rdquo; Vassily Alekseevich Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the U.N., said ahead of the vote. France, Germany and the United Kingdom moved last month to trigger the &ldquo; snapback mechanism,&rdquo; which automatically reimposes all U.N. sanctions that were in effect before the nuclear deal. Those penalties included a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, asset freezes, travel bans and a ban on producing nuclear-related technology. The process is designed to be veto-proof unless the U.N.&#39;s most powerful body agrees to stop it. Over the last several weeks, intensified diplomacy between Iran and the European countries has taken place, but without a resolution so far and indications that sanctions were likely. When asked in an interview on Thursday on Israel&rsquo;s Channel 12 whether the &ldquo;snapback&rdquo; was a done deal, French President Emmanuel Macron said, &ldquo;Yes, I think so because the latest news we had from the Iranians are not serious.&rdquo; German and European Union leaders had warned Iran in a call on Wednesday that it had yet to take the necessary action to stop the reimposition of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which is already reeling from a 12-day war and a decades-long financial crisis. &ldquo;The window for finding a diplomatic solution on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear issue is closing really fast,&rdquo; the EU&rsquo;s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said in a statement.&nbsp;&ldquo;Iran must show credible steps towards addressing the demands of France, U.K. and Germany, and this means demonstrating full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and allowing inspections of all nuclear sites without delay.&rdquo; In a statement issued hours later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi again asserted that the reimposition of U.N. sanctions was &ldquo;lacking any legal or logical justification.&rdquo; He also pointed to the fact that Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog earlier reached a deal mediated by Egypt to grant the IAEA access to all&nbsp;Iranian nuclear sites and for Tehran to report on the whereabouts of all its nuclear material. Details of the agreement were not immediately released. In an address last week to his agency&rsquo;s board of governors in Vienna, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said the document &ldquo;provides for a clear understanding for the procedures of inspection notifications and their implementation.&rdquo; The agreement &ldquo;includes all facilities and installations in Iran and it also contemplates the required reporting on all the attacked facilities including the nuclear material present at those,&rdquo; Grossi added, noting it will &ldquo;open the way for the respective inspections and access&rdquo; without specifying when that would happen. A 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in June saw both the Israelis and the Americans bomb Iranian nuclear sites, throwing into question the status of Tehran&rsquo;s stockpile of uranium enriched nearly to weapons-grade levels. Using the &ldquo;snapback&rdquo; mechanism will likely heighten tensions between Iran and the West. It&rsquo;s unclear how Iran will respond, given that in the past, officials have threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, potentially following North Korea, which abandoned the treaty in 2003 and then built atomic weapons.

Iranian flag flies in front of a U.N. building 

Middle East

U.N. resolution to stop Iran sanctions snapback failed, clearing path for penalties as Europe cites nuclear deal violations and Tehran protests.

UN Security Council votes against lifting Iran 'snapback' sanctions ahead of deadline

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will vote Friday on reimposing deep economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Britain, France, and Germany -- signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action intended to stop Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons -- allege that Iran has broken its promises under that 2015 treaty. Diplomatic sources expect that the resolution will not have the nine votes needed to uphold the status quo -- in which sanctions remain lifted -- and as such, the punishment will be reimposed. Letter to UNFrench President Emmanuel Macron said he expected international sanctions against Iran to be reinstated by the end of the month, in an excerpt from an Israeli television interview broadcast Thursday. &quot;The latest news we had from the Iranians are not serious,&quot; he said. In a letter to the UN in mid-August, the &quot;European Three&quot; slammed Iran as having breached several JCPOA commitments, including building up a uranium stock to more than 40 times the level permitted under the deal. Despite a flurry of diplomatic talks between the European powers and Tehran, the Western trio insisted there was no concrete progress. Nine votesRussia and China, which oppose the reinstatement of sanctions, would need to secure nine votes from the 15 members of the Council -- which diplomatic sources say may prove impossible. &quot;Algeria and Pakistan may support Russia and China in backing the resolution, but I think other members are likely to oppose it or abstain, so the Europeans and US will not have to use their veto,&quot; said International Crisis Group analyst Richard Gowan. The vote could result in the imposition of sanctions as early as next week -- although the UN&#39;s annual high-level meeting, which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend, could present opportunities for last-ditch negotiations. &quot;The Council still has time to greenlight a further resolution extending the suspension of sanctions -- if Iran and the Europeans reach a last-minute bargain,&quot; Gowan said. Last minute bargain? The hard-won 2015 deal has been left in tatters ever since the United States, during Donald Trump&#39;s first presidency, walked away from it in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. Western powers and Israel have long accused Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a claim Iran denies. The 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June derailed Tehran&#39;s nuclear negotiations with the United States.

The UN Security Council will vote on reimposing sanctions on Iran for allegedly breaching its 2015 nuclear deal commitments. Western powers seek penalties, while Russia and China oppose.

UN Security Council votes on reimposing Iran nuclear sanctions

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The European Commission is reportedly considering a full ban on Russian tourists entering the European Union as part of its upcoming 19th Sanctions Package in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.&nbsp;If enacted, this would be the EU&rsquo;s strictest travel restriction on Russian citizens since the conflict began. According to Anadolu Agency, the measure would require unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states, a hurdle that could complicate its adoption.&nbsp;The proposal is said to be spearheaded by Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states, which have consistently pushed for tighter travel restrictions on Russian nationals. Officials familiar with the matter shared this development with TVP World.&nbsp;However, several EU countries that benefit significantly from Russian tourism, including Italy, Spain, Greece, and France, may resist the move. Additionally, Hungary, which maintains friendlier ties with Moscow, is also expected to oppose a full ban.&nbsp;Two paths under considerationAn EU official stated that the European Commission is evaluating two possible options:&nbsp;<ol><li>Non-binding guidance to encourage member states to restrict tourist visas, particularly after a surge in Russian tourism this summer.</li><li>A legally binding ban embedded in the 19th sanctions package, which would apply uniformly across all member states, but could prove more difficult to implement politically.</li></ol>&nbsp;According to Commission data, more than 500,000 Russians were granted Schengen visas in 2024, marking a significant increase from the previous year despite the war and existing sanctions.&nbsp;Details of the 19th Sanctions PackageThe sanctions package, initially scheduled for release on Wednesday but now delayed, will build upon previous rounds that have targeted:&nbsp;<ul><li>Russian financial institutions</li><li>Energy exports</li><li>Individuals and entities linked to the Kremlin</li></ul>&nbsp;The new measures aim to further isolate Russia economically and politically as the war enters a prolonged phase.&nbsp;In a separate but related effort, several EU countries are advocating for a proposal to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats within the Schengen zone.&nbsp;According to TVP World, this measure is being championed by Czechia, Latvia, and other countries on NATO&rsquo;s eastern flank. If approved, it would limit Russian diplomats to the country of their accreditation, significantly curbing their ability to travel freely across the EU.&nbsp;Supporters argue this is a necessary security precaution, especially after the expulsion of Russian agents in recent years who were allegedly operating under diplomatic cover.&nbsp;Trump&rsquo;s position on sanctionsMeanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed in on the broader sanctions debate. Speaking to reporters on September 14, Trump expressed willingness to impose sanctions on Russia, but emphasized that Europe must first stop buying Russian oil.&nbsp;&quot;Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don&#39;t want them to buy oil,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;&quot;The sanctions... that they&#39;re putting on are not tough enough, and I&#39;m willing to do sanctions, but they&#39;re going to have to toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I&#39;m doing.&quot;&nbsp;His remarks highlight ongoing transatlantic disagreements over how far to push economic pressure on Moscow, especially regarding energy imports.

EU considers full ban on Russian tourists in 19th package, facing division among member states over economic and security concerns.

Articles tagged with "Sanctions"

French cinema booms in Russia despite political rift

As outrage over the war in Gaza grows, Europe's relationship with Israel falters

UN Security Council votes against lifting Iran 'snapback' sanctions ahead of deadline

UN Security Council votes on reimposing Iran nuclear sanctions

EU considers full ban on Russian tourists in new Sanctions Package