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ACCIDENT

Swedish girl, 16, dies in Alpine fall

A 16-year-old girl from Falun in central Sweden has died following a hiking accident in the French Alps.

Published: 30 October 2009 12:40 CET
Swedish girl, 16, dies in Alpine fall

The girl’s 22-year old sister is being treated in hospital in Chamonix in eastern France after the two girls and their brother plunged down the side of the La Vormaine mountain.

The three siblings were among a group of hikers who, for reasons unknown, took a wrong turn and fell down the mountainside near Le Tour.

The 22-year-old woman was taken to hospital by ambulance, while her 20-year-old brother survived the accident unscathed.

The Swedish foreign ministry has confirmed the death of the 16-year-old girl from Dalarna County but has not revealed any further details about the accident, news agency TT reports.

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POLITICS

France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

France has vowed to prevent a trade deal between the European Union and the South American Mercosur bloc from being signed with its current terms, as the country is rocked by farmer protests.

Published: 31 January 2024 15:46 CET
France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

The trade deal, which would include agricultural powers Argentina and Brazil, is among a litany of complaints by farmers in France and elsewhere in Europe who have been blocking roads to demand better conditions for their sector.

They fear it would further depress their produce prices amid increased competition from exporting nations that are not bound by strict and costly EU environmental laws.

READ ALSO Should I cancel my trip to France because of farmers’ protests?

“This Mercosur deal, as it stands, is not good for our farmers. It cannot be signed as is, it won’t be signed as is,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told broadcasters CNews and Europe 1.

The European Commission acknowledged on Tuesday that the conditions to conclude the deal with Mercosur, which also includes Paraguay and Uruguay, “are not quite there yet”.

The talks, however, are continuing, the commission said.

READ ALSO 5 minutes to understand French farmer protests

President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France opposes the deal because it “doesn’t make Mercosur farmers and companies abide by the same rules as ours”.

The EU and the South American nations have been negotiating since 2000.

The contours of a deal were agreed in 2019, but a final version still needs to be ratified.

The accord aims to cut import tariffs on – mostly European – industrial and pharmaceutical goods, and on agricultural products.

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