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Suleiman Heads to Paris to Receive Medical Treatment on Eye

President Michel Suleiman traveled to France on Sunday in order to receive further medical treatment for his eye, reported the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah newspaper on Sunday.

It said that he is set to follow up on medical treatment on his left eyelid.

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French Troops Stage 'Very Large' Anti-Islamist Operation in Mali

The French army is staging a large operation against Islamist fighters in the Timbuktu region of northern Mali ahead of weekend parliamentary elections, military sources said Friday.

A French military source in the Malian capital, Bamako, said "military operations are ongoing" after French troops killed 19 militants in the area on Tuesday.

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French Defense Chief Warns of Rising Sectarian Unrest in CAR

France warned Friday of a dangerous spiral of sectarian violence in the Central African Republic as the U.N. said more than 600 people had died in recent unrest.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian flew into the capital Bangui early Friday and met some of the 1,600 French troops deployed in the country before he was due to hold talks with CAR's interim authorities.

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Hollande Vows to Share French Technology with Brazil

French President Francois Hollande, on a state visit to Brazil, on touted his country's readiness Thursday to share its technological know-how with the emerging South American powerhouse.

After holding talks in Brasilia with counterpart Dilma Rousseff, the French leader arrived in the economic capital of Sao Paulo to meet the local French community.

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French Defense Minister in Strife-Torn C. Africa

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday arrived in the Central African Republic for talks with the interim leaders of the strife-torn nation, where Paris deployed troops last week, according to an aide.

The visit comes on the heels of that by President Francois Hollande, who stopped in the country on Tuesday after attending Nelson Mandela's memorial in South Africa.

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Hollande Says Calm Returning to Central African Republic

French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that security was gradually returning to Central African Republic (CAR), where France has deployed 1,600 troops to stem sectarian violence.

"The night (in the capital Bangui) was calm... But we must be very vigilant, cautious and carry out the disarmament (of militias) to the end," said Hollande, who earlier this week paid a swift visit to the former French colony.

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French Care Worker Charged with Fatal Poisoning of 6 Pensioners

A French care worker has been charged with fatally poisoning six pensioners in a retirement home in the French Alps and attempting to poison three others, a local prosecutor said Thursday.

The 30-year-old woman fed the nine elderly residents a "cocktail of psychotropic drugs", said Dietlind Baudoin, deputy prosecutor for the town of Chambery.

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Hollande in Brazil to Ramp up Ties

French President Francois Hollande, flanked by a strong business delegation, Thursday kicked off a two-day visit to Brazil aiming to boost economic and political ties with a key Latin American partner.

Accompanied by eight ministers, Hollande was to meet President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia and later in the day with ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

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Outcry over French Bill Giving Wider Access to Personal Data

An association grouping web giants such as Google and Facebook on Wednesday slammed the adoption in France of a bill that gives intelligence agencies wider access to personal data without prior authorization from a judge.

In a wide-ranging bill setting defense spending for years to come, concern has focused on a single clause that broadens surveillance of citizens to content such as emails, photos and other data.

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Hollande: French Intervention in CAR Dangerous but Vital

President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said France's intervention in the Central African Republic is dangerous but vital to avoid a bloodbath, during a visit to shore up morale after two elite French soldiers were killed.

Hollande flew into the curfew-bound capital Bangui from Johannesburg after attending a memorial service for South African peace icon Nelson Mandela.

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