Solar and wind farms need to coexist with the landscape and not become a blight on France’s natural heritage, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned.
He said more renewables were needed but these should be considered on a case-by-case basis and eco-power could harm the natural landscape.
He also said France had benefited from its nuclear industry.
Mr Macron was speaking in French Polynesia where he remembered the debt owed to the country after it was used as a nuclear testing area for 30 years.
He also visited the Criobe research centre, on Moorea Island, where scientists are studying the ways in which climate change is affecting coral and its biosphere.
"There are places where solar or wind projects are well coordinated, well thought out, fit into the landscape [and which] are accepted by the population and also make it possible to develop economic returns,” he said.
But with solar or wind projects, "where they create too much tension, distort and disfigure the landscape, you have to know where to adapt or give up,” he added.
“You have some of our regions, which have already built a lot of wind turbines. Like everywhere we must know a reason to keep them. We must listen.
“We have passed a reform that is important, which makes it possible to take into account the position of elected officials, to improve local consultation," Mr Macron said.
Mr Macron said he wanted to develop solar, which represents "less nuisance for fellow citizens" and in particular less "visual" nuisance.
"I do not want our landscapes to be damaged. It is part of our heritage and of our deep wealth, of our identity"
He also defended the nuclear industry role in France.
"We are the country in Europe that has the least tonnes of CO2 emitted per capita, and why? Because we have historic nuclear power," Mr Macron said.
In French Polynesia, Mr Macron did not apologise for the nuclear tests, as a long-running campaign has demanded, but did admit France owed the island chain a debt.
"The nation owes a debt to French Polynesia. This debt is from having conducted these tests, in particular those between 1966 and 1974. Nobody can claim that they were clean," he said.
The legacy of French nuclear testing in the territory remains a source of deep resentment among locals who think their home was chosen, at least partly, because of its distance from France.
"I want to tell you clearly that the military who carried them out did not lie to you. They took the same risks... There were no lies, there were risks that weren't calculated, including by the military.
"I think it's true that we would not have done the same tests in La Creuse or in Brittany," Mr Macron said, referring to regions inside mainland France. "We did them here because it was further away, lost in middle of the Pacific."
Officials earlier this month denied any cover-up of radiation exposure. French investigative website Disclose reported in March that the impact from the fallout was far more extensive than authorities had acknowledged, citing declassified French military documents.
France’s Parliament on Tuesday approved a compromise climate bill that was intended to transform travel, housing and industry.
But environmental activists said the bill did not go fast or far enough to slash the country’s carbon emissions.
Backed by President Emmanuel Macron, the legislation touches on issues central to French culture and economy, including farming, historical buildings and the aviation and automotive industries.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.6-litre turbo
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp
Torque: 240Nm
Price: From Dh89,000 (Enjoy), Dh99,900 (Innovation)
On sale: Now
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
