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Foreign ministers from France, Germany and Italy have condemned antisemitic violence at protests against Israel's invasion of Gaza and pledged to do all they can to combat it. While the majority of pro-Palestinian protests in Paris, Berlin, London, Vienna, Amsterdam and other cities have taken place peacefully, some have descended into verbal and physical attacks on Jews and Jewish property, including synagogues and shops.

The French Embassy celebrated Bastille Day in Seoul on Monday with a slew of French and South Korean businesses, while reflecting on its growing diplomatic and cultural relations with Korea.  Bastille Day, or “La Fete Nationale,” is France’s National Day and celebrates the storming of the Bastille fortress on July 14, 1789. 

France's budget for public development aid continues to fall. The French government presented its altered, and reduced, budget for this year's foreign aid. "The ministry contributed in the collective effort of reducing France’s public deficit, but everyone has to take part," said Annick Girardin, France’s Secretary of State for Development and Francophonie. A finance law will reduce the foreign aid budget by €73 million in 2014. It was originally €2.9bn. 

Amid mounting criticism of its actions against Ukraine, Moscow is stepping up efforts to repair its image and make its voice heard in Europe, with Russian-funded think tanks and media on the ground working hard to woo Europeans.

France has gone so far in the debate over .wine and .vin as to demand an overhaul of how ICANN is structured and run. TheFinancial Times reported over the weekend that Paris planned to call for an international "general assembly" to oversee ICANN with a "one country, one vote" policy at a meeting on Monday. The French have also said that proceeding with the domain names could "imperil" talks on a transatlantic trade deal between the EU and the U.S.

It's not a good sign when the leader of a G7 nation feels the need to state his country still matters.  That is precisely what French President Francois Hollande did at a meeting of European Union leaders last month after his Socialist party's humiliating defeat by the hard right National Front in European Parliament elections.

On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande will host foreign dignitaries to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-day. And the celebration will conclude with a state dinner — or, rather, two state dinners. Officials told the AP that President Hollande will eat twice, once with President Obama and then again at a late dinner with Russian President Putin. 

The president will land in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday morning where he will help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the solidarity movement. He then heads to Brussels for a G7 summit on Wednesday. He’ll dine privately with French President François Hollande in Paris on Thursday and commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy on Friday — all while Russian President Vladimir Putin is nearby.

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