Category Archives: Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron denies controversial immigration bill is victory for far right

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French president defends law on prime time TV, saying it has not sparked a political crisis following health minister’s resignation

A combative Emmanuel Macron has defended his controversial immigration bill, including the measures supported by the far right.

The French president appeared on a prime time news discussion programme to answer questions about the bill and denied the law passed by MPs on Tuesday had provoked a political crisis in his centrist government, despite the resignation of a high-profile minister.

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New Notre Dame rooster marks pivotal moment in cathedral’s restoration

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Crane installs weathervane symbolising resurrection, resilience and hope following devastating 2019 fire

The installation by a crane of a new golden rooster on Notre Dame, reimagined as a dramatic phoenix with licking, flamed feathers, goes beyond being just a weathervane atop the cathedral spire.

It symbolises resilience amid destruction after the devastating April 2019 fire – as restoration officials also revealed an anti-fire misting system is being kitted out under the cathedral’s roof.

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Orbán must not hold EU hostage over Ukraine, Macron says

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French president accuses Hungarian PM of being dishonest to the public about his reasons for vetoing aid

Viktor Orbán must not be allowed to take the EU “hostage”, Emmanuel Macron has said, after the Hungarian prime minister blocked a €50bn EU aid package for Ukraine in the early hours of Friday.

As leaders of the European Union start working on the details of Plan B to raise the money through cash and loans, the French president said Orbán was being dishonest to the public about his reasons for vetoing the financial package and would ultimately come around.

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French government vows to push on with immigration bill despite defeat

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Emmanuel Macron faces political crisis after opposition parties refused to debate it in parliament

The French government has said it will push on with a planned immigration law in the face of a political crisis after opposition parties from the left to the far right refused to even debate it in parliament.

The president, Emmanuel Macron, and the centrist government were surprised by a humiliating defeat on Monday – the first time in 25 years that a government bill was rejected before even being debated by parliament.

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Emmanuel Macron says Israel must define more precisely its Gaza aims

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French president says there is no lasting security for Israel if it comes at the cost of Palestinian lives

Emmanuel Macron has ramped up his criticism of Israel’s military strategy, saying its stated objective of the elimination of Hamas could take a decade and stoke “the resentment of all public opinion in the region”.

In his strongest warning yet, the French president said at the weekend that the Israeli authorities needed to “define more precisely” their aims in Gaza, adding that the proper response to a terrorist group was not “to bomb the entirety of civilian capabilities”.

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EU foreign affairs chief tells Israel not to be ‘consumed by rage’ in response to Hamas attacks

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Josep Borrell says ‘one horror does not justify another’ and calls for unconditional release of hostages

The EU foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, has urged Israel not to be “consumed by rage” in its response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, acknowledged splits in Europe on the conflict.

Speaking from Kibbutz Be’eri – where at least 85 of the 1,200 people killed that day died and from where about 30 of the more than 240 were kidnapped – Borrell said “Israel must be defended”, but, “one horror does not justify another: innocent civilians, including thousands of children, have died in recent weeks.

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State of emergency declared in parts of France after record rainfall

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Floods force evacuation of homes, schools and town halls in Calais region and in the Alps

Widespread flooding in northern and eastern France has led to thousands of people having to evacuate their waterlogged homes, the collapse of roads and the closure of schools and public buildings.

Record rainfall has caused rivers to break their banks, forcing the government to declare an official state of emergency in hundreds of towns and villages.

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Emmanuel Macron condemns Viktor Orbán meeting with Vladimir Putin

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French president says Hungarian leader’s meeting risks weakening European unity against Russia

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has condemned the Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán’s recent meeting and handshake with Vladimir Putin.

“In the situation we are in with Russia, we should not use these bilateral contacts to negotiate things about ourselves that would weaken our unity [on Ukraine],” Macron said after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

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Macron calls for ‘ruthless’ approach to extremism in wake of Arras attack

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Schools pay tribute to teacher killed last week as country placed on highest security alert

French secondary schools will hold a minute’s silence on Monday after a teacher was killed by a former pupil in what the government called an Islamist terror attack, prompting Emmanuel Macron to call for a “ruthless” approach towards extremists.

France has been placed on its highest level of security alert after a 20-year-old terrorist suspect who had been under surveillance walked into his old high school in Arras, northern France, on Friday and stabbed to death a French teacher, Dominique Bernard, and injured three others. The 57-year-old teacher died from several wounds to the neck.

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France on high alert after suspected radical Islamist kills teacher

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Prime minister Élisabeth Borne says country will be on ‘urgent’ terrorist alert until level of risk established

France has been put on its highest level of security alert after a suspected radical Islamist killed a teacher and injured three others in the north of the country.

The prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, said on Friday night that the country would be on “urgent” terrorist alert for a limited time while the level of risk was established.

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France’s departure from Niger reflects years of failure in its former colonies

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Niger is only the latest of several west African countries to reject France’s long-standing attempts to interfere in the Sahel

When the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced he would withdraw France’s ambassador and troops from Niger after a military takeover, the new regime welcomed a historic step forward for the country.

“Imperialist and neocolonialist forces are no longer welcome on our national territory,” it said. “The new era of cooperation, based on mutual respect and sovereignty, is already under way.”

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France to begin pulling out troops from Niger this week

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Paris says it is unable to work with putschists, leaving efforts to counter Islamists in Sahel in disarray

France will begin withdrawing troops from Niger this week following a coup in the west African country, in what marks a turning point in western nations’ efforts to counter a decade-long Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region.

“We will begin our disengagement operation this week, in good order, safely and in coordination with the Nigeriens,” the French military headquarters said.

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UK campaign group chief says Poland deported him at France’s request

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Head of Cage says criticism of Emmanuel Macron’s government for Islamophobia is reason for forced return to Britain

The UK director of the campaign group Cage has claimed he has been deported from Poland at the behest of French authorities because he criticised Emmanuel Macron’s government for Islamophobia.

Muhammad Rabbani, who heads a group that campaigns on behalf of those affected by the “war on terror”, was due to give a speech this week at an international security conference in Warsaw that would have been critical of France’s handling of anti-government protests.

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Paris-Berlin relations slump is holding up key EU decisions, says German MEP

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Exclusive: Defence and trade affected by poor post-Merkel rapport, says chair of foreign affairs committee

Poor relations between France and Germany are slowing down key decisions in the EU including deals on defence in Ukraine and trade, an influential German MEP has claimed.

David McAllister, chair of the European parliament’s foreign affairs committee and a key figure in the opposition Christian Democrats party, says he is concerned that the lack of contact between the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is causing delays on key decisions on battle tanks and fighter jets, and a future trade deal with Latin America.

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Allies of Niger’s deposed president see hope in French retreat

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Advisers of detained Mohamed Bazoum say French withdrawal removes coup leaders’ pretext for power grab

Aides and supporters of Niger’s deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, have welcomed the decision of France to withdraw its diplomatic staff and military from the country, saying it will deny the military junta a “scapegoat” to disguise its failings.

Bazoum, a French ally whose election in 2021 had boosted hopes of stability in the unstable Sahel state, was detained on 26 July by members of his guard. Senior soldiers took power in the unstable Sahel state shortly afterwards.

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Macron launches ‘ecological plan’ to end France’s use of fossil fuels by 2030

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The 50-point plan also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and includes new projects for offshore wind farms

Emmanuel Macron has unveiled a national “ecological plan” to reduce France’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and end the use of fossil fuels by 2030.

Speaking after a special ministerial council at the Elysée, the French president said an extra €10bn (£8.7bn) would be put towards the 50-point programme, which he described as “ecology à la Française”.

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Stars join King Charles at Versailles banquet during French state visit

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Trip designed in part as show of friendship to reset UK-French relationship after Brexit years

King Charles was welcomed at a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday night, at the start of a state visit to reinforce the renewed London-Paris relationship after the near total collapse in trust during the Boris Johnson years after Brexit.

In Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, the famed 17th century gallery built by the “Sun King” Louis XIV to project the power and majesty of the French monarchy, King Charles and Emmanuel Macron were to make toasts celebrating French-British relations after a pre-dinner music recital.

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Almost 90% of voters – including 65% of Tories – say Britain needs fresh team of leaders, poll suggests – UK politics live

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Rishi Sunak’s government seen as less competent that Boris Johnson’s administration

The UK economy is set to witness the highest inflation rate of the world’s G7 advanced economies this year, according to new forecasts, PA Media reports. PA says:

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also increased its predicted average UK inflation rate for 2023 compared with its previous estimate.

Economists at the globally recognised organisation also reduced their UK growth forecast slightly for next year amid pressure from higher interest rates.

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Starmer wraps up foreign mini-tour with visit to Macron in Paris

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Talks between Labour leader and French president at Élysée described as ‘warm and engaging’

Keir Starmer has completed his international mini-tour by meeting Emmanuel Macron in Paris for symbolically significant if low-key talks that skirted around specifics of Brexit or migration policy.

After discussions in The Hague with EU law enforcement officials, and weekend meetings with Justin Trudeau and others in Montreal, the Labour leader held 45 minutes of one-to-one talks with the French president at the Élysée Palace.

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Starmer to seek EU-wide returns deal for asylum seekers

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Labour leader working on ‘quid pro quo’ deal of migrant quotas from bloc in return for sending back those who arrive illegally

Keir Starmer has revealed that he would seek an EU-wide returns agreement for asylum seekers who come to Britain, as he vowed to “smash the gangs” behind small boat crossings.

Labour believes that any agreement with Brussels would have to be “quid pro quo”, meaning accepting quotas of migrants from the bloc in return for sending back people who arrive illegally. The system would reportedly work via applications in UK embassies on the continent, and prioritise people with family already in the UK.

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