Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron tasted defeat in European elections, but not disaster, and is set to continue pushing both his pro-EU agenda and a realignment of parties in the European Parliament. Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) party finished second behind the far-right National Rally (RN) …
Read More »‘I feel badly for Theresa’ – world reacts to May resignation
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation looks likely to make Britain’s looming departure from the EU even more difficult, with some suggesting a hard or “no-deal” Brexit is now almost inevitable. Here are the main international reactions to the announcement she will step down as leader …
Read More »France’s Macron vows tax cuts in response to protests
Paris, France | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron Thursday promised significant tax cuts but also a return to public order in France as he revealed his long-awaited response to nearly half a year of street protests. In the first formal domestic news conference of his entire presidency, Macron steered clear of …
Read More »Can Notre-Dame be restored in just five years?
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to complete a painstaking renovation of Notre-Dame within five years after the historic cathedral suffered a monstrous fire that destroyed its spire and roof. But will France be able to muster the necessary workers and materials to meet the challenge? …
Read More »France launches global contest to design new Notre-Dame spire
Paris, France | AFP | France will invite architects from around the world to submit designs for rebuilding the spire of Notre-Dame cathedral that was destroyed in a devastating blaze, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Wednesday. The goal is “to give Notre-Dame a new spire that is adapted to the techniques …
Read More »Macron vows to rebuild a ‘more beautiful’ Notre-Dame in 5 years
Paris, France | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday vowed to rebuild Notre-Dame cathedral “even more beautifully” within five years, as France reeled with shock from the fire that gutted the great Paris landmark. Macron announced the fast timescale — for a process some experts said would take decades — …
Read More »May to meet Merkel, Macron ahead of crucial Brexit summit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday started a last-minute flurry of European diplomacy that includes visits to Paris and Berlin as she prepares for a make-or-break Brexit summit. Still struggling to get her EU divorce deal through parliament, May is hoping European leaders will …
Read More »Macron seeks to shine light on Rwanda genocide
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday appointed a panel of experts to investigate France’s actions in Rwanda during the country’s genocide 25 years ago, a subject that has dogged Franco-Rwandan relations since the 1994 massacres. The commission of eight researchers and historians “will be tasked with …
Read More »Macron under fire for skipping Rwandan genocide commemorations
Paris, France | AFP | When a smattering of leaders gather this weekend in Kigali to mark the 25th anniversary of Rwanda’s genocide there will be one conspicuous absence: French President Emmanuel Macron. Several African leaders and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel are expected at events commemorating the 1994 massacre of …
Read More »Macron names Senegal-born spokeswoman in mini reshuffle
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed his Senegalese-born media advisor as government spokeswoman, one of three new faces for his cabinet as it gears up for the European Parliament elections next month. Sibeth Ndiaye, a 39-year-old born in Dakar, only obtained French citizenship in 2016 while …
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