Rabat, Morocco | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron was in Morocco Wednesday on a 24-hour visit for talks on battling terrorism as well as the Libyan conflict and Qatar’s dispute with its Gulf neighbours. As he stepped off the plane for his first visit to Morocco since his election …
Read More »At least 20 casualties in London ‘terrorist’ attack
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A van ploughed into pedestrians and several people were stabbed in central London on Saturday, leaving at least 20 casualties in what police called a “terrorist” attack days before a general election. Armed police opened fire during two “terrorist incidents” at London Bridge and …
Read More »HANDSHAKE: Macron unshaken by Trump power grip
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Diplomacy can be a white-knuckle ride at times, but French President Emmanuel Macron refused to be shaken when he found himself in an unexpected standoff with US counterpart Donald Trump Thursday. Former reality TV star Trump is known to make visitors flinch with a strong …
Read More »Rwandan for French parliament
The party of Frances new president unveils a Rwandan-born economist as candidate in polls French president-elect Emmanuel Macron’s party on May 11 unveiled more than 400 candidates who will stand in parliamentary elections in June, with half of them newcomers to politics and half of them women. It includes Herve …
Read More »Macron visits French troops in Mali’s restive north
Gao, Mali | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron visited French troops fighting jihadists in conflict-torn Mali on Friday and urged faster progress on a peace accord signed in 2015. At the end of his first week in office, Macron flew into Gao, a city in Mali’s deeply-troubled north, where he …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Macron blurs party lines with mixed French cabinet, gender parity
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron appointed his first cabinet on Wednesday mixing Socialists, centrists and rightwingers with newcomers to politics as he pressed ahead with plans to create a broad governing coalition. The new cabinet of 22 people meets campaign pledges of being smaller than its …
Read More »Macron names centre-right Edouard Philippe as French PM
Paris, France | AFP | France’s new President Emmanuel Macron named Edouard Philippe, a little-known centre-right mayor, as prime minister on Monday, in his first major decision since taking power on a promise to lead a French “renaissance”. Philippe, a 46-year-old MP and mayor of the northern port of Le Havre, …
Read More »FRANCE: Hollande hands over power to Macron
Macron takes power as French president Paris, France | AFP | Emmanuel Macron became France’s youngest ever president on Sunday, promising at his inauguration to restore the country’s lost confidence and relaunch the flagging European Union. Macron, a 39-year-old centrist, took the reins of power from Socialist Francois Hollande at …
Read More »French president Macron’s top quotes at inauguration
French president Macron’s top quotes at inauguration Paris, France | AFP | Emmanuel Macron took over as French president on Sunday, promising to heal the country’s divisions and breathe new life into the European Union. Here are quotes from his inauguration speech: – On France – “The time has come for …
Read More »Brigitte Macron: French president’s teacher-turned-wife
Paris, France | AFP | Once his high school drama teacher, now wife of incoming French president Emmanuel Macron, 64-year-old Brigitte Macron stepped into the spotlight long before her husband was elected. The 25-year age difference and the extraordinary way they met — he pursued her when he was her …
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