French President Emmanuel Macron met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. He urged Xi to support a ceasefire in Ukraine. Macron also pressed for fairer trade and more Chinese investment in France. Macron’s three-day visit marks his fourth trip to China while in office. He aims to gain Chinese backing for peace in […]
Emmanuel Macron
Macron unveils new military scheme for young adults
France will reintroduce a voluntary military service next year, President Emmanuel Macron announced. The program will last 10 months. It targets young adults aged 18 to 19 and aims to strengthen national defense amid Russia’s growing threat. Macron said the program will gradually start next summer with volunteers deployed only on French soil. He emphasized […]
Canada–France tighten alliance on Ukraine war, Gaza crisis
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the wars in Ukraine and Gaza during a meeting at the G20 summit in South Africa. They reaffirmed their strong support for Kyiv and stressed that any peace deal must include Ukraine, protect its core interests and guarantee its security. Both leaders also committed […]
Zelenskiy signs strategic military pact with France
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in Paris to finalize deals with France for air-defence systems, warplanes, and missiles. The agreements aim to strengthen Ukraine’s long-term military capacity amid rising Russian drone and missile attacks. Talks with President Emmanuel Macron are expected to yield both immediate and long-term support. Zelenskiy announced that a historic agreement will […]
France’s Ex-President Sarkozy Jailed Over Libya Funding Case
PARIS: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been jailed over a case involving illegal Libyan funding for his 2007 election campaign. He becomes the first former leader of an EU country to serve time behind bars. Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, was convicted in September for criminal conspiracy linked to late Libyan […]
France’s new PM resigns hours after cabinet unveiled
France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Monday accepted Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s resignation just hours after unveiling his cabinet, the presidency said, plunging the European nation further into political deadlock. Macron named Lecornu, a former defence minister, to the post last month. But the largely unchanged cabinet he unveiled late on Sunday to work with Lecornu […]
Notre-Dame’s square closed over lead pollution risks
The square in front of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has been closed to the public after tests again revealed high concentrations of toxic lead particles, the Paris police department said Tuesday. The fire that ravaged the 13th-century monument two years ago melted some 300 tonnes of lead panelling in the roof, spewing the metal across […]
Macron hosts Summit to boost Sudan post-Bashir
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday hosts African leaders, diplomats and lenders at a summit aimed at helping Sudan after years of conflict-riven authoritarian rule. Several heads of state will gather in Paris to discuss investment in Sudan and negotiate its debt to help the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in the transition after […]
‘Saturated’ Paris tells e-scooter fleets to clean up
Paris authorities have warned operators of the thousands of electric scooters that have inundated the city to keep them off pavements or face a temporary ban amid rising complaints from pedestrians. On Monday, the ten competitors who have launched services in Paris all signed a “code of good conduct” with the mayor’s office, which says […]
France awaits results from Macron’s ‘Great National Debate’
Over three months, France’s “Great National Debate” has led to 10,000 local meetings, around two million online contributions and 100 hours of presidential talking. On Monday, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe begins trying to make sense of it all. The debate was launched in January by President Emmanuel Macron as a response to protests by “yellow […]