Bormes-les-Mimosas, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday agreed changes in Ukraine had bolstered the chances of peace in its east but clashed on Syria, as the Russian leader made a rare bilateral visit to a key EU power. Macron, who hosted Putin at …
Read More »Beaten but not vanquished, Macron seeks to shakeup EU parliament
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 …
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