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 …
Read More »Macron visits E.Africa in effort to counter China expansion
Lalibela, Ethiopia | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron visited Djibouti and Ethiopia on Tuesday, promising “respectful” partnerships in the face of growing regional indebtedness to China, which is fast expanding its foothold in the continent. Looking to strengthen economic, military and cultural ties in East Africa, Macron announced a new defence …
Read More »Rwanda invites Macron to attend 25th anniversary of genocide
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Rwanda, which has accused France of complicity in the 1994 genocide that killed some 800,000 of its citizens, said Tuesday it had invited President Emmanuel Macron to attend the 25th anniversary of the massacre on April 7. Kigali has long insisted that France supported the Hutu regime and helped train …
Read More »Popularity tumbles for France’s Macron: poll
Paris, France | AFP | A poll out Sunday shows the popularity rating of France’s new President Emmanuel Macron has slumped 10 points to hit 54 percent over the past month. While Macron has made a strong start on the world stage and won a solid majority in parliament, his first …
Read More »Macron stumbles at EU summit over Chinese investments
Brussels, Belgium |AFP | EU leaders on Friday poured cold water on a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to hand Brussels more powers to control Chinese investments in strategic European industries. European leaders discussed the divisive topic on the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, as Europe …
Read More »European champion Macron gears up for first EU summit
Paris, France | Gina Doggett, Laurence Benhamou, AFP | France’s new President Emmanuel Macron heads to his first EU summit on Thursday pledging to breathe new life into the bloc after Britain’s shock Brexit decision and to bolster European defences in the face of Donald Trump’s “America First” policy. The …
Read More »COMMENT: Three surprises in 2017
The world could be caught off guard by these potentially transformative developments Economic pundits traditionally offer their (traditionally inaccurate) New Year predictions at the beginning of January. But global conditions this year are anything but traditional, so it seemed appropriate to wait until US President Donald Trump settled into …
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