Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday celebrated his birthday at the iconic chateau of King Francois I, a choice denounced by critics as an example of how he is “cut off from the people”. Macron, who turns 40 on Thursday, is spending the weekend with his …
Read More »Netanyahu faces pressure in Europe amid Jerusalem protests
Paris, France | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began a trip to Europe on Sunday facing widespread criticism of the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state and pressure to engage in the peace process. In his first meeting with French President Emmanuel …
Read More »France’s Macron seeks warmer ties in former colony Algeria
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday made his first official visit to Algeria, announcing that he came as a “friend” despite France’s historically prickly relationship with its former colony. Ties between Paris and Algiers have defrosted in recent years, a half-century after French forces brutally …
Read More »France’s Macron says Trump’s Jerusalem move ‘regrettable’
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday branded as “regrettable” his US counterpart Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, calling for efforts to “avoid violence at all costs”. Addressing a press conference during a state visit to Algeria, Macron affirmed “the attachment of …
Read More »Benin encouraged by Macron’s pledge on African heritage
Cotonou, Benin | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise announcement during his recent African tour, saying in Burkina Faso’s capital that one of his priorities was to restore African cultural treasures. African cultural heritage “should be highlighted in Paris, but also in Dakar, Lagos, Cotonou”, Macron told a …
Read More »US, French embassies in Brazzaville step up security over ‘threat’
Brazzaville, Congo | AFP | The US and French embassies in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, said Friday Congolese authorities had beefed up security at their buildings after receiving threats. The French embassy on its website said “a message relating to possible attacks” had been received overnight Wednesday. …
Read More »French NGO helps African mums shake off AIDS stigma
Paris, France | AFP | To young African migrant women seeking help at a centre outside Paris, AIDS is much more than a disease. It is social death. The women, some of whom were infected after being raped on the perilous journey across land and sea to Europe, complain …
Read More »PrEP: A shield against AIDS
Paris, France | AFP | “It’s magic,” said Francois, smiling. “Every time I take a pill I think about the people who aren’t so lucky as to have this option.” Taking a drug normally prescribed to treat AIDS as a way to shield against the deadly disease — known as …
Read More »Michael Jackson’s impact on art revealed in new show
Paris, France | AFP | Pop legend Michael Jackson’s “huge impact” on contemporary art will be explored in a new exhibition in Paris and London next year. The “groundbreaking” show claims it will tell the “untold story” of how the king of pop became “one of the most influential figures …
Read More »Macron, on African tour, vows to release files on Burkina hero
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday kicked off his maiden African tour by vowing to declassify secret French files on Burkina Faso’s assassinated leader, Thomas Sankara, hailed as a revolutionary hero in many parts of the continent. The threat of terrorism has cast a shadow over …
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