Page 13 - Emmanuel Macron

Biden, Macron agree on global affairs, express different views on Gaza war

US President Biden, who is currently on an official state visit to Paris, held meetings with his France counterpart

Biden hails France as enduring ally during state visit hosted by Macron

President Joe Biden said France was America's first friend at its founding and is one of its closest allies more than two centuries later as he was honored with a state visit Saturday by French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at showing off their partnership on global security issues and easing past trade tensions. Biden and Macron attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday and met separately the following day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris. The leaders used those engagements to underscore the urgent need to support Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion. But Macron and Biden have often chafed at the pace of support for Ukraine, especially as the United States, by far the largest contributor to Kyiv's defense, was forced to pause aid shipments for months while congressional Republicans held up an assistance package. The state visit began with a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, including a wreath-laying at France's tomb of the unknown

Macron hosting Biden for state visit as he looks to resolve trade tensions

President Joe Biden is being feted by French President Emmanuel Macron with a state visit Saturday as the two allies aim to show off their partnership on global security issues and move past trade tensions. Biden and Macron attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday and met separately the following day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris. The leaders both used those engagements used to underscore the urgent need to support Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion. But Macron and Biden have often chafed at the pace of support for Ukraine, especially as the United States, by far the largest contributor to Kyiv's defense, was forced to pause aid shipments for months while congressional Republicans held up an assistance package. The state visit began with a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, including a wreath-laying at France's tomb of the unknown soldier, and a military parade along the Champs-lyses leading to the lyse Palace, where the two wil

Macron hosts Biden as two leaders try to overcome past trade tensions

President Joe Biden is being feted by French President Emmanuel Macron with a state visit Saturday, as the two allies aim to show off their partnership on global security issues and move past trade tensions. Biden and Macron attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday. They met separately the following day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris engagements they both used to underscore the urgent need to support Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion. But Macron and Biden have often chafed at the pace of support for Ukraine, especially as the US by far the largest contributor to Kyiv's defence was forced to pause aid shipments for months while congressional Republicans held up an assistance package. The state visit will begin with a welcome ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe and a military parade along the Champs-Elysees leading to the Elysee Palace, where the two will hold official meetings and deliver public statements. Later, Macron will ho

Biden to meet Zelenskyy in Paris as Kyiv battles intense Russian offensive

US President Joe Biden was due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday as Kyiv's army endures its hardest days of fighting since the early weeks of the war with Russia and prepares for what officials say could be a tough summer ahead. The United States is by far Kyiv's biggest supplier of wartime support, and Ukraine is trying to fend off an intense Russian offensive in eastern areas of the country. The push is focused on the Ukrainian border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk but Ukrainian officials say it could spread wider as Russia's bigger army seeks to make its advantage tell. The offensive is seeking to exploit Kyiv's shortages of ammunition and troops along the roughly 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line. That shortfall in weaponry came after US military aid was held up in Congress for six months before Biden in April signed into law a USD 61 billion military aid package for Ukraine. Amid Russia's most recent onslaught and with Ukraine's army .

France to provide Mirage fighter jets to fend off Russian attacks: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France will provide Ukraine with its Mirage combat aircraft to be able to defend their country against Russian aggression. Macron said in an interview with French public broadcaster that he will announce on Friday a new cooperation" with Ukraine and the sale of Mirage 2005, the French-made combat aircraft which will allow Ukraine to protect its soil, its airspace against Russian attacks. France will also start training Ukrainian pilots, Macron said. He reiterated that Ukraine should be allowed to use weapons provided by its Western allies to target Russian military targets and neutralise the points from which (the country) is being attacked.

World leaders including Biden, Putin congratulate PM Modi on poll victory

US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were among over 75 world leaders who congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the ruling NDA's electoral victory and hoped for deeper bilateral ties during his third term. President Putin and Sunak held separate phone conversations with Modi. Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Taiwanese President Lai Ching Te, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Chinese Foreign Ministry also sent congratulatory messages to Modi. "Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, and the nearly 650 million voters in this historic election," Biden said on X. "The friendship between our nations is only growing as we unlock a shared future of unlimited potential," he said. In his message, Putin, congratulating Modi, said Russia attaches great importance to the relationsh

Priority to return to calm amid unrest: Macron in riot-hit New Caledonia

President Emmanuel Macron arrived Thursday in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where Indigenous people have long sought independence from France. Macron, who briefly spoke to reporters after his arrival at La Tontouta International Airport, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the New Caledonian capital of Noumea, said he viewed a return to calm as the top priority. He said that his wish, along with that of his ministers and the government, was "to be alongside the people and see a return to peace, calm and security as soon as possible. Macron added he plans to meet with local officials and discuss the resources needed to repair the damage wrought by days of shootings, arson and other violence that has left at least six dead and a broad trail of destruction estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros (dollars). We will discuss questions of economic ...

New Caledonia protesters, cops play cat and mouse before Macron's arrival

Macron will meet elected officials and local representatives on Thursday for a day of talks focused on politics and on the reconstruction of the island, his aides said

Macron urges TotalEnergies to stay in France amid talks of US listing

A pillar of France's CAC 40 blue chip index, TotalEnergies is one of the world's largest oil companies

New Caledonia unrest: Oz, New Zealand send planes to evacuate nationals

The Australian and New Zealand governments announced on Tuesday they were sending planes to evacuate their nationals from violence-scorched New Caledonia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed Australia had received clearance from French authorities for two flights to evacuate citizens and other tourists from New Caledonia amid violent unrest that has beset the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. We continue to work on further flights, Wong wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday. The Department of Foreign Affairs said 300 Australians were in New Caledonia. New Zealand also announced it was sending a plane on Tuesday to evacuate 50 of its nationals from Noumea, the Pacific island's capital, in the first in a series of proposed flights to bring its citizens home. New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the Government, Peters

France unrest: Protestors block New Caledonia roads as police pour in

Road blocks were making it difficult to supply food to stores in several areas and provide secure travel for medical staff, New Caledonia government officials said

Why New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory, is roiled by violence

A turmoil, which has claimed two lives and left three others seriously injured, has thrust New Caledonia into the spotlight

Microsoft pledges $4.3 bn investment at Macron's 'Choose France' summit

Microsoft announced its most substantial commitment yet to France, pledging on Monday to invest 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) this year to bolster the country's burgeoning artificial intelligence sector. The move is part of a broader effort unveiled during President Emmanuel Macron's pro-business event, Choose France, which aims to attract foreign investment and stimulate economic growth. Microsoft's vice chair and president, Brad Smith, visited the company's French headquarters with Macron. We will build out the computing capacity here in France," Smith said. "We will put this infrastructure to work for everyone in France. The plan includes expanding next-generation Cloud and AI infrastructure and delivering up to 25,000 of the most advanced GPUs, or graphics processing units, to France by the end of 2025. Additionally, Microsoft will launch an AI skilling initiative to train one million French people by the end of 2027, emphasizing the importance of equipping citizens with ...

Pfizer, AstraZeneca announce new investments of nearly $1 bn in France

Their investment pledges came as President Emmanuel Macron prepared to kick off on Monday the annual 'Choose France' event aimed at wooing big overseas businesses and investors

Help us avoid a 'new Cold War': China's Xi Jinping to France's Macron

Xi is in Paris on a state visit before heading to Serbia and Hungary in his first trip to the bloc in five years

Macron prioritises trade, Ukraine as Jinping opens European tour in France

French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to press China's Xi Jinping to use his influence to move Russia toward ending the war in Ukraine during a two-day state visit to France. Both leaders were also expected to discuss trade disputes over electric cars, cognac and cosmetics. Macron's office said talks about diplomatic efforts to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia are a top priority for France. Discussions will also include the Middle East, trade issues and global challenges including climate change. The European Commission president will join part of the meetings to raise broader EU concerns. France is the first stop on a European trip by Xi aimed at rebuilding relations at a time of global tensions. After France on Monday and Tuesday, the Chinese leader will head to Serbia and Hungary. France hopes discussions will help convince China to use its leverage with Moscow to "contribute to a resolution of the conflict" in Ukraine, according to a French presidential official.

Higher consumer spending, investment boost French first quarter growth

Economists broadly expect activity to pick up over the course of the year as lower inflation boost consumers' purchasing power and interest rate cuts fuel an increase in investment

Paris Olympics: Policing to include checks for some of city's residents

Special anti-terrorism measures being put in place to safeguard the unprecedented opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the River Seine will also apply to all buildings along the route, meaning people who work and live there and their guests will be subjected to background security checks, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said on Thursday. Those affected will be cross-checked against security services' databases, to see whether they have previously been flagged as suspected Islamist extremists or for other radicalism, Nunez said. The wildly ambitious July 26 ceremony is proving to be a gargantuan security challenge. Athletes will be paraded through the heart of the French capital on 94 boats along a six-kilometre (nearly four-mile) stretch of the Seine, from east to west. They will be accompanied by 87 other boats for security, media and other people. All of the parade route will be inside a high-security zone that Nunez described as an "anti-terrorism perimeter". He said it wi

Macron's hawkish commentary on us poses 'serious strategic problem': Russia

Meshkov added that the presence of French soldiers in Ukraine "could pose a threat to themselves" and that a small number of "French mercenaries" had already died in the war