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☆ Pope's visit to France stirs debate over immigration, secularism
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pope Francis meets people on the day of the weekly general audience at the Vatican, September 13, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis' scheduled visit to France next week has stirred debate in the French political class, with left-wing politicians criticising the president for attending Mass while the far-right objects to the pope's positive views on immigration. Macron's advisers said French leaders had attended Mass before, and there was "confusion" as to what secularism means. "I disagree with Pope Francis," Marechal said on BFM TV on Thursday. France, home to Europe's largest Muslim community, is regularly convulsed with debates on immigration.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Emmanuel Macron, Fabien Roussel, Macron, Marion Marechal, Marine Le, Marechal, doesn't, Michel Rose, Elizabeth Pineau, Philip Pullella, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, French Communist, Thomson Locations: France, Marseille, France's, Republic, Europe, Paris, Rome

☆ French minister Darmanin warns of risk of Marine Le Pen victory in next election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 25 (Reuters) - French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin - whom President Nicolas Sarkozy said would be a good future head of state - warned on Friday of the risk that far-right politician Marine Le Pen could win the next presidential election in 2027. Le Pen lost to President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the 2022 election, echoing an identical outcome in the 2017 vote. "The fact of the matter is that in five years' time, a victory for Madame Le Pen is quite probable," Darmanin told La Voix du Nord, in an interview published in Friday's paper. "If we let a large part of the working class and middle class go over to Marine Le Pen, the professional classes will not support us in the second round. That is what could get Marine Le Pen elected in 2027, not questions on migration," he added.

Persons: Gerald Darmanin, Gonzalo Fuentes, Nicolas Sarkozy, Darmanin, Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron, Madame Le Pen, Bruno Le Maire, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Bertrand Boucey, Ingrid Melander Organizations: Overseas, REUTERS, Rights, RTL, du, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, French

☆ Amazon's 'Thursday Night Football' is winning over advertisers after a bumpy launch year, and a top exec says it will be 'aggressive' in pursuing more live sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The tech giant is gearing up for a big 'Thursday Night Football' season with key matchups and new ad offerings. After hitting some snags with its inaugural NFL "Thursday Night Football" season on Prime Video last year, Amazon is bringing plenty of swagger to the field this year. Amazon is getting more TV ad dollars this year as the twin Hollywood strikes rage on, a top exec said. Amazon last year had also softened on its initial ask that advertisers buy the entire season's games and gave them the option to buy a portion of the games. Some advertisers were forgiving, though, given it was Amazon's first go at a live sports broadcast.

Persons: It's, Jay, Amazon's, We're, Al Michaels, Kaylee Hartung, NFL's, haven't, Kelly Metz, Marine, We'll, we'll Organizations: NFL, Football, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Toyota, Fox, ESPN, Amazon, Marine, Omnicom Media

☆ Why are far-right parties on the march across Europe?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Far-right parties are propping up coalitions in Finland and Sweden. Afraid of losing voters to UKIP (and other far-right parties), the governing Conservatives ended up adopting many of its positions. Chesnot/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesConversely, far-right parties have attempted to sanitize some of their rhetoric, hoping to appear a more credible electoral prospect. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesA different type of populismAnd so the recent successes of far-right parties cannot be explained by dramatic shifts in public opinion. A lot depends on the ability of mainstream parties – particularly on the left – to build tents big enough to accommodate their differences, rather than compromising with far-right parties to prop up their coalitions.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel’s, Mario Draghi, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Viktor Orban, Andrej Babis, Czech Michael Bloomberg, Czech Donald Trump, Meloni, Mussolini, Nigel Farage, Jack Taylor, Farage, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Marine, Lionel Jospin, Jacques Chirac, Petteri Orpo, Sanna Marin, Vilhelm Junnila, Ulif Kristersson, Mark Rutte’s, Pen, Chesnot, Philippe Marlier, ” Le, Matteo Salvini, Vladimir Putin, Tino Chrupalla, Alice Weidel, Thomas Lohnes, Omer Messinger, Larry Bartels, Boris Johnson, Leon Neal, Giorgia Meloni, Odd Andersen, Orban, Kaczynski, Rutte’s, Pedro Sanchez Organizations: CNN, White, Channel, European Central Bank, Italy’s, Vox, UK Independence Party, UKIP, European Union, EU, Conservatives, National, Socialist, Socialists, Finns Party, Swedish, Sweden Democrats, Rassemblement National, University College London, Lega, Ukraine, Russia, Former British, Italy's, NATO, Getty, Spain’s Locations: United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Brussels, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Czech, France, Finland, Sweden, Austria, European, Netherlands, Russian, Oxfordshire, Vilnius

☆ Santiago Abascal: Who is Spain's far-right leader and what does he stand for?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Aislinn Laing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Spain's far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal gestures as he speaks during an opening campaign rally ahead of the July 23 snap election, in Puerto Almerimar, El Ejido, Spain July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File PhotoMADRID, July 17 (Reuters) - As could be expected of the head of a far-right party that puts nationalism at its core, Vox leader Santiago Abascal drapes himself in Spanish symbols, wearing designer shirts glorifying bullfighting or issuing Vox-branded hand fans to rally attendants. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsHowever, the frontrunning centre-right People's Party (PP), led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, is unlikely to secure an outright majority, and may turn to Vox as a kingmaker. Abascal is the third generation of politicians in his family, his father and grandfather having also served in regional or local government. A sociology graduate from Spain's northern Basque Country, Abascal joined the PP at 18, was elected as a councillor at 23 and became a PP lawmaker in the Basque parliament.

Persons: Santiago Abascal, El, Jon Nazca, Abascal, Pedro Sanchez's, Vox, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santi, Sanchez, Miguel Angel Murado, Ana Pedroza, Carlos Perez, Francisco Franco's, Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orban, Italy's Meloni, Aislinn Laing, Catherine Macdonald, Andrei Khalip, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vox, REUTERS, Socialist, Reuters Graphics Reuters, People's Party, ETA, Italy's, Thomson Locations: Puerto Almerimar, El Ejido, Spain, MADRID, Spain's, Basque, Catalonia, Madrid, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Hungarian, Valencia

☆ Britain’s Tories Expected to Face Election Losses - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A recent poll shows the Labour candidate ahead in Selby and Ainsty, where in 2019 Adams won more than 60 percent of the vote. In Somerton and Frome, the candidate of the centrist Liberal Democrat Party appears to have a strong chance of prevailing. Still, there’s a broad sense that, with national elections due sometime in the next 18 months, the Conservative Party is imploding. Yet in Britain, the right appears to be approaching something like free fall, with a recent poll showing Labour with a 21-point lead nationally. Less than four years ago, the party won its fourth consecutive national election by a staggering margin, leaving Labour, then led by the leftist Jeremy Corbyn, decimated.

Persons: Adams, ”, that’s, Joshua Simons, Emmanuel Macron, Le Pen, Jeremy Corbyn, Reed Organizations: Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative, BBC, Conservative Party, Financial, Conservatives, Labour Party, Tories Locations: Selby, Ainsty, Somerton, Frome, Europe, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Germany, Britain, Republic

☆ Opinion: Welcome to the ‘looking-glass’ world of Putin’s Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Welcome to the weird, through-the-looking-glass world of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, where everything is its opposite and almost nothing is what it seems. That may hold as well for the still-murky fate of last month’s mutineer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner group. Daniel TreismanWorse yet for the Kremlin, Prigozhin’s claim — coming from a diehard nationalist — will seem quite believable to many Russians. In this looking-glass world, the president has no time for politics. After the war started, Navalny offered a 15-point program for ending it and rebuilding a democratic Russia.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, “, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, mutineer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Orwell, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Emmanuel Macron, Navalny, Angela Merkel Organizations: University of California, CNN, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, Russian, Putin, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Moscow, Belarus, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Belarusian, Minsk, St . Petersburg, Kremlin, Russian, Melekhovo, Vladimir, Russia, Kara, Rostov, Sochi, Ukraine, Dagestan, Crimea, “

☆ France: Fund for killer cop dwarfs that of family of victim
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And what does it tell us about French politics? “Currently, this fund complies with our terms of use because the funds will be paid directly to the family in question. Le Pen also tempered her rhetoric in response to this crisis, in what Marliere said was an attempt to appeal to more middle-of-the-road voters. While Zemmour called the rioters “scum” and called for some of their requests for French nationality to be refused, Le Pen spoke more sympathetically about the victim. “The Meloni strategy is very much what Le Pen is trying to follow in France,” Marliere said.

Persons: Nahel, Jean Messiha, Messiha, Eric Zemmour, Pen’s, Eric Dupond, Moretti, “, GoFundMe, ”, Philippe Marliere, ” Marliere, Florian.M, Pen, Marliere, Zemmour, Le Pen, Le, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Georgia Meloni, Joseph Downing, Downing, that’s, ” Downing, Nahel Merzouk, Alexis Jumeau Organizations: CNN, National, Marine, ”, France Inter, BFMTV, Twitter, University College London, AP, Nanterre, Italian, Bois, Macron Locations: France, Paris, Marseille, Nanterre, Clichy

☆ French President Emmanuel Macron slammed for partying with Elton John as France burns in mass riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Emmanuel Macron attended an Elton John concert in Paris on Wednesday night. It comes as mass riots are ravaging France following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old. "While France was on fire, Macron preferred to applaud Elton John." An Instagram picture posted by Elton John's husband, David Furnish, of the couple arm-in-arm with a smiling Macron and his wife, Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron. "France is burning, and the president of France is going to the Elton John concert.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Elton John, Macron, —, Thierry Mariani, Elton John's, David, Brigitte Marie, Claude Macron, Nahel, Sarah Meyssonnier Macron, Le, Pascal, Dominique Sopo, Sopo, George Floyd Organizations: Service, The Telegraph, Marine, REUTERS, Guardian, BBC, London Metropolitan Police Locations: Paris, France, Nanterre, Aubervilliers, Rothschild, Republic, Alma, Roubaix, London

☆ Ancient stones removed in France to build new hardware store
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An ancient stone site in western France has been removed to make way for a new hardware store, sparking criticism of the local mayor. The mayor of Carnac, Olivier Lepick, insisted he adhered to the law in granting planning permission for the new Mr Bricolage hardware store. “Whether it’s little or not, [the site] has an archaeological value,” Obeltz told CNN affiliate BFMTV. “There were not archaeological remains of sufficient value to reject planning permission,” the mayor said. On Thursday, French far right politician, Marine Le Pen retweeted a link to an article by local French newspaper, Ouest France, calling the removal “deplorable” and remarking that the French state “protects neither our citizens or our heritage.”

Persons: Olivier Lepick, Christian Obeltz, “, ” Obeltz, Lepick, ” Lepick, “ It’s, Mona Lisa, ” Organizations: CNN, Carnac, UNESCO, French Ministry of Culture, BFMTV, Ouest France Locations: France, France’s Brittany, Carnac

☆ As China, Russia, and Trump challenge the old rules of global politics, G7 aims to shore them u
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Editor’s Note: This story was adapted from CNN’s Meanwhile in America, the email about US politics for global readers. CNN —The old rules of politics are being smashed all over the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected international law and the concept of national sovereignty by marching into Ukraine. This week’s G7 summit of industrialized nations in Japan will focus on the war in Ukraine, the threat from China, climate change and international trade. But the underlying theme of the talks will be an effort to shore up international rules and practices.

The most recent innovation has been tamer: People have banged pots whenever the president has appeared. Indeed, France’s labor unions — though representing a smaller share of the work force than elsewhere in Western Europe — have been united in their opposition, making them a redoubtable force. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who leads the left-wing coalition NUPES, has been a central figure in the parliamentary fight against Mr. Macron, nearly bringing down his government with a no-confidence vote in March. And yet it is not France’s left that has benefited from the popular rebellion. In a situation that seems tailor-made for a resurgence of the left, how is it that, for the moment at least, it is not just the right but the far right that has benefited?

☆ In first-of-its-kind drill, US Army special operators train to defend Taiwan against Chinese attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Drew F. Lawrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

At US Army Special Operations Command's annual capabilities exercise, soldiers trained to defend Taiwan. The training was part of the USASOC's annual capabilities exercise, or CAPEX, and the mission they were gaming out was an insertion into Taiwan to defend against a Chinese invasion. So instead of hovering 8,000 miles away in the South China Sea where the island actually is perched, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment's Chinooks landed on Range 68 at Fort Bragg. US Army Rangers conduct an air-assault raid during Capabilities Exercise at Fort Bragg on April 20, 2023. Soldiers take part in US Army Special Operations Command's annual Capabilities Exercise in June 2019.

☆ France pension protests explained: France is still mad -- but can the protests last?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Joseph Ataman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In 1995, weeks-long mass protests forced the government of the day to abandon plans to reform public sector pensions. For many in France, the pensions system, as with social support more generally, is viewed as the bedrock of the state’s responsibilities and relationship with its citizens. Nathan Laine/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesIn contrast, during the Yellow Vest protests, started in opposition to hikes in fuel prices, violence gradually soured public support. That these pensions protests continue to hold such popular goodwill is an ominous sign for Macron’s future plans. The size and violence of pensions protests spiked when Macron forced the legislation past the country’s lower legislative house without a vote.

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech during the National Conference on Disability at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 26, 2023. "You talk a lot of nonsense everyday," the man told Macron, after the president, barely able to squeeze in an answer, said he should get his numbers right. Such direct confrontations, the president reckons, are essential to give people a cathartic release after weeks of anger directed at the government's pension bill and Macron himself. Before the pension reform protests, the government managed to pass legislation on issues such as nuclear energy and renewables with the help of both left-wing and right-wing lawmakers outside Macron's centrist alliance. That was apparent again this week, when his prime minister Elisabeth Borne was forced to give up on an immigration bill.

☆ France's Macron promises government action plan in next 100 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a televised speech two days after signing into law plans to increase the retirement age by two years to 64, Macron said he wanted his prime minister to propose measures on working conditions, law and order, education and health issues. "On July 14, we must be able to take stock," Macron said, referring to Bastille Day, France's national day, often a milestone in French politics. "We have ahead of us 100 days of appeasement, unity, ambition and action for France," he said. Macron gave few details about the roadmap he wanted the government to work on but said it should improve working conditions and also tighten immigration laws. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Macron was "stuck in a parallel world".

Unions - and protesters - will pressure Macron not to promulgate the law, and try to find another way out. The Council's decision is expected late afternoon or early evening, likely after 1600 GMT. It could strike down the bill, but this is something it has rarely done and constitutional experts and government sources see this as unlikely. Political observers say the widespread discontent over the government's reform could have longer-term repercussions, including a possible boost for the far right. "I'm not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council's decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who opposes the pension legislation, said earlier this week.

Paris CNN —France’s top court on Friday approved the government’s unpopular plans to raise the age of retirement by two years to 64, a huge win for President Emmanuel Macron in the face of mass protests across the country. The Constitutional Council – akin to the US Supreme Court – struck down some elements of the new law, but the most controversial element remains: the gradual upping of the retirement age. Sweeping protests have paralyzed major services across France year this year over Macron’s proposed changes to the pension system. Ahead of the ruling, heightened security was in place in Paris amid expectations of spontaneous protests. With regular, incremental increases, by 2030 the retirement age will have reached 64.

☆ France to witness 12th nationwide strike against Macron's pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Protesters hold a drawing depicting a portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron during a demonstration as part of the tenth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform in Paris, France, March 28, 2023. "I'm not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council's decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen told BFM TV, who is against the pension bill. Macron and his government argue the law is essential to ensure that France's generous pension system does not go bust. Unions say this can be done by other means, including taxing the rich more, or making deeper changes to the pension system. However, the CGT union called for a walkout at all refineries on Thursday as part of the nationwide strike.

☆ Macron bypassed parliament and angered French citizens. Setting the far-right up for a bounce
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

French President Emmanuel Macron. Shahin Vallée senior research fellow, German Council on Foreign RelationsMacron's popularity rating has worsened in the wake of the pension reforms. The proposed legislation pushes the retirement age up from 62 to 64, and for Macron, and his government, it's a necessity in order to balance the public finances. "Macron is not grooming anyone and that's part of the problem," Vallée said, adding that "Renaissance [party] is a one man party." Macron is serving his second mandate as president and the French constitution prevents him from running again for the job in 2027.

☆ Portugal party Chega sets far-right world summit with Brazil's Bolsonaro, Italy's Salvini
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, April 7 (Reuters) - Portuguese party Chega will hold a world summit in Lisbon with several far-right party leaders in May, including former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, the president of Chega said on Friday. In a video statement, the president of Chega, Andre Ventura, said Bolsonaro and Salvini "already accepted the invitation to the great right-wing world summit" on the 13th and 14th of May. In January 2022, Portugal's ruling Socialist Party gained an unexpected outright majority and the Social Democrats finished second, but Chega increased its support and became the third largest party in parliament. In March, Ventura told journalists he also planned to invite Marine Le Pen of France or Geert Wilders of the Netherlands, leaders of far-right parties in their countries. Reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Catarina Demony; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Protests against the bill have drawn huge crowds in rallies organised by unions since January. Most have been peaceful, but anger has mounted since the government pushed the bill through parliament without a vote last week. The ongoing protests could impact a planned state visit next week of Britain's King Charles, a Buckingham Palace source said. While the opposition has called for Macron to fire his prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, who has been at the forefront of the pension reform, Macron backed her and said that he had tasked her to work on new reforms. "Tomorrow we will be on the streets again to demonstrate against the pension reform and demand its withdrawal," said one of them, CFDT union member Sophie Trastour.

☆ Macron enrages France by forcing through pension bill with no vote. But few think he'll be forced out
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters participate in a demonstration against French government's plan to raise the legal retirement age in Paris, on March 16, 2023. A coalition of French lawmakers on Friday filed a no confidence motion against President Emmanuel Macron following chaotic scenes in the country's lower house of parliament the day before. Despite frantic last-minute negotiations and number-crunching, Macron calculated he did not have enough votes in the National Assembly to pass his controversial and long-standing plan to raise the retirement age. A coalition of left-wing lawmakers filed the motion, which is being backed by leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Far-right figure Marine Le Pen has said her party, now led by Jordan Bardella, would vote for any no-confidence motion and is expected to file its own.

☆ Analysis: Macron wins Pyrrhic victory on pension bill, risks fuelling anger
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

By using special constitutional powers instead of risking lawmakers rejecting the reform, Macron has given ammunition to the opposition and to trade union leaders who cast the reform as undemocratic. LE PEN AMBUSHTo be sure, claims of authoritarianism by the pension bill's critics are far-fetched. Political observers say Le Pen played her hand well. "Mrs Le Pen is ready for the ambush," Laurent Berger, the head of the moderate CFDT union said on Thursday, hours before the vote. But the end of debates in parliament may do little to quell anger on the streets.

This grassroots protest movement has been driven largely by ordinary farmers like Luiten and their supporters, but it has another element: the far-right. As conspiracy-driven Telegram groups, right-wing commentators and some lawmakers would baselessly put it, Dutch farms are being shut down to make space for asylum-seekers. Right-wing populists around the world have offered their support for the farmers’ stand, including former President Donald Trump, France’s Marine Le Pen and Poland’s far-right populist government. But, in reality, many Dutch farmers are just trying to make a living. Supporters stand on highway bridges every night waving the inverted tricolor as a symbol of defiance against an unpopular government and to call for an end to the nitrogen plan.

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