France

President Emmanuel Macron has rejected the resignation of his interior minister

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, one of President Emmanuel Macron’s closest allies, offered to step down on Monday but Macron refused to accept his resignation, daily Le Figaro reported on…

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Europe has more important things than the future of the UK. It’s the future of the EU – French foreign minister

EU leaders last week rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposals for post-Brexit trade, standing firm on their position that the plan would undermine their cherished single market. “The British…

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France refuses MV Aquarius to dock in Marseille

The French government wants the ship Aquarius 2 to take migrants picked up off the coast of Libya to seek "the nearest safe port" rather than continue its journey to the…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning Your morning briefing with the latest news from around the globe, a newspaper review from Malta and a headline digest of the main news chosen in the past…

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MV Aquarius heading to Marseille

The Aquarius migrant rescue ship is headed for the port of Marseille with 58 people on board and will seek authorisation to dock from the French government, the vessel's operators…

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Libya – Italy’s and France’s ongoing battle of influence

France and Italy have had differences over how changes should be brought in Libya in the post-Moammar Gaddafi era, but those differences have become public in recent months, raising concerns…

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Abbas seeks French support to counter Trump’s policy position in Israeli – Palestinian conflict

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris seeking French support to offset US President Donald Trump’s policy positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking to reporters…

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Macron set to lose another ally

Le Figaro reports that French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb’s announced on Tuesday that he planned to resign from his post next May, after the European election, to run for his old…

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Macron unveils plans for a sustainable future-proof health system

French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled plans to make France’s health care system more efficient and sustainable for the next 50 years. The French health system is already considered one…

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Russia says Syria shot down one of its military planes, blames Israel: RIA (UPDATED)

UPDATE Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that the Syrian military had accidentally shot down a Russian military plane over Syria, but said it blamed the incident on Israel,…

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Pas Pipi Dans Paris

The city of Paris released a music video on September 12 imploring people to refrain from urinating in public. The quirky production is making a splash on social media. Paris’s…

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Macron’s centrist party and far-right party share top place in MEP elections opinion poll

Polls for the May 2019 European Parliament elections, show that French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party is neck-and-neck with the far-right former National Front party the Rassemblement National. The two…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, 100 people, including 21 children, died in the Mediterranean is amongst the news one can read on a number of international websites. We also read about the possibility…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, The reunification of mother and child in Malta is perhaps the best news one could lead with this Morning. In other news, we have the latest results of…

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Seven wounded in stabbing attack in Paris – Nothing shows signs of terrorist link at this stage

Guardian - BBC Seven people have been wounded in Paris after they were attacked by a man armed with a knife and an iron bar, according to police and other sources. A source…

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Thursday Morning Briefing

Good morning, A powerful earthquake hit Japan, the two Koreas agreed for a summit later on this month, while Donald Trump's experience at the White House remains an issue for…

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Macron names François de Rugy as his new environment minister

French President Emmanuel Macron has named François de Rugy as his new environment minister, the Élysée Palace said in a statement on Tuesday, after his former ecology chief resigned unexpectedly…

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French sports minister resigns ahead of Macron’s reshuffle announcement

French sports minister Laura Flessel has resigned from president Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet for “personal reasons”. “I made the decision to leave the government for personal reasons. France 24 French President…

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People losing their lives in the Mediterranean has risen sharply – UNHCR

Fewer people are making the journey across the Mediterranean to Europe, but the proportion of those losing their lives trying has risen sharply, the UN refugee agency has said in its…

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Le Pen hedging on Salvini’s wave for MEP elections

If there is to be a “Salvini wave,” Marine Le Pen is intent on riding it. Next week, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party will reveal her…

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French Unions calls for a strike for October 9th

Unions in France on Thursday called for a strike for October 9 in protest at the “ideological policies” of French President Emmanuel Macron’s government. The CGT and FO unions as…

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Friday Morning Briefing – Updated

Good morning, CIVIL PROTECTION WARNING: People are asked to avoid the area of Magħtab while residents of Magħtab, Naxxar, and San Gwann to keep their windows shut. This is after…

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Depardieu is facing a probe over alleged “rapes and sexual assaults”

French star Gerard Depardieu is facing a probe over alleged "rapes and sexual assaults", a judicial source told AFP on Thursday. The source said the Paris public prosecutor's office had…

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Macron accepts role of being anti-Salvini and Orban

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday billed himself as the main opponent to hard-right, anti-immigration parties in Europe, seemingly relishing a challenge from Italy's Matteo Salvini and Hungary's Viktor Orban.…

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Thursday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing covers the main stories in Malta's newspapers front pages which focus on the free school transport and the case where a 15 year old was…

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French Environment Minister resigns live on radio

French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot has resigned on live radio, in a dramatic announcement that caught even President Emmanuel Macron by surprise. The former TV presenter and green activist said…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing for today apart from the regular Malta's newspaper front pages' review also refers to the worrying developments in Libya's capital Tripoli, the Mexico - US…

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EU unity deemed more important by Macron as he outlines French foreign post Brexit foreign policy priorities

France 24 said that President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said preserving European Union unity was more important than forging a close relationship with post-Brexit Britain, and hit out at what he…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Australia has a new Prime Minister, while the US Media is analysing the Trump legal issues. In Italy, the Diciotti saga saw its umpteenth twist in political drama,…

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Two people killed by knife-armed man in Paris suburb of Trappes. Prosecutors are not treating the attack as a terrorism case. UPDATE

France 24 Prosecutors are not treating the attack as a terrorism case, but were following it closely. The 36-year-old man, who has not been officially identified, fatally stabbed his relatives…

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Conte argues that Malta (and other countries) did not honour its commitment in the last Pozzallo disembarking of migrants

Italy's prime minister has allowed all child migrants on the coastguard ship that docked in the port of Catania on Monday into Italy The legal agency in Sicily responsible for…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Today's morning briefing is served. Latest: In Afghanistan, Taliban took more than 100 people, including women and children hostage in ambush in North. (AP) The issue…

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Fake news stories about MMR vaccine leads to rise in measles

The Irish Independent reports that measles cases have almost trebled from just 25 cases in 2017 to 66 this year, as the disease enters the country via EU holidaymakers and immigrants.…

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Wednesday Morning Briefing

Good morning Your Morning Briefing for today covers some of the headlines covered by Malta's Newspapers, the latest update from around the world and other stories which hit the…

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William Hague hopes for French help for a credible Brexit deal

William Hague (former foreign secretary and a former leader of the Conservative Party) writes on The Telegraph that last week has seen the most concerted British diplomatic push with our French…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning Your Tuesday Morning Briefing covers the main headlines of the news. The main story remains the powerful explosion which took place in Bologna on Monday afternoon. 2…

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European diplomats vow to work together to preserve nuclear deal with Iran

Europe's top diplomats have vowed to work together to preserve a multinational nuclear deal with Iran, as US President Donald Trump signed an executive order paving the way for the…

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How the Benalla affair dented Macron

The Financial Times says that the first big public test of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency might have been expected to come over his reform measures, the French economy, Europe or his…

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42 refugees from Sudan who were rescued by Aquarius welcomed in Lille

RFI reports that the northern French city of Lille on Friday welcomed 42 Sudanese refugees who were rescued by the Aquarius humanitarian boat in a ceremony conducted by its Socialist…

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Saturday Morning Briefing

Good morning As expected the death of Shannon Mak is the lead story on Malta's Newspapers. Various happenings take different priorities around the world. As we go through 40…

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May and Macron to meet on Brexit

Euronews reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May will cut short her summer holiday to hold crucial Brexit talks with Emmanuel Macron. The French leader has invited Prime Minister May to his…

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European high temperature record of 48 degrees Celsius expected this week

CNN: Forecasters have warned of potentially record-breaking temperatures in Spain and Portugal this week as much of Europe swelters in a heat wave that has left some farmers suffering drought conditions.…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your Morning Briefing for today follows. Both the Times and The Malta Independent refer to the S&P credit rating on the banking system. Respected credit ratings agency Standard and Poors has…

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Eiffel Tower closes for public as staff went on strike

France 24 reports that the Eiffel Tower closed to the public on Wednesday afternoon as staff went on strike over how to organise tourists visits to the monument. "Staff from…

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Calais bridge closed after driver threatened to blow himself

Express: Emergency services rushed to the scene after a “suspicious vehicle” was stopped at a passport control booth on the French side of the border, Lille-based newspaper La Voix du…

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Thursday Morning Briefing

Good morning From Malta to Washington, from Pakistan to Brussels, from Syria to France, from Italy to Mars and back... here are the main news as reported by main news…

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Emmanuel Macron states that in the case of the Benalla affair, the buck stops with him.

France 24 French President Emmanuel Macron responded to a growing political storm over a video showing his top bodyguard assaulting May Day protesters by saying he bore responsibility, lawmakers from his…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, This is our morning briefing, bringing you the highlights of the main news as reported in Malta, Europe and the World. Two women were killed early yesterday…

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Interior Minister faces grilling over Macron’s security affair

France 24: Facing questions before France’s parliament on Monday, Interior Minister Gérard Collomb defended his handling of the so-called Benalla Affair. Hearings on Monday mark the latest episode in a damaging…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, The saying 'a week is too long in politics' keeps being challenged. While the past few weeks we saw this saying being challenged in the international world, yesterday…

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Macron faces first internal crisis since becoming French President

France 24 reports that the French President Emmanuel Macron ordered a shake-up of his office after acknowledging failings in the way the presidency handled a scandal over his top bodyguard…

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Saturday Morning Briefing

Good morning, From Malta to Kazakistan via Italy, to the UK and Brussels, from Libya to Singapore and our obvious stop in the US our morning briefing presents you how…

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Macron’s office launches dismissal proceedings against security aide

Politico reports that French President Emmanuel Macron’s office launched dismissal proceedings on Friday against security aide Alexandre Benalla after video emerged of him assaulting a demonstrator during a street protest on May 1.…

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Large prostitution ring dismantled

Eurojust: A joint action in France, Bulgaria and Germany resulted in searches of more than 20 locations and the arrest of 10 pimps. The pimps had been operating since 2015, promising…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning Our morning briefing for today focuses on the main points following the US - Russia summit where comments by US President Trump were deemed as treasonous. On the…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, France wins the World Cup while Trump arrives in Helsinki for his summit with Putin. Before leaving the UK he stresses that the EU is a foe of…

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France beats Croatia 4 – 2 in World Cup Final

France have won the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ after defeating Croatia 4-2 in a thoroughly entertaining Final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow in what was a fitting end…

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