Vilhelm Junnila, Finland's Economy Minister, resigned on Friday, 10 days after taking office, after being accused of making multiple extremist comments about neo-nazi ideology. He quit amid a new scandal over his remarks on African women.

Finnish Minister resigns amid criticism over pro-Nazi comments

Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat, currently on a visit to India, expressed the potential for collaboration between the two countries, stating that India is seen as a "brother" and such cooperation can "boost and scale our growth".

Speaking to WION’s diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said, "I understand the potential of collaboration with India...we could actually together provide to the world new ideas, new initiatives in food production from the sea in agrotech".

Nir Barkat is&nbsp;on a four-day official trip to India and is the first minister under the current Netanyahu government to visit the country.

Barkat, who has served as mayor of Jerusalem in the past, will hold a meeting with Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal and travel to Mumbai as well.

WION: What is the key focus of your visit to India?

Nir Barkat: Israelis and Indians have a lot in common. For 2000 years, Jews felt comfortable living in India, feeling secure. And our government-to-government ties are also strong. Both PM Modi and PM Netanyahu have a really good relationship and the governments understand that we have a lot in common and a lot to cooperate. Having said that, our goal is how do we have more and more business development together. How do we grow our economy? We understand in Israel that India is going to be very soon the third largest economy in the world, and we want to help you get there. And we want to make sure that Israel and India collaborate together for the benefit of the growth of both people.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION: What will you discuss with the Indian ministers for increasing trade between the two countries?

Nir Barkat: The focus will be on how we can help each other. Israel is&nbsp;very strong on technology, innovation, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. We know how to collaborate with governments that complement Israeli skills. Israel is at the forefront of security and counterterrorism. Moreover, Israel is very strong in what we call a desert tech, such as Agrotech, food tech, and creating food from the sea. We're now looking at areas like this, and while we're only less than 10 million, India with 1.4 billion people has to work in collaboration with us to scale the ideas that we have. So, I believe that by working together, we can help each other to improve our economies.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION: Can you elaborate on that?

Nir Barkat: &nbsp;Technology has a big huge cluster in Israel.&nbsp; 25 per cent of all companies in the world in cybersecurity are fundamentally Israelis. Since we have our threats, we've developed to outsmart our enemies in terror and other challenges, and we're willing to share those ideas with our friends here in India. Now, counterterrorism is not only an Israeli challenge, it's a global challenge. So, we've learnt that the best way to challenge terror is not just being reactive, but also being good at offensive strategies. We are very strong in satellites, and creating new kinds of tools to have better security. I believe it will scale in a big way.

&nbsp;

WION: India-Israel Free Trade Agreement is something that everyone has been talking about. What is the status and when do you think this agreement can be concluded?&nbsp;

Nir Barkat: I will raise this in my meetings with ministers here. But it's not just the free trade agreement. There is a lot of collaboration between business clusters that are successful in Israel and successful here.

&nbsp;

WION: How optimistic&nbsp;are you when it comes to the free trade agreements?&nbsp;

Nir Barkat: I think that both India and Israel have had more free trade agreements lately, in the last few years, and we both recognise how the collaboration between Israel and India can boost and scale our growth. And that's why I believe, at least I'm going to be raising with my peers here in the government, the value of free trade agreements, how they could decrease all kinds of obstacles and improve the collaboration between the two people. It's not just the&nbsp;people-to-people relationship, which is excellent and love, we also see you folks as brothers in this region.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION: How do you see the rise of India impacting West Asia?

Nir Barkat: &nbsp;I'm very happy because I believe the (kind of) relationship we have, we're going to benefit from it because we can help you get there. I think the government here is doing a phenomenal job of understanding the opportunity and leading the country to more and more open markets. The I2U2 is a great example of that. How do we, the United States and India and the United Arab Emirates and Israel can collaborate for the benefit of all four partners involved here. I think that kind of relationship is a booster that will help us boost and swiftly move for better economies. So, the fact that now India is becoming a superpower, and I believe, in a few years from now, it is going to be the third largest economy in the world. So, Israel working with India together will help us grow, and I believe it will help you grow faster.

&nbsp;

WION: How do you see the Indian PM's leadership in terms of bringing Israel and India closer? Since 2014, the relationship between the two nations has been taking a different level altogether.

Nir Barkat: Indeed, that's why I'm here. This is one of my first trips as the new Minister of Economy and Industry.&nbsp;I understand the potential of collaboration with India. But to scale big numbers, we need partners like India, that “know how” to take and scale big numbers of creating food from the sea. These are futuristic ideas that we can work together. And so, we could actually together provide to the world new ideas, new initiatives in food production from the sea in Agrotech and desert-tech.

&nbsp;

WION: Are we looking at trading in national currencies? 

Nir Barkat: Well, these are the details we could solve, the motivation is there, and&nbsp;we can rely on each other for futuristic and new ideas. We know that when India will grow and scale, the relationship between the two countries will be stable and we can build on them. In other words, we can rely on the relationship with India, and I believe India can rely on the relationship with Israel. So, when I go back home, I'm going to convey to my government and my prime minister how beautiful and how big the opportunity is to work with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION: Adani has invested in a port in Israel, and there have been some controversies regarding the group. Do you have any concerns? 

Nir Barkat: No, I think that we are&nbsp;proud of the fact that an Indian businessman invested in Israel, the fact that Israel accepted that investment in a positive way. There are only good complimentary things I hear in Israel about Adani, and actually is a good testimony that when we do business in each other's country, it's accepted well.

&nbsp;

WION: There have been a lot of protests against the Netanyahu government. Has it impacted the government's stability?

Nir Barkat: I'm very proud of our democracy. When you think about Israel's democracy, the fact that people care and they come on the street, and demonstrate against some of the reforms we proposed because we believe that it will make us a better democracy, some object to it and feel concerned. But we will overcome our differences. We're an exciting democracy. And I look at this in a positive way. Very few democracies in the world have that kind of care.

&nbsp;

WION: But has it impacted the stability of the government?

Nir Barkat: We understand that there are challenges in our country, in a democracy and I believe you'll see that the Prime Minister and I will support them on this, has to consider the different opinions in the country and work out when we talk about infrastructure ideas in our democracy. Our goal is to make them as widely accepted as possible. And I believe that you will see that we will overcome the majority of these challenges. You know why, because we have no choice.&nbsp;We're a strong democracy, we want to thrive and succeed and we all understand eventually, then we need to come together, certainly against threats in Israel and for the benefit of our future.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION: Now coming to an issue that perhaps has been a long-standing one.&nbsp;We saw the recent&nbsp;flare-up in Palestine. Can you talk about what's the situation there?

Nir Barkat: I think that unfortunately, we have terrorists challenging Islam. And by the way, they're supported by the regime in Iran, using proxies in Lebanon. We have Hezbollah in Lebanon, we have Hamas in Gaza. We have challenges from Iraq, with long-term missiles in Syria. And we have internal challenges in Judea and Samaria and others. I recommend our enemies to reconsider their thoughts.&nbsp;Because if God forbid, they decide to challenge us, we're going to hit them very hard.&nbsp;And they have to understand that while there may be internal challenges in Israel when it comes to uniting against the enemies that want to combat and fight us, we know how to hit them extremely hard. We're not afraid to go into&nbsp;their backyard and find those terrorists and kill them if needed before they use terror against us.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION: Since both nations are dealing with terrorism, how has Israel been helping India in terms of combating this menace? 

Nir Barkat: There are things that are not going to be discussed. I prefer that rather than speak about it and give knowledge to our enemies, sharing of knowledge and information and exchange of ideas and weaponry should not be done over the TV. But trust me, I know that the collaboration is very, very strong, and we will help in all ways possible to help India become a stronger, more independent, better economy and of course more secure.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION: You are the first minister from the current government to come to India. Can we expect more ministers and Prime Minister Netanyahu to visit India? 

Nir Barkat: My strong recommendation when I go back home is to speak to my peer ministers, and to better explain to them the opportunity. There are no shortcuts here. We need to collaborate and exchange knowledge and information and make an ecosystem even stronger and better, leverage what we have to make it much, much better. And as big as the opportunity Israel has with the United States, we could develop that opportunity with one of the superpowers, the economic superpowers of the future, which is India. And because the relationship between the Indian people and the Jewish people in Israel is so good, the fact that this could happen faster than anything else depends on us. It's ours to lose. We'll do everything we can to make this happen.

&nbsp;

WION: At the start, you mentioned how Jews have been in India for centuries and haven’t faced any violence. Can you elaborate on that? 

Nir Barkat: Israelis,&nbsp;Jews and Indian people have a long history, and that memory is only positive. Unfortunately, we have memories in Europe just 70 plus years, in which we are reminded of the Holocaust. On the other hand, we remember how the Indian people protected the Jewish people through tough times. We never forget our history. I'm really for the fact that I can represent Israel here and thank the Indian people, not only for the past, and not only for the present but actually together discuss a better future.&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat, currently on a visit to India, expressed the potential for collaboration between the two countries, stating that India is seen as a "brother" and such cooperation can "boost and scale our growth".

Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat, currently on a visit to India, expressed the potential for collaboration between the two countries, stating that India is seen as a "brother" and such cooperation can "boost and scale our growth". Speaking to WION’s diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said, "I understand the potential of collaboration with India...we could actually together provide to the world new ideas, new initiatives in food production from the sea in agrotech". Nir Barkat is on a four-day official trip to India and is the first minister under the current Netanyahu government to visit the country. Barkat, who has served as mayor of Jerusalem in the past, will hold a meeting with Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal and travel to Mumbai as well. WION: What is the key focus of your visit to India? Nir Barkat: Israelis and Indians have a lot in common. For 2000 years, Jews felt comfortable living in India, feeling secure. And our government-to-government ties are also strong. Both PM Modi and PM Netanyahu have a really good relationship and the governments understand that we have a lot in common and a lot to cooperate. Having said that, our goal is how do we have more and more business development together. How do we grow our economy? We understand in Israel that India is going to be very soon the third largest economy in the world, and we want to help you get there. And we want to make sure that Israel and India collaborate together for the benefit of the growth of both people. WION: What will you discuss with the Indian ministers for increasing trade between the two countries? Nir Barkat: The focus will be on how we can help each other. Israel is very strong on technology, innovation, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. We know how to collaborate with governments that complement Israeli skills. Israel is at the forefront of security and counterterrorism. Moreover, Israel is very strong in what we call a desert tech, such as Agrotech, food tech, and creating food from the sea. We're now looking at areas like this, and while we're only less than 10 million, India with 1.4 billion people has to work in collaboration with us to scale the ideas that we have. So, I believe that by working together, we can help each other to improve our economies. WION: Can you elaborate on that? Nir Barkat: Technology has a big huge cluster in Israel. 25 per cent of all companies in the world in cybersecurity are fundamentally Israelis. Since we have our threats, we've developed to outsmart our enemies in terror and other challenges, and we're willing to share those ideas with our friends here in India. Now, counterterrorism is not only an Israeli challenge, it's a global challenge. So, we've learnt that the best way to challenge terror is not just being reactive, but also being good at offensive strategies. We are very strong in satellites, and creating new kinds of tools to have better security. I believe it will scale in a big way. WION: India-Israel Free Trade Agreement is something that everyone has been talking about. What is the status and when do you think this agreement can be concluded? Nir Barkat: I will raise this in my meetings with ministers here. But it's not just the free trade agreement. There is a lot of collaboration between business clusters that are successful in Israel and successful here. WION: How optimistic are you when it comes to the free trade agreements? Nir Barkat: I think that both India and Israel have had more free trade agreements lately, in the last few years, and we both recognise how the collaboration between Israel and India can boost and scale our growth. And that's why I believe, at least I'm going to be raising with my peers here in the government, the value of free trade agreements, how they could decrease all kinds of obstacles and improve the collaboration between the two people. It's not just the people-to-people relationship, which is excellent and love, we also see you folks as brothers in this region. WION: How do you see the rise of India impacting West Asia? Nir Barkat: I'm very happy because I believe the (kind of) relationship we have, we're going to benefit from it because we can help you get there. I think the government here is doing a phenomenal job of understanding the opportunity and leading the country to more and more open markets. The I2U2 is a great example of that. How do we, the United States and India and the United Arab Emirates and Israel can collaborate for the benefit of all four partners involved here. I think that kind of relationship is a booster that will help us boost and swiftly move for better economies. So, the fact that now India is becoming a superpower, and I believe, in a few years from now, it is going to be the third largest economy in the world. So, Israel working with India together will help us grow, and I believe it will help you grow faster. WION: How do you see the Indian PM's leadership in terms of bringing Israel and India closer? Since 2014, the relationship between the two nations has been taking a different level altogether. Nir Barkat: Indeed, that's why I'm here. This is one of my first trips as the new Minister of Economy and Industry. I understand the potential of collaboration with India. But to scale big numbers, we need partners like India, that “know how” to take and scale big numbers of creating food from the sea. These are futuristic ideas that we can work together. And so, we could actually together provide to the world new ideas, new initiatives in food production from the sea in Agrotech and desert-tech. WION: Are we looking at trading in national currencies? Nir Barkat: Well, these are the details we could solve, the motivation is there, and we can rely on each other for futuristic and new ideas. We know that when India will grow and scale, the relationship between the two countries will be stable and we can build on them. In other words, we can rely on the relationship with India, and I believe India can rely on the relationship with Israel. So, when I go back home, I'm going to convey to my government and my prime minister how beautiful and how big the opportunity is to work with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. WION: Adani has invested in a port in Israel, and there have been some controversies regarding the group. Do you have any concerns? Nir Barkat: No, I think that we are proud of the fact that an Indian businessman invested in Israel, the fact that Israel accepted that investment in a positive way. There are only good complimentary things I hear in Israel about Adani, and actually is a good testimony that when we do business in each other's country, it's accepted well. WION: There have been a lot of protests against the Netanyahu government. Has it impacted the government's stability? Nir Barkat: I'm very proud of our democracy. When you think about Israel's democracy, the fact that people care and they come on the street, and demonstrate against some of the reforms we proposed because we believe that it will make us a better democracy, some object to it and feel concerned. But we will overcome our differences. We're an exciting democracy. And I look at this in a positive way. Very few democracies in the world have that kind of care. WION: But has it impacted the stability of the government? Nir Barkat: We understand that there are challenges in our country, in a democracy and I believe you'll see that the Prime Minister and I will support them on this, has to consider the different opinions in the country and work out when we talk about infrastructure ideas in our democracy. Our goal is to make them as widely accepted as possible. And I believe that you will see that we will overcome the majority of these challenges. You know why, because we have no choice. We're a strong democracy, we want to thrive and succeed and we all understand eventually, then we need to come together, certainly against threats in Israel and for the benefit of our future. WION: Now coming to an issue that perhaps has been a long-standing one. We saw the recent flare-up in Palestine. Can you talk about what's the situation there? Nir Barkat: I think that unfortunately, we have terrorists challenging Islam. And by the way, they're supported by the regime in Iran, using proxies in Lebanon. We have Hezbollah in Lebanon, we have Hamas in Gaza. We have challenges from Iraq, with long-term missiles in Syria. And we have internal challenges in Judea and Samaria and others. I recommend our enemies to reconsider their thoughts. Because if God forbid, they decide to challenge us, we're going to hit them very hard. And they have to understand that while there may be internal challenges in Israel when it comes to uniting against the enemies that want to combat and fight us, we know how to hit them extremely hard. We're not afraid to go into their backyard and find those terrorists and kill them if needed before they use terror against us. WION: Since both nations are dealing with terrorism, how has Israel been helping India in terms of combating this menace? Nir Barkat: There are things that are not going to be discussed. I prefer that rather than speak about it and give knowledge to our enemies, sharing of knowledge and information and exchange of ideas and weaponry should not be done over the TV. But trust me, I know that the collaboration is very, very strong, and we will help in all ways possible to help India become a stronger, more independent, better economy and of course more secure. WION: You are the first minister from the current government to come to India. Can we expect more ministers and Prime Minister Netanyahu to visit India? Nir Barkat: My strong recommendation when I go back home is to speak to my peer ministers, and to better explain to them the opportunity. There are no shortcuts here. We need to collaborate and exchange knowledge and information and make an ecosystem even stronger and better, leverage what we have to make it much, much better. And as big as the opportunity Israel has with the United States, we could develop that opportunity with one of the superpowers, the economic superpowers of the future, which is India. And because the relationship between the Indian people and the Jewish people in Israel is so good, the fact that this could happen faster than anything else depends on us. It's ours to lose. We'll do everything we can to make this happen. WION: At the start, you mentioned how Jews have been in India for centuries and haven’t faced any violence. Can you elaborate on that? Nir Barkat: Israelis, Jews and Indian people have a long history, and that memory is only positive. Unfortunately, we have memories in Europe just 70 plus years, in which we are reminded of the Holocaust. On the other hand, we remember how the Indian people protected the Jewish people through tough times. We never forget our history. I'm really for the fact that I can represent Israel here and thank the Indian people, not only for the past, and not only for the present but actually together discuss a better future. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Israel's economy minister Nir Barkat sees India as brother, eyes growth through collaboration

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday appointed former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as the next economy minister after the incumbent abruptly resigned amid criticism over his links to a controversial religious group.&nbsp;

Following weeks of calls by opposition lawmakers to quit, former economy minister Daishiro Yamagiwa on Monday tendered his resignation, saying he "caused inconvenience to the government" by taking too long to clearly explain his links to the Unification Church.&nbsp;

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kishida said he picked Goto based on his "political experience, high presentation skills, and passion for economic and social reforms."&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-politics-live-rishi-sunak-to-meet-king-charles-before-giving-first-address-as-pm-528141" hreflang="en">UK politics LIVE: Sunak to meet King Charles before giving first address as PM</a>

Goto's appointment comes as the government faces the urgent task of compiling an economic stimulus package and a fresh extra budget.&nbsp;

Kishida has promised to put together a stimulus package by the end of October to counter a painful rise in the cost of living amid the yen's plunge to 32-year-lows.&nbsp;

A ruling party official on Monday indicated the package may total around 26 trillion yen ($174.56 billion).&nbsp;

Yamagiwa became the first minister to resign from Kishida's government and the highest profile political casualty thus far from a widening scandal sparked by the killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July.&nbsp;

The suspect in the killing bore a grudge against the Unification Church, alleging it bankrupted his mother, and blamed Abe for promoting it.&nbsp;

Abe's death brought to light widespread links between the church, which critics say is akin to a cult, and members of Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), causing a precipitous fall in his support ratings.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-third-of-users-regularly-get-their-news-from-tiktok-claims-new-study-528120" hreflang="en">One-third of users regularly get their news from TikTok, claims new study</a>

The LDP has acknowledged that many individual lawmakers have ties to the church but has said there was no organisational link to the church. Kishida has ordered an investigation into the church amid falling public approval over the issue.&nbsp;

Asked by a reporter about whether Goto's background as a long-time finance ministry bureaucrat could steer the government towards a more hawkish fiscal stance, Kishida brushed aside speculation saying: "I am confident that he will work on socio-economic reforms from a broad perspective."&nbsp;

A private-sector economist said the appointment of Goto was also likely based on his experience handling coronavirus-related policies as Kishida's former health minister. The economy minister's responsibilities include COVID-19 countermeasures, among others.&nbsp;

"The Kishida administration might be concerned about a resurgence of the coronavirus in the winter, and that might be one reason for the selection," said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday appointed former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as the next economy minister after the incumbent abruptly resigned amid criticism over his links to a controversial religious group.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday appointed former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as the next economy minister after the incumbent abruptly resigned amid criticism over his links to a controversial religious group. Following weeks of calls by opposition lawmakers to quit, former economy minister Daishiro Yamagiwa on Monday tendered his resignation, saying he "caused inconvenience to the government" by taking too long to clearly explain his links to the Unification Church. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kishida said he picked Goto based on his "political experience, high presentation skills, and passion for economic and social reforms." Also read | UK politics LIVE: Sunak to meet King Charles before giving first address as PM Goto's appointment comes as the government faces the urgent task of compiling an economic stimulus package and a fresh extra budget. Kishida has promised to put together a stimulus package by the end of October to counter a painful rise in the cost of living amid the yen's plunge to 32-year-lows. A ruling party official on Monday indicated the package may total around 26 trillion yen ($174.56 billion). Yamagiwa became the first minister to resign from Kishida's government and the highest profile political casualty thus far from a widening scandal sparked by the killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July. The suspect in the killing bore a grudge against the Unification Church, alleging it bankrupted his mother, and blamed Abe for promoting it. Abe's death brought to light widespread links between the church, which critics say is akin to a cult, and members of Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), causing a precipitous fall in his support ratings. Also read | One-third of users regularly get their news from TikTok, claims new study The LDP has acknowledged that many individual lawmakers have ties to the church but has said there was no organisational link to the church. Kishida has ordered an investigation into the church amid falling public approval over the issue. Asked by a reporter about whether Goto's background as a long-time finance ministry bureaucrat could steer the government towards a more hawkish fiscal stance, Kishida brushed aside speculation saying: "I am confident that he will work on socio-economic reforms from a broad perspective." A private-sector economist said the appointment of Goto was also likely based on his experience handling coronavirus-related policies as Kishida's former health minister. The economy minister's responsibilities include COVID-19 countermeasures, among others. "The Kishida administration might be concerned about a resurgence of the coronavirus in the winter, and that might be one reason for the selection," said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities.

Japan PM appoints ex-health min Shigeyuki Goto as next economy minister

An Austrian minister has become the honorary godmother of a baby elephant born at Vienna Zoo. A small ceremony to mark the occasion was held at the newly-reopened zoo.

Austrian minister becomes godmother to baby elephant

Argentina will stand by the 2019 fiscal targets it has agreed with the International Monetary Fund and work to stabilize its currency, which lost 18% of its value last week, new Treasury Minister Hernan Lacunza said on Tuesday.

WION Playlist: Argentina gets new Economy Minister

French ex-economy minister Emmanuel Macron, a 38-year-old political novice, announced his bid for the presidency on Wednesday, as an alternative to the &quot;same men and same ideas&quot; that have guided France for decades.

Macron finally ended speculation about his intentions by announcing his candidacy for his &quot;En Marche&quot; (&quot;On the Move&quot;) centrist party from a training centre in a gritty suburb northeast of Paris.

Never elected and &quot;neither of the left or the right&quot; in his own words, the pro-business and technology-savvy former investment banker is hoping to shake up a race between older, more familiar figures.

&quot;I&#39;m ready, that&#39;s why I am candidate for the French presidency,&quot; he said, promising a &quot;democratic revolution&quot; that would restore France&#39;s optimism and self-confidence.

The centre-right Republicans party is tipped to win the two-stage election in April and May, but some analysts are questioning their assumptions after Donald Trump&#39;s stunning upset in the United States.

The far-right National Front under leader Marine Le Pen, who announced her election campaign logo Wednesday, is seeking to capitalise on a surge in nationalism and anti-globalisation.

Macron, who quit the beleaguered Socialist government in August to focus on his own political movement, is expected to steal centrist voters from the Republicans and the left.

A poll Tuesday showed him as one of France&#39;s most &quot;presidential&quot; figures behind the favourite Alain Juppe, a 71-year-old former prime minister from the Republicans who has one of the longest CVs in French politics.

Macron by contrast has a meagre two years in government as a sometimes rebellious economy minister from 2014-2016 and time as an advisor to his former mentor President Francois Hollande.

&quot;I believe that the French people won&#39;t put their destiny in the hands of someone with no experience,&quot; former prime minister and another Republicans candidate, Francois Fillon, said Wednesday morning.

Leftist Socialist rival Arnaud Montebourg dismissed Macron as the &quot;media&#39;s candidate who has been on 75 magazine front pages despite never having proposed anything.&quot;&nbsp;

Fresh ideas?

But Macron believes his youth and inexperience are assets in a country weary of a political class blamed for years of tepid growth, high unemployment and mounting government debt.&nbsp;

&quot;We have entered a new era,&quot; Macron said Wednesday referring to the dangers of global warming, terrorism, rising inequality and a crisis for Western democracies.&nbsp;

&quot;We can&#39;t respond with the same men and the same ideas,&quot; he added.

President Hollande, who is yet to announce whether he will try to defy his disastrous ratings in next year&#39;s election, is reportedly furious at what he sees as betrayal by his one-time protegee.

Hollande called Tuesday for &quot;cohesion&quot; and &quot;uniting&quot; amid disarray in the Socialist party.

Macron quit the government in August saying he had &quot;seen at first hand the limits of our political system&quot; and that he wanted to be free to push his own agenda.

That agenda is left-wing on social issues, where he wants to focus on employment in deprived areas, but also pro-business, with Macron a vocal critic of France&#39;s strict labour laws.

A maverick in politics as well as in his private life, Macron is married to his former school teacher, a divorcee with three children who is some 20 years his senior.

Applauded by liberals for criticising some of the key planks of French socialism, the former Rothschild banker and self-made millionaire is criticised by leftists as being too cosy with business and finance.

His name is on the first of two economic reform packages that were forced through parliament without a vote under Hollande.

Both sparked angry street protests and created a deep divide within the Socialist Party.

(AFP)

Macron announced his candidacy for his 'En Marche' ('On the Move') centrist party from a training centre in Paris' suburb

French ex-economy minister Emmanuel Macron, a 38-year-old political novice, announced his bid for the presidency on Wednesday, as an alternative to the "same men and same ideas" that have guided France for decades. Macron finally ended speculation about his intentions by announcing his candidacy for his "En Marche" ("On the Move") centrist party from a training centre in a gritty suburb northeast of Paris. Never elected and "neither of the left or the right" in his own words, the pro-business and technology-savvy former investment banker is hoping to shake up a race between older, more familiar figures. "I'm ready, that's why I am candidate for the French presidency," he said, promising a "democratic revolution" that would restore France's optimism and self-confidence. The centre-right Republicans party is tipped to win the two-stage election in April and May, but some analysts are questioning their assumptions after Donald Trump's stunning upset in the United States. The far-right National Front under leader Marine Le Pen, who announced her election campaign logo Wednesday, is seeking to capitalise on a surge in nationalism and anti-globalisation. Macron, who quit the beleaguered Socialist government in August to focus on his own political movement, is expected to steal centrist voters from the Republicans and the left. A poll Tuesday showed him as one of France's most "presidential" figures behind the favourite Alain Juppe, a 71-year-old former prime minister from the Republicans who has one of the longest CVs in French politics. Macron by contrast has a meagre two years in government as a sometimes rebellious economy minister from 2014-2016 and time as an advisor to his former mentor President Francois Hollande. "I believe that the French people won't put their destiny in the hands of someone with no experience," former prime minister and another Republicans candidate, Francois Fillon, said Wednesday morning. Leftist Socialist rival Arnaud Montebourg dismissed Macron as the "media's candidate who has been on 75 magazine front pages despite never having proposed anything." Fresh ideas? But Macron believes his youth and inexperience are assets in a country weary of a political class blamed for years of tepid growth, high unemployment and mounting government debt. "We have entered a new era," Macron said Wednesday referring to the dangers of global warming, terrorism, rising inequality and a crisis for Western democracies. "We can't respond with the same men and the same ideas," he added. President Hollande, who is yet to announce whether he will try to defy his disastrous ratings in next year's election, is reportedly furious at what he sees as betrayal by his one-time protegee. Hollande called Tuesday for "cohesion" and "uniting" amid disarray in the Socialist party. Macron quit the government in August saying he had "seen at first hand the limits of our political system" and that he wanted to be free to push his own agenda. That agenda is left-wing on social issues, where he wants to focus on employment in deprived areas, but also pro-business, with Macron a vocal critic of France's strict labour laws. A maverick in politics as well as in his private life, Macron is married to his former school teacher, a divorcee with three children who is some 20 years his senior. Applauded by liberals for criticising some of the key planks of French socialism, the former Rothschild banker and self-made millionaire is criticised by leftists as being too cosy with business and finance. His name is on the first of two economic reform packages that were forced through parliament without a vote under Hollande. Both sparked angry street protests and created a deep divide within the Socialist Party. (AFP)

Former economy minister Macron enters French presidential race

Hungary&#39;s government is drawing up a list of incentives to lure companies leaving Britain after the Brexit vote, economy minister Mihaly Varga told business daily Vilaggazdasag in an interview published today. 
 
The interview did not go into details on what sort of offers would be made to persuade companies to move to Hungary, or how far the plan had progressed. 
 
Varga said Britain&#39;s exit from the EU would probably affect Hungary in the longer term, as it would hit the EU&#39;s budget, and thus the development funds flowing to eastern Europe. 
 
But Varga said this was not an immediate issue, as Britain&#39;s negotiations with the EU would last at least for two years, and there was no need to amend Hungary&#39;s budget this year or next. 
 
He said Hungary also had no plan to follow Britain&#39;s example in leaving the EU. 
 
&quot;There is no such intention, no such plan, no such scenario or idea,&quot; Varga told the paper. 
 
He said he expected market turbulence to subside this week after Friday&#39;s sharp falls. 
 
(Reuters)

Budapest has no plan to follow London's example in leaving the EU, said economy minister Mihaly Varga

Hungary's government is drawing up a list of incentives to lure companies leaving Britain after the Brexit vote, economy minister Mihaly Varga told business daily Vilaggazdasag in an interview published today. The interview did not go into details on what sort of offers would be made to persuade companies to move to Hungary, or how far the plan had progressed. Varga said Britain's exit from the EU would probably affect Hungary in the longer term, as it would hit the EU's budget, and thus the development funds flowing to eastern Europe. But Varga said this was not an immediate issue, as Britain's negotiations with the EU would last at least for two years, and there was no need to amend Hungary's budget this year or next. He said Hungary also had no plan to follow Britain's example in leaving the EU. "There is no such intention, no such plan, no such scenario or idea," Varga told the paper. He said he expected market turbulence to subside this week after Friday's sharp falls. (Reuters)

Hungary prepares incentives to lure firms leaving Britain after Brexit vote

The European Union needs a new roadmap that should be devised in consultation with voters and then put to a referendum, France&#39;s Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said today in comments that may further stir tensions with the ruling Socialist Party. 
 
Macron&#39;s talk of a European-wide referendum goes beyond comments made by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who both said the EU needed to reinvent itself after Britons voted to leave the bloc but made no reference to a popular vote.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We would first build this new project with European peoples and then submit this new roadmap, this new project, to a referendum,&quot; he said ahead of a debate on the fallout from the British referendum. 
 
Macron said voters should be consulted through a series of debates that he called &quot;democratic conventions&quot;. 
 
&quot;It must be done in the right framework,&quot; the minister added. 
 
Macron, a former investment banker, is one of the embattled Socialist government`s most popular ministers among the public. But his launch last month of his own &quot;En Marche&quot; party a year ahead of a presidential election has fueled speculation that he could be eying the Elysee palace as the ratings of Hollande stay rock-bottom. He has said he would not run in the election. 
 
Macron said a knee-jerk referendum must be avoided. 
 
&quot;The idea would not be to have 27 separate referendums,&quot; Macron said during the debate. &quot;We&#39;ve never had the courage to organise a true European referendum in its real sense. This next project must give it that strength.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
In 2005, a proposed EU constitution was blocked by a referendum in France, due mostly to public opposition to an enlarged, free-marketeering Europe. Dutch voters also rejected the constitution in a separate referendum. 
 
(Reuters)

France's Economy Minister said voters should be consulted through a series of debates that he called 'democratic convention'

The European Union needs a new roadmap that should be devised in consultation with voters and then put to a referendum, France's Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said today in comments that may further stir tensions with the ruling Socialist Party. Macron's talk of a European-wide referendum goes beyond comments made by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who both said the EU needed to reinvent itself after Britons voted to leave the bloc but made no reference to a popular vote. "We would first build this new project with European peoples and then submit this new roadmap, this new project, to a referendum," he said ahead of a debate on the fallout from the British referendum. Macron said voters should be consulted through a series of debates that he called "democratic conventions". "It must be done in the right framework," the minister added. Macron, a former investment banker, is one of the embattled Socialist government`s most popular ministers among the public. But his launch last month of his own "En Marche" party a year ahead of a presidential election has fueled speculation that he could be eying the Elysee palace as the ratings of Hollande stay rock-bottom. He has said he would not run in the election. Macron said a knee-jerk referendum must be avoided. "The idea would not be to have 27 separate referendums," Macron said during the debate. "We've never had the courage to organise a true European referendum in its real sense. This next project must give it that strength." In 2005, a proposed EU constitution was blocked by a referendum in France, due mostly to public opposition to an enlarged, free-marketeering Europe. Dutch voters also rejected the constitution in a separate referendum. (Reuters)

France's Macron wants new European project, and EU-wide referendum

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