In an emotional moment, German Chancellor Angela Merkel bid goodbye to the President of France Emmanuel Macron as they met for what is expected to be the last time before Merkel steps down.

'You kept Europe united', says Macron while raising final toast to Merkel

French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Australian PM Scott Morrison of lying about a submarine contract. France is also engaged in a 'fishing row' with the U.K. Why is Macron picking fights with his allies? Palki Sharma explains.

Gravitas: Macron accuses Scott Morrisson of lying

'Need strategies that match the 1.5-degree target,' French President Emmanuel Macron Lays out France's climate plans and edges at the COP26 summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron lays out France's climate plans and edges | COP26

The fishing rights row between France and Britain continues while the French say both nations have reached a middle ground over the issue, the Brits say that their previous position on the row remains unchanged.

UK-France fishing row deepens despite Macron and Johnson meet

French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying to him over an abandoned $90 billion submarine deal.

French President Macron accuses Aussie PM Morrison of lying over submarine deal

President Joe Biden on Friday (October 29) said that the US was "clumsy" in securing a submarines deal,&nbsp;signed last month between the UK, US and Australia as part of the newly formed AUKUS grouping, that deprived France of billions of dollars for a similar contract.

During his&nbsp;closely-watched bilateral meeting with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Rome ahead of a G20 summit, Biden also said that "we have no older, or no more loyal or no more decent ally than France."

Last month, Australia pulled out of a multibillion-dollar submarines deal with France in favour of an alternative one with the United States and the United Kingdom that led to a diplomatic row.&nbsp;

It got escalated further as France had said that the deal was made without its knowledge and has jeopardised an existing contract. France had temporarily recalled its US ambassador also.

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I had a great meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron this afternoon. The United States has no older, no more loyal, no more decent ally than France. They’ve been with us from the beginning — and we will always be there for them. <a href="https://t.co/3hKzqDrkfQ">pic.twitter.com/3hKzqDrkfQ</a>
— President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1454171003471466502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Now, Biden called France an "extremely, extremely valued partner... and a power in itself" with the "same values" as the United States, admitting that what happened was a bit "clumsy".&nbsp;

Biden said, ''I think what happened was, to use an English phrase, what we did was clumsy. It was not done with a lot of grace. I was under the impression that certain things had happened that hadn't happened and I want to make it clear France is an extremely, extremely valued partner..''

''I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through, I honest to God did not know you had not been. But having said that, look there's too much we have done together, suffered together, celebrated together and value together," he added.&nbsp;

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Macron said his meeting with President Joe Biden on Friday (October 29) would allow France and the United States rebuilt to rebuild trust following a rift over an Indo-Pacific security pact, and that it was key to look to the future.

The two leaders shared a warm handshake for the cameras after Biden kept Macron waiting for more than one and a half hours, before sitting down to talks over climate, counter-terrorism in West Africa and European defence.

President Joe Biden on Friday (October 29) said that the US was "clumsy" in securing a submarines deal, signed last month between the UK, US and Australia as part of the newly formed AUKUS grouping, that deprived France of billions of dollars for a similar contract.

President Joe Biden on Friday (October 29) said that the US was "clumsy" in securing a submarines deal, signed last month between the UK, US and Australia as part of the newly formed AUKUS grouping, that deprived France of billions of dollars for a similar contract. During his closely-watched bilateral meeting with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Rome ahead of a G20 summit, Biden also said that "we have no older, or no more loyal or no more decent ally than France." Last month, Australia pulled out of a multibillion-dollar submarines deal with France in favour of an alternative one with the United States and the United Kingdom that led to a diplomatic row. It got escalated further as France had said that the deal was made without its knowledge and has jeopardised an existing contract. France had temporarily recalled its US ambassador also. ALSO READ | Taliban send envoy to Pakistan as 'diplomats' start work in capital city Islamabad I had a great meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron this afternoon. The United States has no older, no more loyal, no more decent ally than France. They’ve been with us from the beginning — and we will always be there for them. pic.twitter.com/3hKzqDrkfQ — President Biden (@POTUS) October 29, 2021 × Now, Biden called France an "extremely, extremely valued partner... and a power in itself" with the "same values" as the United States, admitting that what happened was a bit "clumsy". Biden said, ''I think what happened was, to use an English phrase, what we did was clumsy. It was not done with a lot of grace. I was under the impression that certain things had happened that hadn't happened and I want to make it clear France is an extremely, extremely valued partner..'' ''I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through, I honest to God did not know you had not been. But having said that, look there's too much we have done together, suffered together, celebrated together and value together," he added. ALSO READ | US slaps sanctions on Iran drone program ahead of nuclear talks × Macron said his meeting with President Joe Biden on Friday (October 29) would allow France and the United States rebuilt to rebuild trust following a rift over an Indo-Pacific security pact, and that it was key to look to the future. The two leaders shared a warm handshake for the cameras after Biden kept Macron waiting for more than one and a half hours, before sitting down to talks over climate, counter-terrorism in West Africa and European defence.

AUKUS deal: Joe Biden tells Emmanuel Macron that US was 'clumsy'

The era of the extravagant, diplomatic meet is back! With handshakes, elaborate welcome ceremony, personal interactions with a new addition of masks were at display in the city of Rome.

US prez Joe Biden meets French counterpart Emmanuel Macron ahead of G20 summit

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the venue of G20 Summit in Rome where he was received by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. He has&nbsp;arrived in the capital for the first in-person G20 summit since the coronavirus pandemic took over the world.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at G20 Summit venue in Rome. He is received by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi <a href="https://t.co/Xlf97TgIUS">pic.twitter.com/Xlf97TgIUS</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1454369609931362304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Upon reaching Rome, the Indian PM also met with the US President Joe Biden. The US President had flown in on Friday, after which he met with Pope Francis. Biden also conducted a bilateral meet with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, during which he had admitted that the US had behaved in a "clumsy" manner during the AUKUS talks.

<o:p></o:p>

<img alt="Modi-Biden" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6c25f9b5-121a-4ff1-ab55-93aaa719b85f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Modi-Biden.jpeg" />

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PM Modi was also spotted meeting and hugging French President Emmanuel Macron. The two conducted a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of G20 Summit in Rome, with External Affairs Minister&nbsp;S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also present at the table. The two leaders had earlier shared a phone call in September where they had discussed the rising Afghan crisis, bilateral collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region and the importance of India-France partnership.

<o:p></o:p>

<img alt="Modi-Macron" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7e5c09bf-d1a8-45d1-88fc-8c8b83b9a9f8" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Modi-Macron.jpeg" />

The two leaders had a brief interaction before all attending leaders gathered for a 'family photo' at the Roma Convention Center in Rome. "India and France are cooperating extensively in various sectors. Today’s talks will add momentum to the bilateral ties between the two nations," PM Modi tweeted after the interaction.<o:p></o:p>

PM Modi also met his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, during the interactions.

<img alt="Modi-Trudeau" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ffe56393-53dd-4fc1-a49e-eb91b705d7b7" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Modi-Trudeau.jpeg" />

<o:p></o:p>

The Indian leader said he hoped this summit "will allow us to take stock of the current global situation and exchange ideas on how the G20 can be an engine for strengthening economic resilience and building back inclusively and sustainably from the pandemic."<o:p></o:p>

After Rome,&nbsp;he will head out to Glasgow where he is scheduled to attend the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). &nbsp;"I will be participating in the high-level segment of COP26 titled 'World Leaders' Summit' (WLS) on 1-2 November, 2021 along with 120 Heads of States/Governments from around the world,"&nbsp;he had earlier said in a press release.<o:p></o:p>

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the venue of G20 Summit in Rome where he was received by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. He has arrived in the capital for the first in-person G20 summit since the coronavirus pandemic took over the world.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the venue of G20 Summit in Rome where he was received by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. He has arrived in the capital for the first in-person G20 summit since the coronavirus pandemic took over the world. #WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at G20 Summit venue in Rome. He is received by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi pic.twitter.com/Xlf97TgIUS — ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2021 × Upon reaching Rome, the Indian PM also met with the US President Joe Biden. The US President had flown in on Friday, after which he met with Pope Francis. Biden also conducted a bilateral meet with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, during which he had admitted that the US had behaved in a "clumsy" manner during the AUKUS talks. PM Modi was also spotted meeting and hugging French President Emmanuel Macron. The two conducted a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of G20 Summit in Rome, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also present at the table. The two leaders had earlier shared a phone call in September where they had discussed the rising Afghan crisis, bilateral collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region and the importance of India-France partnership. The two leaders had a brief interaction before all attending leaders gathered for a 'family photo' at the Roma Convention Center in Rome. "India and France are cooperating extensively in various sectors. Today’s talks will add momentum to the bilateral ties between the two nations," PM Modi tweeted after the interaction. PM Modi also met his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, during the interactions. The Indian leader said he hoped this summit "will allow us to take stock of the current global situation and exchange ideas on how the G20 can be an engine for strengthening economic resilience and building back inclusively and sustainably from the pandemic." After Rome, he will head out to Glasgow where he is scheduled to attend the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). "I will be participating in the high-level segment of COP26 titled 'World Leaders' Summit' (WLS) on 1-2 November, 2021 along with 120 Heads of States/Governments from around the world," he had earlier said in a press release.

Pics: PM Modi joins world leaders for G20 summit in Rome

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding bilateral talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of G20 summit. Siddhant Sibbal gets you more details.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron

US president Joe Biden is all set to meet his counterpart Emmanuel Macron today, bilateral meets which are scheduled to take place ahead of the G20 summit is being seen as a chance to men relations and further re-engage after a row over AUKUS row.

US president Joe Biden to meet counterpart Emmanuel Macron, bilateral meet ahead of G20 summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a part&nbsp;of several bilateral meetings during his visit to Italy for the G20 summit and&nbsp;Glasgow Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

On the sidelines of the G20 summit, the PM will be having meetings with several European leaders including France's President&nbsp;Emmanuel Macron, President of the European council Charles Michel, President of the European commission Ursula Von Der Leyen.

The in-person meeting with the French president comes as part of high-level exchanges between the two, including the telephonic conversation in September after the AUKUS pact that miffed Paris. The AUKUS pact between the UK, US, and Australia on nuclear submarines was termed as "stab in the back" by France, and a major cause of rift with Canberra.&nbsp;

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The focus has been on PM's meeting with Pope and&nbsp;Secretary of State of&nbsp;Vatican City, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin&nbsp;on Saturday.&nbsp;Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla at a presser on Thursday said, PM "will also call on the Pope. What discussion he will have, I can't tell but it is an important meeting. We are also looking to meet the next president of G20, which is Indonesia's President. A large number of bilateral being worked out"

Significantly, the Prime Minister will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel, an important meeting given her tenure as the leader of her country comes to an end. She has been seen as one of the most charismatic European leaders, serving the chancellorship of Germany since 2005. The 16th G20 summit will see a number of pull aside when the leaders gather at the G20 summit venue-- the Roma convention center.&nbsp;The PM will also hold talks with the&nbsp;Italian Prime Minister&nbsp;Mario Draghi, who is the host of the summit.&nbsp;

Speaking to WION, India's envoy to Italy Neena Malhotra said, "PM Modi will meet Italian PM Mario Draghi which will be their first in-person meeting. Bilateral Relationship has strengthened, especially in the past few years and got a major boost after the virtual summit (with the then&nbsp;Prime Minister of&nbsp;Italy&nbsp;Prof. Giuseppe Conte)&nbsp;we have had last year in November".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/south-china-sea-indo-pacific-find-mention-during-indian-pm-modis-meet-with-asean-leaders-424701" hreflang="en">South China Sea, Indo-Pacific figure in PM Modi’s meet with ASEAN leaders</a>

In Glasgow, he will hold bilateral talks with host UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.&nbsp;The in-person meet is something both sides have been waiting for a long time.

Johnson was the chief guest at India's republic day parade earlier this year, but that could not happen due to the second wave of COVID-19 in his country, later PM Modi was to visit for the G7 summit&nbsp;to&nbsp;Cornwall&nbsp;as a special guest which also could not happen due to Covid crisis.

COP-26 will see the participation of 120 Heads of states or governments from around the world. On the sidelines, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with Israel's New PM&nbsp;Naftali Bennett.&nbsp;

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The meeting comes days after External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar's visit to the country. The New Israeli PM during his meeting with EAM in Tel Aviv said, "I speak on behalf of Israelis: We love India. We view India as a huge friend and we're looking forward to expanding our relationship in all fields and all dimensions."

In Glasgow, he will also be meeting the New Prime Ministers of Nepal&nbsp;Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Japanese PM&nbsp;Fumio Kishida. This will be the first in-person meeting of the leaders. Both the meetings will be important given New Delhi shares special ties with both Kathmandu and Tokyo.&nbsp;

The PM had spoken to PM Deuba in July to congratulate him even as both agreed to enhance cooperation between the two&nbsp;countries. The PM spoke to Japan PM Kishida earlier this month, with a special focus on the Indo-Pacific. Last month in Washington, PM Modi had a bilateral with the then Japan PM&nbsp;Yoshihide&nbsp;Suga.&nbsp;

He is expected to meet leaders from South American, ASEAN, and African countries as well on the sidelines of the summits. All in all, the PM will have bilateral in "double-digit" from the almost five&nbsp;days long, two&nbsp;country visit.

The Prime Minister will have meetings with some members of the Indian community, with Covid protocol both in Rome and Glasgow.&nbsp;

Traditionally, PM Modi has made it a point to meet Indian diaspora during visits abroad but amid COVID-19&nbsp;it has been scaled down as per covid protocol norms.

This is Modi's third visit abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic, after his visit to the US in September&nbsp;and Bangladesh in March. His last visit, before the coronavirus outbreak, was in November 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a part of several bilateral meetings during his visit to Italy for the G20 summit and Glasgow Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a part of several bilateral meetings during his visit to Italy for the G20 summit and Glasgow Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. On the sidelines of the G20 summit, the PM will be having meetings with several European leaders including France's President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European council Charles Michel, President of the European commission Ursula Von Der Leyen. The in-person meeting with the French president comes as part of high-level exchanges between the two, including the telephonic conversation in September after the AUKUS pact that miffed Paris. The AUKUS pact between the UK, US, and Australia on nuclear submarines was termed as "stab in the back" by France, and a major cause of rift with Canberra. The focus has been on PM's meeting with Pope and Secretary of State of Vatican City, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Saturday. Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla at a presser on Thursday said, PM "will also call on the Pope. What discussion he will have, I can't tell but it is an important meeting. We are also looking to meet the next president of G20, which is Indonesia's President. A large number of bilateral being worked out" Significantly, the Prime Minister will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel, an important meeting given her tenure as the leader of her country comes to an end. She has been seen as one of the most charismatic European leaders, serving the chancellorship of Germany since 2005. The 16th G20 summit will see a number of pull aside when the leaders gather at the G20 summit venue-- the Roma convention center. The PM will also hold talks with the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who is the host of the summit. Speaking to WION, India's envoy to Italy Neena Malhotra said, "PM Modi will meet Italian PM Mario Draghi which will be their first in-person meeting. Bilateral Relationship has strengthened, especially in the past few years and got a major boost after the virtual summit (with the then Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte) we have had last year in November". Also read | South China Sea, Indo-Pacific figure in PM Modi’s meet with ASEAN leaders In Glasgow, he will hold bilateral talks with host UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The in-person meet is something both sides have been waiting for a long time. Johnson was the chief guest at India's republic day parade earlier this year, but that could not happen due to the second wave of COVID-19 in his country, later PM Modi was to visit for the G7 summit to Cornwall as a special guest which also could not happen due to Covid crisis. COP-26 will see the participation of 120 Heads of states or governments from around the world. On the sidelines, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with Israel's New PM Naftali Bennett. Also see | May, Modi, Merkel, Macron: Past and present world leaders with impeccable fashion sense The meeting comes days after External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar's visit to the country. The New Israeli PM during his meeting with EAM in Tel Aviv said, "I speak on behalf of Israelis: We love India. We view India as a huge friend and we're looking forward to expanding our relationship in all fields and all dimensions." In Glasgow, he will also be meeting the New Prime Ministers of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. This will be the first in-person meeting of the leaders. Both the meetings will be important given New Delhi shares special ties with both Kathmandu and Tokyo. The PM had spoken to PM Deuba in July to congratulate him even as both agreed to enhance cooperation between the two countries. The PM spoke to Japan PM Kishida earlier this month, with a special focus on the Indo-Pacific. Last month in Washington, PM Modi had a bilateral with the then Japan PM Yoshihide Suga. He is expected to meet leaders from South American, ASEAN, and African countries as well on the sidelines of the summits. All in all, the PM will have bilateral in "double-digit" from the almost five days long, two country visit. The Prime Minister will have meetings with some members of the Indian community, with Covid protocol both in Rome and Glasgow. Traditionally, PM Modi has made it a point to meet Indian diaspora during visits abroad but amid COVID-19 it has been scaled down as per covid protocol norms. This is Modi's third visit abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic, after his visit to the US in September and Bangladesh in March. His last visit, before the coronavirus outbreak, was in November 2019.

PM Modi to meet Macron, Merkel, Deuba and Bennett during Italy, UK visits

More than a century after French colonial troops ransacked a West African royal palace and took its treasures, President Emmanuel Macron of France on Wednesday began the formal transfer of 26 of those artefacts to Benin in the first large-scale act of restitution to Africa by a former European colonial power.

Macron spoke at a ceremony at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, where the objects are on display for the last time, through Sunday. The president will complete the transfer in a signing ceremony with President Patrice Talon of Benin at the Élysée Palace, after which the treasures will permanently leave France.

The restitution of the objects is a tangible and powerfully symbolic result of a confluence of events in Europe: a belated reckoning with its colonial past, fueled by a contemporary questioning of sexism, racism and other social inequalities.

That reexamination has been particularly fraught in France, which maintained strong ties to its former colonies in Africa decades after they became officially independent. The restitution is part of Macron’s attempt to reset relations with them even as he has tried to deflect a conservative backlash domestically.

“The purpose of this adventure is not for France to get rid of every piece of the heritage of others. That would be a terrible vision,” Macron said at the ceremony.

The 26 objects returning to Benin were plundered from a royal palace in 1892 when French forces invaded the country then known as Dahomey and made it a French colony for more than six decades. Their assault ended the reign of King Behanzin, who had resided in the palace at Abomey, a city in what is now southern Benin.

Highlights of the collection include a wooden effigy of Behanzin depicted as half-man-half-shark, a pair of elaborate wooden thrones and four painted gates from the palace.

On arrival in Benin, the artifacts will initially be displayed in a museum compound in the city of Ouidah, where slaves were once traded by the Portuguese. They will then be transferred to the royal palace compound in Abomey, where a new museum is being built. The two museums are among the beneficiaries of 1 billion euros, around $1.16 billion, spent since 2016 on the nation’s cultural infrastructure in an effort to turn Benin into a tourist destination, the country’s foreign minister, Aurélien Agbénonci, said at the Paris ceremony.

The events Wednesday signaled the start of a crucial new chapter in a process that began in 2017, when Macron declared in a speech in Burkina Faso that he could “not accept that a large part of the cultural heritage of several African countries should be in France.” He then commissioned a report on restitution from two experts, historian Bénédicte Savoy and economist Felwine Sarr.

Savoy and Sarr recommended in 2018 that “any objects taken by force or presumed to be acquired through inequitable conditions” by the French army, scientific explorers or administrators between the late 1800s and 1960 be handed back — if their countries of origin asked for them.

The report sent shock waves through European museums. Yet today, many other countries appear to be following France’s lead.

Over the past year, Germany has announced the return of some 1,100 Benin Bronzes, priceless sculptures seized in an 1897 British raid on what was then known as the Kingdom of Benin, in present-day Nigeria. A Dutch panel has recommended the unconditional return of any objects stolen from the Netherlands’ former colonies, and Belgium’s Africa Museum has started talks to give back looted artefacts to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Emmanuel Kasarhérou, the president of the Quai Branly Museum, said that besides Benin and Senegal — to which France returned a historic sword in 2019 — other countries had put in formal restitution requests to French authorities: Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Mali and Chad. These requests were being examined by French museum experts in tandem with teams in each of those countries.

The main factor to consider was whether the objects had been taken without consent, he said.

“It’s hard for a French person to go to the British Museum and say ‘Give us back all of the French art,’ or for a Dutch person to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and say ‘Give us back everything that’s Dutch.’ It makes no sense,” he added.

“The word ‘restitution’ applies to objects that were acquired in an illicit manner,” Kasarhérou said.

More than a century after French colonial troops ransacked a West African royal palace and took its treasures, President Emmanuel Macron of France on Wednesday began the formal transfer of 26 of those artefacts to Benin in the first large-scale act of restitution to Africa by a former European colonial power.

More than a century after French colonial troops ransacked a West African royal palace and took its treasures, President Emmanuel Macron of France on Wednesday began the formal transfer of 26 of those artefacts to Benin in the first large-scale act of restitution to Africa by a former European colonial power. Macron spoke at a ceremony at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, where the objects are on display for the last time, through Sunday. The president will complete the transfer in a signing ceremony with President Patrice Talon of Benin at the Élysée Palace, after which the treasures will permanently leave France. The restitution of the objects is a tangible and powerfully symbolic result of a confluence of events in Europe: a belated reckoning with its colonial past, fueled by a contemporary questioning of sexism, racism and other social inequalities. That reexamination has been particularly fraught in France, which maintained strong ties to its former colonies in Africa decades after they became officially independent. The restitution is part of Macron’s attempt to reset relations with them even as he has tried to deflect a conservative backlash domestically. “The purpose of this adventure is not for France to get rid of every piece of the heritage of others. That would be a terrible vision,” Macron said at the ceremony. The 26 objects returning to Benin were plundered from a royal palace in 1892 when French forces invaded the country then known as Dahomey and made it a French colony for more than six decades. Their assault ended the reign of King Behanzin, who had resided in the palace at Abomey, a city in what is now southern Benin. Highlights of the collection include a wooden effigy of Behanzin depicted as half-man-half-shark, a pair of elaborate wooden thrones and four painted gates from the palace. On arrival in Benin, the artifacts will initially be displayed in a museum compound in the city of Ouidah, where slaves were once traded by the Portuguese. They will then be transferred to the royal palace compound in Abomey, where a new museum is being built. The two museums are among the beneficiaries of 1 billion euros, around $1.16 billion, spent since 2016 on the nation’s cultural infrastructure in an effort to turn Benin into a tourist destination, the country’s foreign minister, Aurélien Agbénonci, said at the Paris ceremony. The events Wednesday signaled the start of a crucial new chapter in a process that began in 2017, when Macron declared in a speech in Burkina Faso that he could “not accept that a large part of the cultural heritage of several African countries should be in France.” He then commissioned a report on restitution from two experts, historian Bénédicte Savoy and economist Felwine Sarr. Savoy and Sarr recommended in 2018 that “any objects taken by force or presumed to be acquired through inequitable conditions” by the French army, scientific explorers or administrators between the late 1800s and 1960 be handed back — if their countries of origin asked for them. The report sent shock waves through European museums. Yet today, many other countries appear to be following France’s lead. Over the past year, Germany has announced the return of some 1,100 Benin Bronzes, priceless sculptures seized in an 1897 British raid on what was then known as the Kingdom of Benin, in present-day Nigeria. A Dutch panel has recommended the unconditional return of any objects stolen from the Netherlands’ former colonies, and Belgium’s Africa Museum has started talks to give back looted artefacts to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Emmanuel Kasarhérou, the president of the Quai Branly Museum, said that besides Benin and Senegal — to which France returned a historic sword in 2019 — other countries had put in formal restitution requests to French authorities: Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Mali and Chad. These requests were being examined by French museum experts in tandem with teams in each of those countries. The main factor to consider was whether the objects had been taken without consent, he said. “It’s hard for a French person to go to the British Museum and say ‘Give us back all of the French art,’ or for a Dutch person to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and say ‘Give us back everything that’s Dutch.’ It makes no sense,” he added. “The word ‘restitution’ applies to objects that were acquired in an illicit manner,” Kasarhérou said.

Looted treasures begin a long journey home from France

When Australia made its trumpet-blast announcement that it would build nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the United States and Britain, the three allies said they would spend the next 18 months sorting out the details of a security collaboration that President Joe Biden celebrated as “historic.”

Now, a month into their timetable, the partners are quietly coming to grips with the proposal’s immense complexities. Even supporters say the hurdles are formidable. Skeptics say they could be insurmountable.

Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, has laid out an ambitious vision, saying that at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines using U.S. or British technology will be built in Australia and enter the water starting in the late 2030s, replacing its squadron of six aging diesel-powered submarines.

For Australia, nuclear-powered submarines offer a powerful means to counter China’s growing naval reach and an escape hatch from a faltering agreement with a French firm to build diesel submarines. For the Biden administration, the plan demonstrates support for a beleaguered ally and shows that it means business in countering Chinese power. And for Britain, the plan could shore up its international standing and military industry after the upheaval of Brexit.

But the Rubik’s Cube of interlocking complications that pervades the initiative could slow delivery of the submarines — or, critics say, sunder the whole endeavor — leaving a dangerous gap in Australia’s defenses and calling into question the partnership’s ability to live up to its security promises.

“It’s a dangerous pathway we’re treading down,” said Rex Patrick, an independent member of Australia’s Senate who served as a submariner in the Australian navy for a decade.

“What’s at stake is national security,” Patrick said. Given the decadeslong wait for a squadron of new submarines, he added, Australia risked “buying a parachute for after the plane has crashed.”

To pull off the plan, Australia must make major advances. It has a limited industrial base and built its last submarine more than 20 years ago. It produces a few graduates in nuclear engineering each year. Its spending on science research as a share of the economy has lagged the average for wealthy economies. Its past two plans to build submarines fell apart before any were made.

As well, the United States and Britain face hurdles to expanding production of submarines and their high-precision parts for Australia, and to diverting expert labor to South Australia, where, Morrison has said, the boats will be assembled. Washington and London have heavy schedules to build submarines for their own navies, including hulking vessels to carry nuclear missiles.

“I don’t think this is a done deal in any way, shape or form,” said Marcus Hellyer, an expert on naval policy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

“We sometimes use the term nation-building lightly, but this will be a whole-of-nation task,” he said. “The decision to go down this path while burning all of our bridges behind us was quite a brave decision.”

U.S. officials have already spent hundreds of hours in talks with their Australian counterparts and have no illusions about the complexities, said officials involved. Morrison “has said this is a high-risk program; he was upfront when he announced it,” Greg Moriarty, the secretary of the Australian Department of Defense, told a Senate committee this week.

Failure or serious delays would ripple beyond Australia. The Biden administration has staked American credibility on building up Australia’s military as part of an “integrated deterrence” policy that will knit the United States closer to its allies in offsetting China.

“Success would be tremendous for Australia and the U.S., assuming open access to each other’s facilities and what it means in deterring China,” said Brent Sadler, a former U.S. Navy officer who is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “Failure would be doubly damaging — an alliance that cannot deliver, loss of undersea capacity by a trusted ally and a turn to isolationism on Australia’s part.”

Australia is hoping for a reversal of fortune after more than a decade of misadventures in its submarine-modernization efforts. The plan for French-designed diesel submarines that Morrison abandoned had succeeded a deal for Japanese-designed submarines that his predecessor championed.

“No living Australian prime minister has commissioned a sub that actually got built,” Greg Sheridan, a columnist for The Australian newspaper, wrote in a recent article critical of Morrison’s plan.

Australia’s latest proposal contains many potential pitfalls.

It could turn to the United States to help build something like its Virginia-class attack submarine. (Such submarines are nuclear-powered, allowing them to travel faster and stay underwater much longer than diesel ones, but they do not carry nuclear missiles.)

But the two American shipyards that make nuclear submarines, as well as their suppliers, are straining to keep up with orders for the U.S. Navy. The shipyards complete about two Virginia class boats a year for the Navy and are ramping up to build Columbia-class submarines, 21,000-ton vessels that carry nuclear missiles as a roving deterrent — a priority for any administration.

A report to the Senate Armed Services Committee last month warned that the “nuclear shipbuilding industrial base continues to struggle to support the increased demand” from U.S. orders. That report was prepared too late to take into account the Australian proposal.

“They are working at 95-98% on Virginia and Columbia,” Richard V. Spencer, a Navy secretary in the Trump administration, said of the two U.S. submarine shipyards. He supports Australia’s plan and said his preferred path on the first submarines was to galvanize specialized suppliers to ship parts, or whole segments of the submarines, to assemble in Australia.

“Let us all be perfectly aware and wide-eyed that the nuclear program is a massive resource consumer and time consumer, and that’s the given,” he said in a telephone interview.

Other experts have said Australia should choose Britain’s Astute class submarine, which is less expensive and uses a smaller crew than the big American boats. The head of Australia’s nuclear submarine task force, Vice Adm. Jonathan Mead, said this week that his team was considering mature, “in-production designs” from Britain, as well as the United States.

“That de-risks the program,” he said during a Senate committee hearing.

But Britain’s submarines have come relatively slowly off its production line, and often behind schedule. Britain’s submarine maker, BAE Systems, is also busy building Dreadnought submarines to carry the country’s nuclear deterrent.

“Spare capacity is very limited,” Trevor Taylor, a professorial research fellow in defense management at the Royal United Services Institute, a research institute, wrote in an email. “The U.K. cannot afford to impose delay on its Dreadnought program in order to divert effort to Australia.”

Adding to the complications, Britain has been phasing out the PWR2 reactor that powers the Astute, after officials agreed that the model would “not be acceptable going forward,” an audit report said in 2018. The Astute is not designed to fit the next-generation reactor, and that issue could make it difficult to restart building the submarine for Australia, Taylor and other experts said.

Britain’s successor to the Astute is still on the drawing board; the government said last month that it would spend three years on design work for it. A naval official in the British Ministry of Defense said that the planned new submarine could fit Australia’s timetable well. Several experts were less sure.

“Waiting for the next-generation U.K. or U.S. attack submarine would mean an extended capability gap” for Australia, Taylor wrote in an assessment.

The challenge does not stop with building the submarines. Safeguards to protect sailors and populations, and meet nonproliferation obligations, will require a big buildup of Australia’s nuclear safety expertise.

Residents in some parts of Barrow-in-Furness, the town of 67,000 that is home to Britain’s submarine-building shipyard, are handed iodine tablets as a precaution against possible leaks when reactors are tested. The Osborne shipyard in South Australia, where Morrison wants to build the nuclear submarines, sits on the edge of Adelaide, a city of 1.4 million.

Australia operates one small nuclear reactor. Its sole university program dedicated to nuclear engineering produces about five graduates every year, said Edward Obbard, the leader of the program at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Australia would need many thousands more people with nuclear training and experience if it wants the submarines, he said.

“The ramp-up has to start now,” he said. 
&nbsp;

When Australia made its trumpet-blast announcement that it would build nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the United States and Britain, the three allies said they would spend the next 18 months sorting out the details of a security collaboration that President Joe Biden celebrated as “historic.

When Australia made its trumpet-blast announcement that it would build nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the United States and Britain, the three allies said they would spend the next 18 months sorting out the details of a security collaboration that President Joe Biden celebrated as “historic.” Now, a month into their timetable, the partners are quietly coming to grips with the proposal’s immense complexities. Even supporters say the hurdles are formidable. Skeptics say they could be insurmountable. Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, has laid out an ambitious vision, saying that at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines using U.S. or British technology will be built in Australia and enter the water starting in the late 2030s, replacing its squadron of six aging diesel-powered submarines. For Australia, nuclear-powered submarines offer a powerful means to counter China’s growing naval reach and an escape hatch from a faltering agreement with a French firm to build diesel submarines. For the Biden administration, the plan demonstrates support for a beleaguered ally and shows that it means business in countering Chinese power. And for Britain, the plan could shore up its international standing and military industry after the upheaval of Brexit. But the Rubik’s Cube of interlocking complications that pervades the initiative could slow delivery of the submarines — or, critics say, sunder the whole endeavor — leaving a dangerous gap in Australia’s defenses and calling into question the partnership’s ability to live up to its security promises. “It’s a dangerous pathway we’re treading down,” said Rex Patrick, an independent member of Australia’s Senate who served as a submariner in the Australian navy for a decade. “What’s at stake is national security,” Patrick said. Given the decadeslong wait for a squadron of new submarines, he added, Australia risked “buying a parachute for after the plane has crashed.” To pull off the plan, Australia must make major advances. It has a limited industrial base and built its last submarine more than 20 years ago. It produces a few graduates in nuclear engineering each year. Its spending on science research as a share of the economy has lagged the average for wealthy economies. Its past two plans to build submarines fell apart before any were made. As well, the United States and Britain face hurdles to expanding production of submarines and their high-precision parts for Australia, and to diverting expert labor to South Australia, where, Morrison has said, the boats will be assembled. Washington and London have heavy schedules to build submarines for their own navies, including hulking vessels to carry nuclear missiles. “I don’t think this is a done deal in any way, shape or form,” said Marcus Hellyer, an expert on naval policy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “We sometimes use the term nation-building lightly, but this will be a whole-of-nation task,” he said. “The decision to go down this path while burning all of our bridges behind us was quite a brave decision.” U.S. officials have already spent hundreds of hours in talks with their Australian counterparts and have no illusions about the complexities, said officials involved. Morrison “has said this is a high-risk program; he was upfront when he announced it,” Greg Moriarty, the secretary of the Australian Department of Defense, told a Senate committee this week. Failure or serious delays would ripple beyond Australia. The Biden administration has staked American credibility on building up Australia’s military as part of an “integrated deterrence” policy that will knit the United States closer to its allies in offsetting China. “Success would be tremendous for Australia and the U.S., assuming open access to each other’s facilities and what it means in deterring China,” said Brent Sadler, a former U.S. Navy officer who is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “Failure would be doubly damaging — an alliance that cannot deliver, loss of undersea capacity by a trusted ally and a turn to isolationism on Australia’s part.” Australia is hoping for a reversal of fortune after more than a decade of misadventures in its submarine-modernization efforts. The plan for French-designed diesel submarines that Morrison abandoned had succeeded a deal for Japanese-designed submarines that his predecessor championed. “No living Australian prime minister has commissioned a sub that actually got built,” Greg Sheridan, a columnist for The Australian newspaper, wrote in a recent article critical of Morrison’s plan. Australia’s latest proposal contains many potential pitfalls. It could turn to the United States to help build something like its Virginia-class attack submarine. (Such submarines are nuclear-powered, allowing them to travel faster and stay underwater much longer than diesel ones, but they do not carry nuclear missiles.) But the two American shipyards that make nuclear submarines, as well as their suppliers, are straining to keep up with orders for the U.S. Navy. The shipyards complete about two Virginia class boats a year for the Navy and are ramping up to build Columbia-class submarines, 21,000-ton vessels that carry nuclear missiles as a roving deterrent — a priority for any administration. A report to the Senate Armed Services Committee last month warned that the “nuclear shipbuilding industrial base continues to struggle to support the increased demand” from U.S. orders. That report was prepared too late to take into account the Australian proposal. “They are working at 95-98% on Virginia and Columbia,” Richard V. Spencer, a Navy secretary in the Trump administration, said of the two U.S. submarine shipyards. He supports Australia’s plan and said his preferred path on the first submarines was to galvanize specialized suppliers to ship parts, or whole segments of the submarines, to assemble in Australia. “Let us all be perfectly aware and wide-eyed that the nuclear program is a massive resource consumer and time consumer, and that’s the given,” he said in a telephone interview. Other experts have said Australia should choose Britain’s Astute class submarine, which is less expensive and uses a smaller crew than the big American boats. The head of Australia’s nuclear submarine task force, Vice Adm. Jonathan Mead, said this week that his team was considering mature, “in-production designs” from Britain, as well as the United States. “That de-risks the program,” he said during a Senate committee hearing. But Britain’s submarines have come relatively slowly off its production line, and often behind schedule. Britain’s submarine maker, BAE Systems, is also busy building Dreadnought submarines to carry the country’s nuclear deterrent. “Spare capacity is very limited,” Trevor Taylor, a professorial research fellow in defense management at the Royal United Services Institute, a research institute, wrote in an email. “The U.K. cannot afford to impose delay on its Dreadnought program in order to divert effort to Australia.” Adding to the complications, Britain has been phasing out the PWR2 reactor that powers the Astute, after officials agreed that the model would “not be acceptable going forward,” an audit report said in 2018. The Astute is not designed to fit the next-generation reactor, and that issue could make it difficult to restart building the submarine for Australia, Taylor and other experts said. Britain’s successor to the Astute is still on the drawing board; the government said last month that it would spend three years on design work for it. A naval official in the British Ministry of Defense said that the planned new submarine could fit Australia’s timetable well. Several experts were less sure. “Waiting for the next-generation U.K. or U.S. attack submarine would mean an extended capability gap” for Australia, Taylor wrote in an assessment. The challenge does not stop with building the submarines. Safeguards to protect sailors and populations, and meet nonproliferation obligations, will require a big buildup of Australia’s nuclear safety expertise. Residents in some parts of Barrow-in-Furness, the town of 67,000 that is home to Britain’s submarine-building shipyard, are handed iodine tablets as a precaution against possible leaks when reactors are tested. The Osborne shipyard in South Australia, where Morrison wants to build the nuclear submarines, sits on the edge of Adelaide, a city of 1.4 million. Australia operates one small nuclear reactor. Its sole university program dedicated to nuclear engineering produces about five graduates every year, said Edward Obbard, the leader of the program at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Australia would need many thousands more people with nuclear training and experience if it wants the submarines, he said. “The ramp-up has to start now,” he said.

Nuclear-powered submarines for Australia? Maybe not so fast.

US President Joe Biden will meet with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Rome on Friday. The bilateral meeting will be ahead of the G20 summit in the Italian capital. Biden will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican the same day.

Biden to meet Macron in Rome, attempt to repair damage to US-France relations

May, Modi, Merkel, Macron: Past and present world leaders with impeccable fashion sense

Green is the new gold, the French president unveiled an ambitious plan of USD 35 billion; France wants to build new small nuclear reactors to re-industrialize on the basis of innovative and green-friendly technologies, watch this bulletin for more latest updates.

French president Emmanuel Macron unveils 'France 2030' roadmap, a 30 Billion Euro Plan

While visiting Lyon on Monday to promote French gastronomy at an international food expo, French President Emmanuel Macron was pelted with an egg.

Macron was passing through the crowd when an egg bounced off him without breaking, according to a video widely circulated on social media.

Two bodyguards are seen moving closer to the president's shoulders to protect his shoulders. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-from-a-tight-slap-to-macron-to-flying-shoe-at-george-w-bush-when-world-leaders-were-at-the-receiving-end-390283">Watch: From egg, and slap, to Macron to flying shoe at George W Bush — When world leaders were at the receiving end</a>

Other bodyguards are also seen escorting a man away from the area in the footage.

According to reporters on the scene, Macron said, "If he has something to say to me, he can come."&nbsp;

Authorities have not disclosed any information about the man's identification or motivations.

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Slapped in the face: In June, when welcoming the public in a tiny town in southeastern France, Macron was hit in the face by a guy.

He then condemned violence and folly.&nbsp;

Egged in 2017:&nbsp;When Macron was a presidential candidate in 2017, he was previously targeted with an egg.

In that case, the egg shattered on his head.

During a visit to southeastern France in June, he was hit in the face by a man in the crowd while he spoke to the people. 
 
Watch | Gravitas: When world leaders get attacked

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-when-world-leaders-get-attacked-390475/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Macron's security team stepped in fast, tackling the individual and dragging the President away from the crowd barrier.&nbsp;

Following the slap, leaders from all political parties showed their support for France's president.

Macron, like his predecessors, enjoys meeting with members of the public in meet-and-greets.

Crowd baths, as they are known in French, have long been a fixture of French politics.

Macron, 43, has not yet announced his reelection run just over six months before France's next presidential election, but is anticipated to do so soon.&nbsp;

Macron is on a charm offensive with voters, with France's presidential elections less than a year away.

His party did poorly in provincial elections in June, which were carefully scrutinised ahead of the presidential race in April.

Political experts, however, acknowledged it was difficult to draw conclusions due to the low voter turnout.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

While visiting Lyon on Monday to promote French gastronomy at an international food expo, French President Emmanuel Macron was pelted with an egg. Macron was passing through the crowd when an egg bounced off him without breaking, according to a video widely circulated on social media.

While visiting Lyon on Monday to promote French gastronomy at an international food expo, French President Emmanuel Macron was pelted with an egg. Macron was passing through the crowd when an egg bounced off him without breaking, according to a video widely circulated on social media. Two bodyguards are seen moving closer to the president's shoulders to protect his shoulders. Watch: From egg, and slap, to Macron to flying shoe at George W Bush — When world leaders were at the receiving end Other bodyguards are also seen escorting a man away from the area in the footage. According to reporters on the scene, Macron said, "If he has something to say to me, he can come." Authorities have not disclosed any information about the man's identification or motivations. × Slapped in the face: In June, when welcoming the public in a tiny town in southeastern France, Macron was hit in the face by a guy. He then condemned violence and folly. Egged in 2017: When Macron was a presidential candidate in 2017, he was previously targeted with an egg. In that case, the egg shattered on his head. During a visit to southeastern France in June, he was hit in the face by a man in the crowd while he spoke to the people. Watch | Gravitas: When world leaders get attacked Macron's security team stepped in fast, tackling the individual and dragging the President away from the crowd barrier. Following the slap, leaders from all political parties showed their support for France's president. Macron, like his predecessors, enjoys meeting with members of the public in meet-and-greets. Crowd baths, as they are known in French, have long been a fixture of French politics. Macron, 43, has not yet announced his reelection run just over six months before France's next presidential election, but is anticipated to do so soon. Macron is on a charm offensive with voters, with France's presidential elections less than a year away. His party did poorly in provincial elections in June, which were carefully scrutinised ahead of the presidential race in April. Political experts, however, acknowledged it was difficult to draw conclusions due to the low voter turnout. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch | Then a slap, now an egg: French President Emmanuel Macron gets some more 'love' from the public

After being pelted with an egg by an outraged protester, French President Emmanuel Macron extended a long line of world leaders who have faced political indignation that has evolved into physical attacks.

Take a look at some of the leaders who have faced a physical attack in public.

US President George W Bush

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Bush dodges flying shoes <a href="https://t.co/uHBWaq87OW">pic.twitter.com/uHBWaq87OW</a>
— Vera Milicevic (@queen_safari) <a href="https://twitter.com/queen_safari/status/1257623283781918721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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During a visit to Baghdad in 2008, then US president George W Bush was pelted with shoes by an Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi. “This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog,” he yelled in Arabic.

But the president swiftly ducked both shoes, which flew over his head.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard

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When former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited a school in Queensland in 2013, a youngster tossed Vegemite sandwiches at her.

School officials identified the culprit as 16-year-old Kyle Thomson.

French President Emmanuel Macron

On June 8 this year, the French president was attacked by an angry man in Tain-l'Hermitage while on a tour to "check the country's pulse" during the coronavirus pandemic.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Macron?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Macron</a> se fait gifler en direct de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tain</a> <a href="https://t.co/tsXdByo22U">pic.twitter.com/tsXdByo22U</a>
— ⚜️ (@AlexpLille) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexpLille/status/1402237903376367627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The man began shouting, “À bas la Macronie!” or “Down with Macronia!” at Macron before he delivered a sharp slap across the leader’s left cheek. 
 
French President Emmanuel Macron hit by egg thrown from crowd in Lyon

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Former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi 
 
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Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, was not so fortunate. When he was hit with a metal replica of Milan's cathedral after a demonstration in 2009. He lost half a litre of blood after the attack.

Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro

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&nbsp;

Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right president of Brazil, was stabbed while campaigning for the 2018 election. The former army officer's rise to prominence was aided by widespread public support. While Bolsonaro healed swiftly, his assailant, who claimed to be "on a mission from God," was sent to a mental hospital.

Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl

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&nbsp;

After being pelted with eggs, tomatoes, and paint during a walkabout in Halle, eastern Germany in 1991, ex-German chancellor Helmut Kohl exchanged punches with demonstrators and had to be pushed back by his security guards.

After being pelted with an egg by an outraged protester, French President Emmanuel Macron extended a long line of world leaders who have faced political indignation that has evolved into physical attacks.

After being pelted with an egg by an outraged protester, French President Emmanuel Macron extended a long line of world leaders who have faced political indignation that has evolved into physical attacks. Take a look at some of the leaders who have faced a physical attack in public. US President George W Bush Bush dodges flying shoes pic.twitter.com/uHBWaq87OW — Vera Milicevic (@queen_safari) May 5, 2020 × During a visit to Baghdad in 2008, then US president George W Bush was pelted with shoes by an Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi. “This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog,” he yelled in Arabic. But the president swiftly ducked both shoes, which flew over his head. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard × When former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited a school in Queensland in 2013, a youngster tossed Vegemite sandwiches at her. School officials identified the culprit as 16-year-old Kyle Thomson. French President Emmanuel Macron On June 8 this year, the French president was attacked by an angry man in Tain-l'Hermitage while on a tour to "check the country's pulse" during the coronavirus pandemic. #Macron se fait gifler en direct de #Tain pic.twitter.com/tsXdByo22U — ⚜️ (@AlexpLille) June 8, 2021 × The man began shouting, “À bas la Macronie!” or “Down with Macronia!” at Macron before he delivered a sharp slap across the leader’s left cheek. French President Emmanuel Macron hit by egg thrown from crowd in Lyon × Former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, was not so fortunate. When he was hit with a metal replica of Milan's cathedral after a demonstration in 2009. He lost half a litre of blood after the attack. Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro × Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right president of Brazil, was stabbed while campaigning for the 2018 election. The former army officer's rise to prominence was aided by widespread public support. While Bolsonaro healed swiftly, his assailant, who claimed to be "on a mission from God," was sent to a mental hospital. Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl × After being pelted with eggs, tomatoes, and paint during a walkabout in Halle, eastern Germany in 1991, ex-German chancellor Helmut Kohl exchanged punches with demonstrators and had to be pushed back by his security guards.

Watch: From egg, and slap, to Macron to flying shoe at George W Bush — When world leaders were at the receiving end

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday that he wants to "re-establish cooperation", Macron's office said, amid a diplomatic crisis over a submarine contract with Australia.

Macron was left furious last week after Australia ditched a mega-deal to buy diesel submarines from France in favour of American nuclear-powered ones -- secured during secret negotiations facilitated by Britain.

In the conversation, which the Elysee said came at Johnson's request, the British prime minister said he hoped for cooperation "in line with our values and our common interests", such as the battle against climate change, securing the Indo-Pacific region and the fight against terrorism.

Macron told Johnson that "he is awaiting his proposals", his office said in a brief statement.

French fury over what it sees as a "stab in the back" over the submarine contract saw Macron recall the French ambassadors to Washington and Canberra in an unprecedented diplomatic protest.

But the French envoy in London remained at her post, with France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune dismissing London as a mere "third wheel" in the deal and a "junior partner" to the US.

Using franglais, Johnson this week appealed to France to "Donnez-moi un break", calling for calm after tempers flared in France, while also telling Paris to "prenez un grip" ("get a grip").

'Serious blow to trust'

The submarine spat brought relations between Paris and London to their worst since Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union.

Brexit has led to several disagreements between both nations, notably over fishing rights but also the still vexing issue of trade between mainland Britain and the province of Northern Ireland.

Migrant flows have also been a major irritant between Paris and London.

There remains, however, a willingness on both sides to continue close cooperation in defence matters, experts say.

The submarine deal "created a legitimate anger in France and clearly dealt a&nbsp;serious blow to trust and&nbsp;cooperation between France and the UK in a relationship already strained by years of post-Brexit disputes", said Hans Kundnani and Alice Billon-Galland, analysts at the Chatham House policy institute.

But they said "the reality is the two countries share a similar set of interests and partners in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and will need to find ways to navigate current tensions".

If they succeed that could open the way for other Europeans to also contribute to security in Asia, they said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday that he wants to "re-establish cooperation", Macron's office said, amid a diplomatic crisis over a submarine contract with Australia.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday that he wants to "re-establish cooperation", Macron's office said, amid a diplomatic crisis over a submarine contract with Australia. Macron was left furious last week after Australia ditched a mega-deal to buy diesel submarines from France in favour of American nuclear-powered ones -- secured during secret negotiations facilitated by Britain. In the conversation, which the Elysee said came at Johnson's request, the British prime minister said he hoped for cooperation "in line with our values and our common interests", such as the battle against climate change, securing the Indo-Pacific region and the fight against terrorism. Macron told Johnson that "he is awaiting his proposals", his office said in a brief statement. French fury over what it sees as a "stab in the back" over the submarine contract saw Macron recall the French ambassadors to Washington and Canberra in an unprecedented diplomatic protest. But the French envoy in London remained at her post, with France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune dismissing London as a mere "third wheel" in the deal and a "junior partner" to the US. Using franglais, Johnson this week appealed to France to "Donnez-moi un break", calling for calm after tempers flared in France, while also telling Paris to "prenez un grip" ("get a grip"). 'Serious blow to trust' The submarine spat brought relations between Paris and London to their worst since Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Brexit has led to several disagreements between both nations, notably over fishing rights but also the still vexing issue of trade between mainland Britain and the province of Northern Ireland. Migrant flows have also been a major irritant between Paris and London. There remains, however, a willingness on both sides to continue close cooperation in defence matters, experts say. The submarine deal "created a legitimate anger in France and clearly dealt a serious blow to trust and cooperation between France and the UK in a relationship already strained by years of post-Brexit disputes", said Hans Kundnani and Alice Billon-Galland, analysts at the Chatham House policy institute. But they said "the reality is the two countries share a similar set of interests and partners in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and will need to find ways to navigate current tensions". If they succeed that could open the way for other Europeans to also contribute to security in Asia, they said.

France says UK's Boris Johnson offered to 're-establish cooperation'

French President Emmanuel Macron has discussed cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as France deals with the fallout from Australia’s cancellation of a $40bn French submarine order.

Macron and Modi discusses Indo-Pacific, vow to ‘act jointly’ after submarine dispute

As France's relation with United States takes an uncertain turn, French president Emmanuel Macron called up Indian PM Narendra Modi and discuss the Indo-pacific cooperation between the two countries.

WION USA Direct: PM Narendra Modi, French Prez Emmanuel Macron discuss Indo-Pacific co-operation

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold talks with his American counterpart Joe Biden “in the next few days.This comes amidst simmering tensions between France and the United States over a “secret” deal, which led to Australia scrapping a contract for submarines with a French company in favour of nuclear-powered submarines from the US.

French President Emmanuel Macron to hold talks with American counterpart Joe Biden

France’s election season began in force this week, with candidates for the presidency launching their bids or holding campaign-style events. But the person who stole the show was not a candidate, or even a politician, but a right-wing writer and TV star channeling Donald Trump.

Éric Zemmour became one of France’s top TV celebrities through his punditry on CNews, a Fox News-like channel, even as he was sanctioned twice for inciting racial hatred. This week he dominated news media coverage in the kickoff to elections next April.

A poll released Wednesday shows him rising among potential voters, beating out declared candidates such as the mayor of Paris. While his share would appear to put the presidency out of reach, he could disrupt the long-anticipated scenario of a duel between President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally.

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In a well-orchestrated blitz that blurred the lines between media and politics, Zemmour, 63, one of France’s bestselling writers, released a new book Thursday titled "France Has Not Said Its Last Word Yet," with a cover showing him standing with arms crossed in front of the French flag.

Zemmour said the cover had been modeled after Trump's “Great Again,” the 2015 book that outlined his political agenda before his election victory the following year, and that showed Trump in front of the American flag.

The cover, Zemmour said, was not the only way Trump had inspired him. While Zemmour coyly deflected long-standing rumors of a possible candidacy, this month he has sent stronger signals that he may follow Trump in a leap from television to politics.

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"Obviously, there are common points," Zemmour said. “In other words, someone who is completely from outside the party system, who never had a political career and who, furthermore, understood that the major concerns of the working class are immigration and trade.”

In France's two-round presidential election, the two top vote-getters in the first round meet in a runoff. Macron has aggressively courted the traditional, more moderate right in a strategy to produce a final showdown with Le Pen, whom he beat in 2017. But the presence of Zemmour, with his appeal across the right side of France’s political spectrum, could upset that calculus.

"French politics has become totally unpredictable," said Nicolas Lebourg, a political scientist specializing in the right and far-right.

"In this extremely fluid context, things could end with the election of a Republican president after Macron is defeated because Zemmour picks up a few points," Lebourg added, referring to the Republicans, the party of the traditional right.

The poll released Wednesday showed 10% of voters supporting Zemmour in the first round of the election, up from 7% a week earlier and 5% in July. He is one of the few candidates registering in the double digits, outscoring some from France’s established parties, including the Socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

According to a poll published Monday, Zemmour is one of the few candidates to draw support from both the French traditional right and far-right — a point he underscored in the interview, saying that the far-right National Rally "puts off the French bourgeoisie," while the Republicans "have only an extremely aging constituency and don’t connect with the young or the working class."

The poll also showed he is strong with the working class, men and young voters.

"His straight talk appeals a lot to a generation that has been very disappointed by politicians'&nbsp;lies and that is very mistrustful of the media," said François de Voyer, a host and financial supporter of Black Book, a 7-month-old YouTube channel that has featured long interviews with Zemmour and other personalities, mostly from the right and far right. He said Zemmour gives the impression of "never hiding what he thinks, even if it means making controversial remarks," adding, "I think it has the effect of creating trust."

Still, a run by Zemmour — whose hard-line views on immigration, Islam’s place in France and national identity are regarded as being to the right of Le Pen — would immediately inject into the election some of the most explosive issues in an increasingly polarized society.

A longtime journalist for the conservative daily Le Figaro, Zemmour became a bestselling author in the past decade with books that described a France in decline, under threat from what he claimed was an Islam that doesn’t share France’s core values. His celebrity and influence rose to another level after he became the star of CNews in 2019, where, each evening in prime time, he expounded on his ideas to hundreds of thousands of viewers.

He has portrayed himself as a truth-teller in a news media dominated by politically correct, left-leaning journalists. He has railed against the immigration of Muslim Africans, invoking the existential threat of a great replacement — a loaded term that even Le Pen has avoided — that will overwhelm France’s more established white and Christian population.

Over the weekend, Zemmour said that, if he were president, he would ban "non-French" first names like Mohammed and Kevin, because they created obstacles to an assimilation process that used to turn immigrants into what he considered real French people.

These kinds of comments have occasionally drawn the attention of French authorities. In May, the government broadcast regulator fined CNews 200,000 euros, about $236,000, for speech inciting racial hatred. On his show in September 2020, Zemmour had said that unaccompanied foreign minors should be expelled from France, calling them “thieves,” “killers” and “rapists.”

Some presidential candidates from the Republicans dismissed Zemmour’s challenge. Xavier Bertrand, the leader of a region in northern France, said Zemmour was a “great divider.” Valérie Pécresse, the head of the Paris region, said he offered “no genuine proposals.”

Lebourg, said Zemmour’s “ethnic nationalism” was rooted in the ideology of the National Front of the 1990s, the predecessor to the National Rally that was led by Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. More than any other individual, Zemmour succeeded over the years in imposing his vision on politicians in the traditional right, Lebourg said.

Supporters say that is why Zemmour is the only candidate who can appeal to both the traditional right and far right.

“Éric Zemmour opened the eyes of a certain number of people, including in my political family,” said Antoine Diers, a spokesperson for Friends of Éric Zemmour, a group that is raising funds for a potential presidential bid. Diers is also a member of the Republicans and an official at the city hall of Plessis-Robinson, a suburb south of Paris.

Because of Zemmour’s influence, Diers said, candidates of his party “finally take positions on immigration, on questions of identity and French culture.”

Arno Humbert, another member of Friends of Éric Zemmour, said he left Le Pen’s National Rally in June after more than a decade, disillusioned by her efforts to widen her appeal by toning down her party’s positions in a strategy of “de-demonizing.”

Zemmour was forced off the air Monday after the government regulator ordered a limit on his broadcast time because he could be considered a player in national politics. He and his supporters were quick to cry censorship.

Asked whether the decision would ultimately help him by burnishing his image as a truth teller among his supporters, he said, “Of course.”

“It was a blessing in disguise,” he said.

France’s election season began in force this week, with candidates for the presidency launching their bids or holding campaign-style events. But the person who stole the show was not a candidate, or even a politician, but a right-wing writer and TV star channeling Donald Trump.

France’s election season began in force this week, with candidates for the presidency launching their bids or holding campaign-style events. But the person who stole the show was not a candidate, or even a politician, but a right-wing writer and TV star channeling Donald Trump. Éric Zemmour became one of France’s top TV celebrities through his punditry on CNews, a Fox News-like channel, even as he was sanctioned twice for inciting racial hatred. This week he dominated news media coverage in the kickoff to elections next April. A poll released Wednesday shows him rising among potential voters, beating out declared candidates such as the mayor of Paris. While his share would appear to put the presidency out of reach, he could disrupt the long-anticipated scenario of a duel between President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally. ALSO READ | Deepening partnership with India: EU steps up engagement in Indo Pacific with new plan In a well-orchestrated blitz that blurred the lines between media and politics, Zemmour, 63, one of France’s bestselling writers, released a new book Thursday titled "France Has Not Said Its Last Word Yet," with a cover showing him standing with arms crossed in front of the French flag. Zemmour said the cover had been modeled after Trump's “Great Again,” the 2015 book that outlined his political agenda before his election victory the following year, and that showed Trump in front of the American flag. The cover, Zemmour said, was not the only way Trump had inspired him. While Zemmour coyly deflected long-standing rumors of a possible candidacy, this month he has sent stronger signals that he may follow Trump in a leap from television to politics. ALSO READ | Australia kept India in loop regarding Aukus at the highest-level "Obviously, there are common points," Zemmour said. “In other words, someone who is completely from outside the party system, who never had a political career and who, furthermore, understood that the major concerns of the working class are immigration and trade.” In France's two-round presidential election, the two top vote-getters in the first round meet in a runoff. Macron has aggressively courted the traditional, more moderate right in a strategy to produce a final showdown with Le Pen, whom he beat in 2017. But the presence of Zemmour, with his appeal across the right side of France’s political spectrum, could upset that calculus. "French politics has become totally unpredictable," said Nicolas Lebourg, a political scientist specializing in the right and far-right. "In this extremely fluid context, things could end with the election of a Republican president after Macron is defeated because Zemmour picks up a few points," Lebourg added, referring to the Republicans, the party of the traditional right. The poll released Wednesday showed 10% of voters supporting Zemmour in the first round of the election, up from 7% a week earlier and 5% in July. He is one of the few candidates registering in the double digits, outscoring some from France’s established parties, including the Socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. According to a poll published Monday, Zemmour is one of the few candidates to draw support from both the French traditional right and far-right — a point he underscored in the interview, saying that the far-right National Rally "puts off the French bourgeoisie," while the Republicans "have only an extremely aging constituency and don’t connect with the young or the working class." The poll also showed he is strong with the working class, men and young voters. "His straight talk appeals a lot to a generation that has been very disappointed by politicians' lies and that is very mistrustful of the media," said François de Voyer, a host and financial supporter of Black Book, a 7-month-old YouTube channel that has featured long interviews with Zemmour and other personalities, mostly from the right and far right. He said Zemmour gives the impression of "never hiding what he thinks, even if it means making controversial remarks," adding, "I think it has the effect of creating trust." Still, a run by Zemmour — whose hard-line views on immigration, Islam’s place in France and national identity are regarded as being to the right of Le Pen — would immediately inject into the election some of the most explosive issues in an increasingly polarized society. A longtime journalist for the conservative daily Le Figaro, Zemmour became a bestselling author in the past decade with books that described a France in decline, under threat from what he claimed was an Islam that doesn’t share France’s core values. His celebrity and influence rose to another level after he became the star of CNews in 2019, where, each evening in prime time, he expounded on his ideas to hundreds of thousands of viewers. He has portrayed himself as a truth-teller in a news media dominated by politically correct, left-leaning journalists. He has railed against the immigration of Muslim Africans, invoking the existential threat of a great replacement — a loaded term that even Le Pen has avoided — that will overwhelm France’s more established white and Christian population. Over the weekend, Zemmour said that, if he were president, he would ban "non-French" first names like Mohammed and Kevin, because they created obstacles to an assimilation process that used to turn immigrants into what he considered real French people. These kinds of comments have occasionally drawn the attention of French authorities. In May, the government broadcast regulator fined CNews 200,000 euros, about $236,000, for speech inciting racial hatred. On his show in September 2020, Zemmour had said that unaccompanied foreign minors should be expelled from France, calling them “thieves,” “killers” and “rapists.” Some presidential candidates from the Republicans dismissed Zemmour’s challenge. Xavier Bertrand, the leader of a region in northern France, said Zemmour was a “great divider.” Valérie Pécresse, the head of the Paris region, said he offered “no genuine proposals.” Lebourg, said Zemmour’s “ethnic nationalism” was rooted in the ideology of the National Front of the 1990s, the predecessor to the National Rally that was led by Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. More than any other individual, Zemmour succeeded over the years in imposing his vision on politicians in the traditional right, Lebourg said. Supporters say that is why Zemmour is the only candidate who can appeal to both the traditional right and far right. “Éric Zemmour opened the eyes of a certain number of people, including in my political family,” said Antoine Diers, a spokesperson for Friends of Éric Zemmour, a group that is raising funds for a potential presidential bid. Diers is also a member of the Republicans and an official at the city hall of Plessis-Robinson, a suburb south of Paris. Because of Zemmour’s influence, Diers said, candidates of his party “finally take positions on immigration, on questions of identity and French culture.” Arno Humbert, another member of Friends of Éric Zemmour, said he left Le Pen’s National Rally in June after more than a decade, disillusioned by her efforts to widen her appeal by toning down her party’s positions in a strategy of “de-demonizing.” Zemmour was forced off the air Monday after the government regulator ordered a limit on his broadcast time because he could be considered a player in national politics. He and his supporters were quick to cry censorship. Asked whether the decision would ultimately help him by burnishing his image as a truth teller among his supporters, he said, “Of course.” “It was a blessing in disguise,” he said.

From TV to the French Presidency? A right-wing star is inspired by Trump

The United States and Australia went to extraordinary lengths to keep Paris in the dark as they secretly negotiated a plan to build nuclear submarines, scuttling France’s largest defense contract and so enraging President Emmanuel Macron that on Friday he ordered the withdrawal of France's ambassadors to both nations.

Macron's decision was a stunning and unexpected escalation of the breach between Washington and Paris, on a day that the two countries had planned to celebrate an alliance that goes back to the defeat of Britain in the Revolutionary War.

Yet it was driven by France's realization that two of its closest allies have been negotiating secretly for months. According to interviews with U.S. and British officials, the Australians approached the new administration soon after President Joe Biden's inauguration and said they had concluded that they had to get out of a $60 billion agreement with France to supply them with a dozen attack submarines.

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The conventionally powered French subs, the Australians feared, would be obsolete by the time they were delivered. They expressed interest in seeking a fleet of quieter nuclear-powered submarines based on American and British designs that could patrol areas of the South China Sea with less risk of detection.

But it was unclear how they would terminate the agreement with France, which was already over budget and running behind schedule. "They told us they would take care of dealing with the French," one senior U.S. official said.

The Australians knew they had a receptive audience. Biden, who has made pushing back hard on China's territorial ambitions a central tenet of his national security policy, told aides those French-made submarines would not do. They did not have the ability to range the Pacific and show up unexpectedly off Chinese shores — adding an element of military advantage for the West.

The Australians, by all accounts, never made clear to the French that they were preparing to cancel the deal, which had taken years to negotiate. And in meeting after meeting with their French counterparts — some including Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken — the Americans did not give France a heads-up about their plans to step in with their own designs, the officials said, asking for anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. It was a classic case of diplomatic avoidance.

Biden's top aides finally discussed the issue with the French hours before it was publicly announced at the White House in a virtual meeting with Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia.

The result was a blowup that has now led to a vivid breach of trust with one of America's oldest allies.

In the end, Biden's decision was the result of a brutal calculus that nations sometimes make in which one ally is determined to be more strategically vital than another — something national leaders and diplomats never like to admit to in public. And it was a sign that as Biden begins to execute what the Obama administration, 12 years ago, called the "pivot to Asia," there is the risk of stepping on political land mines as old, traditional allies in Europe feel left behind.

"As much as the pivot has been described as pivoting to Asia without pivoting away from someplace else, that is just not possible," Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, who has long ties to both the Australian and American players in the deal, said Wednesday. "Military resources are finite. Doing more in one area means doing less in others."

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It also apparently means hiding negotiations from some of your closest allies.

By the time the Biden administration began engaging Australia and Britain seriously about its emerging strategy to counter China, a three-year-old contract worth $60 billion or more for a dozen submarines, to be constructed largely by the French, was already teetering, U.S. officials said. The submarines were based on a propulsion technology that was so limited in range, and so easy for the Chinese to detect, that it would be obsolete by the time the first submarines were put in the water, perhaps as long as 15 years from now.

There was an obvious alternative, the kind of nuclear-powered submarines deployed by the Americans and the British. But U.S. and Australian officials agreed that if the French caught wind of the fact that the plug was going to be pulled on one of the biggest defense contracts in their history, they almost certainly would try to sabotage the alternative plan, according to officials who were familiar with the discussions between Washington and Canberra.

So they decided to keep the work to a very small group of officials and made no mention of it to the French, even when Biden and Blinken met their French counterparts in June.

Biden made no mention of the plans during a chummy chat with Macron at a summit meeting in June in Cornwall, where they sat in lawn chairs by the sea and talked about the future of the Atlantic alliance. (Biden, Johnson and Morrison met together the same day, discussed the emerging deal, and in a vague statement which seems more revealing today than it did then, referred to "deepening strategic cooperation between the three governments" to meet a changing defense environment in the Indo-Pacific.) Three days later, Morrison met separately with Macron but left no impression he was rethinking the deal, the French insist.

According to French officials, Blinken also stayed silent June 25 when his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, welcomed him back to Paris — where Blinken spent his high school years — and extolled the importance of the French submarine deal.

And as recently as Aug. 30, when the French and Australian defense and foreign ministers held their annual “consultation,” they issued a joint communiqué that said the two countries were committed to deepening cooperation in the defense industry and "underlined the importance of the Future Submarine program."

By that time, the Australians not only knew the program was dead; they had nearly sealed the agreement in principle with Washington and London.

The French ambassador to the United States, Philippe Étienne, said in several interviews that he first heard of the deal in leaked news reports appearing in the Australian media and in Politico. Other French officials said they had been suspicious that something was up a week ago but did not get an immediate response from Blinken or Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The first U.S. official to discuss the details with Étienne was Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, a few hours before the public announcement Wednesday.

U.S. officials insist it was not their place to talk to the French about their business deal with Australia. But now, in light of the blowup, some officials say they regret they did not insist that the Australians level with the French about their intentions earlier.

The Chinese government also did not get a heads-up, no surprise since the official U.S. position is that the submarine deal is not aimed at any particular nation. But China’s first response to the new alliance, awkwardly named AUKUS (for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States), was that it was "extremely irresponsible" and would start an arms race. In fact, the Pentagon’s most recent China report says the Chinese navy has built a dozen nuclear subs, some of which can carry nuclear weapons. Australia has vowed never to deploy nuclear weapons.

Even before Macron recalled the ambassadors, Biden’s aides seemed taken aback by the ferocity of the French response, especially Le Drian’s characterization that it was a "knife in the back." They have suggested the French were being overly dramatic and believe the two countries will gradually return to normal relations. History suggests they may be right: A huge breach prompted by the British and French invasion of the Suez Canal in 1956 was eventually papered over, as was the "Nixon Shock" with the Japanese in 1971, when the United States gave no notice about its decision to come off the gold standard.

In this case, U.S. officials said the decision to toss over the existing French-Australian contract, and replace it with one that would bind Australia technologically and strategically to the nuclear submarine program, generated virtually no internal debate, participants said. The reason was straightforward: In the Biden White House, the imperative to challenge China’s growing footprint, and its efforts to push the U.S. Navy east, to the next island chain in the Pacific, reigns supreme.

"It says a lot about how Washington discerns its interests in the Pacific,"&nbsp;said Fontaine, "that there was no hand-wringing about angering the French."

For years, U.S. officials have known that the turn toward Asia could strain relations with European allies. While former President Barack Obama initially embraced the phrase "the pivot" to describe the American move to the region of the world where its economic and strategic interests are greatest — as a basketball player, he latched on to the sports metaphor — his White House eventually banned the public use of the phrase because of European objections.

That did not stop Kurt M. Campbell, a major architect of the strategy, from publishing a 2016 book about it called "The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia," which was advertised as an account of "a necessary course correction for American diplomacy, commercial engagement and military innovations."

Campbell is now the Asia coordinator at the National Security Council, and when the Australians decided they were ready to dump the French deal, he was among the first they contacted.

The United States and Australia went to extraordinary lengths to keep Paris in the dark as they secretly negotiated a plan to build nuclear submarines, scuttling France’s largest defense contract and so enraging President Emmanuel Macron that on Friday he ordered the withdrawal of France's ambassadors to both nations.

The United States and Australia went to extraordinary lengths to keep Paris in the dark as they secretly negotiated a plan to build nuclear submarines, scuttling France’s largest defense contract and so enraging President Emmanuel Macron that on Friday he ordered the withdrawal of France's ambassadors to both nations. Macron's decision was a stunning and unexpected escalation of the breach between Washington and Paris, on a day that the two countries had planned to celebrate an alliance that goes back to the defeat of Britain in the Revolutionary War. Yet it was driven by France's realization that two of its closest allies have been negotiating secretly for months. According to interviews with U.S. and British officials, the Australians approached the new administration soon after President Joe Biden's inauguration and said they had concluded that they had to get out of a $60 billion agreement with France to supply them with a dozen attack submarines. ALSO READ | Nancy Pelosi compares Capitol riot to 9/11 attack; US police ready for 'Justice for J6' rally The conventionally powered French subs, the Australians feared, would be obsolete by the time they were delivered. They expressed interest in seeking a fleet of quieter nuclear-powered submarines based on American and British designs that could patrol areas of the South China Sea with less risk of detection. But it was unclear how they would terminate the agreement with France, which was already over budget and running behind schedule. "They told us they would take care of dealing with the French," one senior U.S. official said. The Australians knew they had a receptive audience. Biden, who has made pushing back hard on China's territorial ambitions a central tenet of his national security policy, told aides those French-made submarines would not do. They did not have the ability to range the Pacific and show up unexpectedly off Chinese shores — adding an element of military advantage for the West. The Australians, by all accounts, never made clear to the French that they were preparing to cancel the deal, which had taken years to negotiate. And in meeting after meeting with their French counterparts — some including Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken — the Americans did not give France a heads-up about their plans to step in with their own designs, the officials said, asking for anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. It was a classic case of diplomatic avoidance. Biden's top aides finally discussed the issue with the French hours before it was publicly announced at the White House in a virtual meeting with Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia. The result was a blowup that has now led to a vivid breach of trust with one of America's oldest allies. In the end, Biden's decision was the result of a brutal calculus that nations sometimes make in which one ally is determined to be more strategically vital than another — something national leaders and diplomats never like to admit to in public. And it was a sign that as Biden begins to execute what the Obama administration, 12 years ago, called the "pivot to Asia," there is the risk of stepping on political land mines as old, traditional allies in Europe feel left behind. "As much as the pivot has been described as pivoting to Asia without pivoting away from someplace else, that is just not possible," Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, who has long ties to both the Australian and American players in the deal, said Wednesday. "Military resources are finite. Doing more in one area means doing less in others." ALSO READ | Fire breaks out in building near Capitol building before far-right rally It also apparently means hiding negotiations from some of your closest allies. By the time the Biden administration began engaging Australia and Britain seriously about its emerging strategy to counter China, a three-year-old contract worth $60 billion or more for a dozen submarines, to be constructed largely by the French, was already teetering, U.S. officials said. The submarines were based on a propulsion technology that was so limited in range, and so easy for the Chinese to detect, that it would be obsolete by the time the first submarines were put in the water, perhaps as long as 15 years from now. There was an obvious alternative, the kind of nuclear-powered submarines deployed by the Americans and the British. But U.S. and Australian officials agreed that if the French caught wind of the fact that the plug was going to be pulled on one of the biggest defense contracts in their history, they almost certainly would try to sabotage the alternative plan, according to officials who were familiar with the discussions between Washington and Canberra. So they decided to keep the work to a very small group of officials and made no mention of it to the French, even when Biden and Blinken met their French counterparts in June. Biden made no mention of the plans during a chummy chat with Macron at a summit meeting in June in Cornwall, where they sat in lawn chairs by the sea and talked about the future of the Atlantic alliance. (Biden, Johnson and Morrison met together the same day, discussed the emerging deal, and in a vague statement which seems more revealing today than it did then, referred to "deepening strategic cooperation between the three governments" to meet a changing defense environment in the Indo-Pacific.) Three days later, Morrison met separately with Macron but left no impression he was rethinking the deal, the French insist. According to French officials, Blinken also stayed silent June 25 when his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, welcomed him back to Paris — where Blinken spent his high school years — and extolled the importance of the French submarine deal. And as recently as Aug. 30, when the French and Australian defense and foreign ministers held their annual “consultation,” they issued a joint communiqué that said the two countries were committed to deepening cooperation in the defense industry and "underlined the importance of the Future Submarine program." By that time, the Australians not only knew the program was dead; they had nearly sealed the agreement in principle with Washington and London. The French ambassador to the United States, Philippe Étienne, said in several interviews that he first heard of the deal in leaked news reports appearing in the Australian media and in Politico. Other French officials said they had been suspicious that something was up a week ago but did not get an immediate response from Blinken or Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The first U.S. official to discuss the details with Étienne was Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, a few hours before the public announcement Wednesday. U.S. officials insist it was not their place to talk to the French about their business deal with Australia. But now, in light of the blowup, some officials say they regret they did not insist that the Australians level with the French about their intentions earlier. The Chinese government also did not get a heads-up, no surprise since the official U.S. position is that the submarine deal is not aimed at any particular nation. But China’s first response to the new alliance, awkwardly named AUKUS (for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States), was that it was "extremely irresponsible" and would start an arms race. In fact, the Pentagon’s most recent China report says the Chinese navy has built a dozen nuclear subs, some of which can carry nuclear weapons. Australia has vowed never to deploy nuclear weapons. Even before Macron recalled the ambassadors, Biden’s aides seemed taken aback by the ferocity of the French response, especially Le Drian’s characterization that it was a "knife in the back." They have suggested the French were being overly dramatic and believe the two countries will gradually return to normal relations. History suggests they may be right: A huge breach prompted by the British and French invasion of the Suez Canal in 1956 was eventually papered over, as was the "Nixon Shock" with the Japanese in 1971, when the United States gave no notice about its decision to come off the gold standard. In this case, U.S. officials said the decision to toss over the existing French-Australian contract, and replace it with one that would bind Australia technologically and strategically to the nuclear submarine program, generated virtually no internal debate, participants said. The reason was straightforward: In the Biden White House, the imperative to challenge China’s growing footprint, and its efforts to push the U.S. Navy east, to the next island chain in the Pacific, reigns supreme. "It says a lot about how Washington discerns its interests in the Pacific," said Fontaine, "that there was no hand-wringing about angering the French." For years, U.S. officials have known that the turn toward Asia could strain relations with European allies. While former President Barack Obama initially embraced the phrase "the pivot" to describe the American move to the region of the world where its economic and strategic interests are greatest — as a basketball player, he latched on to the sports metaphor — his White House eventually banned the public use of the phrase because of European objections. That did not stop Kurt M. Campbell, a major architect of the strategy, from publishing a 2016 book about it called "The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia," which was advertised as an account of "a necessary course correction for American diplomacy, commercial engagement and military innovations." Campbell is now the Asia coordinator at the National Security Council, and when the Australians decided they were ready to dump the French deal, he was among the first they contacted.

Hidden agenda behind deal France called a betrayal

French President Emmanuel Macron said that France and Britain will submit a resolution to an emergency United Nations meeting due Monday on Afghanistan proposing a safe zone in Kabul to try and protect people trying to leave the country.

Macron says France, Britain to propose 'safe zone' in Kabul

As the Afghan crisis worsens and US troops move towards the August 31 deadline, the French President Emmanuel Macron has declared that France will stay back in Iraq even if the US troops withdraw.

His announcement came at a regional summit on Saturday in Iraq, that he attended as the threat of Taliban is spreading in the nearby areas of Afghanistan.

"No matter what choices the Americans make, we will maintain our presence in Iraq to fight against terrorism," Macron told a news conference in Baghdad.&nbsp;"We have the operational capacity to ensure this presence."

"We all know that we must not lower our guard, because Daesh (the Islamic State group) remains a threat, and I know that the fight against these terrorist groups is a priority of your government," Macron said.

He also added that&nbsp;France is in talks with the Taliban on humanitarian operations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/united-states-announces-that-it-carried-out-a-drone-strike-in-eastern-afghanistan-408941">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/united-states-announces-that-it-carried-out-a-drone-strike-in-eastern-afghanistan-408941/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">Along with Macron,&nbsp;Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also attended the Baghdad summit.</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">This summit comes at an important time when the Taliban has started its regime in Afghanistan, as the US withdraws its troops from the country. Meanwhile, ISIS-K has expressed its displeasure of Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan by launching deadly attacks that have taken more than 160 lives of locals in Kabul.</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">However, the summit got overshadowed by the happenings in Afghanistan. However, Macron said that "given the geopolitical events, this conference has taken a special turn".</div>

As the Afghan crisis worsens and US troops move towards the August 31 deadline, the French President Emmanuel Macron has declared that France will stay back in Iraq even if the US troops withdraw.

As the Afghan crisis worsens and US troops move towards the August 31 deadline, the French President Emmanuel Macron has declared that France will stay back in Iraq even if the US troops withdraw. His announcement came at a regional summit on Saturday in Iraq, that he attended as the threat of Taliban is spreading in the nearby areas of Afghanistan. "No matter what choices the Americans make, we will maintain our presence in Iraq to fight against terrorism," Macron told a news conference in Baghdad. "We have the operational capacity to ensure this presence." "We all know that we must not lower our guard, because Daesh (the Islamic State group) remains a threat, and I know that the fight against these terrorist groups is a priority of your government," Macron said. He also added that France is in talks with the Taliban on humanitarian operations. WATCH | Along with Macron, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also attended the Baghdad summit. This summit comes at an important time when the Taliban has started its regime in Afghanistan, as the US withdraws its troops from the country. Meanwhile, ISIS-K has expressed its displeasure of Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan by launching deadly attacks that have taken more than 160 lives of locals in Kabul. However, the summit got overshadowed by the happenings in Afghanistan. However, Macron said that "given the geopolitical events, this conference has taken a special turn".

France to stay in Iraq even if US troops withdraw: Emmanuel Macron

The situation in France is going from bad to worse. Despite President Emmanuel Macron's assurances, the wildfires in the French Riviera are yet to be contained. Evacuations continue as these wildfires spread to newer areas.

Heatwave fuels wildfires in French Riviera, thousands evacuated

French President Emmanuel&nbsp;Macron&nbsp;on Monday called for a deal at the UN November climate conference that matches the gravity of the situation, after a new report underlined the dire peril posed by climate change.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/upcoming-un-climate-report-presents-starkest-warning-yet-403984" hreflang="en">Upcoming UN climate report presents 'starkest warning yet'</a>

"The time for outrage is behind us... In November, in Glasgow, let's seal a deal that matches the urgency," he wrote on Twitter after the UN report warned that global warming will see Earth's average temperature reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels around 2030.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Le rapport du GIEC est sans appel. À nouveau. Le temps de l’indignation est derrière nous. 
Accord de Paris, neutralité carbone au niveau européen, loi climat… La France restera du côté de ceux qui agissent. En novembre, à Glasgow, scellons un accord à la hauteur de l’urgence!
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1424762392639049729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
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(More to follow)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for a deal at the UN November climate conference that matches the gravity of the situation, after a new report underlined the dire peril posed by climate change.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for a deal at the UN November climate conference that matches the gravity of the situation, after a new report underlined the dire peril posed by climate change. Also read | Upcoming UN climate report presents 'starkest warning yet' "The time for outrage is behind us... In November, in Glasgow, let's seal a deal that matches the urgency," he wrote on Twitter after the UN report warned that global warming will see Earth's average temperature reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels around 2030. Le rapport du GIEC est sans appel. À nouveau. Le temps de l’indignation est derrière nous. Accord de Paris, neutralité carbone au niveau européen, loi climat… La France restera du côté de ceux qui agissent. En novembre, à Glasgow, scellons un accord à la hauteur de l’urgence! — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 9, 2021 × (More to follow)

Macron calls for climate deal 'that matches the urgency'

The government of France has made it compulsory for people to show virus certificates so as to enjoy routine activities such as travelling or going out for dinner. This decision has been taken despite the nationwide protest against the health pass rule.

France implements COVID-19 health pass despite nationwide protest

Locals in France took to the streets to protest against the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccine passport</a> suggested by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Protestors are uniting against the idea of vaccine passports as they believe it divides the society into two parts — vaccinated and the unvaccinated.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vaccinating-utero-now-twitter-laughs-after-biden-says-350-million-locals-vaccinated-in-332-mn-population-403765" hreflang="en">'Vaccinating utero now?' Twitter laughs after Biden says 350 million locals vaccinated in 332 mn population</a>

"The constitutional council has approved a two-tier society where there are two categories of citizens who don’t have the same rights, depending on their vaccine status," Julien Odoul, a young member of the far-right Rassemblement National was quoted by the Guardian. "This is Macron’s society and one that we condemn and reject. The principles of liberty and egality are sacred."

However, Macron has his head set on the vaccine passports and has urged people to come together to protect themselves and the fellow citizens of the country.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-university-offers-ps5000-to-fully-vaccinated-students-403759" hreflang="en">UK university offers £5,000 to fully vaccinated students</a>

Requesting everyone to "accept the collective rules and get vaccinated", he explained to his fellow French citizens that "it’s about citizenship. Freedom only exists if the freedom of everyone is protected… it’s worth nothing if by exercising our freedom we contaminate our brother, neighbour, friend, parents, or someone we have come across at an event. Then freedom becomes irresponsibility."

As of now, all cinema and theatre-goers, along with the people attending large gatherings and visiting museums have been asked to prove that they have been fully vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus, or prove that they have recovered from Covid by showing a recent negative test result.

In the coming days, the restrictions will be extended to locals wishing to dine at a restaurant or bar, including open terrace areas. From the end of this month, these restrictions will also apply to people whose job profile leads them to come in contact with people. Failure to show proof of vaccination can result in suspension from jobs without pay.

Locals in France took to the streets to protest against the vaccine passport suggested by French President Emmanuel Macron. Protestors are uniting against the idea of vaccine passports as they believe it divides the society into two parts — vaccinated and the unvaccinated.

Locals in France took to the streets to protest against the vaccine passport suggested by French President Emmanuel Macron. Protestors are uniting against the idea of vaccine passports as they believe it divides the society into two parts — vaccinated and the unvaccinated. Also read | 'Vaccinating utero now?' Twitter laughs after Biden says 350 million locals vaccinated in 332 mn population "The constitutional council has approved a two-tier society where there are two categories of citizens who don’t have the same rights, depending on their vaccine status," Julien Odoul, a young member of the far-right Rassemblement National was quoted by the Guardian. "This is Macron’s society and one that we condemn and reject. The principles of liberty and egality are sacred." However, Macron has his head set on the vaccine passports and has urged people to come together to protect themselves and the fellow citizens of the country. Also read | UK university offers £5,000 to fully vaccinated students Requesting everyone to "accept the collective rules and get vaccinated", he explained to his fellow French citizens that "it’s about citizenship. Freedom only exists if the freedom of everyone is protected… it’s worth nothing if by exercising our freedom we contaminate our brother, neighbour, friend, parents, or someone we have come across at an event. Then freedom becomes irresponsibility." As of now, all cinema and theatre-goers, along with the people attending large gatherings and visiting museums have been asked to prove that they have been fully vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus, or prove that they have recovered from Covid by showing a recent negative test result. In the coming days, the restrictions will be extended to locals wishing to dine at a restaurant or bar, including open terrace areas. From the end of this month, these restrictions will also apply to people whose job profile leads them to come in contact with people. Failure to show proof of vaccination can result in suspension from jobs without pay.

'It’s about citizenship': Macron urges French locals to get vaccinated soon

France's top constitutional authority on Thursday approved a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">Covid pass</a> that limits access to cafes, restaurants and inter-city trains and planes to people who have been vaccinated or tested negative for the virus.

The controversial pass, which will become ubiquitous from Monday, has sparked mass protests, with critics accusing President Emmanuel Macron of running a health "dictatorship".

But the Constitutional Court said the restrictions voted by parliament last month represented a "balanced trade-off" between public health concerns and personal freedom.

Prime Minister Jean Castex welcomed the court ruling, saying it "will allow the full deployment of our battle strategy against COVID-19".

The biggest change concerns restaurants which will now have to turn away patrons who fail to produce the health pass.

"There will be a cost, in terms of time spent checking the pass, and in terms of sales because we will lose customers," Herve Becam, vice president of the Umih hotels and restaurants association, told AFP.

Cyril Wafik, manager of the Indiana Cafe in central Paris, said the pass presented yet another challenge for many restaurant owners who were already having trouble getting customers to wear masks.

'Not police'

"We're not police, that's not our job," he told AFP. "This will affect our relationship with our customers."

Visitors to some shopping centres and department stores will also need the pass, as will visitors to hospitals or care homes and people seeking non-urgent medical care.&nbsp;

But the absence of a health pass must not be an obstacle to patients receiving treatment, the court ruled.

Health workers and others whose job requires them to be in contact with people at risk of Covid must now get vaccinated by law.

But the court rejected as "disproportionate" the government's wish to force people with Covid infections into isolation for 10 days.

The court's judges also struck down another provision included in the health law that brought in the Covid pass, which would allow employers to dismiss people on fixed-term or temporary contracts if they don't have a pass.

The court said this was unfair treatment as employees on open-ended contracts could not be sacked for the same reason.

Staff can, however, be suspended from work without pay if they lack a pass if the nature of their job demands it because, for instance, it brings them into contact with the public.

The health pass will come into force for young people between 12 and 17 on September 30.

Protests against the health pass assembled around 200,000 people across France on Saturday, and organisers have called for more demonstrations this weekend.

According to a Montaigne opinion poll this week, 37 percent of French people sympathise with the demonstrations and 48 percent are against.

Some 60 percent approve mandatory vaccinations.

More than 8,000 people are currently being treated for Covid in French hospitals, with nearly 1,400 in intensive care, the health authorities reported on Wednesday.

Just under 29,000 new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours.

Some 54 percent of the French population are now fully vaccinated.

France's top constitutional authority on Thursday approved a Covid pass that limits access to cafes, restaurants and inter-city trains and planes to people who have been vaccinated or tested negative for the virus.

France's top constitutional authority on Thursday approved a Covid pass that limits access to cafes, restaurants and inter-city trains and planes to people who have been vaccinated or tested negative for the virus. The controversial pass, which will become ubiquitous from Monday, has sparked mass protests, with critics accusing President Emmanuel Macron of running a health "dictatorship". But the Constitutional Court said the restrictions voted by parliament last month represented a "balanced trade-off" between public health concerns and personal freedom. Prime Minister Jean Castex welcomed the court ruling, saying it "will allow the full deployment of our battle strategy against COVID-19". The biggest change concerns restaurants which will now have to turn away patrons who fail to produce the health pass. "There will be a cost, in terms of time spent checking the pass, and in terms of sales because we will lose customers," Herve Becam, vice president of the Umih hotels and restaurants association, told AFP. Cyril Wafik, manager of the Indiana Cafe in central Paris, said the pass presented yet another challenge for many restaurant owners who were already having trouble getting customers to wear masks. 'Not police' "We're not police, that's not our job," he told AFP. "This will affect our relationship with our customers." Visitors to some shopping centres and department stores will also need the pass, as will visitors to hospitals or care homes and people seeking non-urgent medical care. But the absence of a health pass must not be an obstacle to patients receiving treatment, the court ruled. Health workers and others whose job requires them to be in contact with people at risk of Covid must now get vaccinated by law. But the court rejected as "disproportionate" the government's wish to force people with Covid infections into isolation for 10 days. The court's judges also struck down another provision included in the health law that brought in the Covid pass, which would allow employers to dismiss people on fixed-term or temporary contracts if they don't have a pass. The court said this was unfair treatment as employees on open-ended contracts could not be sacked for the same reason. Staff can, however, be suspended from work without pay if they lack a pass if the nature of their job demands it because, for instance, it brings them into contact with the public. The health pass will come into force for young people between 12 and 17 on September 30. Protests against the health pass assembled around 200,000 people across France on Saturday, and organisers have called for more demonstrations this weekend. According to a Montaigne opinion poll this week, 37 percent of French people sympathise with the demonstrations and 48 percent are against. Some 60 percent approve mandatory vaccinations. More than 8,000 people are currently being treated for Covid in French hospitals, with nearly 1,400 in intensive care, the health authorities reported on Wednesday. Just under 29,000 new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours. Some 54 percent of the French population are now fully vaccinated.

French constitutional court backs Macron's Covid pass

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