After Olympic dream, a rude political awakening for Macron?

After Olympic dream, a rude political awakening for Macron?
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, during the US-France fight for the Paris 2024 Olympics basketball men's gold medal game at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 10, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 11 August 2024
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After Olympic dream, a rude political awakening for Macron?

After Olympic dream, a rude political awakening for Macron?
  • France still does not have a new prime minister five weeks after the elections that ended with three major blocs in parliament, with the left as the largest

PARIS: The success of the Olympic Games has surpassed the wildest dreams of many in France but in the next weeks President Emmanuel Macron still will have to face the reality of the deadlocked politics created by his calling of snap legislative elections.
With the Games just around the corner, the polls left France with three major blocs in parliament — the left as the largest followed by Macron’s centrist forces and the far right — with none of them close to mustering the numbers for an overall majority.
The former government of Macron allies, under Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, has carried on in a caretaker capacity throughout the Games, but five weeks after the elections, the country still does not have a new prime minister.
Macron may be hoping that the Games boost his embattled fortunes in the same way that France’s winning and hosting of the 1998 football World Cup dragged up former president Jacques Chirac’s popularity ratings.
But even with Paris set to continue basking in the limelight while hosting the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8, Macron faces a potentially fraught return to reality.
While the Games have lifted what was a morose mood in France, it is far from certain this will give a new impulse to the remaining three years of the unpopular president’s mandate.

“The fact that things are going well, that we are seen as beautiful and successful abroad, has struck a chord in a country that was experiencing decline and was no longer capable of doing great things collectively,” said prominent political commentator Emmanuel Riviere.
“This changes the collective climate but not the political situation: the situation remains blocked, many voters are frustrated... The French are putting things into perspective and remain very angry with Emmanuel Macron.”
Macron’s approval ratings remain well under 30 percent, with the president keeping a low profile during the election campaign and the Games, spending most of the Olympics ensconced in the Mediterranean holiday residence of the French president and making only occasional visits to Paris.
“The country needed this moment of coming together. In terms of the political impact, I remain very reserved,” one minister from the outgoing government, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
When it comes to the Olympics, “we cannot make it a partisan success,” added another.

The number one priority for Macron will be naming, and winning approval for, a new prime minister and government, a process that appears to remain as blocked as it was before the Games.
The left-wing New Popular Front, which emerged as the largest faction post-election, has said it wants the economist Lucie Castets to be the new premier.
Macron’s forces have shown little interest in the idea, preferring an alliance with the traditional right, with the name of former Chirac-era minister and current head of the northern Hauts de France region, Xavier Bertrand, frequently cited as a candidate to lead a center-focused coalition.
Outgoing equality minister Aurore Berge named Bertrand as a possible candidate alongside the likes of former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and Senate speaker Gerard Larcher, saying he had “solid experience of government, parliament and compromise.”
Naming him would be an “aberration,” objected Castets, while Greens leader Marine Tondelier accused Macron of exploiting the political “truce” he called for the Olympics.
“This Olympic truce is not just because Emmanuel Macron is tired, it is because he wants time” and “to obstruct any attempt at political change,” she said.

There had been expectation that Macron could name the new premier in the window between the Olympics, which close on Sunday, and the opening of the Paralympics on August 28.
But as visitors and Parisians gasp in awe for a last time at the Olympic cauldron tethered to a balloon, sources within the executive are playing down the prospects of a rapid breakthrough.
“It (the Olympics) will calm things down in the sense that the idea that we work together will be less absurd,” said a senior figure close to Macron, asking not to be named.
“But it’s not because we went to take selfies in front of the cauldron with half of Paris that we’re suddenly going to form a coalition.”
Macron, known to use his vacations at the Fort de Bregancon holiday residence for deep reading and reflection, is “still thinking,” according to a person close to him.


US troops need to stay in Syria to counter the Daesh group, defense chief Austin says

US troops need to stay in Syria to counter the Daesh group, defense chief Austin says
Updated 59 min 38 sec ago
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US troops need to stay in Syria to counter the Daesh group, defense chief Austin says

US troops need to stay in Syria to counter the Daesh group, defense chief Austin says
  • According to estimates, there are as many as 8,000-10,000 Daesh fighters in the camps
  • The continued presence of US troops was put into question after a lightning insurgency ousted Assad on Dec. 8, ending his family’s decadeslong rule

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany: The US needs to keep troops deployed in Syria to prevent the Daesh group (also known as ISIS) from reconstituting as a major threat following the ouster of Bashar Assad’s government, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told The Associated Press.
American forces are still needed there, particularly to ensure the security of detention camps holding tens of thousands of former Daesh fighters and family members, Austin said Wednesday in one of his final interviews before he leaves office.
According to estimates, there are as many as 8,000-10,000 Daesh fighters in the camps, and at least 2,000 of them are considered to be very dangerous.
If Syria is left unprotected, “I think IS fighters would enter back into the mainstream,” Austin said at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he traveled to discuss military aid for Ukraine with about 50 partner nations. He was using another acronym for the Daesh group.
“I think that we still have some work to do in terms of keeping a foot on the throat of Daesh,” he said.
President-elect Donald Trump tried to withdraw all forces from Syria in 2018 during his first term, which prompted the resignation of former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. As the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group, or HTS, advanced against Assad last month, Trump posted on social media that the US military needed to stay out of the conflict.
The US has about 2,000 troops in Syria to counter Daesh, up significantly from the 900 forces that officials said for years was the total number there. They were sent in 2015 after the militant group had conquered a large swath of Syria.
The continued presence of US troops was put into question after a lightning insurgency ousted Assad on Dec. 8, ending his family’s decadeslong rule.
US forces have worked with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on operations against Daesh, providing cover for the group that Turkiye considers an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which it identifies as a terror organization.
The Syrian transitional government is still taking shape, and uncertainty remains on what that will mean going forward.
The SDF “have been good partners. At some point, the SDF may very well be absorbed into the Syrian military and then Syria would own all the (Daesh detention) camps and hopefully keep control of them,” Austin said. “But for now I think we have to protect our interests there.”


Russian strike kills 13 in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia

Russian strike kills 13 in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia
Updated 09 January 2025
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Russian strike kills 13 in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia

Russian strike kills 13 in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia
  • The blast left bodies strewn across a road alongside injured residents
  • Public transport was also damaged in the strike

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine: A Russian guided bomb attack on Wednesday killed at least 13 people and injured 63 in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, authorities said.
The blast left bodies strewn across a road alongside injured residents. Public transport was also damaged in the strike.
Prosecutors in the region said 63 people had been injured. Rescue work had been completed at the site of the attack.
High-rise apartment blocks were damaged along with an industrial facility and other infrastructure, Ukraine’s prosecutor general office said on Telegram. The debris hit a tram and a bus with passengers inside, it added.
As emergency workers tried to resuscitate a man, raging flames, smoke and burnt cars could be seen in the background.
Russian troops had used two guided bombs to hit a residential area, the regional governor Ivan Fedorov told reporters.
At least four of the injured were rushed to hospital in serious condition, Fedorov said, adding that Thursday would be an official day of mourning.
“There is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X, urging Ukraine’s Western allies to step up pressure on Russia.
Regional authorities reported further explosions after the first strike hit.
Fedorov said Russian troops shelled the town of Stepnohirsk, south of Zaporizhzhia, killing two people. Two residents were pulled alive from underneath rubble.
Russia regularly carries out air strikes on the Zaporizhzhia region, which its forces partially occupy, and its capital. Moscow claims to have annexed the Ukrainian region along with four others including Crimea.
Public broadcaster Suspilne also reported two people killed and 10 injured in attacks on several centers in the southern region of Kherson, also partially occupied by Russian forces.


US to announce new weapons package for Ukraine as defense leaders prepare to meet in Germany

US to announce new weapons package for Ukraine as defense leaders prepare to meet in Germany
Updated 08 January 2025
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US to announce new weapons package for Ukraine as defense leaders prepare to meet in Germany

US to announce new weapons package for Ukraine as defense leaders prepare to meet in Germany
  • The group’s future is unclear with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on Jan. 20
  • Advisers to Trump have floated proposals to end the Ukraine war that would cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future

WASHINGTON: The US is expected to announce $500 million in military aid for Ukraine on Thursday at a final gathering of President Joe Biden’s weapons pledging conferences, meetings Kyiv says have been critical to its defense against Russia.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), comprised of about 50 allies who usually meet every few months at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was started in 2022 by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to speed and synchronize the delivery of arms to Kyiv.
The group’s future is unclear with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on Jan. 20. Advisers to Trump have floated proposals to end the Ukraine war that would cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future.
Washington has committed more than $63.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and the additional $500 million could be announced later on Wednesday, a US official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
On Thursday, the defense leaders will meet at Ramstein Air Base for the 25th UDCG meeting.
“We’re not sunsetting the group. The next administration is completely welcome and encouraged ... to take the mantle of this 50 country strong group and continue to drive and lead through it,” said a senior US defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“It will endure in some capacity, in some form going forward, I believe, regardless of exactly how the next team does or doesn’t pursue it,” the official said.
Trump will have a few billion dollars in appropriated money that he could use for Ukraine’s military needs once he takes office.
The official added that the Thursday meeting would look to endorse roadmaps for Ukraine’s military needs and objectives through 2027.
More than 12,300 civilians have been killed in the Ukraine war since Russia invaded nearly three years ago, the United Nations said, noting a spike in casualties due to the use of drones, long-range missiles and glide bombs.
Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces were “commencing new offensive actions” in Russia’s western Kursk region.
Ukraine first seized part of the Kursk region in a surprise incursion last August, and it has held territory there for five months despite losing some ground.
The apparent escalation in the fighting in the Kursk region comes at a critical time for Ukraine, whose outnumbered and outgunned troops are struggling to repel Russian advances in the east.


Gunfire heard near presidency in Chad capital

Gunfire heard near presidency in Chad capital
Updated 08 January 2025
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Gunfire heard near presidency in Chad capital

Gunfire heard near presidency in Chad capital
  • A security source said armed men had attacked the interior of the presidential compound

N’DJAMENA: Sustained gunfire was heard Wednesday evening near the presidency in Chad’s capital N’Djamena, AFP reporters said.
A security source said armed men had attacked the interior of the presidential compound but authorities made no immediate comment.
All roads leading to the presidency have been blocked and tanks could be seen on the streets of the capital, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.
The gunfire erupted less than two weeks after the landlocked country in Africa’s northern half held a contested general election.
The government hailed it as a key step toward ending military rule, but it was marked by low turnout and opposition allegations of fraud.
The election had taken place against a backdrop of recurring attacks by the jihadist group Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, the ending of a military accord with former colonial master France, and accusations that Chad was interfering in the conflict ravaging neighboring Sudan.
Several hours earlier on Tuesday, China’s foreign minister Wang Li met with President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno and other senior officials.
The former French colony hosted France’s last military bases in the region known as the Sahel, but at the end of November it ended the defense and security agreements with Paris.
Around a thousand French military personnel were stationed there, and are in the process of being withdrawn.
France is now reconfiguring its military presence in Africa after being driven out of three Sahelian countries governed by juntas hostile to Paris — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Senegal and the Ivory Coast have also asked France to leave military bases on their territory.


Baby born on migrant vessel in Atlantic: Spanish rescuers

Baby born on migrant vessel in Atlantic: Spanish rescuers
Updated 08 January 2025
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Baby born on migrant vessel in Atlantic: Spanish rescuers

Baby born on migrant vessel in Atlantic: Spanish rescuers
  • “Christmas ended in the Canaries with the rescue of a baby born while crossing the sea,” the coast guard said
  • A record 46,843 undocumented migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024

MADRID: Spanish coast guards rescued a baby that was born on an inflatable vessel carrying migrants to the Canary Islands, authorities said on Wednesday.
The newborn was recovered safely along with their mother on Monday, the coast guard service said in a message on X.
They were the latest to make the crossing that has seen thousands drown as migrants try to reach the Atlantic archipelago from Africa.
“Christmas ended in the Canaries with the rescue of a baby born while crossing the sea,” the coast guard said.
A coast guard boat “rescued a mother who had given birth aboard the inflatable craft in which she was traveling with a large group of people.”
The two were taken by helicopter to Arrecife on the island of Lanzarote, it added.
A record 46,843 undocumented migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 via the Atlantic route, official data showed this month.