All posts tagged: Macron

French UNIFIL soldier killed in Lebanon, Hezbollah responsible, says Macron

French UNIFIL soldier killed in Lebanon, Hezbollah responsible, says Macron

Published by Sam Flores

A UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon came under attack with small arms fire Saturday morning, leaving one French peacekeeper dead and three wounded, two of them seriously, French President Emmanuel Macron and the force known as UNIFIL said. Both Macron and the UNIFIL blamed Hezbollah, but the militant group denied involvement.  The attack near the southern Lebanese village of Ghandouriyeh came after a 10-day ceasefire went into effect at midnight Thursday between Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. Read moreMiddle East war live: French UNIFIL soldier killed in Lebanon, Hezbollah responsible, says Macron The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2 when the Iran-backed group launched rockets into Israel after the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing top officials including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  The war, in which Israel invaded parts of Lebanon, left nearly 2,300 people dead in Lebanon, more than 1 million people displaced and caused wide destruction.  “Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media. “France demands that the …

French peacekeeper killed by Hezbollah in Lebanon, Macron says – POLITICO

French peacekeeper killed by Hezbollah in Lebanon, Macron says – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday announced the death of a French soldier serving with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, blaming the Hezbollah militant group and demanding Beirut immediately arrest those responsible. “Chief Sergeant Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment from Montauban fell this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL,” Macron wrote on X Saturday afternoon. “Three of his brothers-in-arms are wounded and have been evacuated.” UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, said initial assessments indicated the fire came from “non-state actors,” allegedly Hezbollah, and that it had opened an investigation into what it described as “a deliberate attack.” Source link

Middle East live: French UNIFIL soldier killed in Lebanon, Hezbollah responsible, says Macron

Middle East live: French UNIFIL soldier killed in Lebanon, Hezbollah responsible, says Macron

Published by Sam Flores

18/04/2026 – 15:01 Iran in charge of management of Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reports, citing first VP Aref 18/04/2026 – 15:00 Strait of Hormuz : Iran to block transit until US lifts its blockade Tensions continue to rise in the Middle East, with Iran briefly reopening the Strait of Hormuz before closing it again after around 20 hours. Tehran says the US is not respecting the terms of the agreement reached, casting further doubt on the fragile deal. Meanwhile, negotiations are still ongoing in Islamabad.   FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Tehran, Reza Sayah, brings the latest developments. 18/04/2026 – 14:58 ‘We’ve lost a lot’: Lebanese residents return to bombed-out homes in south Beirut Beirut’s southern suburbs. © Fadel Itani, AFP Residents on Friday began to return to their homes in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon came into effect. For many, Israel’s relentless bombing campaign has left little to go back to. Read more here: ‘We’ve lost a lot’: Lebanese residents return to bombed-out homes in south Beirut 18/04/2026 – …

Europe to accelerate effort to secure Hormuz despite Trump’s order to ‘STAY AWAY’ – POLITICO

Europe to accelerate effort to secure Hormuz despite Trump’s order to ‘STAY AWAY’ – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

But the exact details of a potential international mission remain sketchy. After the meeting in Paris on Friday, which included leaders from more than two dozen countries via videoconference, Meloni offered to deploy Italian frigates to the region. Germany on Thursday said it would contribute minesweepers. “It’s going in the right direction, even if the opening of Hormuz is conditional to coordination by the Iranian authorities and the United States has said it is going to maintain a targeted blockade,” Macron said. “Recent developments are encouraging but we must take them with caution,” the French leader added. But Europeans are at odds about whether the United States should be included in the mission, with France insisting the mission should only include non-belligerent countries, and Germany keen on including an American contingent. On Friday, that rift still looked open. Merz said it would be “desirable” to include the U.S., while Macron insisted the coalition should be “neutral and separate from the belligerents.” Source link

Macron demands assurances after Iran opens Strait of Hormuz | Military

Macron demands assurances after Iran opens Strait of Hormuz | Military

Published by Sam Flores

NewsFeed French President Emmanuel Macron said he welcomed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the Lebanon ceasefire, as the US and Iran declared the key waterway open. His comments came as European leaders discuss a post-war Hormuz maritime force. Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

France’s Macron Sympathises With Authors Who Quit Bollore-Owned Publisher

France’s Macron Sympathises With Authors Who Quit Bollore-Owned Publisher

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS, April 17 (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron on Friday ⁠defended ⁠editorial diversity after more than ⁠100 authors quit the venerable French publishing house Grasset this ​week in protest at the growing influence of its top investor, conservative billionaire Vincent Bollore. Bollore’s outlets ‌have shifted sharply to the ‌right in recent years, focusing on crime and immigration and giving frequent airtime for ⁠politicians from ⁠Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party. In an open letter, dozens ​of Grasset authors – including Dany Laferriere and Dominique Bona – said they refused to be “hostages in an ideological war that seeks to impose authoritarianism everywhere in culture and the media”. “We don’t want our ​ideas, our work, to be his property,” the authors added. Speaking to reporters at the ⁠Paris ⁠Book Festival, Macron said, “I ⁠think it ​is very important to express and uphold (editorial) diversity, respect for authors, the history of these ​publishing houses and their ⁠identities.” The authors’ protest was prompted by the exit of the publisher’s chief executive, Olivier Nora, who left the publishing …

Macron and Starmer Welcome Hormuz Reopening and Push for Permanent Navigation Security

Macron and Starmer Welcome Hormuz Reopening and Push for Permanent Navigation Security

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS (AP) — The leaders of France and the U.K. on Friday welcomed the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the Strait of Hormuz is open, but said freedom of navigation must be permanently restored to the key oil route choked by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, which Starmer said will be deployed “as soon as conditions allow.” They said military planners will meet in London next week. Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries, Macron said “we all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.” Starmer said the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the waterway is open must become “both lasting and a workable proposal.” The Paris meeting is part of attempts by sidelined nations to ease the impact of a conflict they didn’t start and haven’t joined, but that has sent the global economy reeling. Petroleum prices soared after the war …

Online age checks are coming in Europe – POLITICO

Online age checks are coming in Europe – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Gaining momentum Von der Leyen’s announcement — although technical — is indicative of the huge momentum behind social media bans to keep kids and teenagers away from platforms and their addictive algorithms. Seven countries that had already been working on their own apps in coordination with the EU will deploy their versions by the end of the year, the senior Commission official said: Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Spain. The app gives people three ways to prove their age: passports, national IDs and a third way dubbed a “QR code” under which a trusted provider such as a school or a bank can attest to a user’s age. The application will then store the information as to whether the user is over 13, 15 or 18 years of age without retaining other data, the Commission official said. Online services, like adult content sites or social media, can then call on the app to check if a user is over a certain age. Von der Leyen will present the solution to EU leaders on …

Britain won’t support Trump’s Iran blockade, says Starmer – POLITICO

Britain won’t support Trump’s Iran blockade, says Starmer – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Starmer added on X: “This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard shipping when the conflict ends.” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform Sunday that the U.S. would be “blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the strait of Hormuz” shipping route in the Middle East. It follows the failure of the first round of peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend. Starmer declined, when asked, to blame the U.S. for rising costs, instead accusing Iran of breaking international law by restricting vessels through the Persian Gulf. Increased costs to U.K. consumers are “largely because of Iran’s actions in closing or partially-closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. Clea Caulcutt contributed reporting. Source link

No, Emmanuel Macron did not share a (fake) photo of Melania Trump with Jeffrey Epstein

No, Emmanuel Macron did not share a (fake) photo of Melania Trump with Jeffrey Epstein

Published by Sam Flores

In the wake of recent tensions between Trump and the Macrons, a false claim has surfaced online. Since April 6, a wave of Spanish-speaking social media posts has alleged that the French President “ridiculed” Trump by sharing an “image of his wife alongside Jeffrey Epstein”. The posts feature a purported leaked image from the Epstein files appearing to show disgraced financier Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, embracing and kissing Melania Trump. One specific post, shared on X on April 8, has already amassed nearly six million views. No publication from Macron One of the first to circulate the rumour appears to be Egyptian journalist Nabil Omran, who posted the image in question to Facebook on April 5 with the caption, “Macron avenges his dignity.” This image was shared by Egyptian journalist Nabil Omran on his Facebook account. “Macron avenges his dignity… He publishes a photo of Trump’s wife […] with her lover,” the text reads. © Nabil Omran / The Observers This is a direct reference to the controversy sparked by Donald Trump’s …