PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has made an impassioned defense of a new Europe in a newspaper column published in each of the 28 member states in which he laid out his ideas for a “European renaissance” ahead of elections across the bloc in May.
Calling the vote “decisive” and warning of Europe being in danger, his words are intended as a wake-up call for the bloc as he seeks to push fundamental reform of the European Union.
Macron’s column coincides with rising tensions in the West, which has been shaken by US President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies and Britain’s departure from the EU. A more assertive China and Russia also pose major challenges.
A number of proposals made in the column which will appear on Tuesday in newspapers ranging from the Guardian in Britain to Die Welt in Germany and El Paris in Spain aim at protecting and defending Europe’s citizens while giving the bloc new impetus in face of global competition.
“In a few weeks, the European elections will be decisive for the future of our continent. Europe has never been as necessary since World War 2 as it is now and yet never has Europe been in such danger,” Macron wrote. “Nationalism offers nothing. It is a project of rejection.”
Ahead of EU elections, Macron unveils plan for “European renaissance”
Ahead of EU elections, Macron unveils plan for “European renaissance”
- “Nationalism offers nothing. It is a project of rejection,” Macron says in column
Australian museum recovers Egyptian artifacts after break-in
- The suspect told police that he believed the museum had links to the Catholic Church, the prosecutor was quoted as telling the court
SYDNEY: Australian police have recovered a trove of stolen Egyptian artifacts and charged a 52-year-old man with a nighttime smash-and-grab at a museum.
The man was accused of breaking a window and making off with the priceless treasures in the early hours of Friday from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in the Queensland town of Caboolture.
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Police said they found all the stolen goods — except for a wooden cat sculpture — with only minor damage. They arrested the suspect.
Police said they found all the stolen goods — except for a wooden cat sculpture — with only minor damage when they searched a car the following day at a ferry terminal south of the museum. They arrested the suspect on the same evening.
“Police will allege the man was found in possession of the last missing artifact, the wooden cat sculpture,” they said.
The man, named by local media as Miguel Simon Mungarrieta Monsalve, was charged with various counts, including breaking and entering, and three counts of wilful damage.
In court on Monday, a prosecutor said the man stole a mummy mask, a collar, a piece of jewelry and the wooden cat while also causing “irreparable damage” to other items, according to public broadcaster ABC.
The suspect told police that he believed the museum had links to the Catholic Church, the prosecutor was quoted as telling the court. The museum said it was “relieved and grateful” to get the artifacts back, but they could not go back on display immediately.
“Each piece must first undergo professional assessment and conservation to protect its long-term future.”
