PARIS: France’s new right-wing prime minister Friday sought to cobble together a government capable of mustering parliament backing, as critics lambasted the president for turning the far right into a kingmaker after snap polls.
Michel Barnier, a 73-year-old former foreign minister who recently acted as the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, is the oldest premier in the history of modern France.
Consultations were going “very well” and were “full of energy,” the veteran conservative politician told the press around midday before lunch with President Emmanuel Macron.
The country’s centrist leader named the right-winger after snap polls in July intended to distance the far right from power backfired and plunged the country into two months of political deadlock.
Macron took the risk of dissolving parliament in June after the far right trounced his alliance in European elections.
But the results saw Macron’s centrist alliance lose its relative majority in the lower-house National Assembly.
A left-wing alliance emerged as France’s biggest political force, but without enough seats for an overall majority.
Instead the anti-immigration far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen became the single largest party in the lower chamber of the European Union’s second largest economy.
The RN has the most votes in any confidence motion, followed by Macron’s centrist group.
After rejecting a candidate suggested by the left-wing alliance, Macron chose Barnier to replace 35-year-old Gabriel Attal — a centrist half his age who was the country’s first openly gay premier.
Le Pen, who leads RN lawmakers in parliament, has said her party would not be part of the new cabinet, and would wait for Barnier’s first policy speech in front of parliament to decide whether or not to back him.
The left in particular has reeled at Barnier’s nomination and will likely seek to topple him in the lower house.
Manuel Bompard, coordinator of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), accused Macron of “betraying” the voters who in the second round of the elections of July 7 had voted tactically to prevent the far right coming to power.
“It’s a Macron-Le Pen government. It can only see the light of day because the National Rally has decided to give it its blessing,” he told BFMTV, describing the three-time presidential candidate as a “kingmaker” for Macron.
Lucie Castets, the 37-year-old economist who the left wanted to become premier, told RTL she was “very angry.”
“The president is placing himself in cohabitation with the National Rally,” she said, vowing to table a motion of no confidence against Barnier.
Le Monde daily described Barnier as a “prime minister under the surveillance of the RN.”
The left-leaning Liberation daily put a picture of Barnier on its front page with “approved by Marine Le Pen” as a rubber stamp.
Barnier has pledged to take on his new task with “humility.”
He said education, security and “immigration control” were his priorities and said he would be unafraid to speak the truth on the country’s “financial debt,” but also promised “change.”
On Friday morning, Barnier met Attal, as leader of the president’s centrist Together for the Republic (EPR) group in parliament, leaders of his own Republicans (LR) party to discuss the make-up of a new cabinet.
The LR leader in the lower house, Laurent Wauquiez, told the press his party had conditioned any participation in the cabinet on Barnier’s intended policies.
“We want to lift France out of the impasse,” he said.
“But we will only do so with a program that guarantees the preoccupations of French are addressed.”
France’s new PM constructs cabinet under far right shadow
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France’s new PM constructs cabinet under far right shadow
- The 73-year-old, a former foreign minister who recently acted as the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, is the oldest premier in the history of modern France
Greta Thunberg says Trump ‘more dangerous’ but blasts Harris on Gaza
- Thunberg urged Americans to go beyond exercising their right to vote and take direct action
STOCKHOLM: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday labelled Donald Trump the “more dangerous” option in next week’s US presidential election but slammed the incumbent administration for its support of Israel.
With the United States heading to the polls on November 5, the 21-year-old activist said in a post on X that it was “probably impossible to overestimate the consequences this specific election will have for the world and for the future of humanity.”
“There is no doubt that one of the candidates — Trump — is way more dangerous than the other,” Thunberg said.
But she also slammed sitting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris — who is running against former president Donald Trump — for their backing of Israel and its offensive in Gaza.
“Let’s not forget that the genocide in Palestine is happening under the Biden and Harris administration, with American money and complicity,” Thunberg said.
“It is not in any way ‘feminist’, ‘progressive’ or ‘humanitarian’ to bomb innocent children and civilians — it is the opposite, even if it is a woman in charge.”
Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year triggered the war in Gaza and resulted in 1,206 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground war have killed at least 43,259 Palestinians in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
Thunberg urged Americans to go beyond exercising their right to vote and take direct action such as protests and boycotts against the “catastrophic consequences of American imperialism.”
“My main message to Americans is to remember that you cannot only settle for the least worst option,” Thunberg said.
UK schools see rise in white poppy interest to show Gaza solidarity
- Britons wear red poppies in November to remember fallen servicemen, women
- White poppy makes distinction of also remembering civilian casualties of war
London: Schools in the UK are ordering large numbers of white poppies for children to show solidarity with the people of Gaza, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The UK celebrates Remembrance Sunday every November to reflect on the sacrifices made by men and women who have served the country, with red poppies traditionally worn to commemorate the dead and raise money for veterans and their families.
The white poppy has gained popularity in recent years as an alternative, having first been worn in 1933 by those wishing to promote peace rather than celebrate war, and to remember civilians as well as combatants.
The Peace Pledge Union, the organization that distributes white poppies, said it received increased orders from schools this year, with teachers citing the war in Gaza as a key reason for children wanting to wear them. Demand went up 27 percent since the start of the war in October last year, it added.
“It is heartening that a growing number of young people are turning to the white poppy, for the light it sheds on today’s conflicts,” said Geoff Tibbs, a project manager at the PPU.
“Many are alienated by the mainstream tradition of Remembrance Day, as it fails to acknowledge civilians and people of other nationalities affected by wars today.”
Schools that offer white poppies to pupils also tend to offer red ones, which are provided by a military charity, the Royal British Legion.
An RBL spokesman told the Telegraph: “The RBL defends the right to wear different poppies. The RBL’s red poppy honours all those who have sacrificed their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy today; including the freedom to wear the poppy of your choice.”
Germans should leave Iran or risk being held hostage, says Berlin
BERLIN: Germany has long had a travel warning for Iran and asked nationals to leave because, as seen from the execution of a German-Iranian national, Tehran takes German citizens hostage, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in Berlin on Friday.
“We have long had a travel warning for Iran and a request to Germans in Iran to leave the country because we saw from the Jamshid Sharmahd case that Iran is taking German citizens hostage,” said the spokesperson at a government news conference.
“We want to spare other German citizens this fate.”
Filipinos honor their dead with flowers, food in All Saints’ Day rites
- All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are jointly referred to in the Philippines as Undas
- Around 4 million Filipinos are expected to head to their native provinces this weekend
Manila: Millions of Filipinos flocked to cemeteries across the country on Friday, braving massive crowds, traffic, and extreme weather to honor their departed loved ones during the annual holidays dedicated to the dead.
The threats posed by a tropical storm in parts of the Philippines this week could not stop the throngs of people at seaports, airports, and bus terminals as they rushed from the main cities to their family towns and villages for Undas — the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day celebrations.
In Manila, school and work stopped at noon on Oct. 31 to give people enough time to travel and avoid heavy traffic, as authorities expected around 4 million to head to their native provinces this weekend.
Preparations for the holiday usually begin days in advance, with families cleaning their ancestral graves, lighting candles, and placing flower bouquets on the tomb markers.
“We visit our dearly departed every chance we get. It’s just that on this day, everyone in the family is present,” said Maria Imelda Austria, a 51-year-old teacher for whom Undas was also an occasion to uphold her mother’s tradition.
“I make sure my parents get the nicest flower arrangements to keep my promise to them (to do so) when they were still alive. Also, we try to do what my mother used to do, that is pray the rosary and pray for the poor souls in purgatory.”
The tradition in the Catholic-majority nation is one of the many religious practices passed on by the Spanish who colonized the Philippines for over 300 years.
The Filipino word “Undas” stems from the Spanish phrase “Dia de los Todos Santos” or “All Saints’ Day.”
Food plays a significant role in the observance, with more traditional communities preparing their deceased relatives’ favorite dishes and serving them on their graves as an offering. Some households spread grains of uncooked rice on the floor to track the brief earthly visits of the departed, which are believed to occur during Undas. A change in the grain placement signifies that the spirits of their relatives have passed through.
For most, however, the holiday becomes an opportunity for family reunions, making it a highly anticipated event for Filipinos that usually calls for feasts.
“It is a happy occasion because we get to see our relatives and bond with them while enjoying food,” Anna Maria Batungbacal, a 46-year-old civil servant, told Arab News.
“But it can be sad as well when you remember those that aren’t with you anymore, especially when someone has just recently passed.”
For Criena House, the Undas reunions were like a “potluck,” with everyone bringing food.
“Everyone from different parts of the Philippines will come home. Sometimes they’ll be from other countries,” the 34-year-old actress-entrepreneur said.
“You just eat, you catch up with family, you can play music depending on where you are … It’s not rude to do that. It’s okay to smile and take pictures and pose with your family and the dead behind you.”
Undas is also an experience of learning about her community and its history — something she remembers from childhood, when her mother would take her around to the different grave sites of people she knew or who had a significant impact on their lives.
Her mother would point to a grave, exclaiming “that used to be my teacher over there, that used to be the ex-mayor over there,” she said.
The tradition is something House is keen to pass on to her Filipino-American husband and 2-year-old son.
“I had to explain to my husband that this is not just a day, it’s also kind of like a special week, like Thanksgiving or Christmas,” she said.
“He’s still adjusting to it, but for me it’s very fun because I’m seeing everyone, even if I don’t know the people around me. It’s like you’re getting to know your community.”
North Korean foreign minister arrives in Moscow for talks
- The visit comes after Pyongyang tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile this week
- Washington says there are 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia
MOSCOW: North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has arrived in Moscow and will hold strategic consultations with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the ministry, in a post on her official Telegram channel, published photographs of Lavrov meeting Choe at a Moscow train station.
“Today, talks between the heads of Russia and the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) will be held in Moscow. Sergei Lavrov greeted his counterpart with a bouquet of flowers,” said Zakharova.
“The meeting began at the Yaroslavsky railway station (in Moscow), where a memorial plaque was unveiled to mark the occasion of Kim Il Sung’s 1949 visit to the USSR,” she said, referring to the founder of the DPRK.
The visit, Choe’s second in six weeks, comes after Pyongyang tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile this week and as Washington says there are 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia, including as many as 8,000 deployed in Russia’s Kursk region where Ukrainian troops have dug in.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the United States expected the North Korean troops in Kursk region to enter the fight against Ukraine in the coming days.
Moscow has neither denied nor directly confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on its soil. President Vladimir Putin has said it is for Russia to decide how to implement a treaty he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June that includes a mutual defense clause.