Latest news with #BastilleDay
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
French culture minister Dati, ex-auto CEO Ghosn to stand trial for graft
FILE PHOTO: French Culture Minister Rachida Dati arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo PARIS - French judges on Tuesday ordered that French Culture Minister Rachida Dati and former automobile executive Carlos Ghosn must stand trial for alleged corruption and abuse of power in a case focusing on consulting fees, a judicial source said. The French prosecutor's office for financial crimes (PNF) had requested in November 2024 that Dati, widely expected to run for the post of Paris mayor in March 2026, and former Renault-Nissan boss Ghosn be tried as part of its investigation into corruption. Investigators had been probing the consulting fees Dati once received from the Renault-Nissan auto alliance, which hired her as a consultant after she stepped down as justice minister in 2009 to stand for the European Parliament. Dati has denied irregularities in the fees she received during that time, and Ghosn, who fled from Japan in a box aboard a private jet to Lebanon, has denied allegations of misconduct against him. Representatives for Dati had no immediate comment, while Ghosn's representatives could not immediately be reached for comment. Ghosn, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenships, has not left Lebanon since 2019 because of an Interpol Red Notice issued by Japan. REUTERS
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
France a key player in Europe's rise in global defense market
On the eve of Bastille Day, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a major strengthening of France's defense forces, stressing the need for the country to become the world's leading military power, capable of acting independently amid mounting global threats. At the core of this pivot lies a stark admission: France is falling behind. While Russia and China are rapidly advancing in emerging technologies, ranging from artificial intelligence and drone warfare to space, cyber and quantum capabilities, France currently maintains its defense spending at about 2 percent of gross domestic product, well below NATO's new 3.5 percent benchmark. However, it remains the world's second-largest arms exporter, holding 9.6 percent of the global market share, a position largely sustained by strong demand from its NATO allies and Eastern European partners. Now, Macron has committed to an unprecedented budgetary increase. An additional €6.5 billion ($7.5 billion) will be injected into defense spending over the next two years, bringing the total to €64 billion in 2027, double what the military received when Macron first entered office in 2017. This surge follows a scale-up in production of radars, Mistral and Aster missiles, Caesar howitzers and Rafale fighter jets. For France's strategic elite, this investment is also political. Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Thierry Burkhard recently declared France to be Moscow's priority target. And Macron is betting on a renewed defense consensus to deflect criticism of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's contentious austerity plan, which is aimed at recovering €40 billion. This year's Bastille Day parade showcased France's heightened military ambitions with a broader array of weaponry and troops Zaid M. Belbagi The message was on full display during this year's Bastille Day military parade, which showcased France's heightened military ambitions with a broader array of weaponry and troops. The parade also underscored European solidarity, as it featured Swiss F/A-18s and Belgian F-16s flying alongside French forces. The message was clear: European airpower must be interoperable, united and ready. France's 2025 National Strategic Review echoes this vision, calling for a 'wartime economy' and greater European defense sovereignty, particularly through joint procurement and production funding within the European Defence Technology Industrial Base. As outlined in the March 2025 European Defence White Paper, France and Germany aim to lead an EU-wide rearmament push. Shared investment in scalable capabilities is designed to optimize both cost-efficiency and industrial output. Landmark projects like the French-German Future Combat Air System fighter program and the Main Ground Combat System tank initiative have now been joined by German-British collaborations on Boxer armored vehicles and Typhoon jets, offering a glimpse into the kind of coordinated military-industrial momentum that Europe's defense ambitions increasingly rely on. Yet this internal consolidation has come with geopolitical trade-offs. While France maintains its strategic foothold in Djibouti, it has scaled back its military footprint across Africa under Macron, having officially withdrawn from its posts in Senegal this month, alongside earlier departures from Ivory Coast, Gabon, Chad and Niger. These exits reflect both waning French influence and the rise of anti-French sentiment driven by stronger demands for national sovereignty across the continent. In response, Paris is shifting its focus eastward. The Middle East and North Africa region now forms the southern flank of Europe's security arc, a strategic frontier less shaped by Washington's hand and increasingly central to European defense planning. France, like Germany and the UK, has moved to deepen ties across the Gulf and North Africa. Today, it conducts regular joint exercises and maintains close counterterrorism cooperation with the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco. Since 2009, France has maintained a robust military presence in the UAE, running air, naval and land bases. Abu Dhabi's €16 billion acquisition of 80 Rafale aircraft from Dassault Aviation in 2021 marked a significant strengthening of this partnership. The deal elevated their industrial cooperation and expanded France's deployment in the region, with 800 troops supporting, among other things, training initiatives on Emirati soil. Diplomatic activity has intensified during Macron's second term. In December last year, the French president made a state visit to Riyadh, following the emir of Qatar's official visit to Paris in February 2024. Just last month, Paris hosted the third France-Qatar Strategic Dialogue, a forum that reaffirmed the two nations' mutual commitment to deeper defense and security cooperation. These developments signal a decisive reorientation of France's security architecture toward the Mediterranean arc Zaid M. Belbagi France's National Strategic Review confirms plans to further reinforce partnerships with key MENA states, including Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. These countries are no longer regarded merely as clients but increasingly as co-producers of regional stability. In a notable example, Macron welcomed UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to Paris in February for a working dinner centered on joint projects valued at approximately €50 billion. Among these, Emirati artificial intelligence companies are set to build Europe's largest AI campus in France, anchored by a data center with a capacity of up to 1 gigawatt. France's maritime security initiatives are also expanding. Since February 2024, Paris has led Operation Aspides, the EU's naval mission protecting Red Sea shipping routes from Houthi attacks. France also plays a critical role in the Mediterranean, enforcing the arms embargo on Libya under the EU's Operation Irini and carrying out joint naval maneuvers with Egypt and Morocco. While advancing its Euro-MENA posture, Paris continues to underline the importance of strategic ties with both the US and Israel, recognizing their central roles in shaping the region's defense dynamics. As such, these developments signal a decisive reorientation of France's security architecture toward the Mediterranean arc. As Russian aggression intensifies and tensions escalate across the Middle East, especially involving Iran, France is actively working to shape a Euro-MENA security order. In this emerging landscape, partners like Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE and Qatar are no longer seen simply as arms buyers. They are becoming equal stakeholders in a shared pursuit of strategic autonomy, shaped by joint production, collective deterrence and a more balanced diplomatic order. Amid Germany's rearmament and France's assertive defense agenda, Europe is stepping up as a rising force in the global defense market. This shift not only opens new avenues for MENA countries to deepen security and defense partnerships with European powers, but also raises important questions about the future of their long-standing cooperation with global heavyweights like the US, China and Russia — countries that have long held dominant military footprints in the region. As the balance of power evolves, so too does the shape of strategic alliances across the Middle East.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Anwar's brief visit to France still meaningful, says Mohamad Hasan
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's short visit to France during the country's Bastille Day was meaningful, especially due to bilateral discussions held with President Emmanuel Macron, the Dewan Rakyat heard today. In denying claims that Anwar was not accorded high-level honours during his recent visit to France, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said that although the visit was not an official one, the prime minister was still given the honour of inspecting the guard of honour. "It was actually a short visit by the prime minister, en route to Rio de Janeiro to attend the BRICS Summit in Brazil. "From our side at Wisma Putra, we took note of longstanding invitations from both Italy and France for the prime minister to visit and we took the opportunity to include stopovers in those countries as part of the travel itinerary. "Nonetheless, even during the stopover, the prime minister was accorded high-level honours, including an inspection of the guard of honour, as such, it would not be accurate to say that the prime minister's visit to France was meaningless. "On the contrary, it was meaningful, especially due to the bilateral discussions between Anwar and Macron, including a four-eye meeting," he said during the question and answer session in Dewan Rakyat, today. Mohamad said this in response to Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang), who questioned the diplomatic significance of Anwar's stop in Paris, suggesting that there was no wide media coverage and that it was a missed opportunity for Malaysia to strengthen strategic ties with France. Wan Ahmad Fayshal also questioned why Anwar, despite serving as Asean Chair, was not given similar recognition asregional leaders such as former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1997, Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong in 2018, and Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto in 2025, who were extended high-level invitations to France. Meanwhile, Mohamad said that the same level of engagement took place during Anwar's stop in Italy and said if a full state visit to France were to take place in the future, it would be conducted with the same level of formality and respect as other official visits to foreign nations. "If, in future, we proceed with an official state visit to France, God willing, I believe it will be received with the same level of formality and honour as our other official visits to various countries." Anwar, earlier this month, visited France at the invitation of Macron, where the two leaders discussed a one-on-one meeting on issues related to trade, investment, renewable energy, semiconductors, defence, education, digital economy, and artificial intelligence (AI). Macron has described Anwar's two-day visit to France as a success, with the two nations reviving partnerships across all sectors. Macron also called the visit meaningful, as it had been 15 years since the last official visit by a high-ranking Malaysian official. He expressed delight to see both countries signing agreements in areas such as minerals and aircraft purchases.
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First Post
3 days ago
- First Post
France: Masked rioters unleashes violence on highway in Limoges, clashes with police
A violent overnight attack in the French city of Limoges saw dozens of masked individuals armed with weapons clash with police and target vehicles on a major highway. Authorities suspect the incident, which left nine officers injured, was linked to a gang turf war. read more Police stand at the front of the Richmond Road Baptist Church as other officers maintain a perimeter following a shooting at the church in Lexington, Ky. AP Dozens of masked attackers armed with metal rods, fireworks, and Molotov cocktails clashed with police and targeted vehicles on a highway in central France's Limoges early Saturday, officials said. The violent overnight incident left nine police officers injured and is believed to be linked to a turf war between gangs, according to authorities. The attackers attempted to block the RN141 highway, disrupting traffic and confronting police with weapons ranging from stones and iron bars to petrol bombs. Officers responded with tear gas and crowd-control measures. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'There were between 100 and 150 masked individuals, armed and prepared,' said local police union leader Laurent Nadeau. Limoges Mayor Émile Roger Lombertie described the group as an 'urban guerrilla' unit. 'This wasn't a protest or demonstration. There was no message, no cause—just destruction and a show of force,' he said. Prosecutors confirmed that several vehicles, including those carrying families with children, were attacked. While no motorists were physically harmed, many were left deeply shaken. The violence comes in the middle of France's busy summer tourism season. Just days earlier, unrest had broken out in the nearby Val de l'Aurence area on Bastille Day, July 14. The mayor described the neighborhood—home to many immigrants and known for poverty—as a 'lawless zone.' Limoges prosecutor Émilie Abrantes acknowledged the area's reputation for drug activity but said there was no clear link between the attack and recent anti-drug operations. France's interior ministry has announced that a special security force will be deployed to Limoges to restore order.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
As World War II ended, the French Riviera became a 'GI's heaven'
Blues, pinks, reds… Multicolored sparks lit up the sky over Nice on the evening of July 4, 1945. Ten days before the traditional Bastille Day festivities, the city was celebrating on the Baie des Anges. The war already seemed far away, even though fighting had continued into the spring near the Italian border. Food was still scarce, reconstruction was slow to begin and the atmosphere remained heavy with purges and calls for vengeance, just as they did across France. Though perhaps more intensely in Nice, a city that in 1940 had inherited the grim nickname "Eldest Daughter of the National Revolution" from Philippe Pétain. But on this night of July 4, as firecrackers echoed, the mood along the Promenade des Anglais was relaxed. The famous seaside boulevard had not regained its former glory. Mines still littered parts of the coast, swimming was not entirely safe and bunkers still lined the beach – sometimes disguised with fake shopfronts painted by the Germans. As a result, sea bathing was not really part of daily life for "long-established Niçois, who were generally not very receptive to this semi-Baudelairean invitation," read a column in La Liberté de Nice et du Sud-Est. So, no swimming for the people of Nice, but the entertainment was still plentiful. One year after the city's liberation, on August 28, 1944, audiences at the Paris-Palace cinema applauded Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece The Great Dictator – "remarkable in every respect," according to one local critic. Next to the Rationing section, newspapers listed daily "Feasts and banquets." Bars and dance halls regained their clientele and enjoyed certain privileges that were not universally appreciated: "Since the Liberation, they have invested several tens of millions to renovate their establishments. (...) It seems to us that raw materials should go not to places of pleasure, but rather to schools, hospitals and workers' housing," lamented La Liberté de Nice et du Sud-Est.
