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Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Macron to rekindle relationship with Francophile King Charles on UK visit
Emmanuel Macron is the first European leader to be invited for a state visit since King Charles assumed the throne. (AP pic) LONDON : French-speaking King Charles III, who is hosting President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit starting on Tuesday, professes a long-standing love of France, describing it as 'an essential part' of his life. The visit, at the invitation of the monarch, is a rare privilege full of spectacular pomp and circumstance and an opportunity to strengthen a bilateral relationship which the king called 'indispensable' during his visit to France in September 2023. That visit, hailed as a symbol of 'cordial detente' after Brexit, demonstrated a closeness between the two heads of state on issues such as Ukraine, but also on a personal level. 'If you see their body language, and this was particularly noticeable during the state visit… it does seem that they get on tremendously well,' said monarchy expert Richard Fitzwilliams. Macron touched the monarch on the shoulder several times during the visit, a casual gesture unthinkable in the time of Elizabeth II, but the king took no offence. Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla, who share a love of literature, exchange kisses whenever they meet, even though official protocol dictates a curtsy. As well as Ukraine, the two men also share common ground on topics such as the environment. 'Inspired and encouraged by my grandmother's and my late mother's example, France has been an essential part of the fabric of my own life for as long as I can remember,' Charles declared before the French Senate in September 2023, in a speech delivered largely in French, which earned him a standing ovation. Like his mother, Elizabeth II, who often visited France and met every French president from Vincent Auriol to Macron, Charles III learnt French from childhood. He reads it fluently and speaks it with a hint of an accent. La vie en rose He has made more than 35 official visits to France since the 1970s, and according to him, Edith Piaf's 'La Vie en rose' remains one of his favourite songs. Macron is the first European leader to be invited for a state visit since Charles III assumed the throne. The king's first state visit abroad was originally scheduled to also take place in France in March 2023 but was postponed due to social unrest. The French couple's state visit will take place at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace is undergoing renovations, and will follow the standard schedule. There are on average two of these visits per year, and preparation for them generally takes around a year. The Prince and Princess of Wales will greet the French presidential couple on landing and accompany them on the journey to Windsor, west of London, where they will be officially welcomed by the King and Queen. They will join a carriage procession through the town, attend a military parade and take lunch with the royal family at the castle. Macron and his wife will visit the Palace of Westminster in London on Tuesday, where the French president will address parliamentarians for a 'very political' speech, according to the Elysee Palace. The day will end with a state dinner, including speeches by the King and the French leader in front of some 150 guests. On Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron will lay flowers on the grave of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022, at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and will tour the gardens. He will attend Thursday's Franco-British summit, the second since they resumed in 2023 after being suspended due to Brexit, before leaving with his wife later in the day. US President Donald Trump has also been invited for a state visit this year and is expected in September, but no date has yet been officially announced.
Times of Oman
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
France and Oman: Common vision and shared ambition
On the occasion of the French National Day, I would like to express my gratitude to the Omani authorities and the Omani people for their warm welcome, as well as to the French community and to all the friends of France in Oman. I took up my duties in this friendly country one year ago, and since then I have experienced every single day the friendship between France and the Sultanate, between the people of France and the people of Oman. After arriving in Oman in August 2024, I have quickly been given the honour to present my credentials to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to whom I would like to express my sincere gratitude for his warm welcome and his guidance on deepening the historic and fraternal bilateral relationship between our two countries. I would also like to extend my most sincere thanks to His Excellency Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, for his constant support and friendship, as well as to all the representatives of the Government and Administration in Oman, who spare no effort to further enhance the excellent relationship between France and the Sultanate. Same as the Sultanate of Oman, France remains committed to the resolution of conflicts through negotiation, a position that has been reiterated by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, with regard to Ukraine, Iran and Gaza. That is why in the recent period, the French President has called twice by telephone His Majesty the Sultan, in particular to thank him for the role played by the Sultanate in the release of a French national detained in Iran. Indeed, the international law remains our compass, thus I expressed France's full support for the negotiation processes that were conducted by the Omani authorities under the aegis of His Excellency Sayyid Badr Al-Busaïdi, between Iran and the United States. I also reiterate France's call for an end to the tragedy of the Palestinian population in Gaza, for the immediate resumption of humanitarian aid distribution and for the release of all hostages. We must give both Israelis and Palestinians a political perspective that will allow peaceful coexistence and security for all. It is in this spirit that a conference will be held in New York on the two-state solution, following a French initiative supported by its Arab and international partners. These French positions were also expressed by a high-profile parliamentary delegation from the France-Gulf Friendship Group, which met, in Muscat, with the highest figures in the Omani legislative sphere last April. The past year has also been very fruitful and active in terms of developing economic relations, strategic cooperation, and scientific and cultural cooperation between France and Oman. Recently, French companies such as TotalEnergies and EDF Power Solutions have invested 2 billion euros in Oman in key energy sectors in support of the Oman 'Vision 2040'. In May 2025, the MARSA LNG project in Sohar was inaugurated, representing the largest foreign investment of the year in Oman. More than forty French companies in all major sectors are present in Oman, investing and contributing to the development of the Sultanate's economy and the creation of jobs for Omanis as part of the Omanisation programme. These elements gave us the opportunity to host in October 2024 an important mission of MEDEF International, France's largest business association. The mission was composed of numerous French companies interested in the opportunities offered by the Omani economy, which is resolutely committed to an unprecedented diversification thanks to its 'Vision 2040' plan. It is also in support of a closer economic cooperation that we had the honour, in early 2025, of welcoming in Oman a delegation from the Normandy Region, led by the President of this Region and including many business representatives, who forged promising links with public and private companies of the Sultanate and strengthened equestrian cooperation between France and Oman, both of which excel in this field. Our strategic and defence cooperation is also very intense: the visit of the Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, who met his Omani counterpart in early 2025, was an opportunity to reinforce the excellence of our relationship of trust and to renew France's commitment both in terms of reciprocal training and operational cooperation. Our cooperation is also intense and is being strengthened year by year in many other fields like education with the establishment of higher education scholarships in France, co-financed by both countries; medicine with Omani doctors being sent to France to specialise; justice with a significant increase in cooperation between magistrates, particularly in the fields of training and exchange of expertise; health with the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between French and Omani institutions in the field of cancer treatment; and space with the positioning of very high-level French offers in the satellite sector, a particularly promising field in Oman. France in Oman relies mainly on its diplomatic team, as well as on the French-Omani Centre, the French International School in Muscat, the French Omani friendship association, the French Foreign Trade Committee and the French-Omani joint business council for raising high our common ambitions and shared values. I would like to express my gratitude to all of them for their commitment to fostering excellent relations between our two countries. It is therefore with pleasure and pride that I extend my sincerest wishes for success and prosperity to all our Omani friends, our fellow citizens residing in Oman, as well as to all the friends of France who recognize themselves in our values of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
SBS Australia
11-07-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Albanese trip to China could be good for both nations' economies
Financial experts say Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to China will provide an economic boost for both countries. Mr Albanese leaves tomorrow on a trip that includes stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu and will meet senior Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping. Mr Albanese will be accompanied by an Australian business delegation. China is Australia's largest trading partner, and, after a period of frosty relations, has removed around 200 billion dollars worth of trade restrictions on Australia in recent years Raymond Chan, Head of the Asian Desk at Stockbroking Wealth Management firm Morgans Financial Limited, tells S-B-S Cantonese Mr Albanese's visit is another indication of the renewed sense of certainty in the Australia-China relationship. "This visit is seen as a positive signal because one thing important in the world of investing is certainty. When the bilateral relationship is uncertain, investors will hesitate to invest. With a more stable relationship between Australia and China it certaintly boosts sentiment. It's especially important for China because China is Australia's largest trading partner." The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has set up a unit to target romance scams, as reports of the scam types grow. Known as a 'fusion cell', the unit will bring together dating and social media industry representatives as well as law enforcement and financial institutions to better understands and disrupt the scams. Australians lost over $23 million to romance scams last year, with people from a culturally or linguistically diverse background, those with a disability, and First Nations Australians disproportionately impacted by the scams. ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe tells S-B-S people are at risk when looking for love. "These criminals are experts at targeting really lovely parts of human nature. There is nothing wrong, obviously, with wanting a new relationship, and so people who are seeking that sort of relationship are vulnerable to these sorts of scams." Police say a German backpacker who has been missing for two weeks in Western Australia's wheat belt, likely got lost in dense bushland after her car broke down. W-A police have escalated a national search for 26 year-old Carolina Wilga yesterday, after her van was discovered about 100 kilometres north of where she was last seen in the small Wheatbelt town of Beacon. Carolina was last seen on the 29th of June. Police say the van appears to have suffered mechanical issues. Police are urging a motorbike rider who allegedly ran over a nine-year-old girl in southwest Sydney to come forward. Last night, police say the girl was playing with her friends in the park in the suburb of Rosemeadow when a rider on an unregistered dirt bike came roaring over a hill, hitting the young girl. She was treated for facial injuries by paramedics at the scene and was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital in a serious condition. New South Wales Police Detective Superintendent Grant Healey says police don't believe the incident was intentional but the rider needs to do right by the girl and turn himself in. "Police are actually seeking the rider of the bike to do the right thing and come into the police station and hand themselves in. The rider would know that he hit the little girl. He did stop briefly and had a really brief conversation and rode off without helping the young child. For him to do the right thing by the little girl is to come and hand himself in to police." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with his counterparts in Southeast Asia, seeking to reassure them about the region's importance to the Trump administration, amid the fallout from US tariffs. Mr Rubio joined foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur at a meeting that includes Australia, China, the European Union, Japan, Russia, South Korea and others. The delegates have spoken about the threats facing the region as a result of these tariffs, while Russia and China are pushing for deeper ties amid the tariff resentment. Mr Rubio says the Trump administration considers the Indo-Pacific a focal point of its foreign policy. 'We're not abandoning those relationships. On the contrary, we want to strengthen and build upon them. And there are a bunch of other issues, and certainly trade is part of it. But there are a lot of other issues that we work together on. And we will continue to highly prioritise that. The story of the 21st century will be written in the Indo-Pacific. And the countries represented here today along with others that have joined to be a part of this, represent some not just important markets, some of the most important partners we have in the world." In cricket, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc says fellow fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins deserve much of the credit for his success. 35-year-old Starc will become just the second Australian fast bowler, after Glenn McGrath, to play 100 Test matches when he plays for Australia in the third Test against the West Indies in Jamaica, which starts on Sunday morning [[13th July]]. Starc, Hazlewood, and Australian captain Cummins all hail from New South Wales, and have played a lot of cricket together. Starc says the trio have lifted one another at the sport's highest level. "It's not lost on myself, or the three of us, how lucky I think we are that we are all from the same place- we train together, we sit in rehab rooms together. Over the years, the ability to push each other along the way, whether it's a flat week or a Test week... I think that contributes to the longevity of the three of us in particular."
France 24
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Macron to rekindle relationship with Francophile King Charles on UK visit
The visit, at the invitation of the monarch, is a rare privilege full of spectacular pomp and circumstance and an opportunity to strengthen a bilateral relationship which the king called "indispensable" during his visit to France in September 2023. That visit, hailed as a symbol of "cordial detente" after Brexit, demonstrated a closeness between the two heads of state on issues such as Ukraine, but also on a personal level. "If you see their body language, and this was particularly noticeable during the state visit... it does seem that they get on tremendously well," said monarchy expert Richard Fitzwilliams. Macron touched the monarch on the shoulder several times during the visit, a casual gesture unthinkable in the time of Elizabeth II, but the king took no offence. Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla, who share a love of literature, exchange kisses whenever they meet, even though official protocol dictates a curtsy. As well as Ukraine, the two men also share common ground on topics such as the environment. "Inspired and encouraged by my grandmother's and my late mother's example, France has been an essential part of the fabric of my own life for as long as I can remember," Charles declared before the French Senate in September 2023, in a speech delivered largely in French, which earned him a standing ovation. Like his mother, Elizabeth II, who often visited France and met every French president from Vincent Auriol to Macron, Charles III learned French from childhood. He reads it fluently, and speaks it with a hint of an accent. La vie en rose He has made more than 35 official visits to France since the 1970s, and according to him, Edith Piaf's "La Vie en rose" remains one of his favourite songs. Macron is the first European leader to be invited for a state visit since Charles III assumed the throne. The king's first state visit abroad was originally scheduled to also take place in France, in March 2023, but was postponed due to social unrest. The French couple's state visit will take place at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace is undergoing renovations, and will follow the standard schedule. There are on average two of these visits per year, and preparation for them generally takes around a year. The Prince and Princess of Wales will greet the French presidential couple on landing and accompany them on the journey to Windsor, west of London, where they will be officially welcomed by the King and Queen. They will join a carriage procession through the town, attend a military parade and take lunch with the royal family at the castle. Macron and his wife will visit the Palace of Westminster in London on Tuesday, where the French president will address parliamentarians for a "very political" speech, according to the Elysee Palace. The day will end with a state dinner, including speeches by the King and the French leader in front of some 150 guests. On Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron will lay flowers on the grave of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022, at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and will tour the gardens. He will attend Thursday's Franco-British summit, the second since they resumed in 2023 after being suspended due to Brexit, before leaving with his wife later in the day.
Al Arabiya
07-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Al Ruwaili discuss strengthening US-Saudi ties
The Pentagon said the top US military general spoke to his Saudi counterpart on Wednesday to discuss commitments to strengthening ties. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Saudi Arabia's Chief of the General Staff Gen. Fayyadh Al Ruwaili discussed 'commitments to strengthening ties between US and Saudi Arabia by maintaining a strong bilateral relationship to enable increased interoperability, burden sharing, and partnership,' according to a readout of the call. 'The US and Saudi Arabia share a longstanding partnership and are committed to peace and security in the Middle East,' Joint Staff Spokesman Jereal Dorsey said. The State Department approved a $3.5 billion deal last week for the sale of advanced missiles and weapons to Saudi Arabia, days ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Kingdom, which will be his first official visit abroad since taking office in January. Washington also approved the sale of precision-guided weapon systems to Saudi Arabia in March. Sources familiar with deliberations have also told Al Arabiya English that more deals will be signed during next week's trip, including selling advanced fighter jets to Riyadh. Discussions were still underway as of this week on whether the agreement would be for F-15 or F-35 aircraft.
