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France

This Month

From left: Olaf Scholz of Germany, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and  South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol.

On the brink: What’s going on in Germany, Canada and South Korea?

As Germany heads towards a caretaker government, Canada’s Trudeau faces a grave challenge and South Korea’s president is realising how much trouble a handbag can carry.

Francois Bayrou.

Macron names centrist Bayrou as France’s new prime minister

François Bayrou, who leads the centrist Democratic Movement party, must navigate a fractured political landscape that toppled the previous administration.

  • Ania Nussbaum and William Horobin

The Kmart wizard who wants to take Anko to the world

The discount store’s own brand was founded in 2019 and now sells more than a billion items every year. Ian Bailey is about to take it global.

  • Carrie LaFrenz
Expatriate Syrians gather in Berlin this week to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime.

‘We need time’: Syrians in Europe resist calls to return home

Those who fled the 13-year civil war pointed to the political uncertainty after a rebel offensive swept into Damascus over the weekend.

  • Laura Pitel, Eleni Varvitsioti and Amy Kazmin
Le Panier district in Marseille.

The magic of Marseille exists if you know where to find it

The French city’s gritty, colourful past is exemplified in the Panier district. Here’s a guide to where to stay and dine – away from the tourist traps.

  • Robert Bevan
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Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron, and US President-elect Donald Trump depart The Élysée Palace in Paris,

Trump welcomed by Macron, joined by Zelensky for talks

On a day that mixed pageantry with attention to pressing global problems, the once and future American president was warmly embraced by the French president.

  • Updated
  • Tom McIlroy
Notre-Dame refurbishment gif

How Notre Dame was reborn

It took about 250 companies, 2000 workers, about $1.4 billion, a tight deadline and a lot of national pride.

  • Aurelien Breeden
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris after it has been restored.

Notre-Dame to have its moment of glory but Macron’s legacy in doubt

The iconic cathedral will rise from the ashes in a grand reopening on Saturday, but glory eludes the French president as the country faces a political crisis.

  • Catherine Porter
French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron plans to name new PM within days

The French president also vowed to stay in office until the end of his term in 2027.

  • Updated
  • Ellen Francis and Annabelle Timsit
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Victoria’s asset sale; MinRes’ gag request; Wesfarmers’ rates alert

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

French President Emmanuel Macron with Prime Minister Michel Barnier behind him.

France plunges into turmoil after government toppled

The parliament voted to oust prime minister Michel Barnier over his proposed deficit-cutting budget, throwing the country into deeper political turmoil.

  • Updated
  • Hans van Leeuwen
The restored Notre Dame after it was gutted by fire more than five years ago.

Trump to attend Notre Dame Cathedral reopening in Paris

The US president-elect will meet French President Emmanuel Macron during his first foreign visit. The pair have had a fraught relationship.

  • Maggie Haberman
Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, alongside a Peugeot EV on the assembly line at the Stellantis plant in Sochaux, France.

Why this ‘extraordinary’ global CEO was axed

Carlos Tavares was forced from major carmaker Stellantis, which has brands like Jeep, Peugeot and Maserati, as global EV sales slump and cost-cutting ramps up.

  • Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, Kana Inagaki and Ian Johnston
Right-wing populist leader Marine Le Pen could bring down the French government this week.

France lurches towards political, economic crisis

Populists from right and left could topple Prime Minister Michel Barnier, risking a market meltdown over intractable politics and a burgeoning budget deficit.

  • Hans van Leeuwen
Kash Patel.

Trump taps fierce FBI critic to lead the agency

‘Deep state’ critic Kash Patel has been nominated to lead the FBI. Donald Trump has also picked Jared Kushner’s former jailed father as ambassador to France.

  • Updated
  • Susie Coen and Devlin Barrett
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November

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu last year.

‘Possible immunity’: France suggests no Netanyahu arrest

The foreign ministry argued that an ICC rule on immunity may apply to the Israeli prime minister if he travelled to France, despite the court’s arrest warrant.

  • Aurelien Breeden
A Civil Defense worker distributes safety fliers to people returning back to their villages after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began in Tyre, south Lebanon.

Israel ceasefire starts with Hezbollah as hopes rise

Israeli and Lebanese leaders have accepted a US-brokered ceasefire deal, President Joe Biden says, raising hopes of an end to the year-long hostilities.

  • Updated
  • Matthew Cranston
About 94 per cent of businesses continue to accept cash in Australia.

Cash to stay king for essential products

The federal government will also call time on the use of cheques in the Australian economy, limiting their use from 2028.

  • Tom McIlroy
Protesters and police clash during a rally against the “Israel is Forever” gala organized by far-right Franco-Israeli figures, in Paris, Wednesday.

France deploys thousands of police officers for Israel soccer match

A week after violence erupted in Amsterdam over a soccer match involving an Israeli team, police are bracing for further violence at an international match in Paris.

  • Jerome Pugmire
He just about burst a blood vessel after Woolworths made a commercial decision to stop stocking Australia Day paraphernalia.

Identity politics lessons for Democrats and Dutton

The anti-incumbent message sent by the US election is primarily about economic concerns. There is a risk the opposition leader overplays the ‘war on woke’ message at the next election.

  • Lidija Ivanovski

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/france-9ug