Merkel & Macron Called King & Queen of Europe

Merkel & Macron Called King & Queen of Europe

Euro News calls German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron the king and queen of Europe. 

Choreographed or not, the moment epitomised the unity and common purpose that the two leaders want to present, now that a British Prime Minister is no longer able to build alliances to challenge their countries' positions as the pre-eminent forces of the European Union.

It appears that Brexit has only driven them closer together. Not only do they finish each other's sentences, but they broke with tradition at the EU Summit, giving a joint press conference.

The German Chancellor has heaps of problems on her plate, including forming a government in limbo after the September elections. Leaders of Germany's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) agreed on Friday to enter talks on a new government led by Merkel conservative Union bloc (CDU). Merkel's earlier attempts to form a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed in November. What seems clear is that SPD is seeking an arrangement that will keep Merkel as Chancellor and thwart any possibilities that the German government will collapse. 

In France, Emmanuel Macron's popularity has recovered in what Politico Europe calls an 'unprecedented' bounceback. Fifty-two percent of respondents in a new poll are now satisfied with Macron's presidency, an increase of six points.

In Burkina Faso, French President Macron Addresses Restitution Of African Heritage From Museums

In Burkina Faso, French President Macron Addresses Restitution Of African Heritage From Museums

In a speech delivered on a visit to the West African republic of Burkina Faso, French president Emmanuel Macron has promised to make the restitution of French-owned African heritage a priority over the next five years.  Saying that he wants “the conditions to be met for the temporary or permanent restitution of African heritage to Africa”, Macron also spoke to the audience of about 800 students at the University of Ouagadougou about his desire to promote the mobility of talented people between Europe and Africa.

Notably, Macron's comments are at odds with a formal request made in March 2017 to then French President François Hollande, writes artnet News. Lawmakers and civil society groups from Benin wrote an open letter asking for the return of a host of "colonial treasures" 

French President Macron Promises Gender Equality Reforms As France Reexamines Its Own Treatment Of Women

French President Macron Promises Gender Equality Reforms As France Reexamines Its Own Treatment Of Women

French president Emmanuel Macron observed the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women with a minute of silence for the 123 French women killed by their partner or ex-partner in 2016.

The #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal in America have provoked a rethinking of attitudes about sexual harassment in France, known worldwide as the "land of seduction and romance",writes Reuters. 

Unlike Donald Trump, who is trying to roll back women's rights advancements in America with increased legislation around women's reproductive health and a deep plunge in the appointments of women in his cabinet and inner circle and the federal judiciary, Macron campaigned on a platform of rethinking sexual politics and gender equality in France as part of his five-year-mandate.

Proposals that could be included in a 2018 draft law include criminalizing street harassment and extending the statute of limitation for the rape of minors to 30 years from 20 years. France has no minimum age of sexual consent and Macron is personally in favor of setting the age of sexual consent at 15. 

Emmanuel & Brigitte Macron Meet With Bono & Rihanna On Global Poverty Aid

Emmanuel & Brigitte Macron Meet With Bono & Rihanna On Global Poverty Aid

France's First Lady Brigitte Macron and French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Irish superstarBono to the Elysee Palace on Monday, where they had an hour-long meeting on key topics in solving global poverty. Bono, appearing with Brigitte Macron, said that a strong focus of the dialogue was educating girls and women in Africa. 

Bono met with the Macrons in his capacity as founder of the NGO ONE, dedicated to fighting extreme poverty. Bono said that the French president, who has seen a 10 pt pt. drop in ratings since he assumed office, will boost its aid budget to 0.55 percent of gross domestic product by 2022.

Trump's Silverback Gorilla Status Went Into High Gear With French First Lady Brigitte Macron

Trump's Silverback Gorilla Status Went Into High Gear With French First Lady Brigitte Macron

Trump's effusive 'you are a woman and therefore I will deal with your physicality, rating you on my womanly attractiveness scale' approach to dealing with Brigitte Macron, received much press commentary. 

"You're in such good shape," Trump told Madame Macron, when he was standing with her in the shadows of the Hôtel national des Invalides in Paris on Thursday, during his first state visit to the country. Then, to reaffirm his observation, he turned to newly-elected French president, Emmanuel Macron, affirming his observation: "She's in such good physical shape."

It's the dominating imagery of Trump in the video that caused women worldwide to hope that Madame Macron never finds herself alone in a room with the President of the United States. 

Angela Merkel Shares Sober View Of American-German Relationship Under Trump

Angela Merkel Shares Sober View Of American-German Relationship Under Trump

French President Emmanuel Macron swerved to avoid President Trump — so that Macron could be first to greet German Chancellor Angela Merkel instead, as the leaders met in Brussels last week. The American president constantly sought to put himself in the center of every action, or simply refused to be part of the photo op. 

Over the weekend, German Chancellor Merkel painted a sober vision of German-American relations. 

German chancellor Angela Merkel gave a more sobering view of Trump's trip to Europe, arguing yesterday at an election rally in Munich that "The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I've experienced that in the last few days."

Polls show, writes The Atlantic, that German confidence in the United States, already lowered under Obama, has collapsed under Trump to a level barely better than Putin’s Russia. Facing elections in the fall—and reassured that she has gained a congenial partner in France’s President Macron—Merkel has served formal notice that she will lead the German wandering away from the American alliance. 

"We must really take our destiny into our own hands,” she continued, in comments perceived as a rebuke of the presidential visit. Merkel assured Germans that they would remain friends with America, Great Britain, and Russia, but “we must fight for our own future and our fate ourselves as Europeans.”  Read on. 

Macron Appoints Politicos Across Left & Right | Francoise Nyssen Is Culture Minister

Macron Appoints Politicos Across Left & Right | Francoise Nyssen Is Culture Minister

In purely pragmatic terms and for several reasons, France has far more to fear than America. Watching centrist president  Emmanuel Macron assemble his new cabinet, he seeks to bridge the left-right divide, poaching leading figures from across the political spectrum.

What a change from Trump, who says his only commitment is to the largely white, high-school graduates who voted for him. The rest of Americans can go to hell, as he installs individuals who reject science, educational achievement, women's rights to birth control, labor laws, and goddess knows what other ideas embraced by the other 75% of the country.

With Americans learning that just two months ago, Trump asked then FBI Director Comey if he could imprison journalists, Macron appoints Françoise Nyssen, a publisher, as culture minister.

Belgian-born Nyssen is the CEO of Éditions Actes Sud based in the southern city of Arles, which has published the work of Nobel Laureates Imre Kertész and Svetlana Alexievitch, as well as Prix Goncourt winners Laurent Gaudé, Jérôme Ferrari, and Mathias Ernard.

Meet Brigitte Macron -- The Super Smart, Glamorous First Lady of France! Viva la France!

Meet Brigitte Macron -- The Super Smart, Glamorous First Lady of France! Viva la France!

This is going to great, watching Brigitte Macron, France's new First Lady, who is a true modern woman, not living in the shadow of her husband but in concert with him. Like Melania Trump, Brigitte loves 'blue' and I'll bet she gets along great with Michelle Obama. My mind is racing on what these two ace women can do together. Obama gave a big endorsement to her husband, so expect the two couples to develop a deep personal relationship.

Forbes just profiled Brigitte Macron and also included what the haters -- lead by Marine Le Pen at this week's debate in terrible, personal insinuations -- have to say about their age difference.

Absent A Terrorist Attack, Marine Le Pen Is Poised To Lose French Presidency

Absent A Terrorist Attack, Marine Le Pen Is Poised To Lose French Presidency

Writing for The Daily Beast, Christopher Dickey says definitively that "barring an act of God or ISIS, or a massive vote for the mysterious Monsiur Blanc", it is near certain that France will dodge a right-wing bullet, electing 39-year-old centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron and not far-right, nationalist-socialistic candidate Marine Le Pen as France's next president. 

The two candidates faced off in their one and only debate on Wednesday night, in which instant polls declared Macron the winner 60%-40%. If Macron is elected on Sunday, his victory represents a huge roadblock in what threatened to be a wave of nativism and populism sweeping Europe after Britain's Brexit vote.