Most oil refineries were blocked & power production reduced in France Tuesday as unions organised a sixth day of nationwide strikes against reform raising pension age to 64 & other measures.
Praising Zelenskyy for his 'courage and commitment', the French president conferred his Ukrainian counterpart, who is in Paris, with the Legion of Honour.
Macron emphasised on the urgent need for all sovereign states to come together & face challenges collectively. Last week, Modi had told Vladimir Putin that 'today’s era is not of war'.
The 44-year-old centrist will face difficulties passing legislation on issues such as retirement age and tax reforms after he failed to meet the 289-seat threshold.
If Macron loses control of the National Assembly in June, he may be forced into an uneasy co-habitation that will limit his policy options. He knows that.
PM Modi once said France and India were made for each other. Not just because Paris has the odd habit of doing something really different and getting away with it.
One of only 4 presidents to be re-elected since 1958, Macron's win triggered angry protests in Paris & Lyon. Macron's majority over far-Right rival Marine Le Pen was halved.
Macron has become the first French president to win re-election since 2002, though with a narrower lead. The French have voted for a France at the heart, not the fringes, of Europe.
Finance ministry says the proposed revamp will focus on structural reforms, rate rationalisation & ease of living, & will be deliberated upon in the coming weeks.
The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
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