Protests in France against reforms to the pension system have not subsided. Both trade union representatives and ordinary citizens are taking to the streets in droves. More than 800,000 people participated in demonstrations against pension reform in more than 100 cities in France. The outrage was prompted by the French parliament’s scandalous and unpopular decision to raise the retirement age ...
NATO Summit The 70th anniversary NATO summit was held in London. During the leaders’ meeting, the parties signed a document in which they reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance. Nonetheless, the summit and statements of the leaders of Turkey and France on the eve of the event revealed many internal contradictions and the outdated model of the alliance, the constraints ...
In November 2018 French President Emmanuel Macron called for the formation of a “European army”, sparking a debate among experts and the anger of U.S. President Donald Trump. One year later, in November 2019, President Macron declared that “What we are experiencing is the brain death of NATO”. [1] His statement, as well as the actions of some NATO members ...
Even if he had not accomplished anything else, Jacques Chirac will be remembered for three of his policies which bear a historic and global significance. First, he opposed the Iraq war and the subsequent threats to Iran, expressing also his support for a “multipolar”, more democratic world order. Second, he provided French citizens with the possibility to have their say ...
In the French city of Biarritz, a three-day summit featuring the heads of state from 7 of the world’s largest economies (Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, the USA, France and Japan) has come to a close. The hottest topics of discussion were trade relations, a nuclear deal with Iran, the protests in Hong Kong, the situation in Libya and (unexpectedly) ...
On the evening of April 15, the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris erupted into flames. The Catholic church was one of the central attractions of the city and one of the most important historical and architectural treasures of the world. The fire most likely began on the scaffolding which had been erected for restoration work on the Cathedral. The fire quickly ...
In France, on Saturday, March 23, the Yellow Vests held another demonstration – Act XIX. According to the French Ministry of Internal Affairs, at least 40,500 people protested across France (5000 of them in Paris). Clashes with the police occurred in Nice, Lyon, Toulouse, Montpellier and Paris. https://twitter.com/ohboywhatashot/status/1109809013288587266 After a strong confrontation last week during the Act XVIII, the police ...
3rd of three articles (first and second on UWI). Nation, worker, left and right… all of these ideas, of course, are just the musings and falterings of intellectuals of and political analysts. Regular people, who form the backbone of the movement, that is, the People themselves, do not attach great importance to any of it. They only want to succeed. ...
“We need time,” says Etienne Chouard, one of the intellectual “gurus” of the Yellow Vest movement. For years, he has been campaigning in favor of citizens’ right to hold referendums. Now, he sees his ideas finally being embraced by people. The demand to provide people with the possibility of calling Referendums (on adopting or annulling bills or revoking elected representatives) ...
Back to the Future! Elated, with the single-mindedness of the “We” of the many, suddenly aware of its power, the crowd pours out of the narrow street in which it was crammed, to the spacious Place de la Republiquewhile singing the Marseillaise. It is by far the most popular song among Yellow Vests. The second most popular is the WWII ...