French President Emmanuel Macron has added his perspective to the long-standing debate regarding who is the superior footballer between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
For more than 15 years, this rivalry has sparked intense discussions within the football community.
Fans, experts, players, and even politicians have eagerly engaged in the ongoing debate surrounding these remarkable athletes.
“I prefer Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said, as quoted bySportskeeda.
Displaying a consistent penchant for engaging in popular sports discussions, the French leader also openly expressed his determination to employ all available means to persuade Kylian Mbappe to remain at Paris Saint-Germain beyond the current summer transfer window, Goal reports.
Perhaps Macron would also use the same tactics to lure Ronaldo to Ligue 1 in future.
Messi edges Ronaldo in H2H
Sports Brief also reported that Messi has the edge over Ronaldo in terms of goals scored across Europe’s top five leagues, as the Argentine also departs the continent.
In a move that all but confirms the end of an era for football, the former Paris Saint-Germain star will debut for Inter Miami in the American MLS as soon as next month.
His major move to the US top flight comes just six months after his long-term rival, Ronaldo, sourly parted ways with Manchester United for Saudi Arabian club, Al-Nassr.
Macron makes vow about Mbappe
Earlier, Sports Brief reported on French President, Emmanuel Macron vowing to help Mbappe star in the country’s capital, amid continued reports the star will leave this season.
The leader’s vow follows a formal letter from Mbappe to PSG about his decision not to activate his one-year contract extension clause, thereby allowing him to leave for free in 2024.
In response to the ongoing transfer saga, President Macron has hinted at his potential intervention in an effort to persuade the PSG superstar to consider staying in Paris longer.
French President Emmanuel Macron might have wanted to concentrate this week on what could end up being the largest domestic test of his leadership, as France’s Constitutional Council gets ready to decide on Friday whether or not he can move through with contentious pension reforms.
Instead, he is now dealing with the international fallout from his recent goodwill visit to China, particularly from remarks that have made him unpopular in both Washington, DC, and with some of his European friends.
Macron spoke with POLITICO Europe on the plane back from Beijing. In it, he responded to a question concerning the possibility of China occupying Taiwan by saying that Europe must not turn into “just America’s followers.”
“The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No. The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the US agenda and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron said, adding that Europe must not get “caught up in crises that are not ours, which prevents it from building its strategic autonomy.”
Strategic autonomy is a Brussels term that refers to the EU having an independent geopolitical policy, which relies in part on the bloc being able to become a third power and not get squashed between the US and China. However, the China hawks, typically in Eastern Europe, have always been skeptical of anything that puts clear water between Europe and the US, who they see as the ultimate protectors of European territory through NATO.
Macron has since attempted to downplay his comments, saying on Wednesday that France was “for the status quo in Taiwan” and that position “has not changed.” But the hawks have already hit back.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: “Instead of building strategic autonomy from the United States, I propose a strategic partnership with the United States.” Lithuania’s foreign minister tweeted “We are capable of defending Europe without Chinese help. Instead of requesting assistance we should be projecting our strengths.”
Eastern European diplomats have been less subtle. One said that Macron is “simply tone deaf to everything happening in the world. No wonder Macroning has become a synonym of bullshitting without any result.” Another said they “cannot understand” Macron, that his visit to Beijing and remarks on Taiwan were “not helpful” and that Europe should engage with countries that “value democracy and the rule of law” over China.
Macron’s trip was further undermined when Beijing performed military rehearses encircling Taiwan the day after he left China.
European diplomats and officials say that while Macron doesn’t speak for Europe and that the 27 EU member states have all agreed on an approach to China, they are aware that his comments – and, they believe, attempts to present himself as the EU’s leader – could cause Europe real problems with the US, particularly in terms of European security.
And they’d be correct. Multiple US government sources told CNN that while they are aware that Macron indeed doesn’t speak for all of Europe, they are concerned that his words make it much harder to make the case for a strong transatlantic alliance to lawmakers in DC.
Case in point: Florida Senator Marco Rubio posted on Twitter shortly after Macron’s comments were published, suggesting that if Macron “speaks for Europe” then maybe the US should focus on its objectives and let “you guys handle Ukraine and Europe.”
The US government sources said Macron’s comments would only add to the skepticism some Republican lawmakers have about open-ended financial support to Ukraine, and fear the remarks could even contribute to a decision to block or curtail such funding. Worse, the sources also fear it could disrupt NATO unity – which has been remarkably strong since the start of the Ukraine crisis – if countries start unilaterally undermining the priorities of others.
A European government official who was at NATO headquarters for a meeting last week said there was broad agreement among the allies, including France, that Taiwan and security in the Indo-Pacific region was of crucial importance to the alliance. They were surprised to see Macron’s comments so soon after that meeting.
For all that Macron’s comments could be put down to a president under pressure at home doing things on the world stage to create a distraction, his comments on Taiwan have done real damage to the fragile transatlantic relationship.
It might not have been his intention, but Macron’s comments have come at a yet unknown cost. And meanwhile, at home, he still faces a serious political crisis.
His proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, which was pushed through parliament without a vote, caused violent protests and nationwide strikes.
The reforms include other cost-cutting measures and are, Macron’s government says, essential in preventing the pension system from collapsing. Social reforms like this were central to his 2022 re-election campaign. If they are blocked by the Constitutional Council, it will be a huge embarrassment for Macron.
“Even if he gets his way, even if he sacks his prime minister, Macron has taken a huge political hit and it’s hard to see how there won’t be even more protests,” says Aurelien Mondon, senior lecturer in politics at the University of Bath. “He has always wanted to lead as the all-powerful, sole leader of France. Whatever goes wrong, it’s on him.”
Two attempts to overthrow French President Emmanuel Macron‘s administration in the country’s parliament have failed, paving the way for the implementation of his wildly unpopular pension reforms and igniting fresh demonstrations in Paris.
Last Thursday, the government used special constitutional powers to enact contentious legislation that would raise the retirement age for the majority of workers from 62 to 64. The no-confidence votes that were held on Monday were requested by lawmakers who were against the action.
The first resolution, which was presented by the small parliamentary group “LIOT,” which is made up of a number of minor parties, was thought to pose the greatest threat to the ruling party. Only nine votes separated the 278 votes it obtained from the required 287 votes for passage.
The second vote – tabled last week by far-right party National Rally – drew less support, with only 94 lawmakers voting in favor.
The government’s narrow survival will exacerbates the legitimacy crisis that Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne’s cabinet and Macron’s presidency are facing.
“The Prime Minister must resign, taking her reform with her,” said Mathilde Panot, parliamentary leader of the communist party, following the vote.
The opposition is now looking to appeal to France’s constitutional council, the highest constitutional body in the country, in order to block part or all of the law. The council would have up to a month to consider any objections to the legislation.
Meanwhile, popular anger against the reforms shows no sign of ending, with protestors gathering in central Paris following the votes and clashing with police.
CNN affiliate BFMTV showed footage of spontaneous gatherings of people marching and chanting slogans against the government, and images showed trash being set on fire.
There was heavy police presence across the capital as demonstrators moved between locations. At least 70 people were detained in the city during the demonstrations on Monday evening local time, a police source told CNN.
With one of the lowest retirement ages in the industrialized world, France also spends more than most other countries on pensions at nearly 14% of economic output, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation.
The government argues that the current system – relying on the working population to pay for a growing age group of retirees – is no longer fit for purpose.
Over the weekend, with protesters gathering spontaneously in several cities to decry both the reform and the government’s use of constitutional Article 49.3 to force the bill through the National Assembly without a vote – a tactic seen by critics as undemocratic.
There were 169 people detained during protests across France on Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry.
In addition, workers in various sectors have been taking industrial action to protest the move.
Authorities in charge of civil air traffic asked airlines to cancel 20% of their flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Air France warned of flight cancellations in the upcoming days.
Oil refineries and storage facilities were also impacted, with 39% of TotalEnergie workers on strike Monday, according to a statement from the company, and more than 10,000 tons of garbage littering the streets of Paris as trash collectors have been on strike for the past two weeks.
Unions have called for nationwide strikes and protests this Thursday, hoping to bring the country to a standstill.
At their height two weeks ago, street protests gathered 1.28 million people across the country, according to the French Interior Ministry.
After forcing through controversial pension reforms, French President Emmanuel Macron will face votes of no-confidence on Monday, drawing outrage from parliamentarians and nationwide protests.
Whatever of the outcome, Macron’s government is expected to survive the motions, and he will continue to serve as president. Yet, the backlash against the reforms doesn’t appear to be abating.
The contentious law to raise the retirement age for the majority of workers from 62 to 64 was forced through by the French government on Thursday by using special constitutional powers.
On Friday, French lawmakers filed two motions of no-confidence against the Prime Minister – one from a grouping of small parties, and one from National Rally, a far-right party.
In order to be successful, the majority of sitting lawmakers – 287 of them – would need to vote in favor.
If successful, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne would have to resign and the pension reform legislation would be rejected. This would leave French President Emmanuel Macron with the option to either replace the prime minister or dissolve the parliament.
The move to oust Macron’s government is believed to be unlikely to succeed, however, since the pension reforms also have the support of the Republican party, making it harder for the rest of the opposition parties to get the absolute majority needed.
“There will be no majority for these votes of no confidence. Responsibly, we do not want to add chaos to chaos and let our country sink into disorder,” the leader of the Republican group Eric Ciotti tweeted.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire also downplayed suggestions that the vote might be successful.
“There will be no majority to bring the government down, but it will be a moment of truth,” Le Maire told local news outlet Le Parisien.
“I understand our countrymen’s fears and anxieties, but we will definitely not improve things by denying economic reality,” he added.
With one of the lowest retirement ages in the industrialized world, France also spends more than most other countries on pensions at nearly 14% of economic output, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation.
The government argues that the current system – relying on the working population to pay for a growing age group of retirees – is no longer fit for purpose.
Yet the protests took aim not only at the pension reform, but the constitutional power used to force it through.
Unable to gain majority support for the bill in parliament, Macron resorted to using Article 49.3, which enabled his government to pass the bill through the National Assembly without a vote.
The move has been widely condemned by protesters and lawmakers as undemocratic.
“We are facing a president who makes use of a permanent coup d’état,” Olivier Faure, leader of the French Socialist Party, told local media Thursday.
Over the weekend, protesters gathered spontaneously in several cities, sometimes clashing with the police.
There were 169 people detained during protests across France on Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry.
In addition, workers in various sectors have been taking industrial action to protest the move.
Authorities in charge of civil air traffic have asked airlines to cancel 20% of their flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Air France has warned of flight cancellations in the upcoming days.
Oil refineries and storage facilities are also impacted, with 39% of TotalEnergie workers on strike Monday, according to a statement from the company, and more than 10,000 tons of garbage are littering the streets of Paris as trash collectors have been on strike for the past two weeks.
And the situation could worsen as unions have called for nationwide strikes and protests this Thursday, hoping to bring the country to a standstill.
Germany was in disbelief on Friday when a shooter at a Jehovah’s Witness center in Hamburg killed six people, including an unborn child, before killing himself as police stormed the premises.
Hamburg’s state prosecutor reported that the attacker, a 35-year-old German national, had previously belonged to the Jehovah Witnesses movement.
After the shooter opened fire on an event Thursday night that was attended by 50 people, German police are still looking into a potential motive. At a press conference on Friday, Interior Minister Andy Grote stated that a mass shooting like this had never occurred in Hamburg.
The gunman acted alone, Grote said. ”There could have been more victims if police had not intervened so quickly,” he said.
The mother of the unborn baby that was killed survived her gunshot injuries, Hamburg police chief Matthias Tresp told reporters. Police said that four men and two women – all German nationals between the ages of 33 and 60 – died in the attack.
Eight people were wounded, four of them seriously. Police said that among them are six women and two men; six are German nationals, one injured person is from Uganda and one from Ukraine. The victims are not related to the suspected perpetrator, Tresp said.
The suspect left the Jehovah’s Witnesses community about 18 months ago, “apparently not on good terms,” Thomas Radszuweit, a Hamburg security official, told reporters Friday. He was a 35-year-old German national, identified only as Philipp F. in line with German privacy laws.
Philipp F. was a former member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but it is unclear if he was excluded from the community or left voluntarily. The suspected shooter was not previously known to authorities in Hamburg, according to Radszuweit. Why the suspect went on the shooting rampage is as yet unknown, he added, and there is no indication of a political motive.
Meanwhile Ralf Peter Anders, spokesman for the Hamburg prosecution’s office, said there was “no indication of a terrorist background” to the attack.
Ralf Martin Meyer, Hamburg’s chief of police, said investigations were ongoing into the mental state of the suspect, adding that it was possible the suspect suffered from mental illness. Meyer said he had been in legal possession of a semi-automatic pistol since December 2022. During the attack the gunman shot nine magazines of ammunition.
Messages of condolence poured in from politicians and religious leaders, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denouncing the “brutal act of violence.”
Police were called to the scene at 9:04 p.m. local time (3:04 p.m. ET) Thursday night, Grote said. The first teams arrived at 9:08 p.m. and entered the building three minutes later.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany said in a statement: “The religious community is deeply saddened by the horrific attack on its members at the Kingdom Hall in Hamburg after a religious service.”
One unidentified witness described the moment the shots rang out in the Thursday evening attack. “We heard shots,” they said as quoted by Reuters news agency. “There were 12 continuous shots. Then we saw how people were taken away in black bags.”
A neighbor of the Jehovah’s Witnesses center in Hamburg told CNN affiliate RTL Germany Friday: “I heard … Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And I wondered, ‘who is still working with the jackhammer now?’ That was my first idea because you don’t hear any gunshots [around here].”
Another neighbor told RTL: “We were not at home at all. Our son called us that there had been a shooting across the street at the Jehovah’s Witnesses and he had even filmed parts of it, thinking it was a scare gun.”
Chancellor Scholz led politicians in denouncing the murder spree in the northern German city.
“Several members of a Jehovah community fell victim to a brutal act of violence last night. My thoughts are with them and their loved ones,” he wrote on Twitter.
He later said the country has been left “stunned” by the shooting. Speaking at a trade fair in Munich Friday, the German chancellor highlighted the devastating impact of the “terrible incident” which occurred in his hometown of Hamburg. “We are stunned by this violence,” Scholz said.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson expressed her sorrow, writing on Twitter: “A shocking attack on a church in GrossBorstel, Hamburg last night. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.
“Thanks to @PolizeiHamburg who responded to the attack immediately and with incredible bravery.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his condolences. “Terrible news from Hamburg,” he said on Twitter Friday. ”I send France’s condolences to the relatives of the victims and to all our German friends. Our thoughts are with them.”
Footage from the scene on Thursday night showed numerous armed police officers inside and around the Kingdom Hall while a helicopter flew overhead. A bomb disposal team was deployed at one point.
The streets around the place of worship were cordoned off, and police earlier warned of “extreme danger” in the area, the spokesperson added. Local residents were urged to stay indoors.
There is “no confirmed information on the motive for the crime,” police said on Twitter as they urged people not to share any unconfirmed assumptions.
Messages of support also came in from Hamburg’s religious communities.
“The news of this bloody crime in Hamburg-Alsterdorf is shocking and leaves me speechless… My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims,” Father Sascha-Philipp Geissler, a senior member of Hamburg’s Catholic diocese, said in a statement.
Shootings in Germany are not unheard of, though rarer than in the United States. According to statistics published by the country’s National Firearms Register in 2013, Germany has, per capita, the fourth-highest gun ownership of any nation. However, its strict laws mean they are largely kept out of the public eye.
German citizens require a weapons possession card to own or buy a gun and a weapons license to use or carry a loaded gun. Hunters do not need a weapons license as long as they have a hunting license.
Gun control laws in Germany have been further tightened in recent years after several shooting incidents. A new Weapons Act was introduced in 2003 after a school shooting in Erfurt that left 16 people dead.
In January 2022, at least one person was killed after a man opened fire on students in a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in southwestern Germany.
And in 2020, a mass shooting at two shisha bars in Hanau killed several people.
In order to increase attempts to stop tiny boats from crossing the Channel, Britain will grant France about half a billion pounds over the next three years.
Rishi Sunak has promised to transfer Paris £541 million, or £478 million, to pay for the new package.
Many French law enforcement officials will be hired as part of it, and a new detention facility will be built there.
Following his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the UK-France summit on Friday at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Mr. Sunak made the announcement about the package.
The leaders spoke of a ‘special bond’ between the United Kingdom and France (Picture: Reuters)Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak pose with ministers during a French-British summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris (Picture: Reuters)
But there was no sign of the returns agreement with France that the Government desires as Mr Sunak makes ‘stopping the boats’ one of his top priorities.
Mr Sunak was speaking in Paris following the announcement of the Illegal Migration Bill, which has already faced backlash from various charities.
It will stop those arriving from claiming asylum, seeking citizenship or returning to the UK in the future.
The Bill will push ‘the boundaries of international law’, Home Secretary Suella Braverman had told reporters.
The legislation is likely to get a rough ride in the Lords, as the upper chamber considers whether to amend the legislation.
If the Government does not accept the changes, then a lengthy back and forth could delay the implementation.
In the House of Commons, Ms Braverman had said: ‘The need for reform is obvious and urgent.’
She added: ‘They will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter Britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed.’
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, after being rescued by the RNLI following a small boat incident in the Channel (Picture: PA)Huge protests have been held in response to the migrant crisis (Picture: Tom Maddick / SWNS)
The plans have been criticised by refugee groups, who say they are unworkable and will only make the system more costly and chaotic.
Patrick Ryan, Chief Executive of leading modern slavery charity Hestia, said today: ‘We need to be tougher on the organised criminals who are exploiting vulnerable people, not on the victims.’
The UK has already committed more than £300 million to France in the last decade to help tackle unauthorised migration.
More than 3,000 people have already made the perilous sea journey this year, with almost 46,000 arriving by unofficial routes in 2022.
That is despite Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman announcing a £63 million package to increase patrol officers by 40% four months ago.
Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged Egypt to release hunger striker and popular activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah immediately.The life of hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah is in grave danger, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, who renewed his call for Egypt to release him immediately.
“I urge the Egyptian government to immediately release Abd el-Fattah from prison and provide him with the necessary medical treatment,” Turk said in a statement on Tuesday, warning that the activist “is in great danger.”
“His dry hunger strike puts his life at acute risk.”
Abd el-Fattah, a prominent activist and blogger who is a dual British and Egyptian citizen, was jailed in 2014 for five years on charges of participating in an unauthorised gathering. He was re-arrested in 2019, and in December 2021, was sentenced to another five years on charges of spreading false news.
The 40-year-old has been on a hunger strike for 220 days against his detention and prison conditions.
Abd el-Fattah informed his family that he would stop drinking water on Sunday in an escalation of his protest. His mother said she did not receive a letter she usually receives from him when she visited on Monday.
Without water, Abd el-Fattah’s health could rapidly deteriorate. The escalation of his protest has coincided with the COP27 climate summit, the UN’s annual gathering of world leaders to discuss global warming, being held this year in Egypt.
Ravina Shamdasani, Turk’s spokesperson, said that the official had personally spoken with Egyptian authorities to appeal for Abd el-Fattah’s release, most recently on Friday.
Asked whether there was a risk he may have already died, given the lack of communication, Shamdasani told a briefing in Geneva, “We are very concerned for his health and there is a lack of transparency, as well around his current condition”.
But he called “on the Egyptian authorities to fulfil their human rights obligations and immediately release all those arbitrarily detained, including those in pre-trial detention, as well as those unfairly convicted”.
“No one should be detained for exercising their basic human rights or defending those of others,” he said.
Prisoners of conscience
Abd el-Fattah’s detention has become a prominent issue at the COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, which his sister Sanaa Seif – herself a former political prisoner – is attending to campaign for his release.
Activists at COP27 have also been posting prolifically on Twitter under the hashtag #FreeAlaa, and several speakers have ended their speeches with the words “you have not yet been defeated” – the title of his book.
According to rights groups, Abd el-Fattah is among more than 60,000 prisoners of conscience in Egypt since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power, deposing former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Asked about the case, Egyptian foreign minister and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry told CNBC that prison authorities would provide Abd el-Fattah with healthcare. Egyptian officials have said previously that he was receiving meals.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron both directly met Egyptian President el-Sisi on Monday and increased the pressure for his release, hours after three Egyptian journalists said they had begun their own hunger strikes over his fate.
The European Union must continue to work together with Italy “as neighbours and friends”, the Elysée Palace said in a statement.
“It is within Europe that we will overcome our common challenges”, it added.
France’s statement shares similarities with the official line from fellow eurozone lynchpin Germany, where the government has expressed the view it expects Italy to continue to be a “very Europe-friendly country”.
