In happier times, Emmanuel Macron could be entering 2023 with the wind in his sails.
His job is safe until 2027 after his re-election victory last spring, setting him on track to be France’s most durable president since Jacques Chirac.
His recent state visit to the White House cemented his position as Europe’s pre-eminent leader.
Yet the crises engulfing Europe threaten to give Mr Macron a year of headaches at home and abroad.
France’s labour unions are determined to give him a bloody nose as he tries to trim the pension budget.
Mr Macron’s eagerness for diplomacy with Moscow has won him few friends in Central and Eastern Europe.
And even leaders who should be natural allies, Italy, Germany and the UK, have various bones to pick with France.
Emmanuel Macron's 2022 — in pictures
Domestic agenda
Mr Macron has wanted for years to increase France’s pension age to stop the welfare budget from ballooning out of control.
He plans to renew that effort in 2023, with details of a pension overhaul to be unveiled in January.
But his party lacks a majority in the National Assembly and unions have vowed to mobilise if the pension reforms go ahead.
“The trade unions want to make this a major social conflict. They want to make a big show of it,” Paul Smith, a French politics expert at the UK's University of Nottingham, told The National.
“I think the other parties also will make want to make some kind of hay while the sun shines, certainly on the far left and the far right.”
Whether the centre-right Republicans will lend Mr Macron the votes to cobble together a majority on pensions remains to be seen. Their new hardline leader, Eric Ciotti, has ruled out any formal alliance.
Although Mr Macron can sometimes get around parliament with decrees, they expose him to charges of undemocratic behaviour, while calling new elections would be a huge gamble.
The hung parliament could make it harder for Mr Macron to tackle other items on the domestic agenda, such as transport and health care.
A recent bronchiolitis outbreak strained France’s health system, and hospitals have been hit by labour shortages.
Mr Macron has called for an overhaul of local train services modelled on the suburban RER network in Paris.
Energy is another conundrum, after France’s nuclear power grid was plagued by maintenance problems just as Europe faced a power squeeze.
The cost-of-living crisis caused by the energy crunch is only worsening France’s industrial unrest.
Mr Macron’s first term was marred by the Yellow Vest protests that widened from a revolt over fuel prices into months of violence.
The nuclear problems have also limited France’s ability to export electricity to Germany and Britain.
“The process of updating the nuclear option hasn’t taken place. That’s not Macron’s fault — it’s a long-term structural problem — but it’s Macron’s problem,” Mr Smith said.
Foreign policy
France’s constitution gives the President a freer hand in foreign policy, and Mr Macron has made the most of it during the war in Ukraine.
What once seemed a quixotic hobby horse, Mr Macron’s dream of a more strategically potent Europe, is now much talked about in Brussels.
Never tired of throwing himself into diplomatic initiatives, he is more willing than many to keep lines of communication open with Moscow.
But Mr Macron has twice put his foot in it by showing too much sympathy to the Kremlin for the liking of some allies.
After saying in June that Russia should not be humiliated, he suggested in December that Moscow should be given “security guarantees” in a postwar settlement.
Rym Momtaz, a Macron watcher at the UK's International Institute of Strategic Studies, said recently that Mr Macron aspires to be the man who brokers peace in Ukraine.
“The French President, like other western leaders, is starting to worry about the long-term consequences of this war dragging on much, much longer,” she told an IISS panel.
But she said his position was weakened by France’s lukewarm military support for Ukraine, which she called a missed chance to convince Eastern Europe it could look to France as well as the US as a security partner.
Aside from Ukraine, Mr Macron has trouble brewing on his southern border as Italy plays hardball over migration.
Italy’s new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, put down an early marker by diverting a Mediterranean rescue ship into French waters, enraging Paris.
The energy crisis has exposed cracks in France’s alliance with Germany, weakening what is known as the engine of Europe.
And although the tone of UK-France relations has improved, English Channel migration has the potential to be politically explosive on both shores.
Joint summits with Britain and Germany early in 2023 are key for those alliances.
Mr Smith said Mr Macron, who oversaw the founding of a new pan-European community in Prague, hoped to be a “first among equals” in Europe.
“Macron can certainly try to cast himself as the strong man on the international stage, to reiterate his idea that France is back,” he said. “The problem with the external challenges is that it doesn’t win you very much support at home.”
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwin-turbo%2C%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503%20bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E513Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh646%2C800%20(%24176%2C095)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Rajasthan Royals 158-8 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 143/7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals won by 15 runs
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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