Paris stayed out of recent coalition strikes against Houthi militia targets in Yemen in a bid to avoid war spreading further in the Middle East, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a media briefing on Tuesday as he attempted to rally the French public around him ahead of a European election despite controversies already marring his new cabinet.
“We have a posture that seeks to avoid escalation,” said Mr Macron in response to questions about France's decision not to join US and British strikes last week. “We are vigilant and attentive to region’s equilibriums.”
The Houthis have disrupted global trade since November, with dozens of attacks against what they claim are Israel-linked commercial ships in the Red Sea in an attempt to pressure Israel into a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Yemeni group responded to retaliatory US-led bombardments by continuing their attacks and announcing that they would expand them to include US ships.
France’s “positive” decision to stay out of the strikes will preserve its interests in the Red Sea, said the Houthis on Wednesday.
“Our armed forces will target the interests of the countries participating in the aggression against Yemen, and this is a legitimate right,” Houthi political bureau member Mohammad Al Bukhaiti said in a social media post.
Mr Macron said that France’s choice to not be involved in the strikes would not impact its continuing operations to “preserve freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea.
The only EU country with a permanent military base in the Gulf, France deployed its frigate Languedoc to the Red Sea in December to protect civilian ships from Houthi attacks. The Languedoc has since intercepted Houthi drones aimed at commercial tankers.
France is also a member of a US-led naval mission to the region, named Prosperity Guardian, alongside more than 20 other countries.
“We are taking action, but the framework is diplomatic, not military,” said Mr Macron.
But the French president recognised that he had failed so far to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he talks to “nearly every week”, to implement a ceasefire in Gaza.
More than 24,200 Palestinians have died in Israel’s military operation in the enclave since October 7, when a Hamas-led attack on Israel killed about 1,200.
“All lives are equal,” said Mr Macron, who repeated his call for the establishment of a Palestinian state to bring long-term stability to the region.
A “stronger and fairer” France
But domestic issues overshadowed foreign affairs during Mr Macron’s media briefing, which lasted more than two hours and was broadcast live on eight national television channels.
In an attempt to reinvigorate his mandate, Mr Macron called on the country to unite around him and the new government led by France’s youngest Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal.
Mr Macron peppered his introductory remarks with proposals to reform France’s children and public school system, including limiting screen time, a test roll-out of school uniforms and mandatory theatre and art history classes.
“Each generation needs to learn what the Republic means: a history, obligations, rights, a [common] language,” he said.
Other announcements made by Mr Macron to make France “stronger and fairer” include:
– The suppression of “ineffective norms” that discourage entrepreneurs, industrialists, businessmen and farmers from innovating
– Stricter rules to encourage unemployed people to return to work and limit their ability to refuse job offers
– Shorter but better paid parental leave
– A “national plan” to fight male and female infertility, which he described as “this century’s taboo”
– An increase of anti-drug trafficking police operations to 10 a week, starting next week
– “Radical solutions” for better healthcare services across the country, including better administrative integration for foreign doctors
His announcements came one day after recently appointed Education Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera was forced to apologise after stating that she had chosen to send her son to private school because of a failure to replace absentee teachers at his former public school.
Teachers’ unions heavily criticised Ms Oudea-Castera, who also oversees the organisation of this summer’s Paris Olympic Games, for her apparent attack of the public education system, which she is supposed to defend as part of her job.
The controversy worsened after her son’s former teacher seemed to contradict her statements when she told national daily Liberation that she had not been absent while he was in her class.
TV commentators accused Ms Oudea-Castera of lying and being out of touch with reality.
But the minister was defended by Mr Macron, who said she had been “clumsy” but that he felt “indulgence for her” as he had himself offended people, “in particular women”, at the start of his term in office.
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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ELECTION%20RESULTS
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
HERO%20CUP%20TEAMS
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SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
