https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed France will not take part in operations to open the Hormuz Strait, but is ready to help escort ships 'once the situation becomes calmer', said President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260317/france-will-not-take-part-in-operation-to-open-hormuz-strait-says-macron Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:34:03 +0100 france-will-not-take-part-in-operation-to-open-hormuz-strait-says-macron President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France will increase the number of its nuclear warheads and cooperate with eight countries to help protect the continent as key NATO ally Washington turns away. https://www.thelocal.com/20260302/macron-says-france-to-increase-nuclear-warheads-in-plan-to-protect-europe Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:30:45 +0100 macron-says-france-to-increase-nuclear-warheads-in-plan-to-protect-europe The pictures immediately went viral on Tuesday - French president Emmanuel Macron delivering his big speech at the international leaders' summit in Davos, while wearing a pair of reflective aviator shades. https://www.thelocal.com/20260120/why-frances-emmanuel-macron-was-wearing-sunglasses-indoors-at-davos Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:45:41 +0100 why-frances-emmanuel-macron-was-wearing-sunglasses-indoors-at-davos President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France would soon send more "land, air, and sea" forces to join a European military exercise in Greenland, after Washington threatened to seize the autonomous Danish territory. https://www.thelocal.com/20260115/france-to-send-extra-land-air-and-sea-forces-to-greenland-in-coming-days-says-macron Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:22:05 +0100 france-to-send-extra-land-air-and-sea-forces-to-greenland-in-coming-days-says-macron French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday that if the United States seized Greenland from Denmark, it would trigger a wave of "unprecedented" consequences, a government spokeswoman said. https://www.thelocal.com/20260114/macron-warns-of-unprecedented-consequences-if-us-takes-greenland Wed, 14 Jan 2026 13:00:40 +0100 macron-warns-of-unprecedented-consequences-if-us-takes-greenland As Emmanuel Macron enters the last full year of his presidency, John Lichfield looks at the career of the man who promised so much, but seems doomed to end his mandate in failure. Where did it all go wrong for Macron, and for France? https://www.thelocal.com/20260107/analysis-emmanuel-macron-a-french-nero-or-misunderstood-visionary Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:17:19 +0100 analysis-emmanuel-macron-a-french-nero-or-misunderstood-visionary Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, filed a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against a right-wing US podcaster who claimed the spouse of the French president used to be a man, that the couple are related and that Macron was chosen to be France's president as part of a CIA-operated mind control programme. https://www.thelocal.com/20250724/macrons-file-defamation-suit-against-right-wing-us-podcaster Thu, 24 Jul 2025 10:26:21 +0200 macrons-file-defamation-suit-against-right-wing-us-podcaster French president Emmanuel Macron's trip to Greenland looks like a deliberate troll to his unlikely 'friend' Donald Trump - John Lichfield looks at why the pair are headed for a bust-up. https://www.thelocal.com/20250612/opinion-the-macron-trump-bromance-is-heading-for-a-bust-up Thu, 12 Jun 2025 12:17:02 +0200 opinion-the-macron-trump-bromance-is-heading-for-a-bust-up French President Emmanuel Macron hoped that his marathon TV interview would mark a comeback on domestic politics - John Lichfield assesses how likely this is. https://www.thelocal.com/20250515/opinion-macrons-tv-comeback-was-more-like-his-obituary Thu, 15 May 2025 12:07:08 +0200 opinion-macrons-tv-comeback-was-more-like-his-obituary The far-right media empire of the ultra-Catholic, Breton billionaire Vincent Bolloré has gone full-bore Vichy, writes John Lichfield. https://www.thelocal.com/20250312/opinion-macron-is-no-warmonger-whatever-frances-pro-putin-billionaire-says Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:06:20 +0100 opinion-macron-is-no-warmonger-whatever-frances-pro-putin-billionaire-says If the United States will no longer fight for democracy, who will? https://www.thelocal.com/20250304/opinion-france-and-the-uk-may-be-willing-to-send-troops-to-ukraine-but-do-they-have-the-military-strength Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:45:34 +0100 opinion-france-and-the-uk-may-be-willing-to-send-troops-to-ukraine-but-do-they-have-the-military-strength France and Britain are proposing a one-month truce in Ukraine "in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure" after crisis talks in London, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.com/20250303/france-and-uk-propose-one-month-ukraine-truce Mon, 03 Mar 2025 09:56:20 +0100 france-and-uk-propose-one-month-ukraine-truce In America, or in half of America, Emmanuel Macron is a hero - writes John Lichfield - the man who fact-checked Donald Trump on live television. https://www.thelocal.com/20250226/opinion-macrons-trump-talks-made-him-a-hero-in-america-but-a-fool-in-france Wed, 26 Feb 2025 10:26:22 +0100 opinion-macrons-trump-talks-made-him-a-hero-in-america-but-a-fool-in-france French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that peace cannot mean the "surrender" of Ukraine, but said talks with US President Donald Trump on Monday had shown a path forward despite fears of a transatlantic rift. https://www.thelocal.com/20250225/macron-warns-ukraine-peace-cant-mean-surrender-after-trump-talks Tue, 25 Feb 2025 09:49:33 +0100 macron-warns-ukraine-peace-cant-mean-surrender-after-trump-talks French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday accused Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of social media platform X, of intervening in European elections - while also addressing issues of Ukraine, Iran, Syria and Donald Trump in a wide-ranging speech to French ambassadors. https://www.thelocal.com/20250106/macron-labels-musk-reactionary-and-urges-realistic-expectations-from-ukraine Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:30:50 +0100 macron-labels-musk-reactionary-and-urges-realistic-expectations-from-ukraine France is facing an abrupt and brutal return to reality in September, with no functional government and a looming financial crisis, the likes of which the country has not seen since World War II. https://www.thelocal.com/20240912/5-of-the-biggest-problems-facing-france-and-macron-in-september Thu, 12 Sep 2024 14:55:13 +0200 5-of-the-biggest-problems-facing-france-and-macron-in-september The new National Assembly which meets briefly from Thursday will have 11 groups, three and a half blocs and a score of parties or factions - writes John Lichfield. Some of the splinters are already splintering. One of the blocs, the Left alliance, is on the point of splitting. https://www.thelocal.com/20240716/opinion-the-comic-chaos-of-french-politics-hides-a-real-danger-for-democracy Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:07:02 +0200 opinion-the-comic-chaos-of-french-politics-hides-a-real-danger-for-democracy The polling is not looking good for president Emmanuel Macron's party in the snap elections that he called just two weeks ago. So will he resign if it all goes wrong? https://www.thelocal.com/20240625/will-macron-resign-in-case-of-a-french-election-disaster Tue, 25 Jun 2024 11:00:00 +0200 will-macron-resign-in-case-of-a-french-election-disaster President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday night that he had dissolved the French parliament and called fresh legislative elections, after suffering a heavy defeat in the European elections. https://www.thelocal.com/20240609/breaking-macron-dissolves-french-parliament-and-calls-elections-after-big-eu-vote-defeat Sun, 09 Jun 2024 23:18:22 +0200 breaking-macron-dissolves-french-parliament-and-calls-elections-after-big-eu-vote-defeat In a surprise move, French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday evening called snap parliamentary elections after his centrist group suffered a heavy defeat in the EU vote. https://www.thelocal.com/20240609/what-do-snap-parliamentary-elections-mean-for-france Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:26:51 +0200 what-do-snap-parliamentary-elections-mean-for-france