French President Emmanuel Macron pledged further tax cuts, reforms to the welfare system and major public investments on Thursday, as he unveiled his policies less than a month before elections.
Mr Macron, 44, delayed confirming his intention to seek a second term until March 3, and he has been at the heart of western diplomatic efforts to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking for four hours at his first major campaign event, he announced a programme aimed at deepening pro-business reforms started in 2017 to reduce chronically high unemployment.
"We have to work more," Mr Macron said at a venue in a northern Paris suburb, in front of giant screens showing his slogan, "With You".
"We have two levers, full employment and reforming the pension system."
He acknowledged that he had been unable to push through the pension overhaul as promised in 2017, but pledged to tackle it again and push back the retirement age to 65 from 62.
Mr Macron also proposed reforms to the benefits system that would require the unemployed to undertake 15 to 20 hours of work or training each week.
Another politically risky change would see all social benefits — for unemployment, housing, or childcare — centralised in a single system, affecting up to 20 million French people.
Major new public investments in the military, the energy sector and new technology were also required to create "an independent France in a strong Europe", Mr Macron said.
The programme "has been informed by the crises we've experienced in the last five years, which we weren't expecting," he said.
He was referring to the "Yellow Vest" anti-government protests from 2018, the Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Rivals across the political spectrum who have struggled to make an impact as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has dominated headlines, have accused Mr Macron of neglecting the election campaign until now.
He has held 20 hours of talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the past five weeks.
"The president wants to be re-elected without ever really having been a candidate, without a campaign, without a debate, without a competition of ideas," the head of the Senate, Gerard Larcher, told Le Figaro newspaper on Tuesday.
"If there isn't a campaign, then there will be questions about the legitimacy of the winner."
Mr Larcher is from the opposition Republicans party.
Mr Macron has gained five to six points in the latest voter surveys over the past month and could be on course to win the first round of the election on April 10 with a score of about 30 per cent.
Veteran far-right leader Marine Le Pen is running in second place, on about 18 per cent, a poll of polls by the Politico website suggests.
She is trailed by three candidates at about 11 to 12 per cent — right-wing challenger Valerie Pecresse, far-right former TV pundit Eric Zemmour, and hard-left campaigner Jean-Luc Melenchon, who appears to be gaining momentum.
The top two candidates in the first round will progress to a run-off vote on April 24.
Polls suggest Mr Macron will win by a large margin irrespective of his rival.
Behind the scenes, the president is reported to be urging ministers and campaign workers to guard against premature optimism, but to limited effect.
"Macron is winning by default. It's the others who are useless," one senior supporter told AFP this week.
Mr Macron remains a highly divisive figure, called the "president of the rich" by left-wing critics and criticised for his at-times abrasive personality.
Many of his proposed reforms will be subject to debate with stakeholders, he said, such as changes that would introduce more autonomy for schools and wage differences between teachers.
"'With you' is not just a slogan, it will be for me a new democratic way of working," Mr Macron said.
He also stressed his difference from the nationalist policies of Ms Le Pen, and Mr Zemmour, without naming them.
"There are programmes that propose a withdrawal, a return of a certain type of nostalgia, a nostalgia for something that never really existed," Mr Macron said.
"I believe, on the contrary, that faced with fears and a return of the tragic in our history, the war and the crises ... we need to reply with clear-sighted ambition, a desire to act."
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
