Marion Anne Perrine "Marine” Le Pen is a French lawyer and member of the National Rally, formerly the National Front, a party which she led as president from 2011 to 2021.
Considered far-right on the political spectrum, Ms Le Pen’s normally hardline discourse softened considerably during the French presidential elections and was described as “the kitten campaign” by the French press.
Compared to Eric Zemmour, a former presidential candidate even further to the right than her, Ms Le Pen has increasingly come across as more centrist and less extreme in her position.
The youngest daughter of former party leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, she led a movement to undo the “demonisation” of the National Front to soften its image, including the expulsion of her father from the party in 2015, as well as other members accused of racism and anti-Semitism.
While the National Rally is generally considered to be a far-right group, Ms Le Pen has recently been positioning herself as close to the centre.
On economic policies, for example, she has proposed expanding the welfare state for those considered eligible and has offered tax breaks and interest-free loans to help people under 30 step on to the housing ladder.
Her shift to the left on fiscal issues has increased her appeal among low-income voters.
However, her hardline views are more apparent on social and cultural issues and this puts her more towards the right of the political spectrum.
While she has revoked her party’s former opposition to same-sex partnerships and unconditional abortions, as well as its support for the death penalty, Ms Le Pen is still an advocate for strong anti-immigration and nationalist measures.
In the past, she called the hijab an “Islamist uniform” that needed to be banned from French public space. However, in a bid to woo Muslim voters, Ms Le Pen has said she would only enforce a headscarf ban “little by little” if elected.
Ms Le Pen’s defence strategy includes taking France out of Nato's military command structure and forging a new relationship with the US, which she says “does not always behave like an ally of France”.
She has also said that her government would end joint weapons programmes with Germany.
While Ms Le Pen has formerly spoken of her admiration and respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin, she has since toned down her support of him after the invasion of Ukraine.
The far-right candidate had sought to increase the alliance between France and Russia. However, earlier this month, she renounced any military “entente” with Moscow.
She remains opposed to an energy embargo against Russia and to the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, and has called for a “strategic rapprochement” between Nato and Russia once the war in Ukraine was “resolved by a peace treaty".
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
