French President Emmanuel Macron faces a seven-day battle to save his second-term agenda after a resurgence of left-wing parties fought him almost to a draw in the first round of parliamentary elections.
The results suggest the pro-Macron bloc in the National Assembly could fail to win a majority at the second round next Sunday, weakening the president and forcing him to co-operate with rivals for the next five years.
Although Mr Macron's centrists took a slight lead with 25.8 per cent of votes in the first round, an alliance of leftists and environmentalists forged for the election polled at 25.7 per cent.
“I call on our people to pour out to the polls next Sunday and reject once and for all the dire agenda of Mr Macron,” said Jean-Luc Melenchon, the face of the leftist bloc known as the New Ecological and Social People’s Union (Nupes).
A projection by Ipsos France showed Mr Macron’s bloc on course to win between 255 and 295 seats, with 289 needed for a majority. Polling company Elabe predicted a similar range.
The centre-right Republicans are expected to win a few dozen seats, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in fourth and its leader likely to be re-elected as an MP. Rival right-winger Eric Zemmour was eliminated in his constituency.
More than 15 MPs would give the far-right a formal status in parliament, meaning it would have more time to speak and put issues on the agenda as well as extra resources.
The results show Mr Macron has had no honeymoon since being re-elected president in April, when he defeated Ms Le Pen in a final-round run-off and reached out to left-wing voters to stop the far-right.
Rising food and energy prices, rape accusations against one of his allies — denied by the minister — and recriminations after the chaotic scenes at the Champions League final in Paris have caused Mr Macron headaches since then.
After the left's divisions left it empty-handed in the presidential race, the Nupes alliance was formed with the hope of frustrating Mr Macron's pro-corporate agenda.
The president’s allies are this time trying to land political blows on the left, and equivocating over whether to support Nupes in seats where it faces a run-off with the National Rally.
Stanislas Guerini, a Macronist minister and senior official in the president’s party, said the left’s big-spending agenda was “made up of nothing but tax increases”.
Another Macron ally, Clement Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs, sought to expose splits in the tentative alliance by saying Mr Melenchon wanted to “kill off the Socialist Party”, the former flag-bearer of the left.
Some Nupes figures questioned the official tally and said votes for leftist candidates in France’s overseas territories should have given the alliance a first round lead.
Gabriel Attal, Minister of Public Action and Accounts, said the left “always calls the figures into question … it's their speciality”. Turnout was low at 47.5 per cent.
Mr Melenchon, who came third in the presidential race, wants to increase the minimum wage and block an increase in the pension age which is one of the central reforms envisaged by Mr Macron.
But his rivals have criticised him for his sympathies towards Moscow after he described the Kremlin as “a partner” as recently as January, while Russia’s troops were poised to invade Ukraine.
Mr Macron promised to reduce taxes and press ahead with pro-business reforms in his manifesto for a second term, after a first term sometimes overshadowed by Yellow Vest protests and the coronavirus pandemic.
He will retain broad foreign policy powers whatever the second-round result, but would have to make alliances with Nupes or right-wing MPs if his supporters do not win a majority.
Defeats for any ministers could force him into a reshuffle. Mr Melenchon said he wants Mr Macron to name him as prime minister if Nupes wins the election and called on young people and workers to support him.
Voters in modern France have never denied a majority to a newly elected president, but there is no recent parallel to Mr Macron’s party seeking a second term after ruling alone throughout the first.
Presidents Jacques Chirac and Francois Mitterrand had to work at various times with opposition prime ministers in what is known in France as a “cohabitation”.
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Afcon 2019
SEMI-FINALS
Senegal v Tunisia, 8pm
Algeria v Nigeria, 11pm
Matches are live on BeIN Sports
EXPATS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lulu%20Wang%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicole%20Kidman%2C%20Sarayu%20Blue%2C%20Ji-young%20Yoo%2C%20Brian%20Tee%2C%20Jack%20Huston%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Racecard:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy | Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Balanchine | Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Fixtures
Wednesday
4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
