MARSEILLE, FRANCE // The new French president, François Hollande, faces early tests of his ability to prove himself on the world stage while also grappling with France's economic ills and seeking a parliamentary majority to underpin his programme.
The euphoria of the Place de la Bastille in central Paris on Sunday night, where tens of thousands of jubilant Socialist party supporters gave Mr Hollande a rapturous reception after he defeated Nicolas Sarkozy, gave way to renewed financial jitters yesterday as the markets opened sharply down.
Falls in the values of stocks and the euro also reflected unease over simultaneous elections that left Greece with a split government amid gains for parties on the far left and far right.
But Mr Hollande also faces an uphill struggle to agree with the Germany chancellor, Angela Merkel, on how to tackle the eurozone's debt crisis.
Many European conservatives interpreted the defeat of Mr Sarkozy, Ms Merkel's centre-right ally and co-architect of the pact imposing strict fiscal discipline on the single-currency area, as a potentially destabilising development threatening a new period of chaos.
In the end, a classic European fudge is likely to be sought in an effort to produce as united a front as is possible to maintain the Franco-German leadership of the zone.
The new French leader accepts the need to reduce France's own public deficit but bitterly opposes excessive reliance on the austerity measures that have forced a procession of European leaders out of office.
Mr Hollande, the first socialist to win a French presidential election since François Mitterrand secured a second term in 1988, formally takes office a week from today.
He has accepted Mr Sarkozy's invitation to join him today at traditional May 8 celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
He is also expected to move quickly to appoint a prime minister in the knowledge that the relatively narrow margin of his win - 51.62 per cent of the poll, giving him a lead of just more than 3 per cent - may make a cautious choice advisable.
Parliamentary elections are due next month, and Mr Hollande will need to be wary of Marine Le Pen's far-right Front National exploiting the turmoil in Mr Sarkozy's ruling UMP party.
Barack Obama, the United States president, was not far behind Ms Merkel on Sunday night in congratulating Mr Hollande on his victory.
Mr Obama will soon have an opportunity to assess on his home ground how well he can work with the new French leader. Mr Hollande is due at Camp David for a summit of the Group of Eight world economic powers on May 18 and 19. He will then travel to a Nato meeting in Chicago, where partners will seek a full explanation of his election pledge to withdraw all French troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year.
The two presidents are likely to have a meeting at the White House during Mr Hollande's visit to the US.
Mr Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, said that the president "looks forward to working closely with Mr Hollande and his government on a range of shared economic and security challenges", diplomatic language that barely disguises the differences they also share on how to meet those challenges.
However, Mr Hollande's victory speech at the Bastille, with its ringing declaration that austerity "can no longer be the only option", probably caused less apprehension outside than might have been expected. José Manuel Barroso, the head of the European Commission, said he shared Mr Hollande's goal of giving a jump-start to Europe's economy.
"We clearly have a common objective: relaunching the European economy to generate durable growth," he said. "We must now transform these aspirations into concrete actions."
Britain's prime minister David Cameron, who supported Mr Sarkozy despite sharp disputes of their own, said he, too, would work with Mr Hollande.
British Conservatives believe France's debt levels will quickly push Mr Hollande away from his tax-and-spend ambitions.
The Spanish conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy - who is also pursuing a policy of severe cuts - showed scant enthusiasm for the French election outcome, saying on radio it was his "obligation" to get along with Mr Hollande and "try to work together for the benefit of Spain, France and Europe".
There were warmer greetings from the UAE. President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan sent a message wishing Mr Hollande success and expressing the hope of "further progress in relations" between the two countries, in a statement reported by the WAM news agency.
Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, also congratulated Mr Hollande while Bahrain's King Hamad sent good wishes noting the "deep and strong ties between the two countries".
Tehran yesterday called for a new era in relations between Iran and France. Mr Sarkozy was one of the international community's strongest critics of Iran's nuclear programme.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, was quoted by the IRNA news agency as calling for a fresh approach to replace Mr Sarkozy's "hostility towards the Islamic republic of Iran". He said the outgoing president lost because he aligned his policies with those of the United States.
* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
Aston Martin Rapide AMR
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
