Latest news with #BrigitteMacron
Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- Times
How the French have clung on to their August holiday shutdown
With Parisians out of town and the streets abandoned to tourists, François Bayrou is cutting a lonely figure this week on the first floor of the near-empty Hôtel de Matignon, the Left Bank residence of the prime minister. Bayrou, 74, said he is making a point: France's economic woes, driven by soaring state debt, are too grave for him to leave his desk and join the great August exodus. He says it is time for the French to realise they must work harder. In the midst of la torpeur estivale, the period of high summer shutdown that involves 40 per cent of businesses being closed, Bayrou's gesture has prompted mockery. Faithful to tradition, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron are resting at Fort de Brégançon, the presidential retreat on the Mediterranean. Around the coasts and inland, ministers are at their secondary residences, deep into what they invariably call 'vacances studieuses' [studious holidays], preparing for 'la rentrée', the great return to work, later in the month. Bayrou, who is also mayor of the town of Pau, has pleaded with the French to wake up to the debt-driven disaster that he says will befall the country within weeks if they fail to heed his call for belt-tightening and longer working hours. He is trying to get their attention with a series of YouTube videos, but his odd mid-holiday homilies, in which he wears a white shirt and dark tie in his book-lined Paris office, have fallen on deaf ears. On beaches, campsites and booming 'green holiday' villages, his claim that 'never has France found itself in such a great crisis and such political difficulty' is coming over as an affront to the holidaymaker's primary duty: 'se ressourcer' [recharging the batteries]. Among changes, Bayrou said he aims to scrap two bank holidays. 'Who is going to listen to that old boomer banging on?' was a typical comment in a village store in the sun-scorched Cévennes hills this week. Recharging has been at the heart of the French devotion to the summer break since the creation of two weeks of paid leave for all workers in 1936. The great getaway reached a peak in the late 20th century after the congés payés, or paid holidays, were expanded to five weeks in 1982, and the ritual has persisted. Efforts by businesses and governments to persuade people to stagger breaks and reduce their summer vacation have had some impact. The average summer holiday is down to two weeks and nearly 40 per cent are now juilletistes (July people) compared with 60 per cent aoûtiens, those who prefer August. This week, Assumption Day on August 15 marks the peak of the annual slowdown, with more than 55 per cent of the population away from home. Nearly 70 per cent are staying in France, which is understandable given that the country's enviable attractions make it the world's biggest destination for foreign tourists. The Germans, British and other northern neighbours enjoy about the same annual leave but take shorter summer breaks and more often abroad. The Italians, Spanish and other southern Europeans share France's summer heat exodus but not the extent of its switch-off. The shutdown affects smaller factories, shops and services except businesses serving tourists. These are in Paris and other visitor haunts, mainly on the coasts and the south. • A local's guide to the perfect summer day in Marseille From Paris through to the provinces, streets are quiet, and 'annual closure' signs are displayed in the windows of bakeries, cafés and shops. Traffic is light and state services such as post offices and job centres are near empty. Experts argue that the slowdown damages the economy given the higher summer output of neighbouring countries, but others claim that the tradition of long summer holidays boosts productivity because of the benefits to mental and physical health. Recent laws, such as the 2017 'right to disconnect' from work communications, are part of this thinking. With a rapid rise in workers suffering from burnout, some experts are worrying whether the French, who already spend less time at work than other Europeans, need to take more holiday, not less. 'Three weeks of holiday are not always enough to recharge the batteries,' said a headline in Le Point news magazine. The prime minister said this week that he is losing patience with his compatriots' notion of the work-life balance. Talking of his call for public suggestions on which bank holidays to scrap, he told Le Figaro newspaper: 'I laugh when people propose August 15 — in other words, the only one when everyone is already on holiday.'
Euronews
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Fake online investigations claim famous women were born male
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit against US alt-right podcaster Candace Owens. The couple's lawyers accused her of being at the helm of an online crusade predicated on the assertion that she would stake "her entire professional career on the fact that Brigitte Macron is a man." Owens is accused of "relying on discredited falsehoods" and "inventing new ones", in a bid to "maximise attention and financial gain for herself", with her podcast and video series, Becoming Brigitte, having amassed millions of views. However, the false claims about Brigitte Macron first went viral in 2021. Ahead of France's 2022 presidential election, self-proclaimed journalist Natacha Rey alleged that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth and named Jean Michel Trogneux — which is Brigitte's brother's name — during a four-hour YouTube interview with spiritual medium Amandine Roy. However, this is not an isolated incident. Many other female public figures, such as former US First Lady Michelle Obama, New Zealand's former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former US Vice President Kamala Harris, have also been victims of similar transphobic social media campaigns, which academics have dubbed "tranvestigations". The rise of 'tranvestigations' Transvestigations emerged on social media, particularly image-based ones such as X, Instagram and TikTok, because of individuals who seek to uncover some kind of hidden transgender identity among cisgender celebrities, according to Lexi Webster, associate professor of digital culture at the University of Southampton. Users post pictures where they examine "the size and shape of a person's shoulders, of skulls and jaws, but they also look at people's gait, as well as their genitals," Webster said, which they accompany with conspiracy theories. The fake claims about Brigitte Macron have become so widespread partly because they build on the public's perception that politicians are inherently deceitful. Other factors include "the conspiratorial element which is transphobic and is underpinned by discourses that there is some kind of trans cabal that is seeking to take power over particular industries", explained Webster. Candace Owens' preoccupation with Brigitte Macron has led other prominent figures, such as known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to also relay the claim. "Barack Obama has been plagued with gay rumours for a long time, and this is embedded in those discourses of Michelle Obama secretly being trans, and Emmanuel Macron, who is also being discredited largely because of other elements of his relationship", Webster told EuroVerify. "Right-wing or alt-right users are fuelling these claims, but we also know many platforms are inundated with bots who construct and reconstruct discourses based on what they know works well, which creates an engagement trap as people like, comment and repost", Webster added. However, even those who reshare the content to laugh at it also help keep it alive. "The online satirical community which points out these kinds of networks of hate and reshares them to laugh at the absurdity also generates engagement", Webster said. Fake news report about Brigitte Macron emerges online Despite there being no evidence to back any of the false claims about Brigitte Macron, they have with time become increasingly bold and innovative — both in style and substance — rather than dying down. For instance, in early July, a video styled as a TV news report surfaced on social media and garnered hundreds of thousands of views every time it was reposted. The video opens with shots of a crime scene, as a narrator alleges that a surgeon named François Faivre — who had supposedly planned on revealing information about Brigitte Macron's alleged gender reassignment surgery in a tell-all interview with a French tabloid — mysteriously fell out of a window in Paris on 29 June. However, the video, just as the claim, is fake. Through a reverse image search, EuroVerify traced the opening shots of the video to AFP footage available on YouTube, which showed a crime scene in Paris back in October 2022 — so not 29 June 2025. Furthermore, the surgeon in the video claims he worked at the American Hospital in Paris. The private healthcare practice told EuroVerify it had no records of a surgeon named François Faivre. Although the face of the fake surgeon could be a real person's, he barely blinks in the video, which points to the fact that his speech has likely been AI-generated. Despite the overwhelming evidence that the story of the surgeon is fake, conspiracy theories use tactful elements which sow doubt, such as the narrator's claims that Brigitte Macron underwent gender reassignment surgery at the American Hospital in Paris. This claim is intentional and appears to play on previously established stories, given that in 2019, Brigitte Macron sued Closer magazine for invading her private life, after the publication alleged that the country's first lady underwent a three-hour plastic surgery at the American Hospital of Paris in July. "They take alleged medical evidence, for example, this person went into a hospital at this point, knowing that the person in question is not going to tell us what they were in hospital for", Webster told EuroVerify. In this case, conspiracy theorists could be taking advantage of the fact that politicians and their partners rarely address plastic surgery rumours, "in the political sphere there is also a desire not to come across as vain or shallow about appearance, beyond political appearance", added Webster. "No evidence is good enough to stop the rumour. Even if Brigitte Macron did share her birth certificate, online users could claim it has been forged or altered", said Webster. "Even if the Macrons win the defamation case against Candace Owens, I don't think there'll be any impact on the claims online."
Euronews
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Fake online investigations claim Brigitte Macron is a man
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit against US alt-right podcaster Candace Owens. The couple's lawyers accused her of being at the helm of an online crusade predicated on the assertion that she would stake "her entire professional career on the fact that Brigitte Macron is a man." Owens is accused of "relying on discredited falsehoods" and "inventing new ones", in a bid to "maximise attention and financial gain for herself", with her podcast and video series, "Becoming Brigitte", having amassed millions of views. However, the false claims about Brigitte Macron first went viral 2021. Ahead of France's 2022 presidential election, self-proclaimed journalist Natacha Rey alleged that Brigitte Macron was born a man named Jean Michel Trogneux — which is Brigitte's brother's name — during a four-hour YouTube interview with spiritual medium Amandine Roy. However, this is not an isolated incident. Many other female public figures, such as former US First Lady Michelle Obama, New Zealand's former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former US Vice President Kamala Harris, have also been victims of similar transphobic social media campaigns which academics have dubbed "tranvestigations". The rise of 'tranvestigations' Transvestigations emerged on social media, particularly image-based social media such as X, Instagram and TikTok, because of individuals who seek to uncover some kind of hidden transgender identity among cisgender celebrities, according to Lexi Webster, associate professor of digital culture at the University of Southampton. Users post pictures where they examine "the size and shape of a person's shoulders, of skulls and jaws, but they also look at people's gait, as well as their genitals", Webster said, which they accompany with conspiracy theories. The fake claims about Brigitte Macron have become so widespread partly because they build on the public's perception that politicians are inherently deceitful. Other factors include "the conspiratorial element which is transphobic and is underpinned by discourses that there is some kind of trans cabal that is seeking to take power over particular industries", explained Webster. Candace Owens' preoccupation with Brigitte Macron has led other prominent figures, such as known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to also relay the claim. "Barack Obama has been plagued with gay rumours for a long time, and this is embedded in those discourses of Michelle Obama secretly being trans, and Emmanuel Macron, who is also being discredited largely because of other elements of his relationship", Webster told EuroVerify. "Right-wing or alt-right users are fuelling these claims, but we also know many platforms are inundated with bots who construct and reconstruct discourses based on what they know works well, which creates an engagement trap as people like, comment and repost", Webster added. However, even those who reshare the content to laugh at it also help keep it alive. "The online satirical community which points out these kinds of networks of hate and reshares them to laugh at the absurdity also generates engagement", Webster said. Fake news report about Brigitte Macron emerges online Despite there being no evidence to back up any of the false claims about Brigitte Macron, they have with time become increasingly bold and innovative — both in style and substance — rather than dying down. For instance, in early July, a video styled as a TV news report surfaced on social media and garnered hundreds of thousands of views every time it was reposted. The video opens with shots of a crime scene, as a narrator alleges that a surgeon named François Faivre — who had supposedly planned on revealing information about Brigitte Macron's alleged gender changing operation in a tell-all interview with a French tabloid — mysteriously fell out of a window in Paris on 29 June. However, the video, just as the claim, is fake. Through a reverse image search, EuroVerify traced the opening shots of the video to AFP footage available on YouTube, which showed a crime scene in Paris back in October 2022 — so not 29 June 2025. Furthermore, the surgeon in the video claims he worked at the American Hospital in Paris. The private healthcare practice told EuroVerify it had no records of a surgeon named François Faivre. Although the face of the fake surgeon could be a real person's, he barely blinks in the video, which points to the fact that his speech has likely been AI-generated. Despite the overwhelming evidence that the story of the surgeon is fake, conspiracy theories use tactful elements which sow doubt, such as the narrator's claims that Brigitte Macron underwent a sex change at the American Hospital in Paris. This claim is intentional and appears to play on previously established stories, given that in 2019, Brigitte Macron sued Closer magazine for invading her private life, after the publication alleged that the country's first lady underwent a three-hour plastic surgery at the American Hospital of Paris in July. "They take alleged medical evidence, for example, this person went into a hospital at this point, knowing that the person in question is not going to tell us what they were in hospital for", Webster told EuroVerify. In this case, conspiracy theorists could be taking advantage of the fact that politicians and their partners rarely address plastic surgery rumours, "in the political sphere there is also a desire not to come across as vain or shallow about appearance, beyond political appearance", added Webster. "No evidence is good enough to stop the rumour. Even if Brigitte Macron did share her birth certificate, online users could claim it has been forged or altered", said Webster. "Even if the Macrons win the defamation case against Candace Owens, I don't think there'll be any impact on the claims online."
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Candace Owens bets $300,000 Brigitte Macron is male — even lawsuit can't stop her claim
Candace Owens' gender claim bet on Brigitte Macron: Candace Owens is standing by her claim about Brigitte Macron. She says the French First Lady was born a man. Piers Morgan challenged her. He offered a $300,000 charity bet. Owens accepted the bet on air. The Macrons have filed a defamation complaint. Donald Trump also warned Owens about her statements. She remains firm in her stance. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads $300,000 Charity Bet on Brigitte Macron's Gender Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Legal Threats Fail to Silence Candace Owens Donald Trump Warned Candace Owens, But She Ignored Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Candace Owens is doubling down on her controversial and widely debunked claim that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was 'born a man,' even as a defamation lawsuit looms over her, as per a Tuesday's episode of '', the far-right podcaster agreed to awith host Piers Morgan on the matter, as reported by The who has repeatedly called Owens' claims 'utter nonsense,' offered Owens the wager, saying, 'Last time we discussed this on Uncensored, I bet you $150,000 that you were wrong and that she's a woman. On X, when we discussed this further, I doubled it, this is for charity, to $300,000,' as quoted in the host added, 'You haven't accepted that yet. So right now, $300,000 to charity, I say she's a woman. Are you prepared to take that bet?' as quoted by the unfazed, replied, saying, 'I am 1,000 percent prepared to take that bet,' as quoted in the report. The far-right provocateur pointed out that she had missed Morgan's social media X post and, if she did spot it, she would have accepted the wager 'live,' as reported by the insisted that 'So we can totally accept that bet, I believe [Brigette] Macron is a male and they will not be presenting any evidence on the contrary because they would have done it already,' as quoted in the the podcaster even asked whether she would accept that her 'cruel, vindictive' campaign was akin to 'bullying against women' if proved wrong, as reported by the READ: New driving rule could cost you big — what every American motorist must know before September 1 This comes shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron filed a 219-page defamation complaint in Delaware, accusing Owens of orchestrating a 'relentless and unjustified smear campaign' and profiting from her 'trinvestigation' podcast series, according to the report. The lawsuit claims Owens' false statements have caused 'tremendous damage' to the Macrons, as per the has shrugged off the legal threat, framing her actions as a pursuit of the 'truth' rather than a personal attack. She told Morgan she only wanted answers, and said she would have avoided running the series if the Macrons responded, according to the said, 'I was not interested in being a crusader against this,' adding, 'I went to them and said, 'If yoy answer these questions, we will not run the series.' I am only interested in the truth,' as quoted in the Independent READ: These oddly named vampire hacks could save you serious cash on power bills Even a direct warning from US president Donald Trump hasn't stopped her, as per the report. Owens revealed in an interview with Tucker Carlson that Trump personally told her to stop discussing Brigitte Macron's gender, shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House in February, as reported by the Independent. He noted that the First Lady 'looks like a woman to me,' but Owens reportedly replied, saying, 'Respectfully, Mr. President, it's not my fault that he married somebody with a penis,' as quoted in the claimed, without evidence, that the French First Lady was 'born a man.'Piers Morgan challenged Owens to a $300,000 charity bet to prove Brigitte Macron is a woman. Owens accepted.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Candace Owens bets $300,000 Brigitte Macron is male — even lawsuit can't stop her claim
Candace Owens' gender claim bet on Brigitte Macron: Candace Owens is doubling down on her controversial and widely debunked claim that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was 'born a man,' even as a defamation lawsuit looms over her, as per a report. $300,000 Charity Bet on Brigitte Macron's Gender On Tuesday's episode of ' Piers Morgan Uncensored ', the far-right podcaster agreed to a $300,000 charity bet with host Piers Morgan on the matter, as reported by The Independent. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Morgan, who has repeatedly called Owens' claims 'utter nonsense,' offered Owens the wager, saying, 'Last time we discussed this on Uncensored, I bet you $150,000 that you were wrong and that she's a woman. On X, when we discussed this further, I doubled it, this is for charity, to $300,000,' as quoted in the report. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The host added, 'You haven't accepted that yet. So right now, $300,000 to charity, I say she's a woman. Are you prepared to take that bet?' as quoted by the Independent. Owens, unfazed, replied, saying, 'I am 1,000 percent prepared to take that bet,' as quoted in the report. The far-right provocateur pointed out that she had missed Morgan's social media X post and, if she did spot it, she would have accepted the wager 'live,' as reported by the Independent. Live Events She insisted that 'So we can totally accept that bet, I believe [Brigette] Macron is a male and they will not be presenting any evidence on the contrary because they would have done it already,' as quoted in the report. While the podcaster even asked whether she would accept that her 'cruel, vindictive' campaign was akin to 'bullying against women' if proved wrong, as reported by the Independent. ALSO READ: New driving rule could cost you big — what every American motorist must know before September 1 Legal Threats Fail to Silence Candace Owens This comes shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron filed a 219-page defamation complaint in Delaware, accusing Owens of orchestrating a 'relentless and unjustified smear campaign' and profiting from her 'trinvestigation' podcast series, according to the report. The lawsuit claims Owens' false statements have caused 'tremendous damage' to the Macrons, as per the Independent. Owens has shrugged off the legal threat, framing her actions as a pursuit of the 'truth' rather than a personal attack. She told Morgan she only wanted answers, and said she would have avoided running the series if the Macrons responded, according to the rpeort. She said, 'I was not interested in being a crusader against this,' adding, 'I went to them and said, 'If yoy answer these questions, we will not run the series.' I am only interested in the truth,' as quoted in the Independent report. ALSO READ: These oddly named vampire hacks could save you serious cash on power bills Donald Trump Warned Candace Owens, But She Ignored Even a direct warning from US president Donald Trump hasn't stopped her, as per the report. Owens revealed in an interview with Tucker Carlson that Trump personally told her to stop discussing Brigitte Macron's gender, shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House in February, as reported by the Independent. He noted that the First Lady 'looks like a woman to me,' but Owens reportedly replied, saying, 'Respectfully, Mr. President, it's not my fault that he married somebody with a penis,' as quoted in the report. FAQs What did Candace Owens claim about Brigitte Macron? Owens claimed, without evidence, that the French First Lady was 'born a man.' What's the $300,000 bet about? Piers Morgan challenged Owens to a $300,000 charity bet to prove Brigitte Macron is a woman. Owens accepted.
