Latest news with #ElyseePalace
Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- General
- Al Bawaba
Al-Sharaa to be first Syrian president to hold speech at UN in 60 years
NEWS Published June 3rd, 2025 - 10:42 GMT Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa poses upon his arrival for a meeting with French president at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 7, 2025. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) ALBAWABA - Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be visiting the United States in September, Syrian media confirmed. Also Read IS Syria threatens Ahmed al-Sharaa over Trump meeting A source told Syrian Television that President al-Sharaa's upcoming visit to the US includes a series of events, such as a speech at the United Nations (UN), the first by a Syrian president in 60 years. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Moment jubilant Emmanuel Macron invites wife Brigitte to stand by his side during Champions League celebrations with PSG squad after tense week following 'slap' video and riots in France
This is the moment a jubilant Emmanuel Macron invited his wife Brigitte to stand by his side during Champions League celebrations with the Paris Saint-Germain squad. The French president and First Lady Brigitte Macron welcomed the team back to Paris this evening after they beat Inter Milan 5-0 at the final in Munich, Germany, last night. After a victory parade through the French capital to celebrate PSG's historic win against the Italian team - lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time in the club's history - the Macrons received the players at the Elysee Palace. Footage shows Macron posed for photos with the squad, clapping and shouting 'bravo!', before beckoning to the French First Lady to join him, with the players parting to make room. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi can also be seen gesturing for her to join, moving aside to create space for her and laying a hand on her shoulder to steady her. They then invite others who appear to be club officials to join the photo - before Macron steps forward, away from his wife, to hold up a jersey with Al-Khelaifi. The Macrons' efforts to present a united front ended a tense week for both the presidential couple and France at large. The week began with a furore over the Macrons' 'slap' video, taken last Sunday - and ended with deadly violence and riots nationwide following PSG's victory last night. Footage circulating this week seemed to show Ms Macron shoving her husband's face as they stepped off their presidential jet on a visit to Vietnam last Sunday. Shocking footage shows the French president's plane door opening to reveal him - before his wife's arms emerge from the left of the open doorway. She seems to place both hands on her husband's face and give it a shove. The president appears startled but quickly recovers and turns to wave through the open door. She remains concealed by the aircraft body, making it impossible to see her facial expression or body language. The couple then proceed down the staircase for the official welcome by Vietnamese officials, though the First Lady does not take her husband's offered arm. The moment quickly made headlines around the world, pressing the French president to deny anything was wrong and claim that they were just playfighting. Macron's office initially denied the authenticity of the images, before they were confirmed as genuine. A close associate of the president later described the incident as a couple's harmless 'squabble'. An Elysee official played down the moment, denying it showed an argument between the couple, who have been married since 2007: 'It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh.' 'It was a moment of closeness,' the official said. Another member of his entourage played down the significance of the incident. 'It was a moment when the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by joking around,' the second source told reporters. Macron himself told reporters in Hanoi: 'I was bickering, or rather joking, with my wife. It's nothing.' But a body language expert has since told MailOnline the interaction was far from a 'playful' moment of teasing between a husband and wife, as Macron and his inner circle had attempted to portray it. Judi James said: 'I would not describe the gesture we saw from inside the plane as one of "play" as has been claimed. 'Pushing your partner in the face with your hand so hard their head reels to the side and they need to put a hand out to keep balance, especially with what looks like an extra "shove" at the end of the contact, should not be normalised by calling it "fun" just to save political face.' She also pointed out the French president appeared to ball one of his hands into a fist as he disembarked the plane following the 'slap' - seemingly betraying his true feelings about the incident. The Macrons' presence at this evening's Champions League celebrations is far from the first public appearance they have made since the 'slap' video. In fact, the couple have been especially close in the days since the incident, as they continue their state visit. They were also pictured at a reception for members of the French community at the International French School (IFS) in Singapore on Friday. But Ms James claimed this was all a mark of the couple deliberately over-egging affectionate body language at the event to downplay rumoured conflict. She said they have gone 'overkill' in their 'denial rituals' to silence the rumours. They are putting on a performance of 'newlywed-style body language presumably aimed at making us forget the gesture', she said. They were also pictured at a reception for members of the French community at the International French School (IFS) in Singapore on Friday (pictured) 'The pair seem set on trying to look closer than usual here,' she commented, of their appearance at the event in Singapore. Tensions then mounted even higher in France tonight as Paris erupted into violence and rioting at PSG's victory parade. Tens of thousands of supporters flooded the streets of the French capital to mark the club being crowned European football champions. But the jubilant atmosphere soon gave way to unrest as tensions flared between sections of the crowd and police. Projectiles were thrown and riot officers responded with tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to regain control. It is believed the clashes intensified after the crowd exceeded the official limit of 110,000 people. The resulting overcrowding is understood to have led to heightened tensions and confrontations between fans and police. The violence in Paris this evening follows nationwide unrest overnight after PSG's victory - which saw two dead, including a teenager, and hundreds arrested and injured. The 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the French city of Dax during a street party after the final. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris was also killed, after being struck by a vehicle. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez has said the death of the man, in his twenties, appears to be linked to the football-related disorder - but is still being investigated. There were also nearly 560 arrests, 192 people injured and 692 fires across the country. Macron condemned the 'unacceptable' violence at tonight's event at the Elysee Palace: 'Nothing can justify what has happened in the last few hours. 'The violent clashes are unacceptable and have come at a heavy cost: two people are dead, around 30 police officers and several firefighters have been injured.' Before congratulating the players on their win, he added: 'We will pursue, we will punish, we will be relentless.' Despite the violence, there was a carnival atmosphere in Paris on Sunday as fans waved flags, lit flares and belted out the Queen anthem We Are The Champions. An open top double-decker bus in the PSG colours of blue, red and white, with the words 'Champions D'Europe' written on it, made its way slowly down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of club owners Qatar Sports Investments, and head coach Luis Enrique – who won the Champions League in 2015 with Barcelona and became the seventh manager to lift the trophy with two different clubs – led the celebrations. The trophy was passed down the bus to every player, who were proudly wearing their winner's medals.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Horsing around': France President Emmanuel Macron dismisses viral clip of wife 'shove'
French President Emmanuel Macron is downplaying a viral video which appears to show his wife, and France's first lady Brigitte Macron shoving his face away before exiting a plane, according to a statement from Elysee Palace. The clip was taken after the couple landed in Hanoi, Vietnam, as part of their Southeast Asia tour. Video shows President Macron standing in the aircraft's open doorway when an out of frame hand apparently shoves him away. The president quickly maintains his composure proceeding to smile and wave before exiting the frame and later exiting the aircraft alongside his wife. President Macron dismissed speculation that the first lady shoved him telling reporters May 26 they were just being playful. 'There's a video showing me joking and teasing my wife and somehow that becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe, with people even coming up with theories to explain it," Macron said. "We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife." USA TODAY has reached out to Élysée Palace for comment. Macron did not deny the legitimacy of the clip but criticized videographers for taking it out of proportion. "The videos are all real, and yes, sometimes people tamper with them, but people are attributing all kinds of nonsense to them," he said. His office later echoed his sentiment adding that the pair were simply "decompressing one last time" before their trip, ABC News reported. "It's a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists," his office said, according to ABC News. The couple have been married since 2007 after meeting at Le Providence Catholic high in northern France, where the president was a student and the first lady was a teacher. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: France's leader Emmanuel Macron addresses video of wife shoving him
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Video of Emmanuel Macron being pushed in face by wife goes viral
During French President Emmanuel Macron 's arrival in Vietnam, a video captured an interaction with his wife, Brigitte, where she appeared to push him towards the welcoming party. The video quickly went viral on social media. The video sparked speculation on social media, with some interpreting it as a playful moment while others saw it as a sign of tension. The Élysée Palace downplayed the incident, describing it as a private moment of laughter between the couple. Macron 's visit to Vietnam resulted in 14 deals between the two countries, covering various sectors including aviation, nuclear energy, and defense.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Macron being pushed by wife threatens to overshadow state Southeast Asia visit
French president Emmanuel Macron arrived in Vietnam on Monday but an apparent physical altercation with his wife threatened to overshadow his six-day Southeast Asia tour. In an incident recorded by several international press cameras, Mr Macron stood near the aircraft stairs when his wife appeared to smack him on the mouth and push him towards the media and hosts waiting to greet the couple. Brigitte Macron, dressed in a red suit, seemed to shove her husband's face with both hands as soon as the cockpit door opened. The French president smiled and waved awkwardly before the two disembarked, but Ms Macron refused to take his arm. Ms Macron remained momentarily hidden behind the plane's fuselage, which blocked the view of her expression or body language. The video quickly went viral on social media. Mr Marcon arrived in Hanoi late on Monday – a first visit by a French president in nearly a decade – in an effort to boost France's influence in a former colony. The visit comes soon after US president Donald Trump threatened to impose a 50 per cent tariff on European Union goods from 1 June, fuelling tensions with the 27-country bloc, though he later delayed that deadline to 9 July. Mr Trump last month imposed tariffs on Vietnam as well, along with most other countries in the region. Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French president, appeared to downplay the incident with his wife, after initially denying and blaming it on 'pro-Russian accounts'. "It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh,' an official said. "It was a moment of closeness.' Many observers, however, found it hard to believe that it was playful banter and said it was an 'embarrassing' moment that Mr Macron would be compelled to navigate during and after the tour. Gilbert Collard, a former EU lawmaker from France, said 'everyone is laughing' at the couple and asked if the former teacher slapping her student was true. Brigitte Macron, 72, was a high school teacher of Emmanuel Macron, 47. 'Looks like even world leaders have to navigate a little domestic turbulence! Just goes to show, no matter how high you fly, there's always someone to keep you grounded,' X user Rob Frasca said. 'What a moment!' 'French President Emmanuel Macron & wife Brigitte caught in a heated moment the second they touched down in Vietnam. Scuffle caught on camera showed Brigitte taking a swing mid argument. The plane may have landed smoothly… her slap dint quit,' another user, Nabeela Jamal, said. Many others shared close-up images of Mr Macron's clenched jaw and a hard fist as he faced the camera with Ms Macron by his side. The couple met at Lycée La Providence, a Jesuit high school in Amiens, where Ms Macron was the future president's drama teacher. He was 15 years old at the time. Mr Macron is 24 years younger than Ms Macron. They got married in 2007. The incident came just as Mr Macron was coming out of the ' cocaine controversy'. France furiously denied a fake claim that a viral video showed Mr Macron removing a small white object from a table which some social media users, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova falsely claimed was a bag of cocaine. Mr Macron, British prime minister Keir Starmer and German chancellor Friedrich Merz were travelling on a train from Poland to Ukraine to visit Volodymyr Zelensky when the incident occurred. Mr Zakharova suggested the leaders were using drugs on the train when reporters entered their cabin, calling it a 'cocaine party'. The Elysee Palace refuted the claims saying the object was a crumpled tissue. 'This is a tissue. For blowing your nose. When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,' it said on X. Mr Macron arrived in Vietnam for the first leg of his Southeast Asian tour. From there, he was scheduled to visit Indonesia and Singapore. The visit saw France sign 14 deals with Vietnam, an export-dependent country facing pressure from Washington to buy more American goods or faces a 46 per cent tariff. The deals covered airplane purchase, cooperation on nuclear energy, defence, railways, Airbus earth-observation satellites and Sanofi vaccines. Vietnam's president Luong Cuong said the defence partnership involved "sharing of information on strategic matters" and stronger cooperation in the defence industry, cybersecurity and anti-terrorism.
