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Explainer: Macron or Le Pen: why it matters for France, the EU and the West

Explainer: Macron or Le Pen: why it matters for France, the EU and the West

MICHEL ROSE THE French will decide on April 24 whether to re-elect pro-business centrist President Emmanuel Macron or blow up decades of mainstream consensus in favour of far-right Marine Le Pen. Here's what to expect from them on major issues: - THE ECONOMY: LE PEN: The far-right heiress has transformed the former National Front, turning her father's free-market, small-government party into a big-spending, protectionist one. She wants to implement a "Buy French" policy for public tenders, cut the minimum retirement age to 60 for those who started work before 20, scrap income tax for those aged under 30 and cut…
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Macron slapper jailed for 4 months

Macron slapper jailed for 4 months

A French court sentenced the man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron across the face to 18 months in jail, with 14 of them suspended, BFM TV reported. Damien Tarel, a 28-year-old medieval martial arts enthusiast, had earlier acknowledged striking Macron during Macron's visit this week to the southeastern French region of Drome but told investigators it was not premeditated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYPmcWBA4o
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I didn’t fear for my safety, says Macron after slap

I didn’t fear for my safety, says Macron after slap

SUDIP KAR-GUPTA and MICHEL ROSE France's President Emmanuel Macron, who was slapped in the face during a walkabout in southern France, said he had not feared for his safety, and that nothing would stop him carrying on with his job. In a video circulating on social media, Macron reached out his hand to greet a man in a small crowd of onlookers standing behind a metal barrier as he visited a professional training college for the hospitality industry. The man, who was dressed in a khaki T-shirt, then shouted "Down with Macronia" ("A Bas La Macronie") and slapped Macron on…
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