Emmanuel Macron

Macron thanked outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu for his work over the past 48 hours.

France has experienced unprecedented political instability, with five prime ministers in two years due to a hung parliament and opposition alliances. President Macron faces limited options to govern effectively and maintain control.

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, retaining key ministers amid political turmoil, with opposition angered and tensions high over France’s austerity plans.

The moment came as Macron left the UN, where he had officially announced France’s recognition of the State of Palestine. French media reported that he was stopped in a street due to the approaching presidential convoy.

Early this July, the couple filed a defamation suit against Owens and her media business, accusing her of deliberately spreading false claims that Brigitte Macron was born male, in order to boost her platform, attract a larger audience and profit financially.

Successive premiers have fallen victim to a fractured National Assembly, repeated no-confidence motions and fierce resistance to Macron’s budget-cutting and reform agenda.

Authorities said that more than 200 people were arrested in the first hours of the planned day of nationwide protests under the “Block Everything” banner

Bayrou is to submit his resignation on Tuesday morning with Macron naming a successor in the coming days, the presidency said.

Previously, Prime Minister Modi and President Macron had met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy in June this year, where they reviewed the India–France bilateral partnership.

During the meeting, a hot mic inadvertently caught Trump telling Macron that he thinks the Russian President "wants to make a deal.”

The lawyer, Tom Clare, said in an interview with CNN that a defamation suit filed Wednesday for the Macrons in a Delaware court was “really a last resort” after a fruitless yearlong effort to engage with Owens.

Last year’s snap polls, announced by Macron on the night of the European elections in June 2024, backfired spectacularly. His party lost its legislative majority, the far right surged, and France entered a period of political gridlock.

Macron's office said the call lasted two hours and that the French leader had called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations on ending the conflict

Online, the exchange quickly gained traction. Within minutes, platforms like X and Instagram were abuzz, with users linking Modi’s quip to recent jabs exchanged between US President Donald Trump and Macron.

As Macron leaned in to whisper something into Meloni’s ear—while shielding his mouth—the Italian PM responded with a theatrical eye roll and a swift lean back.

Trump cut short his visit to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, leaving late Monday evening amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

"There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions," Macron told reporters at the G7.

Macron's clarification came after a video appeared to show his wife Brigitte pushing his face aside during their arrival in Vietnam for a diplomatic visit.

Macron’s office initially denied the authenticity of the footage, but later described the incident as a couple’s harmless “squabble”.

This latest measure, part of a broader crackdown on what the government calls “separatist” religious ideologies, has sparked intense controversy both within France and abroad.