Election economics: French presidential candidates lay out spending plans
Plus, Raphaël Gallardo, chief economist at Carmignac, assesses some of the main campaign pledges and their implications for the French economy.
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Keeping quiet: Putin's generals, Salah Abdeslam and Nicolas Sarkozy
Some of the links we discuss in this press review:
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian: 'I see only declarations but no action' from Russia
The French minister for Europe and foreign affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, answered questions from Roselyne Febvre of FRANCE 24 and Christophe Boisbouvier of RFI (Radio France internationale).
Who wins the information war? Russia's Ukraine invasion sparks global airwaves battle
While outlets like Russian broadcaster RT may now be blocked in places like France, Germany and the US, years of eroded trust in the so-called mainstream media mean that receptive audiences have long since defected to alternative news sources. That spin machine stunned the likes of France when, for instance, an under-embargo junta in Mali managed to turn public opinion against the French – despite them fighting jihadists – and in favour of the Russian mercenaries of Wagner. Those mercenaries are now reportedly headed to Ukraine.
Taking inspiration from Madeleine Albright's 'resilience of spirit'
Links to some of the articles discussed in this press review:
Putin's Greater Russia: What's driving the invasion of Ukraine?
But more broadly, the war did not happen in a vacuum: of all the former Soviet states, Ukraine is the one with the largest Russian population. The breakup of the USSR was described by Putin way back in 2005 as the last century's "greatest geopolitical catastrophe." And just as the Russian president has had 22 years to consolidate his grip on the oligarchs, the media and the security apparatus, he has also moved methodically to restore and grow the grandeur of Russkiy Mir, the Russian world.
Top Navalny aide: 'Putin shortened his time in power when he went to war in Ukraine'
Volkov went on to say that when Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to go to war in Ukraine he actually "shortened his years in power" – and since Navalny is Putin’s "personal prisoner”, he also “shortened Nalvany’s prison term”.
World Cup African qualifiers roundup: Senegal sink Egypt, Ghana beat Nigeria and more
Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia also booked their places in the finals on a frantic night of play-off action.