Wednesday's visit is presented as a "personal" moment between the two leaders and their spouses, Brigitte Macron and Joachim Sauer, before Merkel leaves politics after the formation of a new German government expected in December.
He has been variously described as a “billionaire, a “peacemaker” and a key figure in “inter-faith dialogue”. For ten years French political and religious leaders have rolled out the red carpet for Mohamad Izzat Khatab, a Syrian businessman whose past is shrouded in mystery. According to an investigation by Mediapart, this fan of selfies taken with the rich and powerful has just been placed under investigation in relation to a vast fraud case. Antton Rouget reports.
Most European Union countries waited until the last minute before suspending expulsions of Afghans who had sought asylum on their soil. Now that the Taliban have seized power in Kabul, the 27 EU foreign ministers are meeting this Tuesday to decide the next steps to take. A dignified welcome for Afghan exiles who have already arrived on their territory would be a first sign of solidarity, says Mediapart's Carine Fouteau.
Lebanon, anti-government protests in Belarus, the COVID-19 crisis, Mali’s coup d’état, and tensions between Greece and Turkey will also be discussed, according to a French official.
In an interview with Mediapart, history lecturer Johann Chapoutot, an expert on contemporary Germany and the history of the Nazis, uses the example of Germany to highlight France's failings in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He says that while the German chancellor Angela Merkel appeals to people's reason, in France “they lie to us”. Interview by Ludovic Lamant.
At a meeting on Wednesday between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the two leaders reportedly agreed that weapons built by either of their countries and which contained 20% or more of components from the other would require before any export the consent of the country where the component was manufactured.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met in the border town of Aachen on Tuesday to sign a pact that brings greater cooperation between their two countries, notably in economic and security issues, and including the aim of creating a 'German-French economic area with common rules' and a 'common military culture' that Merkel said could 'contribute to the creation of a European army'.
Russia, Armenia and the former West Germany were all major suppliers of technology and raw materials for Syria's programme of chemical weapon production, exiled Syrians who worked on the project have told Mediapart. They also say that, in violation of intentional law, the Damascus regime still has a secret arsenal of up to 35 tonnes of chemical weapons. René Backmann reports.
Emmanuel Macron is to travel to Germany to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, the day after his inauguration as France's new president, when the two leaders are expected to seek agreement on measures to strengthen the eurozone.
