- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
- Japanese atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize
- Deadly Israeli strike on Beirut likely targeted Hezbollah security chief
- Bangladesh Islamist chief backs crimes against humanity trial for ex-PM
- Everest climber's remains believed found after 100 years
- 20 Pakistan coal miners shot dead in attack
- Clashes on South China Sea, Ukraine dominate Asia summit
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Zelensky meets Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- Hello Hallyu: why is South Korean culture sweeping the globe?
- UK economy rebounds in August in boost to new govt
- Voice of Japan's beloved robot cat 'Doraemon' dies
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- 20 Pakistan coal miners shot dead in attack: police
- Blinken condemns China's 'increasingly dangerous' sea moves
- Toyota returns to Formula One as Haas partner
- EU chief says China must 'adapt its behaviour' to solve trade row
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- Lynx rally, stun Liberty in overtime in WNBA Finals opener
- Pogacar hunting 'perfect' season finale with Coppi's Il Lombardia record
- 'Soul of old Baghdad': city centre sees timid revival
- Kittle at the double as Niners hold off Seahawks
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- Kamada says Japan can close in on World Cup place against Australia
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island
- Argentina held, Brazil leave it late in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Obama blasts 'crazy' Trump in first rally for Harris
- 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, a plea in favour of world order?
Macron: abrasive reformer with chance to leave mark on France
Young, pro-European and unfailingly ambitious, Emmanuel Macron is the first French president to serve a second term in 20 years, giving him a historic opportunity to leave his mark.
The 44-year-old, who came to power as France's youngest ever president, secured victory promising more pro-business and welfare reforms but with a "new method" that is expected to be less top-down.
He had billed Sunday's vote as a chance to "save the Republic" from the clutches of far-right rival Marine Le Pen, but will now face a challenge of uniting a highly fractured country.
Unveiling the essence of his programme for a second term in March, Macron offered a blunt message for a country famed for its lifestyle and long holidays, saying: "We have to work more."
His programme includes a controversial proposal to raise the retirement age to 65 for many people, which will face fierce resistance, as well as a pledge to oblige people on unemployment benefits to take up part-time work or training.
But during his stop-start campaigning for the presidency over the last two months, the centrist has also promised to be more green-minded by placing environmental concerns at the heart of his government and has reached out to left-wingers.
"I'm ready to invent something new to bring together our various beliefs and sensitivities to build a common front at the service of our nation for the years ahead," he said after his victory in the first round of the election on April 10.
- 'President of the rich' -
Macron won admirers during his first term for his dynamic leadership and crisis management during the Covid-19 pandemic, but he has been dogged throughout by accusations that he is out-of-touch and "president of the rich."
These criticisms returned last week following a head-to-head debate with Le Pen when his scornful facial expressions and aggressive debating style surprised many observers.
Le Pen said he had been "nonchalant, condescending and showed an arrogance without limits".
His sometimes abrasive personality has been the cause of many of his political problems and was a major factor behind the so-called "Yellow Vest" protests against him in 2018-19, some of the most violent demonstrations in decades.
The former star student, who attended top French universities, has conceded making errors early in his first term with off-the-cuff comments to members of the public that have forged his reputation for high-handedness.
He once told an unemployed gardener that he could "cross the road and get you a job" and accused opponents of major labour market reforms in 2017 of being "slackers".
"I think that with some of my comments I hurt people," the former investment banker at Rothschild acknowledged during an interview with TF1 last year. "And I think you can get things done without hurting people."
Historian Jean Garrigues said that for some people Macron "crystallises a sort of class hatred that is very deeply rooted in French society.
"He appears to some as an almost archetypal example of the privileged and elite classes, the French of the rich," he told AFP.
- Reforms -
Despite stirring such strong feelings in opponents, Macron has always retained a loyal core of support among wealthy urban professionals, and has increasingly drawn conservative and elderly voters.
They admire his pro-business policies and desire to modernise France's vast social security system, as well as what is widely seen as an uncommon intellect and grasp of policy detail.
Partly thanks to reforms to labour law in his first term, which made it easier to hire and fire people, unemployment is at its lowest level in 14 years.
"People are also proud when they see him overseas. He represents France well," said veteran journalist Nicolas Domenach, who co-authored the recent book "Macron: Why So Much Hatred?".
Macron believes in a "diplomacy of audacity" and he has thrown himself into the search for solutions to crises, ranging from Iran's disputed nuclear programme, to Libya's civil war, and latterly the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
His repeated mediation efforts have rarely borne fruit -- including his most recent attempts to convince Putin not to invade -- but the Ukraine crisis has proved a boon for his dream of a stronger, more united European Union.
- Private life -
Macron's unusual personal life remains a source of fascination in France, though his marriage is no longer a subject of open speculation, as it was before the 2017 election which forced him to make a public denial that he was gay.
He is married to his former drama teacher Brigitte, whom he met while a pupil at a private school in their hometown of Amiens in northeast France.
More than 24 years his senior and a mother of three children, Brigitte divorced her husband and began a relationship with Macron while he was in his late teens.
If he completes his second term, the voracious reader will be only 49 and is expected to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.
"I'm building up stories," he told Le Point magazine last week.
F.Pedersen--AMWN