
-
Altomare hangs on to tie defending champ Korda at LPGA Match Play
-
Paraguay gold rush leaves tea producers bitter
-
Health concerns swirl as Bolivian city drowns in rubbish
-
Syria says deadly Israeli strikes a 'blatant violation'
-
Financial markets tumble after Trump tariff announcement
-
Starbucks faces new hot spill lawsuits weeks after $50mn ruling
-
Europe riled, but plans cool-headed response to Trump's tariffs
-
'Shenmue' voted most influential video game ever in UK poll
-
New coal capacity hit 20-year low in 2024: report
-
Revealed: Why monkeys are better at yodelling than humans
-
Key details on Trump's market-shaking tariffs
-
'A little tough love': Top quotes from Trump tariff talk
-
US business groups voice dismay at Trump's new tariffs
-
Grealish dedicates Man City goal to late brother
-
US tariffs take aim everywhere, including uninhabited islands
-
Trump sparks trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
Israeli strikes hit Damascus, central Syria; monitor says 4 dead
-
Slot 'hates' offside rule that gave Liverpool win over Everton
-
US stocks end up, but volatility ahead after latest Trump tariffs
-
Barca oust Atletico to set up Clasico Copa del Rey final
-
Mourinho grabs Galatasaray coach's face after losing Istanbul derby
-
Grealish strikes early as Man City move up to fourth in Premier League
-
Reims edge out fourth-tier Cannes to set up PSG French Cup final
-
Liverpool beat Everton as title looms, Man City win without Haaland
-
Jota wins bad-tempered derby as Liverpool move 12 points clear
-
Inter and Milan level in derby Italian Cup semi
-
Stuttgart beat Leipzig to reach German Cup final
-
Trump unveils sweeping global tariffs
-
Italian director Nanni Moretti in hospital after heart attack: media
-
LIV Golf stars playing at Doral with Masters on their minds
-
Trump unveils sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Most deadly 2024 hurricane names retired from use: UN agency
-
Boeing chief reports progress to Senate panel after 'serious missteps'
-
Is Musk's political career descending to Earth?
-
On Mexico-US border, Trump's 'Liberation Day' brings fears for future
-
Starbucks faces new hot spill lawsuit weeks after $50mn ruling
-
Ally of Pope Francis elected France's top bishop
-
'Determined' Buttler leads Gujarat to IPL win over Bengaluru
-
US judge dismisses corruption case against New York mayor
-
Left-wing party pulls ahead in Greenland municipal elections
-
Blistering Buttler leads Gujarat to IPL win over Bengaluru
-
Tesla sales slump as pressure piles on Musk
-
Amazon makes last-minute bid for TikTok: report
-
Canada Conservative leader warns Trump could break future trade deal
-
British band Muse cancels planned Istanbul gig
-
'I'll be back' vows Haaland after injury blow
-
Trump to unveil 'Liberation Day' tariffs as world braces
-
New coach Edwards adamant England can win women's cricket World Cup
-
Military confrontation 'almost inevitable' if Iran nuclear talks fail: French FM
-
US stocks advance ahead of looming Trump tariffs

Among EU nations, 'frenemy' France most keen on Brexit
From bloody wars to gentle ribbing and occasional cross-Channel bashing, France and Britain's relationship status has been complicated for nearly a thousand years.
And as Britain wavers over whether or not to leave the European Union, studies show its old Gallic "frenemy" has a larger proportion of citizens in favour of the Brexit than other members polled.
"This shows the relationship between France and Europe today, and the relationship between France and Britain since always," said Dominique Moisi, of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
A series of polls between April and June show that between 32 percent and 41 percent of the population would see their neighbour's departure from the EU in a positive light.
The most recent study by the Pew Research Center showed that the overwhelming feeling across Europe was that Brexit would be bad for the EU, a sentiment felt most strongly in Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany.
"France is the only country where more than a quarter of the public says it would be positive for the EU if the UK departed," the report said.
- Folkloric disdain -
From the Norman invasion of England in 1066 to political spats over the war in Iraq in 2003, the panoply of Anglo-Franco conflicts have led to the folkloric belief that the two sides cannot abide each other.
A favourite anecdote in France comes from when then prime minister Jacques Chirac forgot his microphone was on during a 1988 European summit, while fuming over Margaret Thatcher's demands for a budgetary rebate for Britain.
"What more does this housewife want from me? My balls on a platter?" fumed Chirac.
However in reality, with so many French people living in London it is nicknamed "Little Paris", ties between the two nations are perfectly cordial these days -- a little teasing here and there aside.
The biggest bone of contention in recent years has been over the management of a migrant camp in the northern French city of Calais, from where many make desperate efforts to reach Britain.
- Growing French euroscepticism -
Analysts say the polls are perhaps more revealing about France's attitude to the EU in general than to Britain.
The Pew study revealed growing doubts about the EU in France where favourable sentiment to the bloc fell 17 points between 2015 and 2016, mostly among the older population.
Only Greece -- hit by the doubly whammy of the economic crisis and the migrant crisis -- was more critical of the EU than France.
The study showed much of the increasing gloom about the EU across the bloc was a result of the handling of the refugee crisis.
Those in France who do favour a Brexit come from widely differing political backgrounds, from the anti-Europe far-right to those who want a more integrated Europe and see Britain as an obstacle to this.
"There is the impression in France that the British have always been an impediment to deepening the European Union. Intuitively, some tell themselves 'if they leave, we can do more'," said Francois Lafond, a professor at the Sciences-Po university.
On the other hand, for the far-right, a "Leave" vote would be a welcome sign of "the beginning of the end".
"It means that they can finally demand the same thing," he said.
Far-Right National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen said as much at a rally in Vienna on Friday.
"France has maybe a thousand more reasons to want to leave the EU than the English," she said.
Perhaps the most telling thing about the Pew study, echoing the other polls, is how divided French society is on the European Union.
When asked about future of the EU, 39 percent of people said some powers should be returned to national governments.
However 34 percent of French people wanted more power transferred to the EU, the largest percentage of any of the countries polled.
Ch.Havering--AMWN