Macron takes power as French president

Speaking to TF1TV, The Republicans conservative party member made clear his political condition and was also honored to contribute to the presidency of the centre-liberal Emmanuel Macron, who wanted to unite the wills of the right and left parties for French economic boost.

Paris: A senior member of France's main conservative party disowned his colleague Edouard Philippe on Tuesday for taking up the job of prime minister under centrist President Emmanuel Macron.

So far his appointments to his presidential team have all gone to men under 50, majority graduates like him of France's elite ENA college for senior public servants - which has turned out generations of French politicians.

Macron appointed Philippe, a lawmaker from the moderate wing of The Republicans party, on Monday to head his first government in a move aimed at broadening his political appeal and weakening opponents before parliamentary elections in June.

Emmanuel Macron's support for the Paris bid is seen as symbolically important, and his decision to meet Tuesday with the visiting International Olympic Committee delegation was one of his first moves since taking office Sunday.

Relations between the Vatican and the administration of Macron's predecessor Francois Hollande were frosty at times, with the Church having campaigned against the Socialist leader's gay marriage law and then declined to accept an openly gay career diplomat as France's ambassador to the Holy See.

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Ahok's political success was seen as a significant development in a city where anti-Chinese riots occurred in 1998. Prosecutors had called for a suspended one-year jail sentence for Purnama on charges of hate speech.

Among the non-politicians to be offered roles is well-known environmentalist Nicolas Hulot, a source in the presidency said.

Germany is looking to Macron to revitalize France as an economic power and political heavyweight in an European Union facing complex divorce proceedings with Britain.

Macron is the conservative Merkel's fourth French president in almost 12 years as chancellor.

Mr. Melenchon, who got knocked out of the first round of the presidential elections, had refused to explicitly endorse Mr. Macron against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen for the second round of voting.

Ahead of his visit, Macron's ideas on reforming the eurozone - including giving it a separate budget and minister, moves that would require treaty change - had sparked scepticism in Berlin.

Merkel chose to accentuate the positive ahead of her meeting with Macron.