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French President, Macron vows to defy security fears, after slap

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French President Emmanuel Macron will continue to greet crowds during his travels despite a security scare that saw him slapped by a man in the south of France, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

Macron shrugged off his assault on Tuesday in the village of Tain l’Hermitage, calling it an “isolated event” and “stupidity”, and he went to chat with and fistbump onlookers later in the day in the nearby town of Valence.

“Obviously his trips are going to continue: the president will remain in contact with the French public,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.

“It would be completely incomprensible for people to be deprived of contact with the president because of an isolated individual who wanted to challenge” him, Attal added.

Macron’s assailant, a 28-year-old man identified as Damien T., remained in police custody on Wednesday and is expected to be charged with assaulting a public figure, which carries a maximum three-year prison term.

He has been described as a fan of medieval martial arts and board games, while the French media raked over his social media activity looking for clues to his political sympathies.

He is a subscriber to several far-right YouTube channels.

Popular evening talkshow Le Quotidien aired footage of one of its journalists meeting Damien T. and friends earlier in the day on Tuesday.

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One of the friends, who says he identifies with the anarchist movement, explains that they have come to speak to Macron about the “decline of France”.

Police sources said that Damien T. had no criminal record and friends and acquaintances who spoke to AFP expressed surprise at his actions, describing him as a shy and placid character.

– Safety debate –

The slap has led to debate about whether it is safe for Macron to continue spontaneous meetings with members of the public.

The centrist began a nationwide tour of France last week, promising to “take the pulse” of the country a fortnight before regional elections and 10 months before a presidential vote.

He is widely expected to seek a second term in April and May next year, with polls giving him a narrow lead over far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

The 43-year-old former investment banker decided to get out of his car to greet onlookers on Tuesday who were calling his name after a visit to a school in Tain l’Hermitage.

In footage of the incident, he can be seen striding over to a barrier, with his security detail behind him, before greeting Damien T., who grabs him with his left hand and strikes with his right.

Experts highlighted on Wednesday how French security services advise French presidents on their safety, but do not have authority or powers to prevent them putting themselves in danger.

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“In the United States it’s the opposite: the Secret Service decides if a trip is seen as too dangerous and no one opposes them, not the people in charge of protocol or even the president,” Jean-Pierre Diot, a former member of France’s specialist VIP police protection force, told Le Parisien.

“The Americans have a history of attacks,” he added.

Macron has been regularly booed and heckled in the street since coming to power in 2017, above all by anti-government “yellow vest” protesters, but he had never been physically assaulted before Tuesday.

The country has faced a string of Islamist attacks in recent years and Macron has been personally targeted during demonstrations in Muslim countries over his defence of French secularism and the right to blaspheme.

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Senate Approves Tinubu’s $500m Loan for Power Sector Boost

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The Nigerian Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s $500 million loan request intended to bolster the operations of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to enhance the financial and technical performance of electricity distribution companies, ultimately benefiting citizens.

The endorsement, announced on Tuesday, follows a thorough examination of the report presented by Senator Aliyu Wamakko, who heads the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts overseeing the 2022 – 2024 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan specifically for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

During the presentation of the report, Senator Haruna Manu, serving as the Vice Chairman of the Committee, emphasised the importance for the Senate to duly receive and deliberate upon the report of the Committee on Local and Foreign Debts concerning the 2022 – 2024 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

The $500 million loan constitutes a portion of the $7.94 billion loan originally requested by President Bola Tinubu on November 1st, 2023, within the framework of the 2022-2024 external borrowing plan. In addition to the $500 million, President Tinubu also sought approval for a €100 million loan.

However, during a special plenary session on December 30, the Senate greenlit the borrowing of $7.4 billion after careful consideration of the report furnished by the Committee on Local and Foreign Debt.

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Melinda Gates Resigns from Gates Foundation, Set to Receive $12.5 Billion

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In this file photo taken on September 26, 2018, Bill Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda Gates, introduce the goalkeepers event at the Lincoln Center in New York. Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Melinda French Gates announced Monday she was leaving the philanthropy mega foundation she established with her ex-husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

The resignation, which becomes effective on June 7, will leave Bill Gates as the sole chair of one of the world’s most influential and powerful non-governmental organizations.

“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” Melinda French Gates wrote in a statement posted on social media.

The statement gave no reason for her departure, but noted that “under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an additional $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families.”

The couple married in 1994 but announced their divorce in 2021.

They had continued to co-chair the foundation which they established in 2001 with the vast wealth acquired through the success of Microsoft.

With a focus on child poverty and preventable diseases, the foundation has been heavily involved in fighting malaria and in providing toilets and sanitation in poorer parts of the world.

The foundation’s website says it has spent $53.8 billion since 2000, and claims the number of children around the world who die before their fifth birthday has halved in this time.

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Bill Gates thanked his ex-wife for her “critical contributions” to the organization.

“As a co-founder and co-chair Melinda has been instrumental in shaping our strategies and initiatives, significantly impacting global health and gender equality,” he said.

“I am sorry to see Melinda leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.”

The organization’s chief executive, Mark Suzman, said its name would change to simply the Gates Foundation — it has been known as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“I truly admire Melinda, and the critical role she has played in starting the foundation and in setting our values, she has played an essential role in all that we’ve accomplished over the past 24 years,” he said in a video posted to social media.

“I will miss working with her and learning from her. I look forward to seeing her continued impact.”

 

 

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EFCC calls on banks’ compliance officers to uphold confidentiality

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The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has urged Compliance Officers of Banks nationwide to refrain from unauthorised disclosure of EFCC’s investigative activities and requests made to banks’ customers.

Speaking through the Acting Zonal Director of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC, ACE I Hauwa Garba Ringim, during a stakeholders’ meeting with Compliance Officers of Banks in Oyo State on Tuesday, Olukoyede emphasised the detrimental impact such disclosures have on the investigation of financial crimes and the timely filing of corruption cases in court.

Olukoyede expressed concern over the tacit support fraudsters receive from the Nigerian banking sector, highlighting the challenges it poses to the Commission.

He urged Compliance Officers to promptly respond to EFCC’s correspondence with certified true copies of relevant documents, as this facilitates swift investigation processes.

Also, Olukoyede addressed the illegal trading of naira with Point-of-sale (POS) operators, stressing the need to curtail such practices for the benefit of Nigerians.

In response to the chairman’s directives, Compliance Officers assured the EFCC of their unwavering support and commitment to enhancing collaboration between the Commission and banks for more effective anti-corruption efforts.

 

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