عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

French-Moroccan Karim Bouamrane Eyed for Prime Minister Role

Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)
Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)
TT
TT

French-Moroccan Karim Bouamrane Eyed for Prime Minister Role

Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)
Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)

If French President Emmanuel Macron chooses Karim Bouamrane, born to Moroccan parents, to form the new government, he will follow a precedent of foreign-born politicians reaching high positions in France.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy had Hungarian heritage, and former Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who served under President François Hollande, was of Spanish origin from Catalonia.
Outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s grandfather was born in Tunisia. Among Moroccans, Rachida Dati and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem have also held significant positions, such as Minister of Culture and Minister of Education, respectively.
The potential appointment of a Maghreb-born politician reflects a significant change in French politics, especially given the recent strong showing of the far-right in elections. Macron is expected to announce the new Prime Minister after consulting with parliamentary leaders on Friday and Monday.
The Élysée Palace has not set a deadline for this decision, emphasizing that Macron wants a thorough and respectful consultation to ensure the new Prime Minister can build a stable majority. Macron aims to honor the Constitution and voters’ choices in this selection.
Macron has not yet confirmed whether Karim Bouamrane will be appointed as the new Prime Minister.
Bouamrane is a serious candidate, but others are also being considered. Macron might also choose an unexpected candidate.
Bouamrane’s profile has risen recently due to the parliamentary election results announced on July 7, which failed to produce a clear majority. This has delayed the appointment of a new Prime Minister.
It is noteworthy that Attal resigned on August 16, but his government is still in place.
Bouamrane, once relatively unknown, has gained significant media attention both in France and internationally. Major outlets like Der Spiegel, The New York Times, and El País have covered him.
The French media is keen to see how Macron addresses the delay in forming a new government, especially as the focus shifts from the successful Olympics to urgent political, economic, and social issues.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei 'Gravely Wounded' but 'Mentally Sharp'

A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
TT
TT

Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei 'Gravely Wounded' but 'Mentally Sharp'

A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was seriously wounded in the US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei but is mentally sharp, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

Citing several Iranian officials which it did not name, the Times said Mojtaba Khamenei had “at least for now” delegated decision-making to generals in the Revolutionary Guards army.

Khamenei has not appeared in public since succeeding his father and only issued written statements, creating speculation over his condition and if he is still alive, according to AFP.

Although Mojtaba Khamenei was “gravely wounded (in the February 28 airstrike), he is mentally sharp and engaged,” the NYT report said.

“One leg was operated on three times, and he is awaiting a prosthetic. He had surgery on one hand and is slowly regaining function. His face and lips have been burned severely, making it difficult for him to speak,” it cited the officials as saying, adding that “eventually, he will need plastic surgery.”

Access for security reasons is extremely limited to Khamenei, who remains in hiding, with only handwritten messages passed on, it said.

Guards commanders do not visit him but President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is also a heart surgeon, has been involved in his care, it said.

The report said the generals from the Guards viewed the war with the US and Israel “as a threat to the regime's survival” that has now been contained.

They have also been in charge of military strategy, including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

World

France, UK Eye 'Real Progress' in Hormuz Plan

Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)
Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)
TT
TT

France, UK Eye 'Real Progress' in Hormuz Plan

Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)
Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)

Britain and France Thursday voiced hope that military plans to secure the Strait of Hormuz were coming together and would succeed in restoring trade flows through the vital passage.

At a two-day meeting in London, military planners discussed the practicalities of a multinational mission led by the UK and France to protect navigation in the key waterway following a sustainable ceasefire, top defense officials said.

The aim is to form a "defensive, multinational mission that will strengthen the confidence of commercial shipping, and, if necessary, clear mines and protect vessels when the hostilities end", AFP quoted British defense minister John Healey as saying.

The British ministry said the meeting involved more than 44 countries from every continent.

Healey and French counterpart Catherine Vautrin said in a joint statement they were "confident that real progress can be made".

"International trade, energy, and economic stability for all our nations depend on freedom of navigation" in the strait, Healey told those attending.

He called for "practical military plans", saying "millions of people" were relying on a successful outcome from the meeting.

"We can't let them down," he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said more than a dozen countries have agreed to participate in the mission to free up navigation in Hormuz.

Iran said on Wednesday it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States continued to blockade Iranian ports.

While strikes around the region have mostly stopped since the start of a ceasefire, the US and Iran have continued to exert pressure around the trade route.

Before the war started on February 28, about a fifth of the world's oil was shipped through the Strait.

World

Katz: Israel Awaiting US Green Light to 'Return Iran to Stone Age'

FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
TT
TT

Katz: Israel Awaiting US Green Light to 'Return Iran to Stone Age'

FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel was "prepared to resume the war against Iran", adding that his country was awaiting a green light from the United States to return Iran to "the Stone Age".

"The IDF is ready both defensively and offensively, and the targets have been marked," Katz said in a video statement.

"We are awaiting a green light from the United States -- first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty... and additionally to return Iran to the Dark Age and the Stone Age by destroying key energy and electricity facilities and dismantling its national economic infrastructure," he added.

The opening US-Israel attack of the war on February 28 killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose son later succeeded him but has yet to appear in public, creating speculation over his condition and if he is still alive.

"This time, when the attack resumes, it will be different and lethal, adding devastating blows at the most sensitive points -- following the tremendous strikes the Iranian terror regime has already sustained -- that will shake and bring down its foundations," AFP quoted Katz as saying.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which came into effect on April 8, to create space for talks with Tehran.

Plans for renewed negotiations in Pakistan hang in the balance.

The Middle East war has engulfed the region, leaving several thousand people dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and continuing to destabilize the global economy.