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French press review 22 July 2017

French commentators still raging over President Macron's sacking of blunt army chief There are also bitter complaints about the anti-pollution outliend by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo.

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The storm over the resignation of French army chief of Staff General Pierre de Villiers over deep cuts in the defence budget and a public rebuke by President Macron isn't going away, judging from fresh reflections by several commentators.

Le Figaro says the President, who replaced the 5-star General even before a planned meeting with him, showed no sign of reconciling with the military when he allowed the government spokesperson Christophe Castaner to castigate him even after he decided to step down and army chief.

Castaner said the General had been insubordinate to the President , according to the right-wing paper. Le Figaro wonders if Castaner's reaction was an insight into President Macron's complex state of mind,   just a clumsy, inappropriate presentation of the government's position - or a vicious attack on the army General?

That remains to be seen according to the conservative publication,which first aired General de Villiers’ complaints, that spending cuts of up to 850 million euros threatened the military's ability "to guarantee the protection of France and the French people."

Le Figaro also vents its anger over a so-called war declared on car owners by the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo. This is as the Socialist implements her Cycling plan for Paris, pedestrianization and the restriction of driveways and other works under her plan to fight worsening air pollution in the French capital.

Le Figaro accuses Hidalgo of making life unbearable for car users in Paris, warning that if goes on obstructing traffic at such a reckless pace, the city center would be transformed into a village for a happy few, and inaccessible to the inhabitants of Parisian neighbourhoods and near-by districts who can't do without their cars or bikes to get to work.

US President Donald Trump is again the subject of renewed scrutiny by some of today's papers with les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace marking his nomination as the Republican candidate at the party's convention at Cleveland Ohio on the 22nd of July last year.

Libération wonders how he has managed to remain credible and popular in the eyes of the Republican voters despite falling out with the so-called traditional values that have being so precious over the years to his Republican base.

According to the left-leaning Libé, even if Trump's lambasting the so-called New York left and the liberal press has galvanized the countryside repunlican base , it is unlikley that mainstream Republicans will continue to support him through the remaining 42 months of his mandate. This, as the Donald makes a mockery of the world.

Le Parisien's front page splash is still breaking news that Brazilian football superstar "Neymar has said yes to Paris Saint Germain". The unsourced story has sent PSG fans in the football mad French capital waiting in baited breathe.

The popular daily simply claims that the 25 year-old Barcelona star had told several of his teammates of his intentions to accept the record 222 million euros dangled in front of him by the French giants.

Surprisingly Le Parisien notes that Naymar is getting on the nerves of PSG fans after he posted an Instagram photo of himself in thoughtful contemplation accompanied by a matching emoji as he laid stretched out on a football pitch with his chin resting on his left hand as if to make the wait last a little longer.

"What a magical gamble", crows l'Equipe. The sports daily says it is "cautiously delighted" that the Neymar dream is coming true with PSG managers in battle gear to snatch the Brazilian from Barcelona and accomplish the biggest transfer in football history.

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