French press review 31 July 2017

French press slams Maduro's "war" on the people of Venezuela and Donald Trump's reckless 'Cold War" on Russia and war mongering at home and in the Korean Peninsula. And what to expect from President Macron's "second season" at the Elysée Palace.

We begin with the worsening unrest in Venezuela after Sunday's controversial poll endorsing the creation of a National Constituent Assembly, replacing the legitimately elected National Assembly.

Le Parisien says the change was offered by President Nicolas Maduro, as a remedy to the deep crisis engulfing his country.

But as the paper reports, 10 people were killed in nation-wide violence including one candidate and an opposition leader in the "war" that has broken out in the capital Caracas between security forces backing the regime and the opposition.

La Croix voices grave concern about US President Donald Trump's alleged dangerous foreign policy games in the Middle East and in the Korean Peninsula where he ordered a bilateral mission led by US strategic bombers on Saturday to fly over the tension-packed territory.

This was in response to North Korea’s alleged successful testing on Friday of an Intercontinental Ballistic missile and claims by Pyongyang strongman Kim Jong-Un that his country has the ability to strike any target in the United States.

According to Midi Libre Trump is clearly irritated that China, Pyongyang’s main ally is playing the ostrich, by refusing to call the trouble maker to order.

The paper accuses him of "reviving the Cold War", declared 65 years ago, by slapping US economic sanctions against Russia for its policies in the Middle East, which led the Kremlim to retaliate with the expulsion of 755 American diplomats.

For La Croix, in just four days Donald Trump realised the exploit of threatening everyone from China, Iran, Russia, not forgetting his very own administration, the American congress and even his party's lawmakers, as he struggles to assert his authority over the United States.

According to the paper, it is unfortunate that Trump is turning against the same people he will need as allies, as he tried to redeem his apparently doomed presidency.

That makes it even harder to know who are his friends and who are his enemies, contends the regional publication.

Today's Le Figaro is all about "Season Two" of Emmanuel Macron's Presidency. This is as the new French leader embarks on the rocky part of his mandate, after a hitch-free first three month period of grace.

According to the right-wing publication in less than a month when the 39-year-old completes his first one hundred days in office, it would be the time of adversity.

Le Figaro, says the main mind bogging question to the French people is whether the so-called On the Movers trooping behind Macron, will continue supporting him blindly or ensure that he doesn’t stray away from his mandate of renewal of the dogmatic thinking of the French with regard to labour laws and the work environment.
 

L'Opinion says Macron’s daunting challenge is to ensure that the centrist manifesto on which he was elected does not make him a tightrope walker keen who is keen on grabbing what-ever comes his way, for fear of being linked with the inaction and failures of the previous administration.

L'Humanité considers the budget cuts undertaken by the Macron government notably affecting social housing schemes as evidence of the administration's implacable disdain for struggling citizens.

The Communist newspaper holds a collateral victim of the policy is a schemes to construct subsidized homes in the 1500 poorest residential areas of the country.

According to l'Humanité, the project is set to lose funding of up to 46.5 million euros, representing 11 per cent of the budget earmarked. The Communist daily says the construction of 12,000 homes for the needy is under threat as a result of the government's spending cuts.