Violence risks 'uncivilising' France, warns Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday that France faces an "uncivilising process", a government source said, following the violent deaths of a nurse and three policemen and repeated attacks on elected officials.
"We must be uncompromising on the fundamentals. There is no legitimate violence, whether verbal or against people," Macron told ministers at a cabinet meeting.
"We have to work from top to bottom to counteract this uncivilising process," he added, in comments first reported by daily Le Parisien and confirmed to AFP by a person present in the meeting room.
Macron was "calling society to order", a person close to the president told Le Parisien anonymously, adding that "politicians aren't the only ones responsible" for reducing violence.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday participated in a minute's silence for a nurse slain on Monday in the eastern city of Reims, in a knife attack by a man suffering from psychiatric problems.
Macron was to travel on Thursday to Roubaix in northern France, to pay respects to three policemen killed in a Sunday car crash with a man under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
This week's violence follows assaults on elected officials, including a mayor in western France who stepped down after an arson attack on his house.
Opponents of an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in the town of Saint-brevin-les-pins are believed to have set the fire.
Other officials including MPS have had their constituency offices vandalised for political motives amid seen fierce protests over Macron's unpopular pension reform.
According to TASS, the crew of the Russian naval ship Ivan Khurs repelled an attack by Ukrainian surface drones in the Bosporus Strait waters within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone, Defence Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-general Igor Konashenkov reported on Wednesday.
"After the terror attack on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines on September 26, 2022, the Russian Armed Forces are carrying out measures to protect such facilities. And it is not without reason. At 5:30 today, Ukrainian armed formations made an unsuccessful attempt with three fast-speed unmanned boats to attack the Black Sea Fleet’s ship Ivan Khurs fulfilling the objectives of providing for
The United States on Wednesday announced the approval of a US$285 million sale of a NASAMS air defence system and related equipment to Ukraine as Kyiv seeks to boost protection against Russian strikes.
"Ukraine has an urgent need to increase its capabilities to defend against Russian missile strikes and aircraft," the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. "Acquiring and effectively deploying this capability will enhance Ukraine's ability to defend its people and protect critical national infrastructure."
The agency also said the sale will support US foreign policy national security goals by "improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe."
The sale would not require any additional US government employees or contractors to be assigned to Ukraine, the statement added.
The State Department approved the sale, and the DSCA on Wednesday provided the required notification to Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transaction.