Lightning strike delays new president of France
Source: Agencies |
May 16, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A PRESIDENTIAL jet carrying newly inaugurated French President Francois Hollande was hit by lightning en route to Berlin and forced to turn back to Paris yesterday, but he was unharmed and took off again in another plane.
Hollande, who was sworn in as president yesterday morning, was expected to arrive with a delay of one and a half hours for his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after he set off in the second aircraft, Reuters reported.
The Berlin trip is a postwar custom for new French leaders to reach out to their German counterparts to solidify European unity.
Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are in different camps, however, when it comes to solving Europe's debt crisis. They will meet amid relief at new figures showing the eurozone has avoided a new recession, thanks largely to Germany, but also amid new political turmoil in Greece.
Hollande was elected earlier this month when voters ousted Nicolas Sarkozy after only one term.
The 57-year-old became president of France in a ceremony steeped in tradition, taking over a country worried about Europe's future and pledging to make it a fairer place.
Arriving at the 18th-century Elysee Palace, the traditional residence of French presidents, Hollande was greeted by Sarkozy on the red-carpeted steps.
In his inaugural speech, Hollande promised to fight financial speculation and "open a new path" in Europe. "To overcome the crisis that is hitting it, Europe needs plans. It needs solidarity. It needs growth. To our partners, I will propose a new pact that will tie the necessary reduction of public debt with the indispensable stimulus of the economy," he said.
Hollande also pledged to bring "dignity and simplicity" to the presidential role - something voters felt Sarkozy did not always do.
With the economy stagnating and unemployment high, many voters are looking to Hollande's presidency as a new opportunity to make things better.
Hollande, who was sworn in as president yesterday morning, was expected to arrive with a delay of one and a half hours for his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after he set off in the second aircraft, Reuters reported.
The Berlin trip is a postwar custom for new French leaders to reach out to their German counterparts to solidify European unity.
Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are in different camps, however, when it comes to solving Europe's debt crisis. They will meet amid relief at new figures showing the eurozone has avoided a new recession, thanks largely to Germany, but also amid new political turmoil in Greece.
Hollande was elected earlier this month when voters ousted Nicolas Sarkozy after only one term.
The 57-year-old became president of France in a ceremony steeped in tradition, taking over a country worried about Europe's future and pledging to make it a fairer place.
Arriving at the 18th-century Elysee Palace, the traditional residence of French presidents, Hollande was greeted by Sarkozy on the red-carpeted steps.
In his inaugural speech, Hollande promised to fight financial speculation and "open a new path" in Europe. "To overcome the crisis that is hitting it, Europe needs plans. It needs solidarity. It needs growth. To our partners, I will propose a new pact that will tie the necessary reduction of public debt with the indispensable stimulus of the economy," he said.
Hollande also pledged to bring "dignity and simplicity" to the presidential role - something voters felt Sarkozy did not always do.
With the economy stagnating and unemployment high, many voters are looking to Hollande's presidency as a new opportunity to make things better.
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