Macron weakened ahead of Trump, Putin meeting

It's a weakened Emmanuel Macron who'll be hosting U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and other world leaders at centennial commemorations in Paris this weekend to mark the end of World War I.

The French president is coming off a bruising week, with his domestic popularity at a new low and following a turbulent tour of northeastern France where ordinary citizens he hoped to reconnect with instead repeatedly bent his ear over unpopular policies.

The six-day swing across regions, towns and villages that were among the most brutalized by the 1914-1918 war was conceived by Macron himself, and billed by his office as unprecedented in its duration and scope since the presidency of Gen. Charles de Gaulle.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to workers at the French carmaker Renault factory of Maubeuge, northern France, Thursday, Nov.8, 2018. (AP PhotoFrancois Mori)

With stops at once-bloody battlefields and poignant WWI memorials, Macron achieved one of his main goals: To highlight soldiers' sacrifices and sound renewed warnings about European division and rising nationalism, dangers he is increasingly concerned about.

But the commemorative pathos and broader message were also polluted by the more immediate concerns of citizens he met. In the town of Charleville-Mezieres, where Macron had his entire cabinet hold its weekly meeting, instead of in his gilded offices at the Elysee Palace in Paris, a retiree challenged him over shrinking pensions.

And he's had to repeatedly defend his government's policies on fuel. High prices at the pumps have dominated news bulletins. Crude oil prices are largely to blame. But Macron's government has also hiked fuel taxes to fight pollution, angering drivers and truckers who plan to protest by blocking roads across France next week.

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands to workers as he visits the Renault factory in Maubeuge northern France, Thursday Nov. 8 2018. Macron is currently on a six-day tour to visit the most iconic landmarks of the First World War ahead of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice. (Etienne Laurent, Pool via AP)

"I prefer taxing fuel to taxing labor. People complaining about rising fuel prices are the same ones who complain about pollution and how their children suffer," Macron said in an interview to regional newspapers.

Fending off criticism about fuel and pensions wasn't the main goal for Macron's aides as they carefully choreographed his tour through regions among the hardest-hit by deindustrialization and agricultural difficulties. With rates of unemployment and poverty above the national average, France's northeast is pock-marked by discontent that has proved to be fertile ground for far-right French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen, beaten by Macron in last year's presidential election.

Macron said, however, that he was happy for the opportunity to deal with people's grievances directly.

French President Emmanuel Macron looks on at the Notre Dame de Lorette war cemetery near Arras, northern France, Thursday, Nov.8, 2018 as part of ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. (AP PhotoFrancois Mori, Pool)

"There are days when people are angry," he said Thursday as he toured a Renault car factory hailed as a model of productivity. "I need to explain what I do to those who are angry, to respect them and listen to them. That's what I do."

The confused and mixed messaging that came out of Macron's tour was also partly his fault. On Wednesday, he stirred controversy and angered France's main Jewish group by speaking favorably of the World War I record of Marshal Philippe Petain — a general who subsequently became a top collaborator with the Nazis in World War II.

Macron's domestic troubles won't hinder his role as WWI commemoration-organizer-in-chief this weekend.

Indeed, hosting Trump, Putin and other world leaders could offer a welcome moment of respite.

Sylvie Corbet has covered French politics for The Associated Press since 2010.

DODOMA, Tanzania (AP) — Tanzania’s president has, for the first time since the disputed October election, commented on a six-day internet shutdown as the country went through its worst postelection violence.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday expressed “sympathy” to diplomats and foreign nationals living in the country, saying the government would strive to ensure there is never a repeat of the same.

Hassan won the October election with more than 97% of the vote after candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from running and the country’s main opposition leader remained in prison facing treason charges.

Violence broke out on election day and went on for days as the internet was shut down amid a heavy police crackdown that left hundreds of people dead, according to rights groups.

Hassan blamed the violence on foreigners and pardoned hundreds of young people who had been arrested, saying they were acting under peer pressure.

Speaking to ambassadors, high commissioners and representatives of international organizations on Thursday in the capital, Dodoma, she sought to reassure envoys of their safety, saying the government would remain vigilant to prevent a repeat of the disruption.

“To our partners in the diplomatic community and foreigners residing here in Tanzania, I express my sincere sympathy for the uncertainty, service restrictions and internet shutdowns you experienced,” she said.

Hassan defended her administration, saying the measures were taken to preserve constitutional order and protect citizens.

“I assure you that we will remain vigilant to ensure your safety and prevent any recurrence of such experiences,” the president told diplomats on Thursday.

Tanzania has, since the October elections, established a commission of inquiry to look into the violence that left hundreds dead and property worth millions of shillings destroyed in a country that has enjoyed relative calm for decades.

Foreign observers said the election failed to meet democratic standards because key opposition figures were barred.

FILE - Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan delivers remarks during a campaign rally ahead of the general elections in Iringa, Tanzania, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)