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http://ift.tt/2r9xY7L China's President Xi Jinping / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Nicolas ASFOURI AND NICOLAS ASFOURI China’s football-mad President Xi Jinping will meet FIFA chief Gianni Infantino in Beijing on Wednesday as the world’s most populous nation harbours ambitions of hosting the World Cup. Xi will greet the president of football’s world governing body at the palatial Great Hall of the People. “We hope we can strengthen our cooperation on football with international organisations, including FIFA, and also with other countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing. “As to whether China will host the World Cup, this is a dream shared by many Chinese. We also hope we can see that happen as soon as possible,” Lu said. The meeting follows widespread speculation that China will bid to host the event either in 2030 or 2034. Xi wants his country to host the global football extravaganza and also hopes China’s national team can one day win the spor...

http://ift.tt/2sT5eRW French President Emmanuel Macron looks on during a joint press conference with his Senegalese counterpart following their meeting at the Elysee palace on June 12, 2017 in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron's party is on course for an overwhelming parliamentary majority, after the June 11, 2017 first round of voting for the National Assembly left traditional parties in disarray. / AFP PHOTO / Lionel BONAVENTURE French voters have put President Emmanuel Macron’s party on course for a crushing parliamentary majority, though a record low turnout in the first round of voting raised concerns Monday over the strength of his future mandate. Projections showed Macron widening his centrist revolution, with his Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move, REM) party and its ally MoDem tipped to win between 400 and 445 seats in the 577-member National Assembly in next Sunday’s second round. Such a share would give Macron — who founded his party just a year ago —...

http://ift.tt/2rq6yxE A handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on May 20, 2017, shows US President Donald Trump (2nd-R) and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (L) dancing with swords at a welcome ceremony ahead of a banquet at the Murabba Palace in Riyadh. BANDAR AL-JALOUD / Saudi Royal Palace / AFP US President Donald Trump is to urge the Islamic world to confront extremism in a highly anticipated speech Sunday to dozens of Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia. Aides have said the speech, given in the cradle of Islam, will be “uplifting” but also “blunt” in its call for leaders of Muslim countries to take a stand against violent fundamentalism. It comes on the second day of a visit to Saudi Arabia, part of an eight-day foreign tour — Trump’s first since taking office — that will take him next to Israel and the Palestinian Territories and then to Europe. The first day saw the announcement of hundreds of billions of dollars in trade deals — welcome ne...