The Latest Breaking News from Emmanuel Macron

The French president’s failures offer an object lesson in what happens when liberalism is stripped of its morality and values, writes journalist Oliver Haynes

Global condemnation has followed a suspected terror attack in New Orleans, where a pickup truck ploughed into a crowd celebrating the New Year, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more.

In a traditional New Year's Eve address, French President Emmanuel Macron admitted that his decision to call early parliamentary elections in June had brought more political instability to France rather than "solutions for the French people" – acknowledging that the high-stakes move had led to months of political deadlock.

It’s been a busy year for President Emmanuel Macron: the world watched him preside over the Paris Olympics, D-Day commemorations and the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral. But on the domestic front it’s been a veritable "annus horribilis" – marked by political turmoil, loss of influence and all-time low popularity.