Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The White House has defended US President Donald Trump’s decision to miss a memorial event on Saturday after he faced a backlash.
Mr Trump, who was in France to mark the centenary of World War One’s end, cancelled a visit to a US military cemetery because it was raining.
Bad weather and “near-zero visibility” grounded the presidential helicopter, White House officials said.
French, German and Canadian leaders attended memorial events on Saturday.
However, Mr Trump was reluctant to bring extra disruption to Paris traffic for a last-minute motorcade, his officials said.
“President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said, noting the trip was 60 miles (96km) north-east of Paris.
Mr Trump spent much of Saturday at the American ambassador’s residence, and visited another US cemetery in a Paris suburb on Sunday.
Critics observed how Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had travelled 118 miles outside Paris to attend a ceremony – in the rain – at a cemetery in Vimy.
BBC