Uber driver arrested for starting LA blaze that killed 12
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a devastating wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles ea...
French Prime Minister François Bayrou has unveiled a sweeping budget plan that includes scrapping two public holidays—Easter Monday and 8 May, which marks Victory in Europe Day—to tackle the country’s growing debt crisis.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou has warned lawmakers that France faces a “mortal danger” as public debt grows by about €5,000 every second. He criticised the many public holidays in May, saying they harm economic productivity, and urged the nation to work harder to stabilise finances.
Bayrou’s plan is part of a wider effort to reduce public spending by nearly €44 billion. It includes cutting two public holidays—Easter Monday and 8 May—freezing public sector hiring, removing tax breaks for pensioners and businesses, and introducing a new tax on the wealthiest. At the same time, defence spending will increase by €3.5 billion in 2026 and another €3 billion in 2027, following President Emmanuel Macron’s call to strengthen national security amid global challenges.
France’s budget deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024, exceeding the EU’s 3% limit. The government aims to reduce it to 4.6% next year and meet the EU target by 2029.
The holiday cuts have drawn strong criticism. The far-right National Rally condemned the move as an attack on French history and workers. Left-wing parties and unions argue it threatens social rights and national heritage.
Bayrou’s government is fragile, with a divided parliament and the threat of a no-confidence vote this autumn. If the budget fails to pass, President Macron may have to appoint a technocratic government or face political deadlock.
Despite opposition, Bayrou insists the reforms are needed to avoid a financial crisis such as Greece’s long austerity period.
“We still have time, but urgent action is needed,” he said.
The budget will be debated in parliament in the coming months, with Bayrou’s political future uncertain.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
Escalating gang violence in Haiti has displaced 680,000 children, nearly twice as many as last year, as armed groups seize more territory and basic services collapse, UNICEF warned on Wednesday.
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a devastating wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles earlier this year.
The 7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan has concluded in Russia with participants issuing a joint statement heavily hinting at a joint opposition to any foreign military infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges, and his lawyer said he would file a barrage of legal challenges to the first prosecution by the Justice Department against one of President Donald Trump's political enemies.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend a ministerial meeting in Paris on Thursday with representatives of Europe, the Arab world and other nations to discuss Gaza's post-conflict transition, according to three diplomatic sources.
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