France’s reappointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced a new Cabinet of 34 ministers, tasked with producing a national budget before the end of the year amid mounting political and economic pressures.
The Cabinet, slightly smaller than the previous 36-member government under former Prime Minister François Bayrou, includes a mix of experienced officials, centrist allies of President Emmanuel Macron, conservatives, and some figures from outside the political sphere.
Key appointments include Laurent Nunez as interior minister, overseeing national security; Catherine Vautrin as defence minister, responsible for military support for Ukraine and European security; and Roland Lescure as finance minister, charged with tackling rising debt and poverty. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, and Culture Minister Rachida Dati retain their positions.
Lecornu, 39, is Macron’s fourth prime minister in a year and a close ally of the president. He faces an immediate challenge: securing parliamentary support in a deeply fractured National Assembly, where centrist, far-right, and far-left factions hold significant influence. Opposition parties, including Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Unbowed, are pressing for new elections or Macron’s resignation, while key conservative allies have expressed discontent, expelling six party members who joined the Cabinet.
The new government follows a period of intense political uncertainty. Lecornu initially formed a Cabinet last week but resigned hours later after a coalition protest, before being reappointed by Macron. He has acknowledged the difficulties of governing a country divided over pension reforms and other contentious policies.
President Macron’s controversial pension reform, which gradually raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, remains a flashpoint. Opposition parties are demanding its repeal, adding to the pressure on Lecornu’s new Cabinet.
The government’s first Cabinet meeting is expected on Tuesday. Barrot will accompany Macron to Egypt on Monday for an international ceremony marking the Gaza ceasefire, signalling France’s continued engagement in global affairs despite domestic instability.
With an urgent budget to deliver and deep political divisions to navigate, Lecornu’s new government faces a critical test in maintaining stability and reassuring businesses, investors, and international partners.
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The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
U.S. investigators have recovered the black box recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane that crashed in flames on takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky. At least twelve people died. The crash sent a wall of fire into an industrial corridor and forced the shutdown of the airport.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
Netflix crashed on Wednesday for about an hour in the U.S. as it launched season five of "Stranger Things", with the service becoming inaccessible to many subscribers within minutes of the episodes going live at 8 p.m. local time.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
French health experts are warning that the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu, already devastating wild and farm animals, could evolve into a virus capable of human-to-human transmission — potentially sparking a pandemic worse than COVID-19.
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
Shoppers packed malls and downtown streets in Caracas on Black Friday (28 November) as retailers offered discounts despite Venezuela’s prolonged economic crisis. Customers queued in shoe and electronics stores and browsed signs advertising cuts of up to 50%.
The famed Nuremberg Christmas Market opened on Friday (28 November) with its traditional ceremony featuring the Nuremberg Christkind, an angel-like child figure said to deliver Christmas gifts in some European countries.
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