Author: Frank Deux

Frank Deux is an editor at the French news desk for WTX news.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Tuesday, December 3, said it was possible his government could survive a no-confidence vote in parliament, evoking a possible “reflex of responsibility” from MPs. With no majority in the Assemblée Nationale, Barnier used Article 49.3 of the Constitution on Monday to pass his social security budget bill without a vote.

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The controversies surrounding Notre-Dame’s reconstruction Art

The quarrel over contemporary stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame de Paris could well one day be the subject of a play. Act I, scene 1. 2019. Location: Elysée Palace. Stéphane Bern, a high-profile heritage advocate, followed Brigitte Macron to the office of General Georgelin, a few meters away from the first lady’s residence. Gorgelin was leading the reconstruction of the cathedral with a firm and commanding presence. That day, in the former chapel that serves as…

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Feijóo, about his desire to fire Sánchez: “Me, anxiety? None. “Anxiety belongs to the Spanish”The leader of the PP has rejected being eager to evict the President of the Government from La Moncloa. “Me, anxiety? None. Anxiety belongs to the Spanish.” Meanwhile, he has recognized that none of the democratic scenarios exist for a change of Government to be possible. Neither the motion of censure – for which he has denied contacts with Junts –…

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Abascal aligns his councilors to define his strategy against the arrival of “illegals” and redoubles the warning to the ‘popular’ in the midst of the negotiation of the regional and municipal budgets. Read Vox’s wake-up call to the PP on the eve of the meeting on immigration: "committee of wise men" and regional deployment in the midst of budget negotiations

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Russia Will Likely Reject Trump’s Ukraine Deal, Putin Ally Says EU

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to accept U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Ukraine peace deal unless it includes significant concessions to Moscow, according to Kremlin confidant and sanctioned Russian tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev. Russia Will Likely Reject Trump’s Ukraine Deal, Putin Ally Says In interviews with the Financial Times and Bloomberg, Malofeyev highlighted a “50-50” chance of reaching an agreement, emphasizing that one of Moscow’s key demands is a legally binding neutral status for Kyiv.…

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  French Prime Minister Michel Barnier faces the biggest risk yet of being deposed by a hostile Assemblée Nationale as his government presents on Monday, December 2, a social security financing bill that has the opposition up in arms. Barnier, a conservative appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September in the wake of an inconclusive snap legislative election this past summer, has no majority in parliament and lives under the constant threat of a no-confidence…

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By deciding to dissolve the Assemblée Nationale on June 9, French President Emmanuel Macron sought a “return to the people” following European parliamentary election results that were not favorable to his political camp. Has the “democratic breath” Macron hoped for materialized, and more importantly, has it achieved its desired effects? It does not appear that way, given the looming risk of a no-confidence vote for Prime Minister Michel Barnier as he prepares to pass the…

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Despite Germany pledging a €650 million aid package on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged its second-largest backer not to reduce its backing of Ukraine’s efforts to defeat Russia, saying Ukraine’s allies could only “ensure peace through strength” by sending more weapons, financing, and diplomatic support. Zelensky urges Scholz to ramp up ‘fundamental’ support against Russia

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A view of Natre-Dame on December 1, 2024. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / REUTERS The reopening of Notre Dame this coming weekend is going to be a high-security affair, with a repeat of some measures used during the Paris Olympics and the sealing-off to tourists of the cathedral’s island location in the heart of the French capital. After more than five years of reconstruction following the fire that devastated Notre Dame in 2019, invite-only ceremonies…

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Pedro Sánchez inaugurated this Monday a new PSOE executive with the general, regional and municipal elections of 2027 between eyebrows and the first relevant organic movements after the party congress, held last weekend in Seville, in the Madrid federation with a purpose: to resolve this week the election of Óscar López as general secretary and, according to an unwritten rule, as the next candidate for the presidency of the Community of Madrid, after the resignation…

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The person in charge of the Generalitat for the recovery after DANA assures that his department is “a state of administrative exception” Read The military vice president Gan Pampols separates himself from Mazón: he leaves his continuity in the air until the end of the legislature and avoids criticizing the Government

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  The world was quiet from this height. The air was crisp. Cumulonimbus clouds, drifting away toward Montmartre, revealed the blue of the sky. A gull cried, flying upstream along the Seine. Following the brisk steps of Philippe Jost, the man heading the public agency Rebâtir Notre-Dame (“Rebuilding Notre-Dame”), we passed through the scaffolding surrounding the cathedral, crossed the attic, walked along the magnificent fully reconstructed wooden frame and finally climbed the narrow spiral staircase…

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The public bathrooms, actually private, at the Atocha station and so many other stations make me very angry. They relax, there is soft music and warm light, curved and shiny finishes. You could die in them. Above all, they are very clean, as station bathrooms usually are, as squalid as trenches. You pay a euro to cool off or do those secret things that we all do. A euro that not everyone can or wants…

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The president of the International Criminal Court lashed out Monday against attacks on the court, which finds itself under the spotlight after issuing arrest warrants over wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The ICC has faced criticism in some quarters after judges issued an arrest warrant last month for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister, and a top Hamas leader. We speak to Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign…

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  President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic partnership on Monday, December 2, aiming at deepening bilateral ties and de-escalating conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon, where the two leaders called for presidential elections. After a meeting with Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler of the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, Macron’s office announced the signing of a new partnership aimed at improving cooperation in “defense, energy transition, culture, mobility…

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  What would happen if the Social Security budget for 2025 were not approved? On Monday, December 2, Prime Minister Michel Barnier forced the bill through the Assemblée Nationale without a vote, by activating Article 49.3 of the Constitution. The decision prompted two motions of no confidence to be tabled by the left-wing alliance Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) and the far-right Rassemblement National (RN). If the government falls, the social security budget (PLFSS) would be…

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Díaz “welcomes” a public housing company but says he will not lower pricesThe second vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, “welcomed” this Monday the announcement by the Chief Executive, Pedro Sánchez, to create a large public housing company, but pointed out that it will not serve to lower prices and blamed the 11 communities governed by the PP to maintain the high rental amounts.“The news is welcome, it is a…

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Thursday, December 12. D-Day has arrived for José Luis Ábalos, former all-powerful right-hand man of Pedro Sánchez and now banned by a PSOE that wants to turn him into a firewall and, if possible, a human shield. If he Koldo case does not escalate beyond the former Minister of Transport and former Secretary of Organization of the Socialists, in Ferraz’s engine room there will be a song in their teeth: «We act immediately for the…

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The UN’s top court begins landmark hearings Monday on global climate protection guidelines. Vanuatu and Pacific island nations lead proceedings before 15 judges. Over two weeks, 100+ countries and organizations—the highest-ever number—will present submissions on safeguarding vulnerable nations from climate change impacts. UN top court opens landmark hearings on climate protection guidelines Climate Change – The full low down on what’s happening at world court. The global climate protection agenda takes centre stage 

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