Barnier officially hands over powers of French Prime Minister to successor Bayrou

Michel Barnier, who served as French prime minister from September 5 until his successor was appointed, has formally transferred the prime ministerial powers to François Bayrou.

The French parliament ousted Barnier, of The Republicans party, in a vote of no confidence on December 4 after he bypassed parliament to push through a draft social security budget for 2025. The bill proposed an "austerity" regime, including public spending cuts of 40 billion euros ($42 billion), with another 20 billion euros to be raised through tax increases.

Barnier defended the draft budget, arguing it aimed to reduce public debt, which has reached 3.2 trillion euros, or 112% of GDP, by taxing corporations and the wealthy. He planned to reduce the budget deficit from an estimated 6.1% of GDP to 5% in 2025, and 3% by 2029.

Bayrou is considered a close ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, who helped him rise to power in 2017. Bayrou also supports Macron's foreign policy.

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💥 Trump calls for shooting down mysterious drones spotted over the US

💬 “Mystery drone sightings all over the country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge? I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” US President-elect Donald Trump said on Truth Social.

Earlier, the White House failed to provide information on the drone sightings, which have been concerning Americans. White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby claimed that the authorities “are working hard” to investigate the matter.

The Pentagon had earlier told the public that the drones don’t pose a threat, arguing that there is no evidence that they are foreign drones.

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🤡 "I wish I could tell you exactly why we don't have an answer" – Kirby almost provides an insight into the drone mystery in an extensive 5.5-minute talk

💬 “We spend 824 billion dollars on defense. We have the greatest intelligence capability in the world. So how can you stand there and say to the country right now, ‘Gosh, darn, we just don't know what these are’?!” a Fox News reporter asked White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby.

💬 “Because I'm not going to lie to you or to the American people. And I'm not going to say we know something when we don’t,” Kirby almost cracked a joke.

💬 “We would never, ever stoop to think that an American citizen was crazy or nuts because of what they're seeing and what they're documenting,” the adviser almost made the viewers laugh.

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US Treasury considers new measures to curb Russian oil exports – Yellen

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed that Washington will continue efforts to tighten sanctions against Russian oil exports and may impose measures on the so-called "dark fleet," as well as reduce the previously imposed ceiling on Russian fuel prices.

"There are a number of possibilities here. We don't preview sanctions, but we're always looking at oil revenues, and if we can find ways to further impair Russian oil revenues that would, I think, strengthen Ukraine's hand. That remains on our list," Yellen said.

At the same time, she did not rule out that, in the event of "evidence," the United States might impose sanctions on Chinese banks allegedly cooperating with Russia's defense sector.

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🇬🇪🗳 Georgian presidential elections begin: police forces deployed at country's Parliament
 
First groups of protesters are already here too.

Yellow security level imposed at Georgian Parliament Palace to limit visitors.
 
Only members of the electoral college and those invited by the relevant structural units will be able to enter the building.
 
Groups of broadcasters and online media that have received accreditation to cover the presidential election will also be allowed.

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▫️Georgian parliament, not the people, elects president for first time in history

▫️Barnier hands over French PM powers to successor Bayrou

▫️US Treasury considers new measures to curb Russian oil exports

▫️‘Mystery drone sightings’ all over US: what do officials say?

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German opposition may scrap ‘citizen’s benefits’ for Ukrainian refugees – reports

Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) opposition bloc has pledged that if they win next year’s early parliamentary elections, they will deprive Ukrainian migrants of the opportunity to receive the standard unemployment benefits, called Burgergeld (citizen’s benefits), the Tagesspiegel newspaper reports.

The CDU/CSU “wants to tighten its policy towards refugees from Ukraine in order to get more people into work. Under the policy, the newly arrived Ukrainian refugees will no longer receive Burgergeld, which will be replaced for them with the lower asylum-seeker benefits", the bloc’s election manifesto obtained by Tagesspiegel reads.

Stephan Stracke, a spokesman for the CDU/CSU's parliamentary group, told German media earlier that while anyone fleeing “war and violence” has a right to protection, “this does not mean, however, that there must be an automatic entitlement to the citizen's income in Germany.” Instead, newly arrived Ukrainian refugees should receive asylum-seeker benefits “at first", he added.

Burgergeld amounts to €563 ($603) a month for a single person, while under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, a refugee receives €354 ($371) per month. Germany is currently home to about 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, including 530,000 who are classified by the Federal Employment Agency as eligible to work but entitled to citizens' income.

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❗️The South Korean parliament supported the impeachment of the president by 204 votes to 85, Sputnik correspondent reports

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❗️The presidential elections of Georgia are considered to have taken place, as 170 electors have already participated in them, the Central Election Commission reported

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The opposition in South Korea, after the successful vote on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, called for the early appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate his attempted violent seizure of power, Yonhap reports

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🇬🇪🚔Water cannons and buses carrying special forces are deployed at Freedom Square in Georgia where the presidential election is taking place

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❗️Six HIMARS shells and 60 drones were shot down by Russian air defense forces, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:  

▪️Ukrainian troops lost up to 225 militants in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's area of responsibility;

▪️The Russian Tsentr combat group has improved its tactical situation; Ukrainian losses amounted to 365 soldiers;

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 540 servicemen in the area of responsibility of the Russian Zapad Battlegroup;

▪️Ukrainian losses in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's area of responsibility amounted to 150 militants;

▪️The Russian military hit three Ukrainian UAV depots.

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🇬🇪⚽️Georgian protesters play football in front of the Parliament
 
This is the demonstrators' way of reminding everyone that the only presidential candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, is a former football player. He was a striker for the Georgian national team and played on the champion teams of Switzerland and Russia as well.

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