France races to avoid US-style govt shutdown
PARIS: France’s fractured parliament is debating an emergency bill on Tuesday designed to prevent a US-style government shutdown next week, after negotiations on a 2026 budget collapsed. With just days left before the new year, President Emmanuel Macron and his Cabinet met on Monday night to present the brief draft law. It aims to ensure the continuity of national life and the functioning of public services, including collecting taxes and disbursing them to local authorities based on tax and spending levels in the 2025 budget, the Cabinet said.
Yemen’s warring sides to release some 2,700 prisoners in exchange
CAIRO: Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have reached an agreement to free 2,900 detainees held during the 11-year civil war, according to Saudi and Houthi officials. Saudi Ambassador Mohamed AlJabir said in a statement on X that the agreement was signed under the supervision of the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and the International Committee of the Red Cross, “which will enable all detainees to return to their families.”