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No-confidence vote could topple French government for first time since 1962

France's far-right and left-wing forces are expected to join together Wednesday to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government in a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes. If the motion succeeds, it would mark the first time a French government has been toppled this way in more than 60 years.

President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027 despite growing opposition calls for his departure amid the turmoil. However, Macron will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time this year, further reshaping France's political balance after his party's losses in July's legislative elections.

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South Korean opposition parties file motion to impeach president

South Korea's opposition parties Wednesday submitted a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over the shocking and short-lived martial law that drew heavily armed troops to encircle parliament before lawmakers climbed walls to reenter the building and unanimously voted to lift his order.

Impeaching Yoon would require the support of two-thirds of parliament and at least six justices of the nine-member Constitutional Court would have to support it to remove him from office. The motion, submitted jointly by the main opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties, could be put to a vote as early as Friday.

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NATO chief avoids talk of Ukraine's membership, says priority to help Kyiv defend itself

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday sidestepped questions about Ukraine's possible membership of the military alliance, saying that the priority now must be to strengthen the country's hand in any future peace talks with Russia by sending it more weapons.

Rutte's remarks, ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, came days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that extending alliance membership to territory now under Kyiv's control could end "the hot stage" of the almost 3-year war in Ukraine, where Russian forces are pressing deeper into their western neighbor.

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Georgia braces for more pro-EU demos amid Russia-West standoff

Georgia is convulsed by political upheaval again after its pro-Moscow government, fresh off parliamentary elections denounced as rigged by its critics, decided to suspend negotiations for the small former Soviet republic to join the European Union.

The small but ancient Caucasus country, which inhabits a crossroads between Slavic, Turkish and Persian cultures, has recently found itself navigating the geopolitical standoff between Russia under strongman President Vladimir Putin and the democratic, wealthy West.

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Trump says will attend Notre Dame Cathedral reopening in Paris this weekend

President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election.

The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019 that engulfed and nearly destroyed the soaring Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend.

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Syria flare-up jolts US and offers chance for Trump

The surprise resurgence of Syria's civil war is shaking the table for the United States, which tried to turn the page years ago on a devastating conflict where it saw few good outcomes.

The latest turmoil in a chaotic region comes less than a couple months before the return of President-elect Donald Trump, whose team could see an unexpected opportunity as part of its bid to reshape the Middle East, albeit with plenty of question marks.

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Russia says captured two more Ukraine villages

Russia's army said Tuesday that its forces had captured two more villages in Ukraine, claiming advances along the southeastern front.

The villages of Novodarivka in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Romanivka in the eastern Donetsk region had been seized, the military posted on Telegram.

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German Chancellor in Ukraine for first visit in 2 years

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Ukraine for the first time in more than 2 1/2 years Monday, just weeks after he was criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for having a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That call came at a time of widespread speculation about what the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will mean for Ukraine as the incoming president has promised to end the conflict. In a major shift, Zelensky signaled Friday that an an offer of NATO membership to territory under Kyiv's control could end "the hot stage of the war" in Ukraine.

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International Criminal Court faces pushback and doubts as member states meet

The International Criminal Court's member states open their annual meeting Monday while the court faces pushback over arrest warrants for Israeli officials, sexual harassment allegations against the court's chief prosecutor and a very empty docket.

The Assembly of States Parties, which represents the ICC's 124 member countries, will convene its 23rd conference to elect committee members and approve the court's budget against a backdrop of unfavorable headlines.

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Trump names Lebanese-American Boulos as Middle East advisor

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Massad Boulos, a Lebanese American businessman who is the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, as a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

Boulos arranged Trump campaign efforts to engage the Arab American community in Michigan, organizing dozens of meetings in areas with large Arab American populations angered by Democratic President Joe Biden's backing of Israel's offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump won the majority Arab American city of Dearborn Heights on his way to sweeping Michigan and other swing states.

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