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By Elizabeth Pineau and Dominique Vidalon, Reuters French Prime Minister Michel Barnier will face no confidence motion. Photo: AFP / Hans Lucas / Amaury Cornu The French government is all but certain to collapse later this week after far-right and left-wing parties said they will vote for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Their move came after Barnier said he would try to ram a social security bill through parliament without a vote as a last-minute concession was not enough to win support for the bill from the far-right National Rally (RN). RN leader Marine Le Pen said her party would table its own no-confidence motion but will also vote for any similar bill by other parties. "The French have had enough," she said. "Maybe they thought with Michel Barnie...

Elton John performs onstage at the 'Elton John: Never Too Late' screening during the 62nd New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on 1 October, 2024 in New York City. Photo: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images for FLC / AFP Music legend Elton John has told a theatre audience in London he has lost his sight after struggling to recover from an eye infection earlier in the year. The 77-year-old star - famous for 'Tiny Dancer', 'Your Song' and a string of other hits - was in London's West End for the opening of The Devil Wears Prada musical, for which he wrote the score. In an emotional speech from the stage of the Dominion Theatre at the end of the show, he said the performance had sounded good, but he had not been able to watch it. "As some of you may know I have had issues a...

By Tom Hals, Reuters US President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden. Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP US President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden after repeatedly pledging not to. Below is a look at the circumstances leading up to the pardon and its legal consequences. What did the pardon cover? Hunter Biden was pardoned for his conviction by a jury in Delaware and a guilty plea in California. Hunter Biden was also pardoned for federal crimes "he committed or may have committed" between 1 January 2014 through the end of this year. What crimes was Hunter Biden convicted of? A Delaware jury in June found the president's son guilty of lying about his addiction to illegal drugs on a disclosure form that is required to purchase a firearm. The trial included hours of embarrass...