French President Emmanuel Marcon called for boldness and stability at the first Council of Ministers meeting held by François Bayrou’s new government.

As is the tradition at the start of the new year, the ministers first met at the Ministry of the Interior for a breakfast.

The 35 ministers then crossed the street in close ranks to join Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.

“This government was born in the turmoil of a major political crisis. You know the picture: censure, the breakdown of majorities, the rise of extremes,” declared government spokeswoman Sophie Primas at a press conference.

She called on “everyone” to “shoulder their responsibilities” and “move away from inflexible positions” in favour of “demanding” and “going beyond”, rather than “obstructing”.

Budget vote

The government’s priority is to adopt the 2025 budget.

The rating agencies, financial markets and the European Commission are also urging France to reduce its deficit in order to comply with EU rules on budgetary discipline.

The Stability and Growth Pact sets the debt ceiling at 60% of GDP and a public deficit ceiling at 3% of GDP.

The public deficit was 6.1% of GDP in 2024, and the government’s target is to reduce it to 5.4% of GDP in 2025. The previous, and more ambitious target set by former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, was 5% in 2025.

Mayotte, devastated by cyclone Chido, is also awaiting a bill promised by François Bayrou earlier this week.

Emmanuel Macron appointed François Bayrou as the new Prime Minister on 13 December 2024, and tasked him with forming a new government. The composition of the government was announced on 23 December 2024.

Michel Barnier’s previous government was toppled on 4 December following the adoption of a motion of censure in the National Assembly.

Kieran Culkin has confessed. The star of “A Real Pain” and “Succession” admitted that he once swapped a prop joint for one spiked with real marijuana when he was cast in a stage production alongside Mark Ruffalo in 2000.

“I was 17 and stupid,” Culkin said in a new interview with The Guardian. “I’m like, ‘I thought this was a good prank. I’m stupid. Oh my God, I’m so sorry.’ But actually, they loved it. Mark says, ‘I haven’t smoked pot in 10 years. The second half’s going to be so much fun.’ There was this other actor who had never smoked pot in her life. She goes, ‘Is this what being high is? This is lovely.’ And then Phyllis Newman comes in and goes, ‘I haven’t smoked pot since the 1960s. Thank you, darling.’”

Culkin, Ruffalo and their co-stars were featured in Playwright Horizons’ production of James Lapine’s play “The Moment When” at the time.

“The stage manager comes stomping in and goes, ‘I don’t care whose it is, or what happened, but Kieran, give me the joint.’ I sheepishly handed her the roach and she said, ‘Ruin your life on your own time,’” Culkin continued. “I know, I know. But I was young. I’m 42 now. I know better. I’m not going to try to get anyone high on stage.”

For Ruffalo’s part, the actor had previously alluded to the incident in an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. Ruffalo kept Culkin’s identity a secret though.

“There was a play that I did where I smoked a joint in the first scene. Of course, there was a very naughty young actor I was in the play with. On the opening night with all the critics, we slipped a real joint onto the prop table,” Ruffalo said at the time. “Between the two of us, we smoked a giant blunt onstage. … But at the end of the play, I got the best reviews of my entire career. But I’d never do that again.”

Culkin is currently making the rounds to promote co-star and director Jesse Eisenberg’s road comedy “A Real Pain.” Culkin is nominated for a Golden Globe in the supporting actor category for his role in the film.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday fended off an arrest attempt Friday after a hourslong standoff between investigators with the country’s anti-corruption agency and presidential security. 

Investigators left the president’s official residence after the presidential security service blocked them from entering for nearly six hours due to concerns about their safety. 

The agency expressed “serious regret about the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to a process by law.”

Yoon, who was impeached last month over his short-lived martial law declaration, has defied investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks. He has not left the residence since Dec. 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, vowing to fight efforts to oust him.

ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR IMPEACHED SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT AS POLITICAL CRISIS DEEPENS

Apparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3 and dispatched troops to surround the National Assembly. 

Parliament overturned the declaration within hours in a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on Dec. 14, accusing him of rebellion. Anti-corruption authorities and public prosecutors, meanwhile, have opened separate investigations. 

A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday, but enforcing it is complicated as long as he remains in his official residence.

Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arrive at the gate of the presidential residence as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

COURT ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT YOON

Yoon’s lawyers, who filed a challenge to the warrant on Thursday, say it cannot be enforced at his residence due to a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge.

The office said it will discuss further actions, but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The warrant for his detention is valid for one week.

If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.  (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon’s residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved subfreezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans in his support. 

There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.

Nearly five hours after dozens of investigators and police officers were seen entering the gate of the residence in Seoul to execute a warrant for Yoon’s detention, the dramatic scene appeared to have developed into a standoff. Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the gate of the presidential residence around noon.

It wasn’t clear whether investigators successfully entered Yoon’s residential building, but South Korea’s YTN television reported scuffles as investigators and police confronted the presidential security forces.

Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14. Yoon’s fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. At least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor of removing him from office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.