Ukraine: Kiev claims progress in the north-east

The Ukrainian military is calling for advances on the northeastern front, with the retaking of several towns in the Kharkiv region, as a meeting of defense ministers of allied countries opens on Thursday in Germany to organize their support for Ukrainian military capabilities. Tensions rose again on Wednesday between Moscow and the EU over Russian gas deliveries, with Vladimir Putin threatening to stop all deliveries of hydrocarbons in the event of a price cap, a project relaunched the same day by Brussels.

Security, unemployment insurance: The executive gets tough

More police and gendarmes, and the start of a controversial reform of unemployment benefit conditions: the executive has presented two sensitive bills to the Council of Ministers, on which it hopes to rally the right against a left determined to fight. With these two texts, Emmanuel Macron and his Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne are entering the difficult beginning of the five-year term, in the absence of an absolute majority, after a more consensual first exercise this summer on purchasing power, in the midst of the explosion in energy prices due in part to the war in Ukraine. The text on unemployment insurance paves the way for a new reform that promises to be one of the most divisive with the 2023 budget, pending the highly inflammable pension reform, which the Head of State has said will “come into force for the first time” next summer.

Overseas: Macron receives elected officials

The Head of State received elected officials from the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean communities on Wednesday evening, who had asked to meet with him to discuss solutions to problems specific to French people overseas, including constitutional reform. The aim of this “working dinner” was, the Élysée said, to have “an exchange with elected officials on issues important for our fellow citizens: security, employment, the cost of living, infrastructure”. Questioned upon his exit by AFP, the president of the executive council of the territorial community of Martinique Serge Letchimy reported that the head of state had “responded clearly to the call from Fort-de-France”.

LONDON: Liz Truss to announce a massive aid package to support the economy

Two days after receiving the keys to Downing Street, Liz Truss will unveil a massive package of aid for households and businesses on Thursday in the face of soaring inflation and energy prices. Liz Truss is expected to announce to Parliament around 10:00 GMT a freeze on energy bills in Britain and measures that should total around £100 billion according to the British press. Astronomical amounts that rival the magnitude of the measures adopted during the pandemic.

AT A GLANCE

Météo France lifted the Orange storm watch in the last south-eastern departments still affected, according to its latest report at 04:00am.

The Ariane 5 launch vehicle successfully took off from the Guiana Space Center on Wednesday at 18:45 local time, with the Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite on board, intended to provide high-speed internet access throughout Europe, especially in areas where coverage is poor.

The vast manhunt that has been going on in Canada for several days ended Wednesday: the last suspect in the attacks that killed ten people and injured 18 on Sunday in central Canada was arrested and then died shortly after.

Olympique de Marseille ended up losing to Tottenham on Wednesday night (2-0), ten against eleven during one half time, for the first day of the Champions League, where the thunder came from Naples, which swept Liverpool (4-1).