France is enduring severe disruption as millions of workers threaten to strike in protest at being forced to retire later or face reduced pensions.
School and transport workers will join police, lawyers and hospital and airport staff in a general walkout.
France's largest nationwide strike in years was agreed by unions unhappy with President Emmanuel Macron's plans for a universal points-based pension system.
Authorities have been trying to put in place plans to mediate the disruption.
The industrial action is expected to last beyond Thursday and some trade union leaders have warned they will continue their industrial action until Mr Macron abandons his campaign promise to overhaul the retirement system.
One opinion poll put public support for the strikes at 69%, with backing strongest among 18-34 year-olds.
The Macron administration will hope to avoid a repeat of the country's general strike over pension reforms in 1995, which crippled the transport system for three weeks and drew massive popular support, forcing a government reversal.
Jason Derulo has defended his controversial 'anaconda' photo which was taken down my Instagram , but then reappeared.
The picture showed Jason, 30, during a steamy rainforest photoshoot clad in just a pair of tiny black boxer shorts, leaving very little to the imagination.
His well-endowed frame caught the eye of many lusty followers, but Instagram decided it went against their community guidelines.
Jason posted a screenshot of Instagram's message on his account, claiming the photo went against guidelines on "nudity or sexual activity".
He reposted the original photo alongside the complaint, with the caption: "F*k u mean? I have underwear on... I can’t help my size..".
His followers stepped in to agree with him and defend the saucy snap.
Katie Price has reportedly lost a stone of weight in just two weeks from the stress of her bankruptcy woes.
The former glamour model, 41, has worried pals after her financial misery and spiralling debt has left her "rushing around the place" and unable to eat properly.
The brunette bombshell is thought to be flogging her pricey possessions and selling products online in a last-ditch attempt to recover some of her finances, however she is now rumoured to be physically suffering. A source close to the TV star spoke to Sun Online about Katie's "worrying" weight loss and "liquid diet" due to the stress of her problems, not only with the bankruptcy but also fears she could be homeless by Christmas.
The insider revealed to the publication: "Katie's dropped around a stone in two weeks, it's really worrying."
They added: "She's rushing around all over the place, and is really stressed out. She hasn't cooked a proper meal in weeks and is practically on a liquid diet."
The 'worried' source blamed Katie's dramatic weight loss on her being declared bankrupt.
Just last week, Katie's fortunes took a tumble after it was revealed she owed £800,000 to creditors.
The source continued: "Even when she went to Sheesh the other night she only ate a couple of prawns and a bit of meat. Normally, Katie loves junk food and takeaways so everyone's really worried."
It has been reported that the skint star has resorted to flogging off her belongings, including the £230,000 diamond engagement rings ex-husband Peter Andre bought for her.
After a chaotic few week, it seems that Katie's bankruptcy woes could leave her forced out of her infamously mucky mansion just before Christmas.
A smuggler trying to spirit 385 litres of petrol across the Nigerian border, that he concealed in two caskets have been arrested in Ogun state.
He was intercepted by a Joint Special Taskforce comprising of Officers and Men of Ogun I Command, Federal Operation Unit Zone “A” and Controller General of Customs Strike Force.
The smuggler had concealed the petrol kept in 13 Jerry cans of 25 litres and six Jerry cans of 10 litres in two new caskets inside a rickety Mazda 626 with Lagos number LSD 617 CW.
His gimmicks didn’t beat the Special Task Force.
Abdullahi Maiwada, Public relations officer of the Customs for the Ogun 1 Area Command warned that the Command will not beat a retreat in the fight against smuggling in whatever disguise.
“We therefore appeal to the general public to embrace legitimate means of livelihood and to avoid smuggling in all its ramifications. The eagle eye is all around Ogun state to halt new techniques initiated by economic saboteurs to perpetuate their illicit acts”, Maiwada said.
Another pipeline explosion has rocked Gloryland Estate, Isheri Olofin, Lagos.
The explosion occurred this morning sending waves of panic to residents.
People are seen running helter and skelter to avert being caught in the explosion.
Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA and the fire service are yet to arrive the area to curtail the inferno as at when residents started sharing videos on social media.
The Oraifite community in Anambra has proscribed all forms of night masquerades and cult groups following a violence that erupted in the town on Dec. 2 leading to the killing of two policemen.
In a statement issued by the Oraifite Improvement Union (IDU), the community condemned the lawlessness contending that the proscribed groups in the town acted as catalysts to the tragic event.
The statement made available to newsmen in Abuja was signed by the President-General of the Union, Mr Sunny Igboanuzue, the Secretary-General, Mr Offor Uche and the Isi Obi of Oraifite, His Royal Highness Igwe Daniel Udeoji.
The proscribed groups banished from operating in the community, according to the union are, “Otu-Eke, Otu-Afor, Otu-wo, Otu-Orie, Otu Otu-Ube, Otu Ayaka and all forms of night masquerades”.
“To this end, any Otu-Ube, Ayaka or such other form of masquerade seen anywhere in Oraifite shall be treated as an act of cultism, with the full implications of that characterisation at law.
“Furthermore, anybody found to indulge in any of the proscribed practices shall be immediately apprehended and handed over to law enforcement for due prosecution as a criminal,” the union said.
The Spice Girls reunion has taken a sour turn with rumours that Mel B and Geri Horner have fallen out again.
There has been an edge to their relationship ever since 44-year-old Mel B spoke out about her 'fling' with Geri, 47, back in the 1990s.
It brought an uncomfortable undertone to the Spice Girls much acclaimed reunion during the summer and The Sun has reported that is has turned bitter as the pair have unfollowed each other on social media.
Mel B upset Geri by revealing that they had a one-night stand at the height of their popularity and it has meant that old wounds have been opened up again.
Mel spoke candidly about her relationship with Geri on Piers Morgan's Life Stories and she dropped the bombshell that they had a steamy night of passion.
Mel, who is bisexual, also said during the interview that Geri had "great boobs".
The pair were going to keep their affair secret and Mel had kept out details of their romance from her tell-all autobiography, Brutally Honest.
But she infuriated Geri by spilling the beans to Piers on TV and this has led the pair reportedly falling out again.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has appointed Alhaji Ahmed Murtala, an indigene of Kano State, as his Special Assistant on Community Relations I.
He also appointed Mr Femi Josiah as Special Assistant on Community Relations II.
Makinde further approved the appointment of Dr Olufunmilayo Salami as Special Adviser on Health while Chief Jacob Adetoro was named as Chairman of Federal Constituencies Liaison Officers.
A Government House statement said the governor named 14 Constituency Liaison Officers, representing each of the state’s 14 federal constituencies.
According to the statement, Murtala hails from Nasarawa Local Government of Kano State and had his primary and secondary school education at St. Brigid Boys School, Mokola, Ibadan and Community Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan, respectively.
The statement also said “He (Murtala) will serve as the bridge between the Oyo State Government and the Hausa/Fulani community as well as other northern groups scattered across the state.
Veteran singer, Chris Hanen is dead. Hanen's song ‘Ozigizaga’ made him really popular back in the days. Breaking his news on social media Tony Okoroji wrote;
A recent study conducted in Japan has found that frequent nighttime urination, called nocturia, may be linked to high blood pressure and high salt intake.
Nocturia is a condition in which people wake up during the night because they need to urinate.
Common causes of frequent trips to the toilet at night include high fluid intake, sleep disorders, and bladder obstruction.
People without nocturia can sleep up to 8 hours without having to urinate, but some may need to get up once during the night — one episode is still considered within normal limits. Individuals with nocturia may get up 2–6 times during the night.
Nocturia may be a sign of other health conditions, including bladder prolapse, a tumour of the bladder or prostate, and other disorders affecting sphincter control. Pregnant women and people with heart or liver failure and diabetes may also experience nocturia.
As we get older, our bodies produce less of an antidiuretic hormone that enables us to retain fluid — this leads to more urine production during the night. Older adults also tend to lose holding capacity and are more likely to have medical issues that impact the bladder.
A team of researchers presented the results of their recent study at the 83rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society. According to their findings, trips to the toilet to urinate at night may be linked to excessive salt intake and high blood pressure.
“Our study indicates that if you need to urinate in the night — called nocturia — you may have elevated blood pressure and/or excess fluid in your body,” says study author Dr. Satoshi Konno, of the Division of Hypertension at the Tohoku Rosai Hospital in Sendai, Japan.
Previous research showed that excessive daily salt intake and hypertension have a negative impact on nocturia.
Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, has advised young women ànd girls against laziness and unruly behaviour in order to be successful in life.
Osinbajo gave the advice during the graduation ceremony of 370 out-of-school girls empowerment programme on Wednesday in Lagos.
She urged the out-of-school girls to live responsibly to be good role models to other girls around.
“I congratulate the graduating girls, I commend your dedication and I am impressed with your attendance in class and keen participation throughout the courses.
“I advise you to be hardworking and know that you are to live responsibly to be good role models to other girls out there,” she said.
Osinbajo said that abuse of any form was wrong and against collective humanity.
She urged Nigerians to work as advocates on violence against girl-child and women to enable them function at their optimal level.
“Let us all be our brother’s keeper, whenever we notice an abuse, let us speak out, let us all stand up to help the victims of abuse and stand up to eradicate it in our communities.
“Our girls are precious and should be handled with care,” she said.
Lionel Richie has shared his thoughts about his daughter Sofia Richie's relationship with Scott Disick.
The Grammy award winning pop star told E! News that he has "accepted" that Sofia is dating Scott but is still not 100 percent on board with it.
Lionel admitted that he has had 'hesitations' about his daughter dating Kourtney Kardashian's ex as they have a 15-year age gap.
The legendary singer said that he's making "more of an effort" with the Flip It Like Disick star.
This has been apparent in that the 36-year-old reality star spent Thanksgiving with Lionel and his 21-year-old daughter.
A source told E! News: "Scott and Sofia are still together and all is well for now.
"They spent Thanksgiving with Lionel Richie and they all flew together on his private jet for their holiday trip."
"Lionel has accepted their relationship but still isn't entirely 100 percent on board with Scott mostly because of the age difference and how young Sofia is."
Sofia is reportedly "infatuated" with Scott and the source continued: "Lionel can see how happy Sofia is though so he is definitely making more of an effort with Scott.
"He is a really honest, up front kind of guy and feels like his father-daughter relationship with Sofia is more important than anything so he's trying to be there for Sofia and to be supportive of her despite his reservations about her relationship.
"They all had a really great holiday together though and progress is for sure being made between Lionel and Scott."
Justin Timberlake has finally broken his silence after he was pictured holding the hand of Alisha Wainwright.
The 38-year-old actor and singer was seen on a night out getting cosy with his 30-year-old Palmer co-star as she stroked his thigh and he held her hand, during the boozy get together in New Orleans on November 21.
Justin has been married to Jessica Biel, 37, since 2012 and he has admitted to “a strong lapse in judgement” in an open letter on Instagram .
He decided to give a full explanation of what happened on the night out before apologising for "hurting the people I love."
Justin started the message, which was posted to his Instagram page on December 4: "I stay away from gossip as much as I can, but for my family I feel it is important to address recent rumors that are hurting the people I love.
“A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse of judgement – but let me be clear – nothing happened between me and my costar.
"I drank way too much that night and regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son.”
Justin went on to apologise to his wife and that he would be focusing his energies on being "the best husband and father I can be."
The statement continued: "I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be.
“This was not that. I am incredibly proud to be working on Palmer. Looking forward to continuing to make this movie and excited for people to see it.”
Royal staff could ban Prince Andrew from attending the Royal Family's Christmas Day church service over fears of protests, a royal source has revealed.
Courtiers are understood to be concerned that sex abuse campaigners could infiltrate the crowds, keeping the glaring spotlight on the Duke of York's friendship with the millionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew stepped down from public duties last month in the wake of his disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight over Epstein and allegations he had slept with a 17-year-old girl, Virginia Roberts. The duke strenuously denied the claim.
Last night a royal insider told The Sun: 'There are now genuine concerns over sex abuse campaigners planning to be part of the crowds to jeer the Duke publicly.
'They know the world's media would be there and it would end up dominating headlines of the day.
'There is now real fear from officials about the protest turning violent. It's more about the further embarrassment it would cause to the Royal Family.'
But the source added that the Prince, who is often seen attending church with the Queen, could insist on attending the sermon.
Her Majesty, who has been left 'deeply upset' by the Epstein saga, would be unable to tell her son not to attend, the source added.
The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, for celebrating his daughter’s wedding in Mauritius, saying the governor wasted the resources of the state on the event.
The governor, his family members and some of his aides were in Mauritius on Saturday for the wedding after the traditional part of the wedding had been celebrated in Owo, Ondo State in September.
The PDP, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Zadok Akintoye, alleged that the governor was being insensitive to the plight of the people of the state by allegedly using state fund for her daughter’s ceremony abroad.
Akintoye said, “It is on record that this APC-led government remains the most anti-people government in the history of Ondo State and one that has glorified capitalism, nepotism, tribalism and wanton disregard for the welfare of the people.
“Within the last two years, the governor has celebrated weddings of his children across the world from Canada to the United States and now Mauritius at the expense of citizens of this state without any sense of respect to the people he leads. How else can one explain the present display of affluence and disdain for the people?”
However, in its reaction, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Alex Kalejaiye, said the opposition party was only seeking relevance by criticising the governor on the event.
Kalejaiye said, “The APC in Ondo State has viewed as puerile, myopic, and avoidable, the incoherent argument of the PDP that the recent wedding of a daughter of Mr Governor in Mauritius was an act of ‘insensitivity.’
A Texas father died after falling from a rooftop while stringing Christmas lights.
Felipe Gallegos, 39, operated a window cleaning business with his wife, Alisha Flick. During the holidays, he hangs Christmas lights for his clients, which is what he was doing on Saturday when he fell, according to CNN affiliate KTVT.
Flick told KTVT that her husband had years of experience and called the fall a "freak accident." She didn't see what happened when he fell. She heard a loud noise and, when she went outside, found him lying on the concrete.
Gallegos was rushed into emergency surgery, but he died from head trauma.
A friend of the family set up a GoFundMe page for the family, as Gallegos was the main provider for Alisha and their teenage son. The goal was set for $20,000 but in just a few days the page has raised more than $50,000 for the family.
An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is under investigation after his body camera allegedly caught him fondling the body of a dead woman.
The officer and his partner were responding to a call about a possible dead body in a residential unit, sources told the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the incident.
The officers determined the woman was dead, and while one officer went to get something from the patrol car, the accused officer turned off his body-worn camera and allegedly fondled the deceased woman's breasts, LAPD officials told the LA Times.
Though the camera was turned off before the incident, it was captured by the two-minute buffer on the device, the newspaper reported.
"The department is aware of the incident and an internal investigation has been launched," LAPD officer Jeff Lee said, adding that he cannot comment further on pending personnel matters.
LAPD Assistant Chief Robert Arcos told the LA Times the recording was "very disturbing."
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, on Wednesday raided a Lagos hotel believed to be a hideout for internet fraudsters and arrested suspected internet fraud kingpin and 26 others.
The target was one Rasaq Balogun, a suspected internet fraud kingpin, whose illicit activities dominated intelligence gathered from the recently arrested ‘police spies’ during a raid on their Abeokuta base.
According to findings, Balogun harbours an army of young men recruited to carry out financial frauds through the use of the internet.
Other suspected fraudsters were equally arrested at his Beckley Estate residence, also in Lagos State.
The raid on his hotel, Modzak Hotel located at Abule-Egba, Lagos State, sufficiently gave credence to the suspicion as a retinue of young men were caught haboured in his hotel with no specific mission.
The suspected kingpin and 26 other young men ranging between the ages of 18 and 35 years arrested were brought to the Commission’s Ibadan zonal office for further interrogation.
Officer of the anti-graft agency also recovered three vehicles, fetish item, laptops, mobile phones and documents suspected to contain fraudulent data from the suspect.
Those indicted, the EFCC, said, would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.
The dust is settling between Ray J and his pregnant wife Princess Love following a brutal public blowup.
During an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, the 38-year-old admitted he was at fault in the fight with his wife and confirmed that the pair are 'absolutely' still married.
Ray and Princess had a major falling out on social media after she accused him of abandoning her and their baby in Las Vegas.
Getting right to the point, Wendy candidly asked: 'You're still married, I think?'
Without missing a beat, the tech entrepreneur responded: 'Absolutely. Hey Princess, I love you baby if you watching.'
Not easily fooled, Wendy steered the conversation back to the couple's public spat and reminded him that when he was in Las Vegas last month it 'wasn't a good look.'
'No,' he agreed with the talk show host.
In November, Ray and Princess appeared to have split after she detailed being left behind in the desert with their 17-month-old little girl while he partied with 'escorts and strippers.' The Sexy Can I singer went on to refute her claims on social media.
'I love you Princess,' Ray said while sitting on the couch with Wendy. 'Again, look, it didn't happen like that.
'I would never leave my baby and my wife ... I would die first before I leave them on the side of the road.'
Wanting more clarity, Wendy pressed him further about what his wife of one year meant when she accused him of leaving her 'stranded.'
'Well, they were at the hotel and that's what she considered stranded at the time,' he explained. 'But, look, she was right. I'm not going to even defend it. Baby, I was wrong, you are right.'
The couple's public row had been splashed on social media after Ray J shared a photo of himself and his family posing on the red carpet at the BET Soul Train Awards in Las Vegas.
In the now-deleted post, Ray wrote: 'Thank you @bet #soulTrainAwards @princesslove @melodylovenorwood (sic)'
Princess then commented: 'Left me and Melody stranded in Vegas and blocked me from calling.. now you wanna post family photos,' she wrote with a laugh-crying emoji and the hashtag #ByeUgly. (sic)'
She then made further statements on social media that suggested their relationship was over, and Ray later insisted he never left them stranded and wouldn't do anything to 'harm' his little girl.
