Daily briefing Sunday 18th October

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0:47This is Times Radio's Daily Briefing on Sunday the 18th of October. The French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has defended the actions of police officers who've been criticized for a heavy-handed response to violent demonstrations that saw multiple civic buildings set on fire across the country.

1:09At least 1 ,200 people were arrested during what the French government described as an escalation in violence. The historic town hall of Limoges was all but destroyed, and a tourist office in Lyon was burnt down amid protests against the cost of living and a decline in standards of education. Speaking to Times Radio, Parisian protester Aaron Cordoso explained why feelings are running so high. Like Victor Hugo used to say, there is no bad weeds, only bad gardeners. So when you have state violence increasing and fascism at our doors, unfortunately that violence is going to come up from the population towards the symbol of power, of economic power, of political power, from time to time, and that's pretty much what happened in Les Misérables as well.

1:51An estimated 550 ,000 people took part in the protests, including more than 100 ,000 in Paris. Peter Conradi is the Europe editor for The Times and Sunday Times. He says this represents a significant challenge to the future of President Macron and the French government. There were those protesting against, rather nebulously one can say, against the high cost of living, which included a revival of the Gilets Jaunes movement that caused huge troubles for President Macron in 2018. But I think the enormity of, certainly of the damage done, and of the numbers of people that turned out for the peaceful part of the protest was far more than anyone really predicted, particularly the forces of law and order.

2:32At least seven people have been killed and dozens injured after a major fire at one of Canada's busiest military bases. The fire followed what's being described by the Canadian Armed Forces as an active and delicate incident at the base in Wainwright in the province of Alberta. Canada's Defence Minister is David McGinty. I'm saddened to share that there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base. The Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, partners across the federal government are working with the government of Alberta and municipal governments to mobilise all necessary support and working through the details of what actually occurred.

3:14The governor of Russia's second city, St Petersburg, says one person has been killed and five people injured in a Ukrainian drone attack. It's amid further reports of a data centre in the nearby region also being targeted. And a Sunday Times investigation has found that five SAS soldiers hunting ISIS members in Syria were sent back into the war zone just 48 hours after being questioned by police on suspicion of murder. The soldiers were arrested and had their homes raided following a mission in July of 2022 when the Special Air Service was deployed to capture a senior ISIS commander. Two teenagers working for ISIS were killed in the operation.

3:52The five soldiers were cleared three years later, but in that time they were deployed on dozens of missions. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

4:06Hey, this is Farnoosh from the So Money Podcast. and this episode is sponsored by Smart Travel, a new podcast from NerdWallet. You know that one friend who always finds the best travel deals, picks the right cards, and somehow ends up in first class for the price of coach? Smart Travel is like that friend, but in podcast form. They cover all things travel finance, like which travel cards actually pay you back and which just make your wallet heavier for no reason, how to book flights without turning it into a part-time job, Which lounges are worth it and which are just an airport gate with better snacks and worse lighting?

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