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This is the World and brief from The Economist.

Our top stories.

France's minority government appears set to collapse,

with a no-confidence vote expected as soon as Wednesday.

Both left and hard right parties, including

Marine Le Pen's national rally, submitted motions after Michel Barnier, the country's Prime Minister,

forced through a proposed budget without parliamentary approval. The last time the National Assembly

brought down a government was in 1962.

The Israel Defence Forces launched airstrikes in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired on a disputed border zone.

The IDF characterized Hisbalah's attack, which caused no injuries, as a violation of the ceasefire that the group

struck last week. Earlier, the Speaker of Lebanon's Parliament accused Israel of violating

the truce dozens of times in recent days. America insisted that the ceasefire was broadly

holding. Russia in Iran emphasized their support for the government of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian

dictator, as Russian and Syrian air forces intensified their attacks on Syrian rebels in Idlib,

a northwestern city.

At least 400 people have died in recent fighting, according to a human

rights group. Rebels launched a surprise offensive last week and have captured Aleppo, Syria's second

...