Monday newspaper round-up: France, CBI, Home prices

French fighter jets launched their biggest raids in Syria to date, targeting the Islamic State’s stronghold in Raqqa just two days after the group claimed coordinated attacks in Paris that killed more than 130 people, the defence ministry said. “The raid ... including 10 fighter jets, was launched simultaneously from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Twenty bombs were dropped,” the statement said, adding that the mission had taken place on Sunday evening. - The Guardian

The new director-general of the CBI has held out an olive branch to members of the business lobby group who want Britain to quit the European Union. Carolyn Fairbairn, who takes over from John Cridland today, will use her first hours in the role to acknowledge that, while most CBI members want to stay in a reformed EU, some are wedded to a British exit, or Brexit. She will pledge that the CBI will “listen to and respect their views and consult with them”. - The Times

The average asking price of a home in England and Wales has fallen by only 1.3% over the past month at a time when prices usually tumble to attract buyers over the quieter Christmas period. The traditional November decline has been the smallest since 2011, suggesting a positive outlook among homeowners for 2016, despite the prospect of higher interest rates as the economy improves, Rightmove said. - The Times

The Qatar Investment Authority has offloaded shares in Shell and BG worth nearly £1bn in recent weeks, raising fresh questions over whether the oil­giants’ proposed mega-merger has the support of major shareholders. The sovereign wealth fund, led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed AlThani, a member of the Qatari royal family, has sold around 43m shares in BG Group, worth roughly £550m, and a further 24m shares in Shell, with a value of approximately £421m. - The Daily Telegraph

French and Belgian police have issued an international arrest warrant for a possible eighth assailant involved in Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris in which 129 people were killed and 352 injured. French police issued an alert for Salah Abdeslam, one of three French brothers who were living in Belgium. One of the brothers, identified by French prosecutors as Ibrahim Abdeslam, blew himself up in a restaurant on the capital’s Boulevard Voltaire on Friday night. A second was arrested on Saturday by Belgian police. - Financial Times

The deadline to dispense further rescue loans to debt-stricken Greece was extended by Eurozone countries once again on Sunday amid continuing deadlock between Athens and its creditors. With negotiations still bogged down over failure to agree on a new foreclosure law – legislation the leftist-led government says would push austerity-hit Greeks over the edge – lenders postponed a critical Eurogroup Working Group until Tuesday. - The Guardian