Gulf mediators and Iran agree to keep talking as US strike threat looms Israel votes at record turnout in election too close to call Congo Ebola cases pass 10,000 as neighbours tighten quarantine Houthis claim missile strike on Ras Tanura as Egypt backs Riyadh Oleshky truce holds as Nordic leaders speak with Putin Drone strikes kill 21 in Nyala and cut power across Sudan as states warn of famine Church reports 60 Orthodox Christians killed in two Oromia attacks India evacuates eastern coast as very severe Cyclone Arnab nears landfall Jordan strikes southern Syria after church attack, Damascus protests Anthropic's IPO filing shows heavy losses and warns of existential risks Russian strikes damage Kyiv's South Bridge and cut power in seven regions Flávio Bolsonaro leaves for US as Brazil cancels his passports Oil holds near $115 while gas, fuel costs and inflation stay high China's AI stocks keep falling despite state support French student groups reject concessions as finance minister rules out new spending AI stocks rebound as Meta raises equity and Anthropic files for IPO Hebron displacement nears 5,000 as officers expect pullout after vote Two men charged over RAF Fairford incident Student List wins Serbian election as Croatia demands acknowledgement of 1990s wars Indonesia and Singapore plan haze task force amid tensions Brazil's real suffers worst day in over 25 years after Lula comeback Iran threatens legal action against Sinokor ships over Hormuz UN commission says Israel continued genocide in Gaza after ceasefire Gas exporters meet in Moscow as Iranian and Qatari leaders hold talks Indonesian bond yield hits four-year high as MSCI risk and oil weigh French consumer confidence hits 13-year low amid protests Gulf mediators and Iran agree to keep talking as US strike threat looms Israel votes at record turnout in election too close to call Congo Ebola cases pass 10,000 as neighbours tighten quarantine Houthis claim missile strike on Ras Tanura as Egypt backs Riyadh Oleshky truce holds as Nordic leaders speak with Putin Drone strikes kill 21 in Nyala and cut power across Sudan as states warn of famine Church reports 60 Orthodox Christians killed in two Oromia attacks India evacuates eastern coast as very severe Cyclone Arnab nears landfall Jordan strikes southern Syria after church attack, Damascus protests Anthropic's IPO filing shows heavy losses and warns of existential risks Russian strikes damage Kyiv's South Bridge and cut power in seven regions Flávio Bolsonaro leaves for US as Brazil cancels his passports Oil holds near $115 while gas, fuel costs and inflation stay high China's AI stocks keep falling despite state support French student groups reject concessions as finance minister rules out new spending AI stocks rebound as Meta raises equity and Anthropic files for IPO Hebron displacement nears 5,000 as officers expect pullout after vote Two men charged over RAF Fairford incident Student List wins Serbian election as Croatia demands acknowledgement of 1990s wars Indonesia and Singapore plan haze task force amid tensions Brazil's real suffers worst day in over 25 years after Lula comeback Iran threatens legal action against Sinokor ships over Hormuz UN commission says Israel continued genocide in Gaza after ceasefire Gas exporters meet in Moscow as Iranian and Qatari leaders hold talks Indonesian bond yield hits four-year high as MSCI risk and oil weigh French consumer confidence hits 13-year low amid protests

Symbolic image: French student groups reject concessions as finance minister rules out new spending

Symbolic image

French student groups reject concessions as finance minister rules out new spending

7 sources

Major student organisations said on Tuesday they will keep protesting and join the 5 November demonstration. The finance minister says France cannot afford further spending.

Fage, Unef, Union étudiante, Union syndicale lycéenne and other groups ratified continued protests after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced concessions on Monday, 26 October. These include 15,000 new places in universities and trade schools, €1bn for universities over five years, €4bn in loans to regions for school renovation, and a replacement of the university admissions system by 2028. Union spokesperson Sabrine Karbach called the gains "crumbs". Pupil representative Louis Letoublon told France 2 that students will call for mobilisation unless they see concrete changes. The Financial Times reports further protests this Saturday.

Fiscal limits

Finance Minister Roland Lescure told the Financial Times "we don't have the money" and that any extra spending must be offset by savings. The 2027 deficit target is 5 per cent of GDP, against a forecast 5.4 per cent this year, and The National puts debt near 120 per cent of GDP.

Security and the street

President Emmanuel Macron said in Marseille that more unrest is probable this weekend and that demonstrations should move outside city centres. The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 protesters nationwide on Saturday, 110,000 of them in Paris.

Other opinions

The US left outlet Jacobin argues the government wants violence as a pretext for a crackdown, citing curfews and Lecornu's preparations to suspend social media; the government blames far-left groups.