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Meanwhile in France, more than 50 people have been arrested since this morning, Le Figaro says. Seven in Paris, and 44 outside the capital.
According to the latest data as of 10am, there were 252 ‘actions’ outside largest cities, with about 30,000 people taking part, the paper said.
But Sophie Binet, the leader of the CGT trade union, warned that the strong police presence demanded by the outgoing interior minister is “adding fuel to fire”, as she criticised the police response so far this morning as heavy-handed, Le Monde reported.
In an interview with BFMTV, she also urged more people to join protests, underlining the new prime minister’s “fragility” and need to respond to social demands, Le Parisien added.
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Strikes and protests across France – latest updates
Back in France, we’re getting more striking pictures from the day of strikes and protests across the country.
94 people had been arrested by midday, including 15 in Paris, and 32 remain in custody, according to the latest government figures reported by the French media. At least 476 separate demonstrations are under way.
About 15,000 people took part in a demonstration in Marseille, according to the local police, with significantly higher numbers reported by the organisers, Le Figaro said.
Major demonstrations walked down the streets of Nantes and Lyon, too.
In Paris, about 100 protesters managed to get to the economy ministry, “setting off a few smoke bombs” as they move towards Place de la Bastille where the main demonstration of the day takes place later today, Le Monde said.
Poland agrees deal to learn from Ukraine on drone warfare
Poland’s defence minister signed a partnership agreement with Ukraine today, saying that the country hopes to benefit from Ukraine’s knowledge and skills regarding drone warfare.
The announcement comes a week after a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace sparked a national debate about air defence and the country’s readiness for any future attack of this sort.
“We want to benefit from your knowledge and skills, and we want Polish companies, both public and private, to be able to participate in this together,” Poland’s defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said during a news conference in Kyiv.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, said that Ukrainian troops and engineers will train their Polish counterparts, Reuters reported.
“We are ready to ... share our experience in any conditions...but the key thing is air defence from Russian drones, (and) missiles,” Shmyhal said.
The European Commission was also asked about the Polish-Belarusian border situation, after Poland had temporarily closed its border with Belarus in the buildup to the recent Russian-Belarusian military drills.
It has since extended the closure until further notice, risking disruption to EU-China trade by rail, estimated to be worth around €25-30bn (£22-26bn) per year.
The issue was reportedly discussed during Monday’s meeting between Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
The EU’s deputy chief spokesperson, Olof Gill, said:
“The important thing to keep in mind here is that any trade-related challenges that arise from such a security situation are happening because of Russia’s brutal, illegal and unjustifiable war, and its comrades in arms in Belarus.
So the solution to this would be for them to end their war. And we repeat from this podium as we have done many many many many times and continue to do. Please end your war.”
EU 'expects to present' new sanctions on Russia 'soon'
I am keeping an eye on the EU’s midday briefing just now, but there is no substantial update from the EU on the 19th package of sanctions against Russia.
The European Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, Olof Gill, repeated that “we expect to present … [them] soon”, as he asked journalists to “please bear with us on that”, without offering more detail.
Bloomberg (£) is reporting that they are now expected to be presented to member states on Friday.
Day of strikes and protests in France – in pictures
Spain to investigate human rights violations in Gaza as Sánchez meets with Germany's Merz
Sam Jones
in Madrid
Spain’s attorney general has authorised the creation of a team to investigate human rights violations in Gaza after Spanish police and prosecutors found possible evidence that Israel had committed crimes “against the international community” in the Gaza strip.
In a statement on Thursday, the attorney general’s office said the team would “collect and preserve evidence sources” to be handed over to the international criminal court as it investigates possible breaches of international human right law.
It added:
“The initiative is in line with the recommendation made in the report from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which called on [member] states to cooperate with the international criminal court’s investigation.”
On Tuesday, the commission found that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, citing tens of thousands of civilian deaths and massive destruction, and urged member countries to punish those responsible for it.
In an interview with Cadena Ser radio on Thursday, Spain’s human rights and democratic memory prosecutor, Dolores Delgado, said more and more evidence was pouring in as Israel continued its offensive in Gaza.
“We’ve never seen the possible committing of violation of international human rights law in real time,” she said. “We need to preserve this evidence. Imagine if we’d had this real-time material in the case of the Holocaust.”
The attorney general’s announcement comes as Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez – who had been the most outspoken European critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza – prepares to meet the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, in Madrid to discuss bilateral relations and investments.
Merz’s first visit to Spain since he took office in May is likely to be overshadowed by his far more cautious stance on Gaza.
Last week, Sánchez announced a raft of measures designed to increase the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the military campaign, saying Israel was “exterminating a defenceless people” by bombing hospitals and “killing innocent boys and girls with hunger”.
Although Merz last month halted German military exports that could be used in Gaza, he has refused to join international efforts to recognise a Palestinian state, saying the requisite conditions had not yet been met.
Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, formally recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024.
Slash red tape to help us grow, German industry chiefs urge commission president von der Leyen
Lisa O’Carroll
German industry chiefs have called on the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, to slash red tape and dump two laws for every new law added to European statute books.
They said the “one in, two out rule”, which has echoes of a ‘one in, one out’ policy pursued by Tony Blair when prime minister of the UK, is an essential part of any effort to accelerate competition conditions that will make it easier to take on rivals such as the Chinese.
They have also called for “simplification” of environmental laws and demanded urgent action from the German government to cut energy costs, the highest in Europe, just pipping Denmark and Ireland,
“EU legislation must become better and faster – with mandatory impact assessments and competitiveness checks for all economically relevant laws, stringent application of the ‘one in, two out’ principle, and the consistent elimination of regulatory duplication and disproportionate burdens,” said the four top business organisations.
They are the BDA, the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations, BDI, the Federation of German Industries, DIHK, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Commerce and ZDH, the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts.
They said the German government had heeded some of their calls to cut red tape but it was not enough.
Berlin needed to “reduce existing over-regulation through further omnibus packages and carry out regular reviews of laws in the long term”, the said.
“Complex regulations and excessive reporting requirements must not paralyse the innovative and investment power of our companies. Ambitious simplifications in environmental law are also necessary to speed up planning and approval procedures.”
The joint statement was released in response to a speech by von der Leyen at a conference in Berlin on Thursday.
Trump likely to get 'much more aggressive' on Russia, ally claims
Andrew Sparrow
Donald Trump is likely to become “much more aggressive” towards Russia in support of Ukraine, one of his allies has claimed.
Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, a rightwing news organisation in the US, was a guest at the state banquet last night.
In an interview with the Today programme, Ruddy, who has been a friend and informal adviser to the president for years, predicted that Trump would soon harden his stance against Russia.
He said:
“President Trump is not against Ukraine, like some people might think, and he’s moved a long way in his posture. And I think we’re going to see much more aggressive action in the weeks and months ahead.”
Ruddy conceded that Trump was not in favour of sending US troops into action.
“I think the president is highly reluctant to put troops on the ground. That’s nothing to do with Ukraine. He just doesn’t like American troops put in harm’s way. He doesn’t like physical engagements. He’ll do these kinetic strikes from time to time, you saw that in Iran, but it’s still not really deploying American troops and putting them in a lot of risk.”
Instead, Trump sees this as “an economic battle”, Ruddy said.
“He’s been pushing for [lower oil prices]. He wants sanctions. He wants Nato countries to stop buying Russian oil. So he sees this in economic war, as a businessman.”
Asked about Trump’s views on Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, Ruddy said Trump viewed him as “a bad guy, even though he won’t say that publicly”.
Trump thought it was worth trying to win Putin round, Ruddy said. But Trump has now decided that’s “not going to work”, Ruddy claimed.
“Putin hasn’t talked to anyone. He hasn’t talked to any American president – reluctant, won’t do anything. So Trump looks at this and says, let me see if I can be his friend. I’ll reach out. I’ll be overly generous, I’ll be overly kind.
And he tried that. I think he really honestly thought it was going to work.
And I think he’s coming to the conclusion that it’s not going to work and that he needs to do [things] and that’s why he’s ramping up talk about tariffs and secondary tariffs on India and China.”
Trump's schedule for day two of state visit in Britain
Andrew Sparrow
If you fancy following the latest on Trump’s visit to Britain, here’s today’s schedule as per Andrew Sparrow on the UK blog.
10am: Donald Trump leaves Windsor Castle
Morning: Melania Trump and Queen Camilla visit Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House in Windsor and Frogmore Gardens.
10.45am: Trump is due to arrive at Chequers, where he will hold bilateral talks with Keir Starmer. The two leaders are also speaking at an event for business leaders, and viewing items from the Winston Churchill archive at the mansion, the official country residence of the PM. And there will be a parachute display by the Red Devils.
Around 2.30pm: Starmer and Trump hold a press conference at Chequers.
Follow for live updates:
Meanwhile in France, more than 50 people have been arrested since this morning, Le Figaro says. Seven in Paris, and 44 outside the capital.
According to the latest data as of 10am, there were 252 ‘actions’ outside largest cities, with about 30,000 people taking part, the paper said.
But Sophie Binet, the leader of the CGT trade union, warned that the strong police presence demanded by the outgoing interior minister is “adding fuel to fire”, as she criticised the police response so far this morning as heavy-handed, Le Monde reported.
In an interview with BFMTV, she also urged more people to join protests, underlining the new prime minister’s “fragility” and need to respond to social demands, Le Parisien added.
UK set to begin talks with EU about access to defence loans scheme
Jennifer Rankin
Brussels correspondent
Keir Starmer’s government is expected to soon begin talks with the EU to negotiate Britain’s entry into the EU’s €150bn (£130bn) defence loans scheme.
The negotiations can start because on Wednesday, EU member states agreed a negotiating mandate for the European Commission, but must conclude quickly if British companies are to be involved.
The scheme, called Security Action for Europe (Safe), provides EU member states with cheap, EU-backed loans to finance defence equipment, either for their armies or for Ukraine. The UK is not applying for a loan, but would like the biggest possible role for British companies in winning contacts.
The first loans are expected to be disbursed in early 2026, with member states due to submit spending plans to the commission by the end of November.
The UK’s Europe minister Nick Thomas-Symonds made clear the deadline was on his mind when he spoke at a conference in Brussels on Wednesday. Asked by politics professor Anand Menon whether the UK could miss out on the first round, he said: “I profoundly hope not... But my sense on this is that you’re absolutely right to emphasise the deadline.”
The Guardian reported this week that France has called for a 50% ceiling on the value of UK components in projects financed by Safe. The final EU negotiating mandate leaves the point vague, giving EU negotiators flexibility.
The EU and UK must also negotiate a British entry fee to cover administrative costs. EU sources have suggested the fee will be linked to the level of British participation
Asked about the French position, Thomas-Symonds said the UK and EU were in a live negotiation, without commenting on details:
“The bigger picture here is the real importance, when we have seen the return of war to our continent, that what we are doing is making sure we don’t fragment European defence production at this moment.”
Hungary hasn't changed view on accelerating Russian oil phaseout amid concerns about energy security, minister says
Meanwhile, EU ministers are meeting at the environment council in Brussels to discuss energy and the climate crisis.
The gathering takes place amid ongoing discussions about accelerating the bloc’s plans to phase out Russian oil, bringing the current 2028 deadline forward.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke about it with US president, Donald Trump, earlier this week after he appeared to link the issue to further US sanctions on Russia. Poland, separately, also asked for a more ambitious 2026 target.
But the Hungarian junior energy minister Anikó Raisz indicated that Hungary – one of the two countries most heavily relying on Russian imports, alongside Slovakia – is not particularly interested by any of that.
“I think you know our position. We are one of the few landlocked countries in the region. So our position has always been guided by the security, the energy security, for Hungary. So anything that we do in this regard, apart, of course, from fighting for the common climate and environmental goals, is also decided upon the energy security issue.
We don’t have a seashore. We have solar ... but we know the reality. We think that that is the, the most important issue here. We know that we have important, important tasks ahead of us, but let’s not daydream. Let’s find solutions that work.”
Morning opening: France grinds to halt
Jakub Krupa
France is expected to see one of the biggest strikes in recent years today, as trade unions throw a welcome party of sorts for the country’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, in hope of influencing his views on budget cuts set to affect public services and wages.
About 800,000 people are expected to join approximately 250 marches across the country, according to police, affecting schools, rail and air transport. Up to 80,000 police officers will be deployed amid warnings about potential unrest.
I will keep an eye on this.
Elsewhere, the US president, Donald Trump, continues his state visit to the UK, with the political replacing the ceremonial as he meets the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, at Chequers.
The pair will hold bilateral talks and meet business leaders, among others. I will look out for any news lines coming out from that.
In other high-level talks, Germany’s Friedrich Merz is set to visit Madrid for talks with Spain’s Pedro Sánchez.
It’s going to be a lively day.
It’s Thursday, 18 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
