French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou submitted his resignation to President Macron this afternoon after losing last night's no confidence vote in the National Assembly. The President accepted the resignation. The Elysees palace has said that a new Prime Minister will be appointed in the next few days.
Flights at Nice Cote d'Azur airport are expected to be severely affected by tomorrow's planned day of action. The French aviation regulator the DGAC has asked airlines to reduce their flights by 50% at Nice airport, and also at airports in Corsica, from 6pm until midnight tomorrow, Wednesday. Disruption is also expected this evening and tomorrow at Marseille airport and other airports throughout France. If you think you're affected, its recommended you contact your airline for more information.
Train services are also expected to be disrupted by the so-called “Block Everything” day of action. The main rail union, the CGT Cheminots, has called for what it referred to as “massive participation”.
Reports in French media, citing intelligence estimates, suggest that about 100,000 people may take part in the protests tomorrow. However, the number is uncertain because of the fluid nature of the protests, which have no leader, but are generally being organized via social media. It appears likely from intelligence reports that demonstrations will target strategic sites such as oil depots, universities, roads and transport hubs. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau asked local prefects to stop any attempts to block essential infrastructure. He said that 80,000 gendarmes and police will be mobilized nationwide. The Interior Minister has said that law enforcement personnel will be present in what he called “sensitive areas” from this evening and will not tolerate violence or blockades.
A ceremony has been held to mark the 57th anniversary of the Ajaccio-Nice Caravelle air disaster. Laura Raynaud, sub-prefect of Nice-Montagne, laid a wreath in Nice on behalf of the President of the Republic. Families and members of the victims' association were also present. 95 people lost their lives in September 1968 when an Air France Caravelle aircraft flying from Corsica crashed into the sea off Nice.
An investigation has been opened after several pig heads were dumped outside mosques in Paris. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called the acts “unfathomable cowardice”. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said that everything is being done “to find the perpetrators of these abject acts”.
French wine production in 2025 is expected to be slightly ahead of 2024. The Agriculture Ministry said today that production this year is set to be 3% more than last year, but is still down by 13% on the average over the past five years. The heatwave in August has had an impact on this year's production levels.
BUSINESS
The UK water regulator has said that two UK water firms will have to pay out more than £86 million over failures linked to wastewater spills. Ofwat confirmed it will require Anglian Water and its shareholders to pay £62.8 million to go towards benefiting the environment and its customers. It also confirmed that fellow operator South West Water and its shareholders will need to pay out £24 million.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that there should be more flexibility in the regulations under which the EU will ban all internal combustion engine cars. The ban is set to come into force in 2035 but has been widely opposed by the automotive industry.
UK Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is "really worried" that the UK might be forced to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Speaking to the BBC she said that the UK could be forced to go "cap in hand" to the IMF unless the government delivers a plan for economic growth. However, a Labor Party source said Badenoch had a "brass neck" for offering such advice, after the Conservative government had "crashed the economy".
SPORT
Football… Ange Postecoglou has replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach at Nottingham Forest. Espirito Santo left the club last night. Postecoglou attended Forest's training session this morning.
Cricket… Sam Curran has been recalled to England's T20 side for the match against South Africa. It takes place in Cardiff tomorrow.
Athletics… World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has said that athletes competing at the World Championships in Tokyo will face "heat challenges". Japan has experienced its hottest summer since records began. It's forecast to be 32 degrees on the opening day.
WEATHER
Meteo France have yellow warnings for storms in the Alpes-Maritimes until 9pm this evening and from 2pm to 9pm tomorrow, Wednesday. In the Var, there's a yellow warning for storms until 8pm this evening.
It's mostly cloudy this evening. Sunny intervals tomorrow with occasional showers in the Alpes-Maritimes. Windy in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes, with gusts of 65 km per hour in places. High temperatures of 26 – 28 degrees tomorrow.
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