France’s cost-of-living protests shrink, but the government adds curfews
320,000 people marched across France on Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry. 70,000 of them were in Paris. Turnout has fallen from 550,000 on 17 October to 410,000 the previous Saturday (ZDF). The demands are lower living costs and better public schools and services. Authorities imposed curfews in some areas overnight, a security response that comes before any budget concession.
The falling crowds help the government’s bargaining position. Spending on schools and prices is a budget decision, and the protests have not yet changed it.
Energy costs are moving into shop prices
Germany’s ifo institute, an economic research body, says its price-expectations index rose to 22.7 in September from 21.4 in August. The index measures how many firms plan price increases. The ifo expects fuel and heating oil costs to reach households first. Electricity and gas tariffs are likely to follow this winter. Wollmershäuser, the ifo’s head of economic research, expects inflation to exceed 3% in the coming months (ifo). Gas and power prices hit their highest level since late 2022 in mid-September, and crude rose again after the Bab al-Mandab strait was blocked. Energy suppliers and shippers gain. Households and firms that cannot pass on costs lose.
Kallas opposes a Putin return to the G20
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Putin attending the December G20 summit in Florida risks normalizing war crimes (Politico). She also rejected reported Pentagon requests that allies soften their criticism of the Kremlin. Meanwhile, civilians evacuated from occupied Oleshky crossed into Ukraine via Belarus in a deal brokered by Melania Trump. The Kherson ceasefire ends Sunday evening (ZDF).
Burnham offers an apology but not reparations
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he is “open” to a formal state apology for the slave trade. He rejected financial reparations and proposed a structured dialogue ahead of the Commonwealth summit starting Sunday (Politico). The offer gives Commonwealth governments a diplomatic gesture while keeping Treasury exposure at zero.
Non-obvious angle: Germany’s organ shortage may be partly a logistics problem
The Charité in Berlin is testing machines that keep donor livers warm and perfused with red-blood-cell fluid, rather than on ice. This lets surgeons assess livers for longer and could identify more usable organs (ZDF).
Biodiversity talks end without a funding deal
UN nature talks in Yerevan ended with renewed pledges but no agreement on payment, as wealthy nations declined to release funds (Politico).
Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.
