La IndyCar competirá en España por primera vez en 2027. Según ha adelantado este lunes El Periódico, la competición estadounidense de monoplazas visitará el Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya el próximo mes de julio para la celebración de una carrera completamente inédita en Europa.
A falta de confirmación oficial esta prueba se incluirá en el calendario regular de la competición y será la única carrera del certamen en Europa. La IndyCar, desde su fundación en 1996 (no confundir con CART o Champ Car, competiciones diferentes) jamás ha disputado una prueba en territorio europeo.
Este acuerdo, promovido por las instituciones catalanas en más de una decena de reuniones, adquiere especial relevancia en el actual contexto del Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, que extendió su continuidad en la Fórmula 1 hasta 2032, aunque de forma alterna con Spa-Francorchamps en los años 2028, 2030 y 2032.
Asegurada su vinculación con MotoGP hasta 2031, el Circuit busca ampliar la oferta de competiciones de primer nivel con la incorporación de la IndyCar, una categoría arraigada casi de forma exclusiva en los Estados Unidos y que con su desembarco en Barcelona tratará de ampliar su alcance internacional.
Este acuerdo supondrá, además, el retorno del piloto Álex Palou, cinco veces campeón de la IndyCar, a su tierra, pues el Circuit se encuentra a menos de 30 kilómetros de su pueblo natal, Sant Antoni de Vilamajor.
El piloto catalán será el principal reclamo para el público local, aunque los organizadores destacan que la parrilla cuenta con una nutrida representación de pilotos procedentes de otros países de Europa que pueden atraer la atención internacional.
El Rally Dakar parece que va a tener nuevo escenario para la edición de 2027. El reciente ataque al aeropuerto de Riad y el repunte de intensidad del conflicto bélico en Oriente Próximo han ahuyentado a la organización del rally raid más exigente del mundo de Arabia Saudí, y todo apunta a que esta legendaria competición se disputará en Marruecos.
Según han adelantado ya varios medios de comunicación especializados en motor, Marruecos será el país que albergará el Dakar 2027. El país africano tiene mucha experiencia con este tipo de competiciones, pues cada año desde el 2000 (excepto en 2020) se disputa el Rally de Marruecos, una prueba que forma parte del Campeonato Mundial de Rally Raid, y suele servir como 'pretemporada' para los grandes candidatos al Dakar.
El recorrido y las fechas sufrirán alteraciones. En Arabia Saudí, la competición iba a empezar el 1 de enero de 2027, pero bajo esta nueva propuesta, comenzará el 9 de enero. Además, será algo más corto, pues finalizará el día 22 de enero, con una etapa de descanso prevista para el día 16.
Si el kilometraje era uno de los puntos llamativos de esta edición, pues superaba la barrera de los 5.000 kilómetros, la organización plantea un total de 4.300 kilómetros en Marruecos, que incluye una etapa maratón-refugio, en la que los pilotos no recibirán asistencia mecánica, y en la que tendrán que dormir en medio del desierto.
Pendiente de confirmación está el lugar para el prólogo, una primera etapa muy reducida que sirve como fiesta inaugural. Según los medios anteriormente referenciados, la Península Ibérica podría ser el destino para esta primera jornada, aunque aún no se sabe si Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) se decantará por España o por Portugal.
Fernando Alonso, que volverá al Dakar siete años después, ya conoce este territorio, donde debutó en su momento en el rally-raid. Además, su copiloto, Marc Coma, puede resultar crucial, pues no solo ganó el Rally de Marruecos en tres ocasiones, sino que actualmente es organizador y director de dicho certamen.
Concerns financial contracts known as derivatives were incorrectly logged, potentially boosting Barclays’ profits
The Bank of England is reportedly looking into Barclays’ handling of loans linked to the embattled private credit sector.
The Bank’s regulatory arm, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), started reviewing the matter this year after concerns were raised by a Barclays insider, according to the Financial Times.
La marca alemana, reina de los coches deportivos, ha presentado el prototipo de lo que será el Porsche del futuro, que ha bautizado con el nombre de Mission S. El nuevo modelo, que emplea una plataforma de superdeportivo con motor central y se sitúa por encima del 911, mantiene la identidad de la marca en sus formas y prestaciones. «Un Porsche debe ser reconocible como tal a primera vista», según Michael Leiters, presidente de la casa de Stuttgart, quien reveló que «el Mission S muestra un adelanto de las ideas y los rasgos de diseño que darán forma a Porsche en los próximos años».
El estreno mundial del Porsche Mission S tuvo lugar en el muelle de Queens (Nueva York), frente a Manhattan. Las primeras imágenes del Porsche 550 Spyder con motor central, tomadas allí mismo, dieron la vuelta al mundo en 1953. Como primer superdeportivo de la marca, el 550 Spyder sigue considerándose en la actualidad el modelo que definió la identidad de la empresa y abrió el mercado de Estados Unidos.
El exterior del Porsche Mission S traslada al futuro los rasgos de diseño típicos de la marca. Las características aletas torpedo, la línea de techo y la relación entre anchura y altura constituyen elementos centrales de la arquitectura del nuevo deportivo. Esto da lugar a lo que se conoce como «volúmenes flotantes», formas y superficies fluidas que parecen estar suspendidas. Se ha prestado especial atención a la pureza de las líneas del coche. Una línea principal envolvente conecta las firmas luminosas de las partes delantera y trasera. Los faros redondos y las marcadas aletas recuerdan al 911. El frontal plano está inspirado en el GT1, mientras que la línea de techo bajo el alerón trasero recuerda al 959.
Las proporciones vienen determinadas por la arquitectura de motor central. Ciertos detalles técnicos, como el sistema de refrigeración, que recuerda al ventilador del radiador del Porsche 917, o el alerón trasero activo totalmente integrado, presentan un diseño al más puro estilo Porsche. Otro elemento destacado son las llantas, para las que se ha creado un nuevo concepto de diseño orientado sistemáticamente a la construcción ligera.
En el interior, el protagonismo recae en el purismo y el conductor, buscando un equilibrio entre los mandos analógicos y digitales, con una reducción deliberada de las superficies digitales para lograr una interacción directa entre el conductor y el vehículo. El habitáculo del Porsche Mission S representa una vuelta deliberada a los valores fundamentales de la ingeniería de vehículos deportivos. La arquitectura interior tiene como referencia modelos históricos de Porsche, como el 550 Spyder y el 356. Dos líneas distintivas recorren el salpicadero y las puertas. Una transición fluida entre los mandos analógicos y las soluciones digitales hace que el interior resulte a la vez familiar y moderno. Los interruptores y botones clásicos se combinan con pantallas actuales. Nuevas soluciones técnicas, como el cierre del cinturón de seguridad integrado en el centro del asiento (tipo arnés) y los mandos de ajuste eléctrico reubicados, aportan comodidad, funcionalidad y ADN de competición. Frente al conductor se encuentra el cuentarrevoluciones, con aguja analógica y una pantalla dispuesta detrás. Según el modo de conducción, el cuentarrevoluciones pasa a primer plano para aumentar aún más la concentración.
Porsche ha renunciado expresamente a una pantalla central integrada de forma permanente y a otra fija para el acompañante en el salpicadero. En su lugar, se ha diseñado un sistema retráctil para teléfonos inteligentes que permite utilizarlos cuando sea necesario. Si se desea, el propio móvil del usuario puede servir como pantalla de navegación o de información. Una aplicación My Porsche da acceso a todas las funciones. Además, permite elegir para los instrumentos circulares diseños de inspiración histórica representados digitalmente.
Por primera vez, Porsche prevé una gama de superdeportivos disponible de forma permanente por encima del icónico 911. El objetivo es lograr el más alto nivel de excelencia técnica y la máxima flexibilidad. Lo respaldan décadas de experiencia en competición, una tecnología innovadora que define la identidad de la marca y el diseño con visión de futuro presentado con el Mission S.
The $48bn giveaway comes amid concerns about the tech and as the company prepares for a stock market listing
Anthropic has said it will commit 5% of its shares to a fund for the “public good”, as the AI developer behind the Claude chatbot seeks to bolster its appeal before its stock market listing.
The company announced it would commit the shares, worth around $48bn (£36bn) at its latest valuation in May, subject to shareholder approval. It will add a further 2% of its stock to the fund for every 50% increase in its value above an undisclosed baseline.
O ator americano Michael Forest, conhecido por interpretar o deus grego Apolo na série “Jornada nas Estrelas”, morreu aos 97 anos, na última quarta-feira. A causa da morte não foi informada.
Ele nasceu Gerald Michael Charlebois em Dakota do Norte, nos Estados Unidos, em 1929, e vivia numa instituição de repouso para idosos em Nevada nos últimos anos. A morte foi confirmada por um amigo numa publicação no Facebook.
Forest era conhecido como um homem de porte atlético e tinha um currículo extenso como ator coadjuvante no cinema e televisão, que iniciou na década de 1950.
Carreira no cinema e na televisão
Além de participações em séries e novelas que inclui ainda “Além da Imaginação” e “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, atuou em diversos filmes do ator e diretor Roger Corman e emprestou a voz a projetos de animação, animes e videogames.
Como dublador, participou de títulos como “Power Rangers” e “World of Warcraft”. Ele era fluente em italiano e dublou centenas de filmes nos anos em que morou em Roma, além de atuar em produções de outros países da Europa.
Entre seus inúmeros papéis, estão particapações em “A Besta da Caverna Assombrada”, “Atlas” e “Náufrago”.
Vida pessoal
Forest foi casado com a atriz Diane Hale por 52 anos, até a morte dela, em 2022. Não há informações se eles tiveram filhos juntos.
Development by UK firm Nscale heralded by ministers as largest of its kind in country loses anchor tenant
The development of a huge AI datacentre hailed by the UK government has received a fresh setback after Microsoft pulled out of the project over concerns about power supplies.
The development by the British company Nscale, heralded by ministers as the country’s largest AI datacentre when it was announced in 2025, was planned to open at Loughton in Essex next year.
Taryn White has used credit card points and airline miles to book vacations for herself and her family for over two decades.
Courtesy of Taryn White/The Trip Wish List
Taryn White is a freelance travel writer and the founder of travel and lifestyle brand The Trip Wish List.
She's used points to book trips to places like Puerto Rico, Bali, Sydney, Prague, and Johannesburg.
She shares her strategies for booking with points, including positioning flights and comparing options.
I've been collecting airline miles and credit card points for more than two decades, long before the influx of social media posts promising things like a "free" business-class seat to Europe.
Over the years, I've redeemed points for everything from weekend getaways to Puerto Rico to long-haul international flights to Bali that would have otherwise cost thousands of dollars.
Looking back, I realized that earning points is actually the easy part. The real challenge is knowing how to use them well, and I haven't always been strategic about it.
Here are the three key strategies I've learned that I use to travel the world for less.
1. Build a flexible points ecosystem
Don't put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to miles and points. One of the most important strategies in maximizing travel rewards is to build a flexible "points ecosystem" rather than relying on a single airline, hotel program, or credit card.
My current points ecosystem includes two American Express cards, one Chase card, and one Capital One credit card; co-branded airline and hotel cards for United, Delta, and Marriott; and memberships in dozens of airline, hotel, and rental-car loyalty programs.
Most of my travel credit cards have annual fees, ranging from $150 for my Delta SkyMiles Gold card to $895 for my American Express Business Platinum card. When the value I receive from the benefits — annual travel or hotel credits, free-night certificates, airport lounge access, checked-bag benefits, elite-status perks, and travel protections — exceeds the annual fee, the card earns a place in my points ecosystem.
The writer in Kuala Lumpur in 2019
Courtesy of Taryn White/The Trip Wish List
2. Learn airline and alliance sweet spots
One of the biggest misconceptions about airline miles is that you should use the airline's own miles to book its flights. That's often not true; the exact same seat could actually cost fewer points through another loyalty program.
Many airlines belong to the three major airline alliances — Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam — or have individual partnerships that let members redeem miles for flights operated by partner carriers. The number of miles and taxes or fees required can vary significantly from one loyalty program to another. It's worth checking multiple partners before transferring points or booking an award.
Similarly, I rarely book flights using points directly through credit card travel portals, because they usually operate at a value of one cent per point, and I can often get more value from my points elsewhere.
When searching for award flights, I almost always start with Roame Travel, a platform that compares redemption prices across multiple airline programs. I use a free account, which is more limited in search functions than their paid subscriptions, but it works for my needs.
For example, for Star Alliance flights, I check programs like Air Canada Aeroplan, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and All Nippon Airways Mileage Club. I also keep an eye on Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club because both frequently offer excellent partner award opportunities as well as awards on their own flights.
That strategy paid off while planning a trip to Africa in January this year. I transferred Amex points to Virgin Atlantic to book a one-way flight from Washington Dulles to Johannesburg for only 13,500 points, plus $229.40 in taxes and fees. It was the lowest cost long-haul redemption I've ever booked.
It also required far fewer points than a credit card travel portal would have charged; the same one-way flight would've likely cost around $1,000, or 100,000 points if booked through a credit card travel portal such as American Express Travel.
3. Don't be afraid of positioning flights
Many travelers search only for flights flying out of their home airport or exact departure city. Sometimes, though, booking a flight to a different airport — positioning to another city — means a better fare or cheaper award redemption. From there, you can use a budget carrier, train, or car to reach your final destination.
I've built entire vacations around positioning flights. Rather than a hassle, I see them as an opportunity to experience multiple destinations on a single trip.
On a family trip to Europe three years ago, I wanted to visit Croatia and Montenegro, but there wasn't any award availability for our preferred range of dates. Instead, I booked four one-way tickets on Lufthansa Airlines to Prague using 122,000 Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer miles and $1,148.00 in taxes and fees. We spent three days in Prague before road-tripping through Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Montenegro.
The writer and her family in Hvar, Croatia.
Courtesy of Taryn White/The Trip Wish List
For the return journey, I booked our flights home from Heathrow because I found four economy tickets for only 98,000 Flying Blue miles and $804 in taxes and fees. We flew from Dubrovnik to London on a separate low-cost carrier the day before our flight home, turning the connection into a mini getaway in London, where I redeemed hotel points for a one-night stay.
Positioning flights require extra planning. Because the flights are booked separately, I always leave a generous buffer between them in case of delays or cancellations.
It's important to approach travel rewards wisely
Travel rewards credit cards can be incredibly valuable, but only when used responsibly. Always pay the balance in full every month — otherwise, the interest racked up on credit card debt can quickly outweigh the value of any points or miles you've earned. I've never viewed points as a reason to spend more. If I can't pay for a purchase immediately, I don't make it. The rewards are an added benefit, not the goal.
I've also learned not to chase every welcome bonus by churning credit cards, which is the practice of opening and closing credit cards for the purpose of getting lucrative sign-up bonuses given to new accounts. Sign-up offers can be valuable, but they work best when they align naturally with purchases you were already planning to make.
Today, my philosophy is simple: Earn points strategically, redeem them when they help me take a trip I really want to take, and don't obsess over squeezing every last fraction of a cent out of every redemption. The best use of miles isn't necessarily the one that produces the highest spreadsheet value; it's the one that gets you on the plane, lets you experience another part of the world, and leaves more money in your bank account for the next adventure.
For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator’s position on Islam
To read the fruits of Michael Gove’s dalliance with the Marxism Todaygang, look up his essay in a 1998 collection called The Moderniser’s Dilemma: Radical Politics in the Age of Blair
For a slalom ride through Michael Gove’s years in power, read The Demented Dalek by the historian Richard J Evans in the London Review of Books
To learn more on what’s become of the British right, there’s a Guardian column by Aditya
Phil also writes a very good blog on British politics, which keeps a close eye on how each party is trying to marshall a coalition of voters. Here he is on Kemi Badenoch
Geoffrey Wheatcroft does an entertaining short narrative in Bloody Panico!:
For more on the economics of the Cameron years, this paper is acute on how the Tories failed to move the UK away from being a country of renters towards a country of makers. Two of its authors will join us for a podcast later in the series.
And if you want to read how Brexit may have cost the UK 8% of GDP, there’s this paper based on data from the Bank of England
Finally, on the Spectator, read Nesrine Malik’s recent Guardian column
For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator’s position on Islam
To read the fruits of Michael Gove’s dalliance with the Marxism Todaygang, look up his essay in a 1998 collection called The Moderniser’s Dilemma: Radical Politics in the Age of Blair
For a slalom ride through Michael Gove’s years in power, read The Demented Dalek by the historian Richard J Evans in the London Review of Books
To learn more on what’s become of the British right, there’s a Guardian column by Aditya
Phil also writes a very good blog on British politics, which keeps a close eye on how each party is trying to marshall a coalition of voters. Here he is on Kemi Badenoch
Geoffrey Wheatcroft does an entertaining short narrative in Bloody Panico!:
For more on the economics of the Cameron years, this paper is acute on how the Tories failed to move the UK away from being a country of renters towards a country of makers. Two of its authors will join us for a podcast later in the series.
And if you want to read how Brexit may have cost the UK 8% of GDP, there’s this paper based on data from the Bank of England
Finally, on the Spectator, read Nesrine Malik’s recent Guardian column
A recent breakthrough in airborne drone control has offered a tangible glimpse into the future of US air combat, signaling the US Air Force’s accelerating push to integrate autonomous wingmen alongside frontline fighters. This month, The War Zone (TWZ) reported that a US Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot successfully controlled an uncrewed YFQ-44A Fury fighter […]
A Russian drone tore a hole in the shield over Chornobyl’s dead reactor. Now the G7 is paying to patch it.
The Group of Seven nations plans to allocate 260 million euros ($292 million) to repair the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal says.
The confinement, a 35-story steel arch sealing the reactor that exploded in the 1986 disaster, was damaged by a Russian drone strike in February 2025. Full restoration will cost at least 500 million euros, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) estimates, so the G7 pledge covers just over half, leaving about 240 million euros still to raise.
Shmyhal calls the decision an important step toward restoring nuclear safety at the plant, which the Russian strike had compromised. The money will go to priority work, including resealing the structure and restoring its ventilation system.
“Thank you to France and personally to Minister Roland Lescure for leadership in mobilizing international support,” Shmyhal says, crediting France and the EBRD with co-chairing the effort.
The night a drone pierced the sarcophagus
The damage dates to 14 February 2025. A Russian drone carrying a high-explosive warhead punched a hole through the arch’s roof and ignited a fire in the cladding, breaching the structure’s seal and ventilation.
The attack caused a 15 m² breach in the inner and outer cladding and damaged around 200 m² of panels.
"It was a targeted Russian attack on the Chornobyl station with a drone that is an analog of the Iranian Shahed," Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said at that time.
A bill only half-covered, and a 2030 deadline
The G7 money closes only part of the gap. Partners must still raise roughly 240 million euros more, and Ukraine hopes to secure it at a donor conference in Paris co-chaired by Ukraine, France and the EBRD, Shmyhal says.
The clock matters as much as the cost. The work must be finished by 2030 to limit corrosion and protect the arch’s 100-year design life, the EBRD says, turning a repair bill into a race against the rust the strike set loose.
For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible, the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator’s position on Islam
To read the fruits of Michael Gove’s dalliance with the Marxism Today gang, look up his essay in a 1998 collection called The Moderniser’s Dilemma: Radical Politics in the Age of Blair
For slalom ride through Michael Gove’s years in power, read The Demented Dalek by the historian Richard J Evans in the London Review of Books
To learn more on what’s become of the British right, there’s a column by me for the Guardian
Phil also writes a very good blog on British politics, which keeps a close eye on how each party is trying to marshall a coalition of voters. Here he is on Kemi Badenoch
Geoffrey Wheatcroft does an entertaining short narrative in Bloody Panico!:
For more on the economics of the Cameron years, this paper is acute on how the Tories failed to move the UK away from being a country of renters towards a country of makers. Two of its authors will join us for a podcast later in the series.
And if you want to read how Brexit may have cost the UK 8% of GDP, there’s this paper based on data from the Bank of England
Finally, on the Spectator read Nesrine Malik’s recent column in The Guardian
As the Trump administration's short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project implemented its plan to downsize the federal workforce, there was much wailing from the liberal institutions in Washington, D.C.
Federal employee unions filed lawsuits to block the effort. NPR ran profiles of federal workers who, for the first time, faced the prospect of potentially not having absolute job security forever. The Brookings Institution wondered how many jobs the federal government could shed before it crashes.
The answer: plenty. The Trump administration has cut more than 10 percent of the federal workforce, and the government hasn't crashed. Indeed, it hasn't even shrunk—if you're counting by dollars spent instead of people employed.
In a new article for City Journal, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Judge Glock highlights the tremendous gap between the dire predictions about DOGE's cuts and the reality that has emerged, more than a year after DOGE was shut down. Despite having only a modest impact on spending, Glock writes, DOGE "had a massive impact on the federal civil service."
This is true—to a point, more on that in a moment—and notable. Aside from a modest downsizing in the 1990s, the number of people employed by the federal government has been steadily growing for decades. Reversing that trend is one of the few genuinely libertarian accomplishments by the Trump administration.
The cuts to the federal workforce prove that "DOGE worked," argues Glock.
Well, hold on.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy (who departed the DOGE project before Trump's inauguration and is now running for governor of Ohio) set some very ambitious goals after being appointed DOGE co-chairs in late 2024. In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in November 2024 where they promised "we won't just write reports or cut ribbons. We'll cut costs."
Yes, Musk and Ramaswamy also said they would reduce the federal workforce. But that was presented as a natural consequence of cutting spending, not as the primary goal.
Think about it like this. If I spent months promising my friends and family that I would lose 50 pounds on a new diet, and then didn't lose any weight, would it be fair to say the diet worked?
What if I reduced the number of donuts I eat every day, but still didn't lose any weight? Sure, that might be good for my health in some way—just like reducing unnecessary workers in the federal government is good for America's fiscal health—but it certainly wouldn't mean I had achieved the goal of losing weight.
Finally, even the claim that DOGE cut the federal workforce requires an asterisk. As Glock also notes in his report, the decline in federal workers has been offset by an increase in federal contractors.
It's not a one-for-one trade, of course. The new contractors are overwhelmingly concentrated in places like the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, while the cuts mostly targeted other areas, like the Department of Health and Human Services.
"Most of that increase came from the buildup in homeland-security and defense contracting, including purchases such as surveillance aircraft and tanks, rather than substitutes for government workers," Glock writes. "DOGE achieved real contract savings, but these were more than offset by higher spending elsewhere, reflecting a shift in priorities rather than an overall reduction in contracting."
So, the government is eating fewer donuts but more pizza.
There might be libertarian reasons to prefer contractors over government employees. They are less likely to hold those jobs for life, for one. But there's nothing inherently good about a government policy that cuts jobs in some areas just to create more room in the budget for poorly trained immigration enforcement agents and defense contractors. That may even be a negative outcome for liberty.
In the end, the DOGE project looks less like a meaningful attempt at cutting government spending or employment levels and more like a way to purge parts of the federal workforce likely to get in Trump's way during his second term. "As long as [Trump's] larger commitment is to extending his power rather than rolling back power itself, you shouldn't expect the government to stop growing," as Reason's Jesse Walker wrote last year in comparing DOGE to President Richard Nixon's attempted purge of the civil service.
Did DOGE work? Only if you grade it on a pretty dramatic curve.
Yes, it proved that a president can slash bureaucratic jobs—particularly the bloated managerial and administrative types—without doing much damage to the government's core responsibilities. That's a lesson future administrations should remember.
Maybe, someday, a president will try applying the same logic to government spending too.
French authorities are preparing for hundreds of demonstrations on Saturday, 17 October, as student unrest converges with protests over living costs, public spending and government policy. Up to 40,000 demonstrators are expected in Paris, where police and organisers remain divided over march routes.
France is preparing for a nationwide wave of demonstrations on Saturday, 17 October, with approximately 500 protest actions under consideration and more than 90 marches being organised, according to the Interior Ministry. The mobilisation brings together high-school students, trade unions, farmers and supporters of the Yellow Vest movement, raising the prospect of further confrontation after nearly a month of unrest.
Police estimates suggest that around 40,000 demonstrators could gather in Paris, with approximately 150,000 more expected elsewhere in France. The figures remain preliminary, while authorities warn that some protests could involve road blockades, disruption to essential infrastructure and violent clashes.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez initially outlined preparations for 250 gatherings and 80 marches on Friday morning. Subsequent assessments from his office indicated that as many as 500 actions were being considered, although not all had been formally organised.
Paris Faces Dispute Over Demonstration Routes
The authorities are particularly concerned about developments in the capital, where negotiations between police and protest organisers have failed to produce agreement over the proposed routes.
Paris police prefect Patrice Faure has rejected proposals for marches terminating near the Opéra district or Place de la Concorde, citing security concerns surrounding central government institutions.
According to details of the security preparations, police have proposed an alternative route between Place de la Bastille and Place de Clichy. The CGT trade union and climate campaigners have accepted the proposal, but student organisations and Yellow Vest representatives continue to oppose it.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has convened an interministerial crisis unit to coordinate the government’s response. Security officials have warned that attempts to obstruct major transport routes or critical infrastructure will not be tolerated.
The Interior Ministry has also indicated that stun grenades, whose use was suspended during the student protests, could again be deployed in cases of particularly serious urban violence.
Yellow Vests Return Amid Rising Living Costs
Saturday’s demonstrations are being promoted as a revival of the Yellow Vest movement, which emerged in 2018 following opposition to fuel taxation before developing into a broader protest against living costs, economic inequality and government policy.
The latest mobilisation has gathered support from organisations demanding measures to address rising fuel, energy and food prices. Campaigners are also challenging the government’s proposed 2027 budget and its implications for public services.
The agricultural union Confédération paysanne has called on farmers to join the demonstrations, arguing that rising agricultural fuel costs and deteriorating conditions in rural communities have increased pressure on producers.
The union has also linked its demands to environmental policy, public-service provision and access to affordable food.
The CGT, student unions and climate organisations have similarly expressed support for the protests, while political backing has come from La France Insoumise and the French Communist Party.
Student Protests Enter Their Fourth Week
The mobilisation follows weeks of demonstrations involving secondary-school pupils, teachers and public-sector workers. What began as protests over shortages of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings has developed into a nationwide confrontation over education policy and policing.
As EU Today previously reported, between 400 and 500 secondary schools faced partial or complete disruption earlier this month as students organised blockades and demonstrations.
The movement has subsequently expanded beyond its original educational demands, with student organisations raising concerns about university admissions procedures, police tactics and government spending priorities.
The scale of the unrest has placed considerable pressure on French authorities. According to figures from the Justice Ministry, 6,877 people were placed in police custody during the protests between late September and 8 October, approximately 86 per cent of them minors.
Violence during the demonstrations has resulted in injuries among police officers, students and educational staff. Clashes on 8 October led to 504 arrests and injuries to 48 police officers, according to Interior Ministry figures.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray has announced emergency measures to address teacher shortages, including the deployment of replacement teachers. The ministry says 2,000 of the 3,000 promised replacements have already been assigned, but student organisations maintain that the measures are insufficient.
Growing Pressure on the French Government
The planned demonstrations come as France faces a difficult debate over public spending, taxation and the 2027 budget. Lecornu’s government must balance demands for higher salaries and increased investment in education against mounting pressure to reduce the deficit.
France’s deteriorating public finances have already attracted scrutiny from eurozone partners, while domestic opposition to spending restraint has become a central issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The convergence of student organisations, trade unions and Yellow Vest campaigners could broaden the protests beyond the education sector, particularly if demonstrations over living costs attract participants who have not joined the recent school protests.
However, the extent of that mobilisation remains uncertain. Online protest maps contain substantially more proposed actions than the authorities’ estimates, and participation figures will not be established until Saturday.
For the government, the immediate test will be whether the demonstrations remain peaceful and whether the authorities can prevent disruption to transport networks and public services without provoking further confrontations with protesters.
O comandante dos Bombeiros Voluntários de Mondim de Basto, Carlos Magalhães, explicou à VTM que o acidente “ocorreu quando o trator agrícola capotou e despencou por uma vereda com cerca de 60 metros de extensão”.
Acrescentou que os Bombeiros Voluntários de Mondim de Basto mobilizaram para o local uma ambulância de socorro com dois operacionais. “Dada a gravidade do cenário e a complexidade do socorro, as equipas contaram com o apoio diferenciado do Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica (INEM), através da ambulância de Suporte Imediato de Vida (SIV) de Amarante e da Viatura Médica de Emergência e Reanimação (VMER) de Vila Real”.
A vítima recebeu assistência médica no local pelas equipas especializadas do INEM e foi estabilizada antes do transporte para o Hospital de Vila Real, acompanhada pela equipa da VMER.
O alerta foi dado às 07h14 e o acidente ocorreu na área florestal do Toumilo.
A Guarda Nacional Republicana de Mondim de Basto esteve também no local e tomou conta da ocorrência.
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