Overview

• An Ifop poll places Emmanuel Macron’s approval at 17 percent, the lowest of his presidency, based on a survey conducted September 18–19 of 1,000 French adults.
• Nationwide protests against planned spending cuts drew an Interior Ministry estimate of 600,000 to 900,000 participants, with 94 arrests reported by midday on the peak day including 15 in Paris.
• Railway workers, hospital staff and teachers were among the largest groups participating in strikes and demonstrations over the government’s austerity push.
• France’s deficit reached 5.8 percent of GDP last year, a figure cited by the government to justify cuts after a proposed €44 billion savings plan helped topple François Bayrou’s government.
• Macron says France will formally recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly, defending the move in a U.S. television interview as necessary to preserve a political path toward peace.