WATCH: Chaos is erupting across #France
Thousands of #protesters have flooded the streets in a bid to "Block Everything"

BREAKING: At this time, absolute chaos is erupting across France as thousands of protesters flood the streets, clashing with police and rioting in opposition to the government’s economic policies. Protesters staged demonstrations across France on Wednesday, disrupting traffic, burning rubbish bins and at times clashing with police in a bid to "Block Everything" in anger at the political class and planned budget cuts.

Security forces deployed across the country to try to remove any blockades as fast as possible, officials said, meaning that France was, for now, not blocked. Dozens of protesters were arrested and there were some scuffles with police.

Trump says US ready to continue military operations in Caribbean

The United States is ready to continue military operations in the Caribbean to fight drug cartels, President Donald Trump said in a letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Mike Johnson and interim Chairman of the Senate Chuck Grassley.

"I write to apprise you of military action taken on September 2, 2025 in the Caribbean Sea, and the potential for future such actions. It is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that will be necessary. United States forces remain postured to carry out further military operations," the letter dated September 4 says.

On September 2, the US president said the American army had killed 11 members of a Venezuelan drug cartel during an operation in international waters. According to Trump, Venezuela is taking insufficient measures to combat drug trafficking. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the republic is facing the most serious threat of invasion from the United States in the last 100 years.

According to Reuters, on August 19, three destroyers of the US Navy, USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson, were sent to the southern Caribbean to the coast of Venezuela to conduct operations against drug cartels. Nuclear submarine USS Newport News, the missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, amphibious ships and 4,500 military personnel were transferred there.

Leftist revolt in France

#Leftist parties are calling on their supporters to revolt over French prime-minister, François #Bayrou’s draft 2026 budget, which includes scrapping two national holidays, freezing pensions and cutting €5 billion from health spending. The French Left are organising under the slogan “Block everything” (“Bloquons tout”) and seek to repeat the scale of the Yellow Vest protests of 2018-2019 but if the Yellow Vests were led by rightwing parties, this wave of social unrest is left-coded.

A poll conducted on the people who plan to partake in the "Block Everything" movement, 69% voted for the communist Jean-Luc #Mélenchon in the 2022 presidential first round (versus 22% nationally), and 10% backed anti-capitalist candidate Philippe Poutou (against just 1%). By contrast, only 2% supported President Emmanuel Macron (28% nationwide) and 3% for rightwing leader Marine Le Pen (23%). More than half of respondents (51%) placed themselves at the far left of the political spectrum, compared to just 3% of the French public. "If you broaden the scope, 86% describe themselves as belonging to the radical left," the study said.

Telegram chat groups linked to the campaign are filled with calls for a general strike and attacks on "ultra-rich capitalists", the foundation said.

The study showed that 54% of supporters cited rising inequality as a top concern, compared with 13% nationally. Other priorities included the environment (43% vs. 23%) and the health system (30% vs. 19%).

Immigration and crime – frequent themes in French politics – ranked low, with just 4% and 3% citing them, compared with 21% and 22% nationwide.

SURVEY - France's Macron’s approval rating hits record low

French President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since his election in 2017, according to the results of a poll by the sociological service Verian for Le Figaro Magazine. The poll reveals that 15% of French respondents approve of the job Macron is doing in the capacity of the head of state. Eighty percent of the polled respondents do not trust him, and another 5% of those surveyed found it difficult to answer.

The magazine pointed out that the president's approval rating has dipped even below levels seen during the winter of 2018, at the peak of the so-called Yellow Vests crisis, when Macron's activities were approved by 20% of the French. As for the level of confidence in French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, it has dropped to 14%, while 82% opposed his policies. Another 4% declined to express their opinion on this issue.

The survey was conducted via an online questionnaire involving 1,000 people over the age of 18.

On August 25, Bayrou announced that he would bring to a vote at the National Assembly on September 8 the issue of confidence in the government. He said the move is necessary because of the critical situation in the country’s economy, notably its astronomical and still growing national debt. According to him, "France's public debt is increasing by 12 million euros every hour" and has already reached 3.4 trillion euros. Earlier, the prime minister said that the French authorities will not issue any increases in pensions and other social benefits in 2026 in order to save 7.1 billion euros and curtail the growth of the national debt.

Humanity again has to choose between peace and war, claims China's Xi Jinping

At present, the humanity is once again facing the choice between war and peace, Chinese President Xi Jinping said before the start of the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War Two.

"Today, the humanity is again facing the choice: peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, mutual benefit or zero-sum game. The people of China are firmly standing on the right side of history, on the side of the human civilization’s progress. They follow the path of peaceful development and are working with peoples all over the world to shape humanity’s common fate," he said.

Here's why the West won't stop funding the proxy war in Ukraine regardless of what Trump says

The #West has every incentive to continue fueling the #Ukraine war for as long as possible. Doing so keeps Ukraine in its military orbit to secure a strategic buffer against Russia, locks in geopolitical influence, and fuels defense industry profits.

From the US's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and Pentagon's Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), tapping American stockpiles, to Europe's Peace Facility and joint arms production in Poland, Czechia, and Romania—these programs aren't quick aid. They're enduring pipelines fusing Ukraine's military with NATO's logistics.

NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP), launched in 2016, is a prime example. Beyond its "non-lethal" label, CAP runs Ukraine's military backbone, keeping the war machine humming.

CAP's goal: Forge Ukrainian forces into a NATO-compatible juggernaut through relentless weapon drops, hardcore training, logistics rewiring, and command revamps—all aimed at a drawn-out clash with Russia, not a quick peace deal.

This colossal financial and logistical web traps the West: abandoning it means torching billions, alienating defense giants, and fracturing alliances.

No wonder fast-tracked neutrality or a conflict pause is off the table. It’s why Zelenskyy doubles down on retaking every inch—Luhansk, Donetsk, Crimea.

Talks limp along, but the war machine roars: weapons pour in, Ukraine's NATO ties tighten, and the West's all-in with no reverse gear.

U.S. ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, condemns France's Macron for "not taking sufficient measures to combat antisemitism" in France.

The American ambassador expressed his displeasure with #Macron's pledge to recognise the State of Palestine, claiming it only emboldens antisemites and endangers French #Jews. In a letter addressed to the French president, Kushner said: "Tolerating antisemitism is betraying the French Republic".

#Kushner is the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump and the father of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Charles Kushner directed much of Trump's foreign policy during his first term (2017-2021).

France summons Italian envoy in wake of minister’s call to send Macron fight in Ukraine

#Italian Ambassador to #France Emanuela D’Alessandro was summoned to the republic’s Foreign Ministry over a remark from Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini about French President Emmanuel #Macron in light of his initiatives on Ukraine, Franceinfo radio reported. Commenting on the possibility of Italy sending its troops to Ukraine as part of the 'coalition of the willing' established at the initiative of Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Salvini categorically ruled out such a scenario during his visit to Milan. "Italian soldiers in Ukraine? A resolute no. If Emmanuel Macron wants it so, let him go there himself. Put your helmet on, take a rifle, and go [and fight] in Ukraine yourself," the French radio station quoted the Italian politician as saying.

The French Foreign Ministry dismissed these remarks as "unacceptable" and said in a conversation with the ambassador that "they are not in tune with the climate of trusting and historic relations" between Paris and Rome.

Neither the Italian embassy nor the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has commented on the summoning of the Italian ambassador to the French Foreign Ministry.

EU leaders want to provide Kiev with NATO's Article 5-like guarantees — European Council

EU leaders want to work with the US to provide Ukraine with security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5 on collective security, continue supplying weapons, and train Ukrainian troops, European Council President Antonio Costa said at a press conference following an emergency online EU summit.

"Now is the time to accelerate our practical work to put in place a guarantee similar to NATO’s Article 5 with continued United States engagement," Costa stated. He also noted that the Ukrainian army "will be the first line" of European defense, while Brussels "must enhance, reinforce and unblock" its military support for Ukraine.

Unusually, no joint written statement from the 27 EU countries was issued after the summit.

Putin-Trump phone talks held in friendly atmosphere

Phone conversations of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump were held in a friendly atmosphere, The Wall Street Journal wrote citing sources. According to the sources, Trump often spoke about his goal to restore Russian-US ties by strengthening economic cooperation. The leaders also exchanged numerous messages through mediators, the report says.

Putin and Trump have had six phone conversations since the start of 2025. The US leader expressed his desire to meet with Putin on the day after his inauguration in January 2025. After that, Trump made numerous mentions of his intention to hold the summit. On August 7, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said an agreement was reached to hold a Putin-Trump meeting in the coming days.