Flamanville EPR: nuclear reaction has resumed

Business life, international news, negotiations at Matignon… All the news of the day can be followed here.

» The main news from this Saturday:

10:42 – CIA and MI6 directors praise cooperation in the face of ‘unprecedented’ threats

The directors of the CIA, Bill Burns, and of the British MI6, Richard Moore, have highlighted the importance of their cooperation in the face of “unprecedented” threats, notably those from Russia, China and Islamism, in a joint column published in the “Financial Times”.

Stressing that they have “no other more trusted ally,” the two intelligence chiefs say they must now act “in a contested international system where both our countries face an unprecedented array of threats.” On the war in Ukraine, Bill Burns and Richard Moore say that “it is more important than ever to stay the course” to thwart Russia and stress that they will “continue to assist” kyiv.

10:26 a.m. – Eight departments placed on orange alert

Météo France has today placed four departments – Creuse, Haute-Vienne, Corrèze, Dordogne – on orange alert for rain and floods, and the Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques on orange alert for floods. The departments of Ardèche and Drôme are on alert for risks related to storms.

10:09 a.m. – Flamanville EPR: nuclear reaction has resumed

The nuclear reaction has resumed in the EPR reactor at Flamanville (Manche), which had experienced an “automatic shutdown” on Wednesday, the day after its start-up, EDF announced. “The Flamanville 3 reactor has diverged and stabilized at 0.2% power since 08:21,” a spokesperson for the group told AFP. “Divergence” is the technical term for nuclear reaction.

“The teams are resuming the activities and tests necessary to prepare for the coupling,” that is, the connection to the electricity grid, “which will take place by the end of the fall,” he added.

The EPR, the subject of a construction site with many setbacks, had reached an important milestone on Tuesday with the achievement of the first nuclear fission. But several stages are still planned before it can really supply the network with electricity, with potential technical hazards.

9:15 a.m. – Edouard Philippe denies being “in an effort to destabilize” Macron

“What is clear is that I am not at all in the business of destabilizing the President of the Republic. I have too much respect for the institutions and I think that the moment is too dangerous for anyone to try to do that,” declared the leader of the Horizons party to the daily newspaper “Paris Normandie.”

“It is essential for the institutions that he completes his mandate,” also estimated Edouard Philippe, to whom some have attributed the intention of betting on a possible impediment of Emmanuel Macron, due to political instability, before the 2027 deadline.

Edouard Philippe, who is due to meet the new Prime Minister Michel Barnier tomorrow at Matignon, also welcomed the choice of this nomination. Michel Barnier is “methodical, solid, experienced and pro-European”, he stressed. “He knows what a coalition is and is not sectarian”, he added, repeating that he would do what he could “to help him”.

8:50 a.m. – Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner capsule successfully returns to Earth

Boeing’s Starliner capsule, whose adventures have given rise to a real soap opera, has successfully returned to Earth, without the astronauts who had taken it to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA having judged that the risk was too great.

The capsule, which had left the ISS about six hours earlier, touched down gently at the White Sands Space Force Base in New Mexico at around 04:01 GMT (06:01 CET), its descent slowed by parachutes and cushioned by airbags. Ground crews reported hearing booms as the craft hurtled through the 3,000-degree Fahrenheit night sky at supersonic speed during re-entry.

The reputation of the American aeronautics giant – already dented by numerous recent problems with its airliners – took a further hit in June when thruster failures and helium leaks on the capsule were detected during the inaugural manned flight. Despite the manufacturer’s attempts to convince NASA of the safety of its aircraft, the space agency preferred to bring Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back via Boeing’s competitor, SpaceX, and its Crew Dragon capsule.

8:46 a.m. – SNCF Voyageurs had a “positive” summer, despite a month of July that was less good than in 2023

SNCF Voyageurs transported more than 24 million people by TGV and Intercités in July and August, a slight increase compared to summer 2023 (+1%), despite a month of July less good than last year, the company announced on Saturday. “It was a positive but atypical summer,” explained to AFP the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs Christophe Fanichet. “The appetite for trains is still there,” he noted. But “we did not see travelers at all like in previous years. July was rather sluggish and August much better than in 2023,” detailed the boss of the railway company.

During the Olympic Games period (July 26 to August 11), SNCF Voyageurs saw its train ridership increase by 4% compared to 2023. Some destinations took full advantage of the Olympic effect, such as Lille, where the basketball and handball events were held, which welcomed 67% more passengers. SNCF, which offered 450,000 more seats compared to last summer, recorded an occupancy rate comparable to 2023 (84%).

8:44 a.m. – In the United States, a first human case of bird flu without animal contact

U.S. health officials have announced that a person has tested positive for bird flu without known contact with an animal, a first in the United States. Until now, human cases of bird flu detected in the United States have come from the agricultural sector.

But the hospitalization of an adult in Missouri with influenza on August 22 raised concerns among authorities, who requested additional testing. The result: it was not just a simple flu but avian flu, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health authorities in the central state reported in press releases.

8:43 a.m. – Algeria elects its president, victory expected for Abdelmadjid Tebboune

More than 24 million Algerians are being called to the polls today for a presidential election, which should see the unsurprising re-election of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for a second term and whose main issue lies in the turnout. The first results could be released Saturday evening, with an official announcement expected no later than Sunday.

8:41 – Bolsonaro mobilizes for “freedom” after the suspension of X in Brazil

At the call of former president Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian right is demonstrating today in Sao Paulo for “democracy” and “freedom”, in the midst of a debate on freedom of expression after the suspension of X, its favorite social network.

On this national independence day, and one month before municipal elections, the former far-right leader wants to show that he can still carry his weight after leaving power at the end of 2022. “There is no point in celebrating our independence if we are deprived of freedom,” Jair Bolsonaro said in a video in which he calls for demonstrations “in yellow and green”, the colours of the Brazilian flag, starting at 2 p.m. (7 p.m. in Paris) on Paulista Avenue, the emblematic artery of Latin America’s largest megalopolis.

8:40 a.m. – LFI plays the street against Macron’s “coup de force”

Two months to the day after the legislative elections that it believes it won, France Insoumise is organizing its response in the streets today. The organizers announce “150 mobilization points across France”, starting in Paris where the meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Place de la Bastille. The leader of the Communist Party Fabien Roussel will also be there, while the leader of the Ecologists Marine Tondelier will march in Lille.

But apart from the leaders and activists, how many will there be? Before Michel Barnier’s appointment, the authorities were expecting a low turnout, around 15,000 people in total, including 2,000 in the capital. A figure that has since been revised upwards, with now more than 30,000 demonstrators, including 4 to 8,000 people expected in the capital, according to police sources.

8:37 a.m. – Trump’s sentence postponed: the judge wanted to serve “the interests of justice”

The judge in charge of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York yesterday postponed the announcement of the sentence against the former head of state until after the presidential election, forced by a resounding ruling from the Supreme Court on presidential immunity.

By adjourning the sentencing from September 18 to November 26, after Donald Trump was found guilty in May of making concealed payments to a porn star, Judge Juan Merchan offered the Republican candidate a respite and a major victory. “This is not a decision that the (New York State) Court takes lightly, but it is the decision that, in the eyes of the Court, best serves the interests of justice,” justified Judge Merchan, who had been seized of multiple appeals by Donald Trump’s defense and who had already postponed the sentencing from July 11 to September 18.

8:35am – Starmer in Dublin for visit to seal ‘new era’ between Ireland and UK

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold talks with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris in Dublin today, the first visit to Ireland by a British head of government in five years, as London seeks to mend relations with its European allies after Brexit.

The visit, described as “a historic moment for British-Irish relations” by Downing Street, signals a warming of bilateral ties after several difficult years under the previous Conservative government. London says it sees it as “a new era of cooperation and friendship”, according to a statement released ahead of Keir Starmer’s arrival in Dublin.

8:30 a.m. – Brazil: Human Rights Minister dismissed, accused of sexual harassment

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has dismissed his human rights minister, Silvio Almeida, after several women accused him of sexual harassment, saying his continued presence in the government was “untenable.” “President Lula has decided to dismiss the holder of the human rights portfolio” after “summoning him for a meeting at the Planalto Palace” regarding the “serious allegations” made against him, according to a statement released by the presidency.