France

Economics

Politics

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will face two more no-confidence votes Feb. 2 after invoking Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to pass the 2026 budget without a parliamentary vote, Le Figaro reported.

France: Prime Minister Lecornu Set To Survive Final No-Confidence Votes on 2026 Budget

Benin

Cote d'Ivoire

Niger

Military & Security

The Islamic State publicly claimed responsibility for the Jan. 28-29 attack on Niamey's Diori Hamani International Airport, which also houses a drone facility, according to a communique tracked by SITE Intelligence Group, Jeune Afrique reported on Jan. 30.

Niger: Islamic State Claims Niamey Attack After Junta Leader Blames West African and French Leaders

France's minority government survived two consecutive no-confidence votes in the National Assembly on Jan. 23 after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu used Article 49.3 of the Constitution to push through the revenue section of the 2026 budget without a parliamentary vote, Le Figaro reported the same day.

France: Government Survives No-Confidence Votes, Set To Pass Full 2026 Budget

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Jan. 19 that he would invoke article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the 2026 state budget without a parliamentary vote, reversing an earlier pledge not to do so after negotiations with opposition parties in the National Assembly failed to produce a compromise, Reuters reported the same day. 

France: Government To Push Through 2026 Budget Without Vote

France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu suspended parliamentary debate on the 2026 budget after talks with opposition lawmakers failed to yield a compromise, postponing discussions until Jan. 20, Le Monde reported on Jan. 16. 

France: PM Lecornu Suspends 2026 Budget Debate, Weighs Constitutional Options

French far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen appeared in court as appeal proceedings opened against her conviction for embezzling EU funds, a case that will determine whether she remains barred from public office or eligible to run for France's 2027 presidential election, Reuters reported on Jan. 13.

France: Le Pen's Appeal Case Begins, Determining Eligibility for 2027 Presidential Race

Americas

Paraguay

Europe

Belgium

Poland

Austria

Italy

Ireland

Hungary

Global Trade

EU member states gave provisional approval for the European Commission to sign the long-delayed free trade agreement with South America's Mercosur bloc, Reuters reported Jan. 9.

EU, Mercosur: EU Member States Approve Mercosur Trade Deal

Argentina

Brazil

Uruguay

Italy plans to support the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, reversing its earlier position ahead of an EU ambassadors' vote on Jan. 9, which would clear the way for the European Union to sign the accord with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay on Jan. 12, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 5, citing sources close to the negotiations.

EU, Mercosur: Italy Ready To Back EU-Mercosur Trade Deal, Clearing Way for Ratification

Assessments

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu speaks in parliament after surviving two no-confidence votes in Paris, France on Jan. 23 23, 2026. 

The budget's likely adoption will keep the minority government in office, but deep political fragmentation will limit policy action and sustain the risk of early elections, keeping France's fiscal trajectory uncertain.

The Risks to France's Fiscal Outlook Beyond the 2026 Budget

United States

Greenland

Germany

Finland

Denmark

Sweden

United Kingdom

Norway

Netherlands

The HDMS Knud Rasmussen ship of the Danish Navy patrols the waters off of Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 20, 2026. 

Trump's threatened tariffs over his bid to acquire Greenland have turned the U.S.-EU trade dispute into a high-stakes geopolitical confrontation, raising the risk of a sustained trade war that would severely strain transatlantic economic ties and NATO cohesion.

Trump's Greenland Tariff Threat Escalates Transatlantic Tensions

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Vietnam

Switzerland

Ukraine

Russia

A sniper police officer on the Congress hotel during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 2025, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

South Africa

Chile

The Ukrainian flag is projected on the facade of Berlaymont, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels on Nov. 18 to commemorate the Nov. 18, 2024, Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Weekly Rundown: A European Council Decision on Ukraine Financing, South Africa Braces for Commission Findings

Nigeria

A photo taken on Dec. 8, 2025, shows an armored vehicle at the entrance of a blocked road in Cotonou, Benin, near the headquarters of the state broadcaster Benin TV.

The coup attempt will increase political and security risks ahead of Benin's 2026 elections, while the swift, Nigeria-led ECOWAS intervention suggests Abuja is assuming a more assertive regional role with tacit French backing following Paris's troop drawdown.

Benin's Foiled Coup Signals Strengthening Franco-Nigerian Coordination in West Africa

Cameroon

Japan

Palestinians on Oct. 10 on Al-Rashid road headed toward Gaza City. U.S. President Donald Trump said he might visit the Middle East just as 20 hostages are meant to be released by Hamas after surviving two years in captivity as the White House pushes for the solidification of a frail ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Tries To Solidify the Gaza Ceasefire, a Presidential Vote in Cameroon

Outgoing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu arrives to deliver a statement at the Hotel Matignon in Paris after submitting his resignation to French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct. 6, 2025. 

Lecornu's resignation leaves President Macron with few good options to ease the ongoing political gridlock over the budget, portending further market volatility, social unrest and, potentially, a fiscal crisis.

French Political Crisis Deepens as Another Prime Minister Resigns

Syria

Turkey

Tajikistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

The assembly hall of the Syrian parliament Oct. 1 in Damascus. An Oct. 5 indirect election for parliament will mark the first time Syrians have had an electoral say in their government since the 1960s.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan's Election, Syria's Political Transition

Australia

Dignitaries attend a U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestinian statehood, during the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2025, in New York City. 

Western countries' growing recognition of Palestinian statehood is largely symbolic and will likely galvanize Israel's push for West Bank annexation, risking further Israeli diplomatic isolation abroad and sporadic violence at home.

The West's Growing Support for Palestinian Statehood Will Have Limited Concrete Impacts

Mexico

Portugal

Spain

An anti-tourism protest in June in Barcelona, Spain. Anti-tourism sentiment is certain to grow in major tourist destinations, though it will be unevenly distributed globally, particularly as the tourism sector could face potential challenges in the future.

Social Issues

Anti-tourism sentiment is certain to grow in major tourist destinations, though it will be unevenly distributed globally, particularly as the tourism sector could face potential challenges in the future.

The Causes and Implications of the Rise in Anti-Tourism Sentiment

Snapshots

France's then-Prime Minister Francois Bayrou (C) delivers his general policy statement during an extraordinary parliamentary session prior to a confidence vote over the government's austerity budget at the National Assembly in Paris on Sept. 8, 2025.

Spending cuts proposed by the ousted prime minister and the prospect of further austerity measures have energized a new grassroots movement, raising the specter of another yellow vest-style uprising.

In France, Prime Minister Bayrou's Ouster Deepens Political Paralysis and Fiscal Uncertainty

Ethiopia

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Aug. 27, 2025.

The Weekly Rundown: France's Bayrou Faces a Confidence Vote, Ethiopia Inaugurates Its Mega-Dam

<p>France is a country in Western Europe bound in the south by the Alps, Pyrenees Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. To the west and north is the Atlantic Ocean, and on its eastern border lies the river Rhine and the low mountains of the Ardennes, Vosges and Jura. Mountains, rivers and seas help protect France at all points but one: the North European Plain. As a result, France&#39;s main geographic challenge is safeguarding its eastern border on the path of this historic invasion route. The lack of internal geographic barriers contributed to France&#39;s social cohesion, which in turn led France to become one of the world&#39;s first modern nation-states. The Beauce region represents France&#39;s core. Its navigable rivers, warm climate, sufficient rainfall and fertile soils have made France one of the world&#39;s leading agricultural powers. At the extreme northern border of the Beauce region, where the rivers Marne and Seine meet, lies Paris &mdash; France&#39;s economic and political center. Paris&#39; strategic location on these rivers gives it administrative control of trading routes from the Beauce region to the rest of France and Europe In modern times, the most existential threats to France have come from its powerful eastern neighbor, Germany. Between 1871 and 1945, France and Germany fought three major wars &mdash; all on the North European Plain. After World War II, France attempted to contain Germany largely through the creation of the European Union. The economic and political crisis plaguing Europe has put France&#39;s containment strategy into question.</p>

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The Fate of the Eurozone

European Disintegration

SITUATION REPORTS

France: Prime Minister Lecornu Set To Survive Final No-Confidence Votes on 2026 Budget

Niger: Islamic State Claims Niamey Attack After Junta Leader Blames West African and French Leaders

France: Government Survives No-Confidence Votes, Set To Pass Full 2026 Budget

France: Government To Push Through 2026 Budget Without Vote

France: PM Lecornu Suspends 2026 Budget Debate, Weighs Constitutional Options

France: Le Pen's Appeal Case Begins, Determining Eligibility for 2027 Presidential Race

EU, Mercosur: EU Member States Approve Mercosur Trade Deal

EU, Mercosur: Italy Ready To Back EU-Mercosur Trade Deal, Clearing Way for Ratification

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