France

Masked settlers reportedly attacked Palestinian civilians, European diplomats and Catholic representatives visiting Taybeh in the occupied West Bank. The EU condemned the attack and called for accountability; a French mayor was assaulted, a Belgian vehicle damaged and Israeli police opened an investigation.

Nationwide protests took place across France on October 17 over living costs, education and public services. More than 500,000 attended; violence included looting, attacks on public buildings and at least 2,400 arrests. Macron rejected Laurent Nuñez’s resignation and ordered a security review, while Lecornu called for localized curfews.

A cyberattack remotely altered internet-connected refrigeration systems at up to 700 French supermarkets, including major chains. Temperatures rose above 50°C, spoiling food and causing some fires; Paris prosecutors opened an investigation, while Danfoss said affected systems used outdated firmware.

Rallies continued across France through October 17, with the interior ministry counting 161,500 participants and unions 480,000. Most protests were peaceful, but some became chaotic and violent; violence, school closures and investigations were reported.

G7 leaders agreed to release up to 100 million barrels of crude and diesel through the IEA over four months, including a substantial diesel release in the first 20 days. Members also agreed not to restrict energy exports to one another; Trump later said the US would not impose a diesel-export ban.

French high-school protests continued into their fourth week amid violence, alleged police abuses and mass arrests. Police had opened 36 internal investigations, while 6,773 under-18s were taken into custody since the protests began. Macron said students' grievances were legitimate but politically exploited.

The UK-France “one in one out” migration scheme has ended and is no longer processing new cases, although flights for people already detained will continue. Around 1,500 people moved in both directions under the scheme; 1,739 arrived in 23 boats from 2 to 7 October.