Background: French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for an official visit on August 23-24, including the first meeting of the Franco-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council. The visit began with the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup at the Grand Palais in Paris, attended by Macron, MBS, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who served as ambassador. The event was relocated from Riyadh to Paris following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran. The leaders are scheduled to hold the first meeting of the Franco-Saudi strategic partnership council at the Elysée on Monday, with agreements on health, transport, and energy to be signed. The visit marks MBS's full rehabilitation in Paris eight years after the Khashoggi murder, driven by economic interests and Riyadh's diplomatic importance. Rights groups, including RSF, have urged Macron to raise press freedom and the release of imprisoned journalists.

Over 100 former senior diplomats from France and the UK have published an unprecedented joint letter in Le Monde and the Guardian, accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and seeking to destroy any prospect of a viable Palestinian state. The letter calls on their governments to impose sanctions, including suspending trade agreements and arms transfers, banning settlement trade, and upholding international court rulings. It highlights ongoing violence in the West Bank, house demolitions, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, urging France and the UK to act to prevent accusations of double standards and to support Palestinian self-determination.

Background: French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard warned of a deep agricultural crisis from drought, heatwaves, and wildfires, with government plans for water storage and emergency aid. Today: Severe drought and heatwaves have forced French cattle farmers to dip into winter fodder stocks early, with the FNPL reporting widespread use by late July. Farmers like Philippe Dufour in Seine-et-Marne have consumed 30-40% of winter forage, facing increased costs and livestock health issues. The government's emergency support plan, to be rolled out on 3 September, aims to bolster cash flow and revitalize production, as Genevard calls the drought 'exceptional' and affecting all regions. The situation has worsened: Dufour, a Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle farmer, has used 30-40% of his winter forage before November, incurring additional costs of €15,000 per month and reporting livestock health issues such as miscarriages and weaker calves. In the Landes, farmers began drawing on stocks in July, needing an extra 13,000 tonnes of fodder. Genevard has now specified that the 2026 drought is 'exceptional' and affects every region, including Brittany.

Background: Two French journalists, Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani, and their Togolese fixer Fred Vedomey were arrested on July 27 in northern Togo while filming a documentary, and have been held on charges of false statements. Togo's government issued its first official statement on Saturday, asserting it holds 'serious and consistent evidence' against them, including unauthorized drone use in security-sensitive areas, lack of proper filming permits, and that the authorization was signed only in the name of the fixer, Fred Vedomey, and strictly limited to specific localities not covering the Savanes region. The government also cited 'several irregularities' in the mission's preparation and execution. The men appeared before prosecutors on August 17. They deny the charges, and rights groups, including RSF, continue to demand their release, with RSF highlighting that Perez Pezzani suffers from serious health problems and requesting urgent medical evacuation to France. The Togolese Press Association also demanded release, warning of damage to Togo's international reputation.

The Thomas More Institute, a French think tank, has released a report identifying 50 political decisions over the past 50 years that it argues have caused France's decline. The report criticizes European integration, particularly the Single Market, Maastricht, and Lisbon treaties, for transferring national sovereignty without creating a true European sovereignty, and highlights incompatibilities between EU commitments and French interests. The report spans from Valéry Giscard d'Estaing to Emmanuel Macron, covering areas such as economy, security, immigration, and education.

A co-leader of the 'Phrygiens', a secret network of senior French civil servants supporting Jean-Luc Mélenchon's La France Insoumise (LFI), spoke to the press for the first time. The network, comprising 80 members, produces policy notes and reports for LFI's presidential campaign. Members are reportedly present in all ministries, including Bercy and the Banque de France, and work anonymously to avoid career risks. The network is overseen by LFI MP Clémence Guetté.

Rising seas and coastal erosion are exposing and destroying graves of enslaved people on beaches in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Archaeologists from Inrap have identified 48 graves at Raisins-Clairs beach in Saint-François, Guadeloupe, and warn that many more are being lost. The erosion accelerates destruction of these historically and culturally significant sites, prompting local measures like markers and memorial reburials.

Catherine Lhéritier, the UDI mayor of Valloire-sur-Cisse and vice-president of the Association of Mayors of France, has hired Noa Lerosier, a 23-year-old National Rally member, as director general of municipal services. Lhéritier claims she was unaware of his political affiliation, as recruitment was handled by a specialized firm. The local Socialist Party criticized the move, calling it a 'laboratory for alliance with the far right'.