France races to pass stopgap budget law after talks for proper budget fail
France faces emergency stopgap legislation to avoid a government shutdown after lawmakers abandoned 2026 budget talks on Friday, failing to agree on a compromise bill. Members of a joint committee of lawmakers from both houses threw in the towel after less than an hour of talks to agree a budget bill. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said he would consult with key political leaders on Monday on the next steps to be taken, adding there was no longer enough time for a parliamentary vote on a budget before the end of the year. Story by Bryan Quinn.