French industrial production unexpectedly fell back again in August in a sign that the country’s political deadlock is weighing on activity, adding to pressures on wider European industry, the Wall Street Journal reported. Output was 0.7% lower on month, figures from France’s statistics office Insee showed Friday. After a revised 0.1% fall in July and against economists’ expectations for a rebound, August’s decline is the fourth in five months, underscoring the challenges facing French industry.

French healthcare group Emeis, fresh off a 2024 rebrand from Orpea, is selling a chunk of its real estate business to Farallon Capital and TwentyTwo Real Estate – trimming nearly €700 million from its debt while staying in charge of its care homes, Finimize.com reported. Emeis is making a big shift in European healthcare real estate by splitting off its operated properties through a new partnership with Farallon Capital and TwentyTwo Real Estate. The deal means Emeis will surpass its asset sale goal by €300 million, with the two investors pledging €761 million by the end of 2025.

Less than a week after political turmoil roiled France following the collapse of President Emmanuel Macron’s government, Fitch Ratings downgraded France’s sovereign debt rating on Friday, raising questions about the country’s financial stability, the New York Times reported. Fitch lowered the French rating to A+ from AA–, citing an increasingly fractured political landscape and the government’s overall inability to tackle a ballooning debt and deficit that have become among the largest in Europe.

Italy was once Europe’s emblem for political instability, with a mounting debt and deficit and few options to fix the mess. Now, it’s France’s turn, and the situation is about to get worse, the New York Times reported. On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron’s government is expected to fall for the second time in just nine months after a confidence vote in Parliament. The French prime minister, François Bayrou, called a vote to shore up support for his plan to mend the country’s finances with 44 billion euros (a little over $51 billion) in spending cuts.

France risks seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as its government teeters on the brink of collapse, its finance minister has warned, The Telegraph reported. French long-term borrowing costs hit their highest level since 2011 on Tuesday amid fears the second collapse of its government within a year would leave it unable to tackle a budget deficit, which is on course to hit 5.4pc of GDP this year.

After months of financial turmoil, AC Ajaccio have filed for bankruptcy, losing their professional status for the first time in 27 years, YahooSports.com reported. According to Corse-Matin, the Corsican club submitted their declaration of insolvency on Monday at the Ajaccio commercial court. The decision comes after the board failed to attract investors or cover an estimated €13m deficit. The move will result in the loss of around 180 jobs and the closure of the club’s training centre, which was named the best in Ligue 2 as recently as May. Ajaccio’s immediate future remains unclear.

Inflation stayed steady in France, likely keeping the European Central Bank cautious over any further cuts to interest rates ahead, the Wall Street Journal reported. Consumer prices rose 0.9% on year this month, according to EU-harmonized figures set out Thursday by the French statistics authority. That was the same rate of annual inflation as booked in June. Energy prices fell on year after a surge in July last year, while food inflation picked up a little pace, the figures showed.

French uranium miner Orano said on Wednesday its majority-owned joint venture with Niger, SOMAIR, is on the verge of bankruptcy as a result of export restrictions imposed by Niger's military government, Reuters reported. Orano was forced to suspend production at SOMAIR after authorities halted exports last year.

French heart prosthesis company Carmat has filed for insolvency and requested to be placed in receivership after failing to secure emergency funding, it said on Monday, Reuters reported. Trading in Carmat shares have been suspended at the company's request, it said, pending a decision by the the Versailles Economic Affairs Court. Carmat, which had warned earlier this month that it could run out of cash by end-June without fresh financing, said it had not managed to raise the 3.5 million euros ($4.1 million) it needed and had submitted the filing to the court.