The day of the Lisbon funicular derailment

The day began with ongoing political maneuvers surrounding Prime Minister Bayrou's confidence vote, as President Macron actively sought Socialist support and Bayrou expressed openness to alternatives for controversial policy proposals. A new poll indicated a notable drop in Macron's popularity. Concurrently, details from the previous day's Marseille knife attack continued to emerge, with investigators pointing to a "private motive." Geopolitically, the significant meeting between Xi Jinping, Vladimir Poutine, and Kim Jong-un in Beijing received sustained attention. By midday, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement's ratification process began, with France acknowledging safeguard clauses despite farmer opposition. In the afternoon, a major domestic story broke: the state was condemned for gross negligence in the Estelle Mouzin disappearance inquiry. However, the late evening news was dominated by the tragic funicular derailment in Lisbon, Portugal, which resulted in at least fifteen fatalities and eighteen injuries, described by officials as an "unprecedented tragedy" leading to a national day of mourning.