Fitch Downgrades France's Rating, AstraZeneca Pauses UK Investment, and Protests Damage Nepal's Hotel Sector - September 2025

Rating agency Fitch downgraded France’s long-term sovereign credit rating from AA- to A+, citing the nation's high government debt and political fragmentation. In the United Kingdom, AstraZeneca has paused plans for a £200 million investment at a Cambridge research site, a move that would have created 1,000 jobs and follows a similar withdrawal by US firm Merck. Separately, Nepal's hotel sector has suffered significant financial losses exceeding 25 billion Nepali rupees due to recent protests. Numerous hotels experienced extensive damage from vandalism and arson attacks on September 9.