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French government narrowly survives no-confidence vote but faces more challenges
A protester speaks above a banner depicting (L-R) French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, French President Emmanuel Macron and French Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt reading "No to the retirement of the dead, withdrawal of Macron's plan" during a demonstration a day after the French government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using the article 49.3 of the constitution, in Rennes, western France, on March 17, 2023. - French President faces intensified protests and accusations of anti-democratic behaviour after pushing through a contentious pension reform without a parliamentary vote. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP) (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images)
world
On the picket line with Paris garbage collectors
Video1:42
report on business
French pension protests mostly calm, uncollected trash piles up in Paris streets
Demonstrators rolls a wooden cable spool to a burning barricade during a protest in Paris, Friday, March 17, 2023. Protests against French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to force a bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote disrupted traffic, garbage collection and university campuses in Paris as opponents of the change maintained their resolve to get the government to back down. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
european business
Anger spreads in France over Macron’s decision to force pension bill through without a vote
CGT unionists march with flares and banners on the ring road as they block the traffic to protest, a day after the French government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using the article 49,3 of the constitution, in Paris on March 17, 2023. - French President faces intensified protests and accusations of anti-democratic behaviour after pushing through a contentious pension reform without a parliamentary vote. (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY / AFP) (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)
world
Tourists in Paris dismayed by piles of trash amid strikes over pension reform
Video0:39
european business
France uses article 49.3 to push through controversial pension reform without vote
Unionists of the French union General Confederation of Labour (CGT) block the access to oil terminals at the Total Energies refinery with makeshift roadblocks and fires to protest against the government's proposed pensions overhaul in Donges, western France on March 16, 2023. - A proposed reform of pension system, which has sparked massive protests and strikes since the start of the year, is to be put to a vote in parliament in a decisive moment for French President. The Senate and lower house National Assembly are set to hold ballots on the legislation to raise the retirement age to 64. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP) (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
european business
Protesters rally across France as Macron’s pension overhaul nears finale
Protesters hold a banner reading "half salaries, half retirement? Feminist strike" during a demonstration on a 8th day of strikes and protests across the country against the government's proposed pensions overhaul in Rennes on March 15, 2023. - France faces another day of strikes over highly contested pension reforms which President appears on the verge of pushing through despite months of protests. As the legislation enters the final stretch in parliament, trade unions are set to make another attempt to pressure the government and lawmakers into rejecting the proposed hike in the retirement age to 64. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP) (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images)
world
Macron races to shore up support for pension reforms as strikes enter sixth day in France
Pedestrians walk past waste that has been piling up on the pavement as waste collectors are on strike since March 6 against the French government's proposed pensions reform, in Paris on March 13, 2023. (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)
world
French union leader vows to keep fighting Macron’s pension plan
FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator holds a sign with an image of French President Emmanuel Macron at a protest against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, March 11, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
world
France and Britain agree to new £480-million migration deal
Security guards stand at the migrant processing centre in Dover, Kent, England, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The U.K. government said Tuesday that it was ready for legal challenges to a tough new law intended to stop tens of thousands of migrants a year reaching the country in small boats across the English Channel. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
international business
French pension strikes hit energy, fuel, transport
Video1:30
european business
French nationwide strike to extend as pension reform fight intensifies
People take part in a demonstration in Marseille on March 7, 2023, as part of a nationwide day of strikes and protests called by unions over the proposed pensions overhaul, which include raising the minimum retirement age to 64 from 62 and increasing the number of years people have to make contributions for a full pension. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
european business
Unions threaten to shut France’s economy down amid pension battle
Jean-Baptiste Redde holds up a sign that reads, ÒTax evasion must fund our pensions,Ó at a protest in Paris, Jan. 31, 2023. Redde has hoisted his giant, colorful signs in nearly every street protest for over a decade, embodying FranceÕs enduring passion for demonstrations. (James Hill/The New York Times)
international business
Debate over who pays to save world’s forests set to dominate talks at summit in Gabon
Journalists enter Gabonese presidential Palace to attend the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau
european business
French lawmakers debate Macron’s controversial pension bill
(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 19, 2023, a demonstrator, wearing a jacket of the French union General Confederation of Labour (CGT), waves a flare flare during a rally in Lyon, south-eastern France, as workers go on strike over the French President's plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. - The French government's plan to reform the pension system, which includes hiking the minimum retirement age, will begin to be debated in parliament on February 6, 2023, with a third day of nationwide strikes and protest against the bill planned for February 7. The French president is facing his biggest standoff with France's trade unions since coming to power in 2017, with the outcome of a series of strikes and protests seen as decisive for both sides. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty Images)
report on business
1.27 million protest French pension reforms, officials say
Police officers stand next to protesters waving a French flag as they participate in a demonstration on a second day of nationwide strikes and protests over the government's proposed pension reform, in Lille, northern France on January 31, 2023. - France braces for major transport blockages, with mass strikes and protests set to hit the country for the second time in a month in objection to the planned boost of the age of retirement from 62 to 64. On January 19, some 1.1 million voiced their opposition to the proposed shake-up -- the largest protests since the last major round of pension reform in 2010. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP) (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)
world
Macron boosts French military spending by over a third to ‘transform’ army
A soldier salutes French President Emmanuel Macron at the Mont-de-Marsan air base, southwestern, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023 France. French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a substantial boost in defense spending through the end of this decade and a "transformation" of France's nuclear-armed military to face evolving threats and take into account the impact of the war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, Pool)
opinion
France makes a fool of itself as World Cup wraps up
Cathal Kelly
soccer
FIFA targets $11-billion revenue through U.S.-led 2026 World Cup
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Round of 16 - Netherlands v United States - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 3, 2022 Tim Ream of the U.S. in action with Netherlands' Wout Weghorst REUTERS/John Sibley
world
Biden says climate law has ‘glitches’ after Macron criticism
US President Joe Biden (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron walk down the Colonnade at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 1, 2022. (Photo by Doug Mills / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DOUG MILLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
world
Macron says 2017 campaign accounts checked and cleared as prosecutors widen McKinsey probe
(FILES) This file photograph taken on April 12, 2022, shows a sign of US-based McKinsey & Company management consulting firm in Geneva. - The National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) opened two investigations in October 2022 for suspicions of "favoritism" and on the "conditions of intervention of consultancy cabinets" of the 2017 and 2022 electoral campaigns of France's President Emmanuel Macron, including the firm McKinsey. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
world
France’s Macron accuses Russia of ‘predatory’ influence in Africa
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron attends the International Labour Organization's annual labour conference in Geneva, Switzerland June 11, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse -/File Photo/File Photo
world
Europe piles pressure on Iran’s leaders as protests rage
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
european business
Strikes across France pit workers against government as inflation bites
Protestors attend a demonstration in Paris as part of a nationwide day of strike and protests for higher wages and against requisitions at refineries in France, October 18, 2022. The sogan reads "Bruno Le Maire, give us your salary". REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
world
French MPs want inquiry into alleged Russian party financing
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives at a television recording studio for a debate with centrist candidate and French President Emmanuel Macron, Wednesday, April 20, 2022 in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, outside Paris. In the climax of France's presidential campaign, centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right contender Marine Le Pen meet in a one-on-one television debate that could prove decisive before Sunday's runoff vote. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
energy and resources
LVMH to turn off lights earlier at night in French stores as part of energy-saving measure
A logo of LVMH is seen at its exhibition space, at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
world
France’s Emmanuel Macron hosts Saudi Crown Prince for talks despite criticism from rights groups, opposition
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 10, 2018. Yoan Valat/Pool via Reuters/File Photo
world
Macron says food is one of Russia’s ‘weapons of war’ during visit to Cameroon
French president Emmanuel Macron (R) looks on during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at the Nsimalen international airport of Yaounde, on July 25, 2022. - French President starts a three-day African tour in Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
world
France’s Macron calls for resumption of long-stalled peace talks between Israel, Palestinians
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP )
world
French PM Elisabeth Borne vows to boost economy amid impact of war in Ukraine
FILE PHOTO: French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne delivers her general policy speech at the National Assembly in Paris, France, July 6, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
world
French President Emmanuel Macron reshuffles cabinet after parliamentary election losses
(L/R) Newly-appointed French Minister for Ecological Transition and Territories' Cohesion Christophe Bechu, French Junior Minister for Local Authorities Caroline Cayeux, French Junior Minister for Cities and Housing Olivier Klein, French Junior Minister for Transports Clement Beaune, French Secretary of State for Ecology Berangere Couillard, and French Secretary of State for Rurality Dominique Faure arrive at a handover ceremony in Paris on July 4, 2022. - French President reshuffled his government in search of a fresh start for his second term, dogged by his failure to win a parliamentary majority last month. While he finally ceded to public pressure by removing Damien Abad, facing a rape probe, there was little sign of a major renewal that could turn Emmanuel Macron's fortunes around. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
world
French parliament elects Yael Braun-Pivet as its speaker, the first woman to hold the post
Newly elected parliament members sit at the National Assembly, Tuesday, June 28, 2022 in Paris. France's National Assembly convenes for the first time since President Emmanuel Macron lost his parliamentary majority. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
world
French parties brush off Macron’s appeal for help to overcome hung parliament
A TV screen in a bar shows French President Emmanuel Macron while he addresses the nation, in Cambrai, France June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
world
Agreements need to be found across French party lines to establish a working majority, Macron says
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony marking the 82nd anniversary of late French General Charles de Gaulle's resistance call of June 18, 1940, at the Mont Valerien memorial in Suresnes near Paris, France, June 18, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
world
French opposition leaders tell Macron to compromise to win support after election setback
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) walks next to France's right-wing Les Republicains (LR) party President Christian Jacob after a meeting as part of his talks with the opposition seeking to end the deadlock sparked by his failure to secure a majority in parliamentary elections at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, on June 21, 2022. - Macron hosted political party chiefs for rare talks at the Elysee as he seeks solutions to an unprecedented situation that risks plunging his second term into crisis two months after it began. (Photo by Mohammed BADRA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED BADRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)