France

King Charles's state visit to France has been postponed amid planned protests over the French government's controversial pension reforms.

Charles and Camilla were due to travel from France to Germany on Wednesday for a state visit. However a decision to postpone the visit was made after In Bordeaux, demonstrators set fire to the entrance of the city hall during skirmishes with police, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.

The joint decision was taken by the British and French governments after trade unions called for further strikes.

"There are protests and strikes everywhere." I don't know, that's weird." "We're not bad people. Charles' trip would have included a lavish banquet at the Palace of Versailles. A British government spokesperson said the decision was "taken with the consent of all parties" after Macron asked the British government to postpone the visit. "Common sense and friendship pushed us to propose to postpone (the visit)."

The world has reacted to violent demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms with warnings, questions about the future of France's ...

she said Friday in a message on her Telegram account, which was accompanied by a video showing overturned cars on a French street. One of the main pro-government sites reported that "according to information on the ground, the situation continues to deteriorate". "France can't go on like this. It's time to end the Fifth Republic, with its all-powerful presidency... They are much more attentive to their rights. "When is Macron going to start delivering weapons to French citizens to support democracy and the sovereignty of the country?"

PARIS—Since he took office six years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron has hardly had a moment of plain sailing. First came the so-called yellow vests, ...

[30 percent](https://www.oecd.org/governance/trust-in-government/) of the French said they had confidence in the government, more than 10 points lower than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average. “We can expect [Macron’s] Renaissance party to struggle in the European elections,” Belin said. In a sign that despite the tensions it’s still possible to find some common ground, text that facilitates the construction of new nuclear reactors was approved with a large majority by the National Assembly this week. [polls](https://www.ifop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/119808-Rapport.pdf), Le Pen is the public figure that best embodies the opposition to Macron’s pension reform, closely followed by radical left-wing firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon. With the exception of budget bills, the 49.3 procedure can only be invoked once per parliamentary term, and Macron, who still has four years in the top job, will need to reach out to the opposition to get things done. The article is a key provision of a constitution largely shaped by former French President Charles de Gaulle’s desire to have a stable political system as he established the Fifth Republic in 1958, after a decade of short-lived, inefficient cabinets. With his time in office going by fast, “he is trying to push through at all costs a number of reforms that he considers essential.” “They want to govern by decree, without the National Assembly,” said Raquel Garrido, a parliamentarian with La France Insoumise left-wing party. Meanwhile, thousands of tons of trash continue to pile up in the streets of Paris and other cities, as a result of rolling walkouts by garbage collectors. Macron has always aspired to play a large role in Europe and beyond, and observers expect him to focus even more on international issues in the coming years in a bid to seek respite from his troubles at home. With two-thirds of the French Strikers are disrupting public transport and road traffic in parts of the country on a daily basis as well as blockading several oil refineries and depots, causing fuel shortages at gas stations and airports.

Days after the French government passed much-despised pension reforms, chaos reigns throughout the country.

What’s more, there are claims that agitators have taken advantage of the discord to wreak havoc. For background on why President Emmanuel Macron says the reforms are central to plugging France’s ballooning debt hole and boosting productivity, see [here.](https://www.gzeromedia.com/macrons-big-gamble) Either way, it was the most violent day in a series of protests that have gripped the country for months.

PARIS :France will ban the use of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of civil servants, Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini said ...

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The new monarch was due to visit Paris and Bordeaux in a trip beginning Sunday, both of which have seen tense protests.

It will also lift the number of years that someone must pay into the system to receive a full pension from 42 to 43 from 2027. [Emmanuel Macron](https://www.cnbc.com/emmanuel-macron/) and King Charles, according to a statement. King Charles was due to visit Paris and Bordeaux, both of which have experienced tense protests. He also said that peaceful demonstration is legitimate, but added that some protests led to unacceptable disruption and violence. This trip was due to be the new British monarch's first state visit and was scheduled to run from March 26 to March 29. - The new British monarch's first state visit was scheduled to run from March 26 to March 29 and see him visit Paris and Bordeaux.

French government has banned 'recreational apps' such as TikTok, Twitter and Instagram from the devices of civil servants with immediate effect.

French president condemns violence that erupted in protests against raising citizens' retirement age from 62 to 64.

Polls show that most French people oppose having to work two more years before retiring, which Macron says is necessary to keep the pension system afloat. [violence that erupted during Thursday’s protests](/news/2023/3/23/airport-roads-blocked-as-france-pension-protests-continue) against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, and said he would not give in to it. [Protests, strikes in France amid anger at Macron’s pension reform](/news/2023/3/18/protests-resume-in-france-over-macrons-pension-age-reform?traffic_source=KeepReading) [Is France’s work-life balance under threat?](/program/the-stream/2023/3/12/is-frances-work-life-balance-under-threat?traffic_source=KeepReading) [More than a million French workers strike against pension reform](/news/2023/3/7/1-28m-people-protest-macrons-pension-reform-plan-ministry?traffic_source=KeepReading)

PARIS — France is protesting against Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the retirement age. After months of strikes and protests, tension reached its peak on ...

That constitutional maneuver added a new layer to existing angriness, [protesters say](https://www.politico.eu/article/france-emmanuel-macron-protest-against-democratic-gap-in-macrons-pensions-reform/). [compared](https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-digs-in-stands-by-no-alternative-pensions-reform-opposition-parties-trade-unionists-parliamentary-vote-elisabeth-borne/) violent protests with subversive riots [in the U.S](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/how-capitol-hill-riots-started-455654). [to point out](https://youtu.be/Ah-_JmvULJc?t=410) that the retirement age in France is among the lowest in Europe — a comparison that could make international observers wonder why the French are so reluctant to adapt their pension system to rising life expectancy. [hard to compare](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2023/03/01/french-pension-reform-why-comparing-european-systems-is-hardly-relevant_6017744_8.html) and France is closer to its neighbors when comparing the effective retirement age. or [in Brazil](https://www.politico.eu/article/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-far-right-riot-investigation/). At last year’s parliamentary election, Macron lost an outright majority in the French National Assembly and the decision to skip a parliamentary vote on the reform [further exposed](https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-invokes-nuclear-option-to-force-through-his-pensions-reform-in-huge-political-setback/) the president’s weakness. Protesters POLITICO [spoke with](https://www.politico.eu/article/france-emmanuel-macron-protest-against-democratic-gap-in-macrons-pensions-reform/) are furious with Macron for the reform — which would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, and extend contributions to get a full pension — but also for [bypassing](https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-invokes-nuclear-option-to-force-through-his-pensions-reform-in-huge-political-setback/) a parliamentary vote. They are also multiple [allegations of police brutality](https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/retraite/reforme-des-retraites/temoignages-je-me-suis-fait-tabasser-gratuitement-plusieurs-manifestants-contre-la-reforme-des-retraites-denoncent-des-violences-policieres_5724542.html), something that has fueled the fire of demonstrations in recent years, including during the Yellow Jacket crisis. In parallel, the Constitutional Council is In theory, the reform is done. Violent actions and vandalism have been a key feature of Yellow Jacket protests everywhere in France. Some protesters were wearing their fluorescent uniform during marches in Paris and some small spontaneous Yellow Jacket meetings are

France will ban the use of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of civil servants, Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini said on his ...

Register for free to Reuters and know the full story He added that for several weeks, several of France's European and international partners have adopted measures to restrict or ban the downloading and installation of the TikTok application by their administrations. "In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants," he said in a statement.

The French President is facing increasingly violent protests that risk scaring off the investors he has spent the past six years courting.

France has postponed the highly symbolic state visit by the UK's King Charles III that was due to begin on Sunday because of the escalating protest movement ...

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France joins a growing list of states that say TikTok lacks sufficient levels of cybersecurity and data protection.

There’s no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects. The company has been reiterating that 60 percent of ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors. “In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants,” Stanislas Guerini said on Friday.

Protests continue in France after Macron extended the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. Read more at straitstimes.com.

“The French are much tougher than the Italians. They are much more attentive to their rights. One of the main pro-government sites reported that “according to information on the ground, the situation continues to deteriorate”. It’s time to end the Fifth Republic, with its all-powerful presidency... and inaugurate a less autocratic Sixth Republic,” it added. The images of the violence made the front pages of the Spanish newspapers, with the daily El Pais running the headline “Rage takes over the streets of France”.

With fresh strikes expected on what would have been the second day of King Charles' tour, French President Emmanuel Macron asked for the postponement of the ...

King Charles had been set to visit the south-western city on Tuesday, after a day in Paris. “It would calm things down.” [needed to “come into force by the end of the year”.](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/macron-says-france-needs-pension-changes-will-enact-by-year-end) [Paris “would not give in to the violence”.](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/violence-hits-paris-in-day-of-protests-over-macrons-pension-changes) [the most violent day of protests](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/protesters-police-clash-across-france-in-day-of-strife-over-macron-s-pension-changes) since the start of the year. [asked for the postponement of the royal visit,](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/king-charles-visit-to-france-postponed-over-protests-paris) said a British government spokesman.

Saturday's papers lead on protests in France and the King's cancelled meeting with Emmanuel Macron.

The Telegraph called it the "beginning of the end" of asylum hotels, which are being used to house more than 50,000 migrants at a cost of nearly £7m a day. Senior teachers tell the paper that "Ofsted's punishing inspection regime" is driving them out of the profession. The Sun is reporting that the former prime minister, Liz Truss, has nominated four of her closest political allies, who backed her mini-budget, for peerages, despite serving as PM for just 49 days and sparking a market meltdown. The paper thinks the decision has left the UK's "reset" with the EU in "disarray". The paper say Mr Macron has been mocked over what it calls his "Marie Antoinette moment" - as he hid his "£2,100 watch" during a television interview. The royal tour is axed after fears for the safety of the King, declares

Here, seven people in France share their views on pension reform and the protests. 'I'm not averse to changing the system'. “The system is fed by the ...

The population is getting older and there are fewer people to finance the system. “The anger is not going to go away. “I was at the protest in Avignon [on Thursday] morning and it was peaceful. “For me it’s not about the pension reform any more. “There was no democratic process in the way it was done – we feel very looked down on. [Many] people feel democracy is very broken – that’s why there was low turnout at the last election. “The problem is not raising the pension age per se. “The reforms are not fair to people who have physically demanding jobs and women who may take time off work for parenting and will now have to work for longer. It’s about the system of governance. Had there been a conservative government in place, the new law would have been considerably tougher. “I have attended all the protests in my city since February, although I’m nine months pregnant. I’m not averse to changing the system but it should have been done with more consultation.

As France frets about an extended drought and prospects for more wildfires in another long summer, one blaze that erupted eight months ago in the southwest ...

For the past few years, there has been a push for planting more hardwood trees, such as oak or birch. "It's going to be exceptionally costly, and so far we have zero." Columns of white, acrid smoke rise from a forest floor outside the town of Hostens in the Gironde region, south of Bordeaux. "Now, it's the desert. It looks like the moon, it's dreadful." "It's been burning since mid-July," said Guillaume Carnir, who works for France’s National Forest Agency (ONF).

Grandeur of royal couple's visit amid protests would have been 'bad idea', says Lord Ricketts.

In a statement on Friday, Buckingham Palace said: “The king and the queen consort’s state visit to France has been postponed. “Not only because of security but because it wouldn’t have been the best conditions. So, as it turned out, the circumstances were not right, in which case it is right to postpone.” There was concern protesters would target the Palace of Versailles, where a dinner was due to be held. That had all kinds of echoes from the past going back to the revolution. A visit could instead take place at the start of the summer.

French security forces again clashed with protesters Saturday as campaigners sought to stop the construction of reservoirs for the agricultural industry in ...

The protest movement against the pension reform have turned into the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second mandate, with daily clashes in the streets of Paris and other cities between police and protesters. Around the construction site, defended by the police, violent clashes quickly broke out between the security forces and radical militants, AFP correspondents said. Sainte-Soline (France) (AFP) – French security forces again clashed with protesters Saturday as campaigners sought to stop the construction of reservoirs for the agricultural industry in the southwest of the country, AFP correspondents said.

Demonstrators in the Deux-Sèvres region called for a halt to construction of reservoirs for farmers.

[experienced](https://www.bfmtv.com/environnement/climat/secheresse-hivernale-des-cartes-montrent-l-etendue-inedite-du-phenomene-en-france_AN-202303030473.html) one of the worst winter droughts in recent years. Béchu also said that France's new water-management plan, which will lay down measures to save water and address drought, has been "finalized and will be presented next week." This led to several people being injured and two police cars being burned, France3 [reported](https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/deux-sevres/niort/direct-grand-rassemblement-anti-bassines-des-25-et-26-mars-dans-les-deux-sevres-2738778.html). But activists say water is a common good and farmers are "stealing" the resource, adding that they should be taking steps to transition toward less water-intensive and more sustainable agricultural practices. The reservoirs are designed to help farmers faced with more frequent droughts brought on by climate change. Another 15 such reservoirs are planned to be built in the region.

Thousands protested in western France on Saturday against the construction of large water reservoirs destined for the agriculture industry, ...