France

10 Dec 2018; DW: The French president made a televised statement announcing a rise in the minimum wage and some tax concessions for pensioners and others on low wages. He is seeking to ease tensions after street protests.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed an increase in the minimum wage of €100 ($113) in a televised speech to the nation on Monday. He said he would speed up tax cuts and raise wages at a "historic time" for France.

10 Dec 2018; AFP: President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation on the "yellow vest" crisis Monday and meet trade unionists and business leaders in search of a way to end the protests that have rocked France.

The president will speak to the French people at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT), his Elysee office announced -- his first public comments after four weeks of nationwide anti-government demonstrations which again turned violent Saturday in Paris and other cities.

PARIS, December 9. /TASS/. The so-called "yellow vest" protests are a disaster for France’s economy, French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire told reporters on Sunday.

"This is a disaster for trade and for our economy," Le Maire said, according to AFP. He called the current situation in the country a social and democratic crisis. "This is also a crisis of our nation," the minister noted.

PARIS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron told his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump not to interfere in French internal affairs after Trump had taken a fresh swipe on twitter at "Yellow Vests" demonstrations, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said on Sunday.

"I say to Donald Trump and the President of the Republic also told him: we do not take part in American debates, let us live our life of nation," Le Drian told RTL radio, Le Monde newspaper and LCI.

PARIS (AP) — The rumble of armored police trucks and the hiss of tear gas filled central Paris on Saturday, as French riot police fought to contain thousands of yellow-vested protesters venting their anger against the government in a movement that has grown more violent by the week.

A ring of steel surrounded the president’s Elysee Palace — a key destination for the protesters — as police stationed trucks and reinforced metal barriers throughout the neighborhood.

PARIS (AP) — Drastic security measures will put a lockdown on downtown Paris on Saturday as French authorities try to prevent another outbreak of violence during anti-government protests.

In addition to the 8,000 police forces that will be deployed in the French capital city, the Paris police prefect has identified 14 high-risk sectors that will be cleared out.

PARIS (AP) — France will deploy more than 65,000 security forces amid fears of new rioting at protests Saturday in Paris and around the nation, despite President Emmanuel Macron’s surrender over a fuel tax hike that unleashed weeks of unrest.

Police unions and local authorities held emergency meetings Thursday to strategize on how to handle the weekend protests, while disparate groups of protesters did the same thing, sharing their plans on social networks and chat groups.

5 Dec 2018; AFP: A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck near New Caledonia Wednesday, triggering a tsunami alert and emergency evacuations across a swathe of the South Pacific, but there were no reports of serious damage or injuries.

Authorities said the quake, followed by at least 20 strong aftershocks, was centred about 170 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands at a depth of just 10 kilometres.

Island residents said the initial quake shook the walls of buildings and in places turned the sea foamy.

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to cut taxes and boost France’s growth. A year and a half after he came into power, he is facing violent protests over rising taxes, a high cost of living and policies criticized by some as favoring the rich.

The country’s economic indicators don’t always match the public’s perception of how the country is doing, but do help understand the popular anger.

Here is a look at the taxes that have become central to the so-called “yellow vest” protesters’ claims.

PARIS (AP) — Trade unions and farmers pledged Wednesday to join nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron, as concessions by the government failed to stem the momentum of the most violent demonstrations France has seen in decades.

The “yellow vest” protests began over a plan to raise fuel taxes, but by the time Prime Minister Edouard Philippe bowed to three weeks of violence and suspended the plan Tuesday, the protesters were demanding much more.