Global News

[ad_1] Protesters clashed with security forces across France on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for Labour Day to vent their anger against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform . Unions had been hoping for a vast turnout across France for the May 1 protests to further rattle Macron, who has been greeted by pot-bashing and jeers as he toured the country seeking to defend the reforms and relaunch his second mandate. Macron last month signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of strikes against the bill. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne slammed as "unacceptable" violence that erupted in several cities. "In many cities in France, this May Day was a moment for responsible mobilisation and commitment. The scenes of violence on the sidelines of the demonstrations are all the more unacceptable," she wrote on Twitter . Paris's city hall told ...

[ad_1] French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to a one-on-one luncheon meeting at the Elysee Palace on Friday. This visit is expected to be longer and the talks more multifaceted than during the crown prince’s previous trip to Paris in July last year. It will provide the two leaders with an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and the latest developments in numerous issues of common interest. Additionally, the crown Prince’s visit will be punctuated by several other events, most notably an International Bureau of Expositions meeting, and a summit organized by France to discuss a new Global Financing Pact. It also follows the recent announcement of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, an event that caught France’s attention. The Elysee responded to it by saying “there is in this normalization of diplomatic relations with Iran a potential for easing tensions in the region that must be...

[ad_1] Actor and singer Jane Birkin, who made France her home and charmed the country with her English grace, natural style and social activism, has died at age 76. The London-born star and fashion icon was known for her musical and romantic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg. Their songs notably included the steamy "Je t'aime moi non plus" ("I Love You, Me Neither"). Birkin's ethereal, British-accented singing voice interlaced with his gruff baritone in the 1969 duet that helped make her famous and was forbidden in Italy after being denounced in the Vatican newspaper. The style Birkin displayed in the 1960s and early 1970s — long hair with bangs, jeans paired with white tops, knit mini dresses and basket bags — still epitomizes the height of French chic for many women around the world. Birkin was also synonymous with a Hermes bag that bore her name. Created by the Paris fashion house in 1984 in...