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Paris CNN —At least nine people were killed and two are missing after a fire broke out at a vacation home in eastern France early Wednesday morning, authorities said. Christophe Marot, a senior official in Haut Rhin, told CNN affiliate BFMTV that those inside the building could not escape from the blaze. “It’s very tragic.”The 500 square-meter (5,400 square-foot) house had been hosting people with disabilities during the summer holidays. Authorities do not have any leads on what caused the blaze, but an investigation has been opened, Hauwiller said. Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty ImagesOne official said that those inside the building could not escape from the blaze.

Persons: Firefighters, Philippe Hauwiller, Hauwiller, hadn’t, Christophe Marot, ” Marot, “, Leroy, Sebastien Bozon, Gerald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, Elisabeth Borne, ” Organizations: Paris CNN —, Authorities, CNN, BFMTV, Getty, Getty Images, Solidarity Locations: France, Wintzenheim, Paris, Haut Rhin, Nancy, AFP

☆ Eleven dead in fire at French holiday home for disabled
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Tilman Blasshofer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WINTZENHEIM, France, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Eleven people died in a fire that tore through a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. A neighbour, Nathalie, told BFM TV that she heard people scream and saw huge clouds of smoke from her window. "Everything happened very quickly," an unnamed witness told France 3 TV. [1/5]Dark clouds are seen over the remnants of a holiday home in eastern France near Colmar where disabled people were killed as fire broke out during their summer holidays in Wintzenheim, France, August 9, 2023. Kielwasser told reporters it had likely been a low-level fire that had burnt for a while before growing bigger and tearing the house down.

Persons: Nathalie Kielwasser, Elisabeth Borne, Borne, Nathalie, BFM, Tilman Blasshofer, Philippe Hauwiller, Kielwasser, Daniel Leroy, Elizabeth Pineau, Zhifan Liu, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Blandine, Ingrid Melander, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum, Toby Chopra, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: France, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: WINTZENHEIM, France, Wintzenheim, Strasbourg, Colmar, Paris

☆ Macron reshuffles ministers after French riots "stunned" country
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] French Junior Minister for Public Accounts Gabriel Attal speaks during a debate on the pension reform plan at the National Assembly in Paris, France February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File PhotoPARIS, July 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday reshuffled his ministers for key domestic portfolios such as education, housing and urban affairs, as his government begins its response to riots that shook the country three weeks ago. Borne, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin all remained in place. "We're in a spirit of continuity but let's not pretend as if there hasn't been something that stunned the country for a few nights," he told them. Other figures who had caused embarrassment to the government in recent months, including a junior minister who had posed for the cover of Playboy magazine during the pension reform crisis, left the cabinet.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Sarah Meyssonnier, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Pap, Sabrina Agresti, Aurelien Rousseau, Elisabeth Borne's, Bruno Le Maire, Catherine Colonna, Gerald Darmanin, Borne, Michel Rose, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Alison Williams Organizations: French Junior, Public, National Assembly, REUTERS, Finance, Playboy, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Algerian, North, Dunkirk, Borne

☆ Macron decides to keep French PM in role despite pension unrest, riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Months of unrest and strikes over Macron's pension reform in the spring as well as five days of riots and looting in French cities earlier this month had fuelled calls among political opponents and some government insiders for a reshuffle. "To ensure stability and in-depth work, the President has decided to maintain the Prime Minister," Macron's office said. But Macron said last week he needed more time to draft policy in response to the riots, which he said required more than "knee-jerk" reactions. A source close to Macron told Reuters changing prime minister now made no sense, since Macron's minority government had not managed to strike a deal with potential right-wing conservative allies in parliament. Macron was keeping the option of offering the conservative Les Republicains the prime minister seat as a prize for a formal coalition, the source added.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Elisabeth Borne, Borne, Macron, Les, Liu Zhifan, Dominique Vidalon, Michel Rose, Sandra Maler, Alistair Bell Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Borne

[1/3] Writer Milan Kundera is pictured in Prague, former Czechoslovakia, May 6, 1963. CTK Photo/Frantisek Nesvadba via REUTERSPRAGUE, July 12 (Reuters) - Czech-born writer Milan Kundera, author of the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" who lived nearly five decades in Paris after emigrating in disillusionment from his Communist-ruled homeland, has died at the age of 94. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Kundera was "a writer and a voice that we will miss". "Milan Kundera's work is at the same time a deep, human, intimate and distant exploration," she said. Fellow Czech writer Karel Hvizdala told Czech Television he saw his friend last November and he was already in poor health.

Persons: Milan Kundera, Frantisek Nesvadba, Kundera, Petr Fiala, Petr Pavel, Pavel, Elisabeth Borne, Milan, Karel Hvizdala, Albert Camus, Daniel Day, Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Philip Kaufman, Timothy Garton Ash, Monde, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Czechoslovakia's, Jan Lopatka, Robert Muller, Elizabeth Pineau, Tassilo Hummel, Michael Kahn, Jason Hovet, Toby Chopra, Kevin Liffey, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: CTK, REUTERS, Moravian, Prague Spring, Czech Television, Czechoslovak Communist, New York Times, Oxford University, Paris Mayor, Czechoslovakia's Communist, Thomson Locations: Prague, Czechoslovakia, REUTERS PRAGUE, Czech, Paris, Brno, France, Communist Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak, Europe, Central Europe, French, Western

☆ France bans sale, possession, and transport of fireworks over Bastille Day weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —France has banned the sale, possession and transport of fireworks over the Bastille Day weekend next week amid fears of renewed riots. Bastille Day, which is France’s national day, is celebrated annually on July 14 with spectacular firework displays organized countrywide. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed imposing “a sort of minimum tariff from the first stupid act” on the parents of minors, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. Borne told Le Parisien that the government is looking into the measure and is ready to “evolve the law” if needed, according to BFMTV. Darmanin told journalists last weekend that the average age of thousands of people detained by French police was 17.

Persons: “, Elisabeth Borne, Borne, Emmanuel Macron, Le Parisien, ” Borne, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin Organizations: CNN —, France’s, Le Parisien, CNN, BFMTV Locations: CNN — France, France, “

The interior ministry said 719 people were arrested on Saturday night, fewer than the 1,311 the previous night and 875 on Thursday night. Their action ... made for a quieter night," the ministry said on Twitter. The biggest flashpoint overnight was Marseille, where police fired teargas and fought street battles with youths around the city centre late into the night. MAYOR'S HOME ATTACKEDIn Paris, police increased security overnight at the city's famous Champs Elysees avenue after a call on social media to gather there. Paris police said six public buildings were damaged and five officers wounded overnight.

Persons: Nahel, Emmanuel Macron, Laurent Nunez, teargas, Juan Medina, MAYOR'S, Elisabeth Borne, Bruno Le Maire, Yann Wernert, Jacques Delors, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Alison Williams, Alex Richardson Organizations: Authorities, Twitter, France, REUTERS, China's Consular, MAYOR'S HOME, Finance, Thomson Locations: Paris, North, PARIS, France, Moroccan, Nanterre, Germany, Marseille, China, L'Hay, Nice, Strasbourg, tobacconists, tatters, Berlin

As Jeanbrun's wife and children, aged 5 and 7, took flight through the back yard, they were targeted with fireworks. Jeanbrun told Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne his wife had had surgery to a broken leg and faced a three-month rehabilitation. "While attempting to shield them and fleeing the attackers, my wife and one of my children were hurt," the mayor said. Jeanbrun's town hall has been the target of attack for several nights since Tuesday's shooting and has been protected with barbed wire and barricades. "I didn’t think we'd ever live through something like this," the mayor told another bystander who wished his wife well.

Persons: Vincent Jeanbrun, Melanie, Jeanbrun, Elisabeth Borne, Yves Herman The, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit van Overstraeten, Richard Lough, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Paris, L'Hay, France, Jeanbrun's

☆ France riots: Public transport curtailed after rage over shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A burned bus is seen at the Aubervilliers bus terminal, north of Paris following police three days after a 17-year-old boy was shot in the chest by police at point-blank range in Nanterre, Paris, France on June 30, 2023. France asked all local authorities to halt public transport early on Friday evening in a desperate attempt to restore order after rioters torched buildings and cars in a third night of rage sparked by the police shooting of a teenager. In the southern city of Marseille, France's second-largest, authorities banned public demonstrations set for Friday, and encouraged restaurants to close outdoor eating areas early. Rights groups allege systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies in France, a charge Macron has denied. The interior ministry said 79 police posts were attacked overnight, as well as 119 public buildings including 34 town halls and 28 schools.

Persons: Elisabeth Borne, Gerald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, France's, Mohamed Jakoubi, Macron, Darmanin, Agnes Pannier, Runacher Organizations: Rights, Energy Locations: Paris, Nanterre, France, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse, Lille, Algerian, Brussels

☆ Macron convenes new crisis meeting after worst night of rioting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who had deployed 40,000 officers on Thursday night in a bid to quell a third night of unrest, said on Twitter that police made 667 arrests. Macron will meet with his cabinet at 1100 GMT in Paris, likely cutting short his attendance at a European Union summit in Brussels, his office said. Twelve buses were set on fire and destroyed overnight in a depot in Aubervilliers, in northern Paris. They said they had made 307 arrests in and around the city and that nine police and fire officers had been injured. In Roubaix, in northern France, a fire destroyed the office of the TESSI company and several cars were set on fire.

Persons: Nahel, Emmanuel Macron, Gerald Darmanin, Macron, Elisabeth Borne, Clement Beaune, Laurent, Franck Lienard, didn't, Lienard, Jacques Chirac, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Pascal Rossignol, Elizabeth Pineau, Marc Leras, John Stonestreet Organizations: Firefighters, Twitter, Nationwide, Transport, RMC, Les, Nike, Police, Thomson Locations: Nanterre, Alma, Roubaix, France, Brussels, PARIS, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse, Lille, Paris, Algerian, Aubervilliers, NANTERRE, Paris's, Rue, Rivoli, France's, Le Vieux, Clichy

☆ Unrest erupts for third day in France over police shooting of teen, thousands hold vigil
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Television images showed protests setting up road barricades and hurling projectiles at lines of police, who fired back with tear gas. Earlier, Macron held a crisis meeting with senior ministers over the shooting. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne afterwards dismissed calls from some political opponents for a state of emergency to be declared. "The response of the state must be extremely firm," Darmanin said, speaking from the northern town of Mons-en-Baroeul where several municipal buildings were set alight. The local prosecutor said the officer involved had been put under formal investigation for voluntary homicide.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Elisabeth Borne, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin Organizations: Protesters, Interior Locations: Parisian, Nanterre, North, Paris, Mons, France

☆ France unrest: Riots spread, police officer charged with shooting teenager dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Benoit Van Overstraeten | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The shooting of the 17-year-old, identified as Nahel, took place in Nanterre, on the western outskirts of Paris. The teenager, who was too young to hold a full license in France, was driving illegally, a source familiar with the investigation said. The Nanterre prosecutor said he was known to police for previously failing to comply with a traffic stop order. The unrest has revived memories of riots in 2005 that convulsed France for three weeks and forced then-president Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency. Tuesday's killing was the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France so far in 2023, down from a record 13 last year, a spokesperson for the national police said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Gerald Darmanin, Macron, Darmanin, Elisabeth Borne, Pascal Prache, Nahel, Stephanie Lecocq, Jacques Chirac, Benoit Van Overstraeten, dominique Vidalon, John Stonestreet, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Government, . Police, REUTERS, Reuters, Prosecutors, Police, Thomson Locations: Paris, PARIS, France, North, Nanterre, Paris suburb, Republic, Lille, Toulouse, Amiens, Dijon, Clichy

ANNECY, France, June 9 (Reuters) - Two toddlers gravely wounded by a knifeman in the French mountain town of Annecy were in a stable condition on Friday and doctors are optimistic for their recovery, President Emmanuel Macron said. Macron, who has called the attack an "act of absolute cowardice", visited the hospital in Grenoble where three of the four children are being treated before heading to nearby Annecy. "The doctors are very confident," Macron told the police and paramedics who responded to the aftermath of the attack. Among the children wounded in the attack were a British national and a Dutch national. One of the two pensioners caught up in the attack told Reuters he had been sitting on a park bench when the attacker approached on the run.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, lunge, Henri, Denis Balibouse, Mag Capone, Mathis, Elisabeth Borne, Gerald Darmanin, Youssouf, Antony Paone, Geert de Clercq, Richard Lough, Andrew Heavens, Nick Macfie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Annecy Cathedral, Annecy Prosecutor, Police, Thomson Locations: ANNECY, France, Annecy, Grenoble, British, French, Sweden, Swedish, Schengen, Italy, Paris

Two of the children were in a critical but stable condition in hospital a day after the attack, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said. Among the children wounded in the attack where a British national and a Dutch national. France hailed the bravery of a young Catholic pilgrim who came face-to-face with the assailant and used his backpack as a shield as he sought to block the attack. A mass will be held in Annecy Cathedral in tribute to the victims and their families later on Friday, church authorities said. One of the two pensioners caught up in the attack told Reuters he had been sitting on a park bench when the attacker approached on the run.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Elisabeth Borne, Emmanuel Macron, lunge, Henri, Mag Capone, Borne, Youssouf, Antony Paone, Geert de Clercq, Richard Lough, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Denis Balibouse Annecy, British, Reuters, Annecy Cathedral, Police, Thomson Locations: Annecy, French, France, Grenoble, Sweden, Swedish, Schengen, Italy, Paris

CNN —Children were among six people injured Thursday in a knife attack in Annecy, in southeast France, triggering a wave of panic in the small alpine town. French police secure the area after several children and an adult were injured in Annecy. Denis Balibouse/ReutersFrench MPs hold a minute's silence after the knife attack in Annecy. Health Minister François Braun tweeted that his thoughts were with the victims of the knife attack. “All my thoughts go immediately to the people injured by an individual armed with a knife in Annecy, and to their loved ones,” Braun tweeted.

Persons: Elisabeth Borne, Gérald Darmanin, Ferdinand, “, ” Ferdinand, ”, George, Denis Balibouse, Ludovic Marin, Emmanuel Macron, ” Macron, François Braun, ” Braun, François Astorg, Astorg Organizations: CNN, French, Interior, BFMTV, Reuters, Getty Images, Annecy . Children, Health, Aid Service, Annecy, Lawmakers, French National Assembly Locations: Annecy, France, Haute, Savoie, AFP

☆ Factbox: France stabbing: what we know so far about the Annecy attack on toddlers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, June 8 (Reuters) - Here is what we know so far about a knife attack against toddlers in the southeastern French town of Annecy on Thursday, in which some of them were seriously wounded. In a park in Annecy, a tranquil town at the foot of the French Alps that is popular for winter sports as well as for summer pursuits like hiking and parasailing. The suspected attacker is a Syrian national who was carrying Syrian and Swedish identity papers, including a Swedish drivers' license, according to French authorities. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the 31-year-old was granted refugee status in Sweden 10 years ago and was in France legally. A subsequent asylum request in France had been refused on the grounds Sweden had already approved one, she said.

Persons: Elisabeth Borne, Geert De Clercq, Richard Lough, Frances Kerry Organizations: Lake Annecy, French, Reuters, Thomson Locations: French, Annecy, Lake, British, Syrian, Swedish, Sweden, France

☆ France stabbing: knife attack in peaceful park stuns Alpine town of Annecy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Anthony Le Tallec via Instagram/via REUTERSANNECY, France, June 8 (Reuters) - Anthony Le Tallec was jogging around the pristine waters of Lake Annecy in the foothills of the Alps when a wave of panicked bystanders rushed past in the opposite direction. He's knifed children," Le Tallec, a former professional football player with Liverpool FC, quoted her as telling him in a video account of what he saw that he posted on Instagram. Confused, Le Tallec said he kept jogging through the park in the town of Annecy but soon saw a man heading his way with police officers in pursuit but struggling to catch up. He attacks one grandpa, stabs him once, the cops can't catch him, so I tell the cops, 'Shoot him'," Le Tallec continued. At least one of the wounded children was in a stroller, eyewitnesses said.

Persons: Anthony Le Tallec, Le, Le Tallec, Elisabeth Borne, BFM, lunge, Laurent Syryn, Ferdinand, Dominique Griziaux, You'd, Pierre, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Betrand, Richard Lough, Frances Kerry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS ANNECY, Lake Annecy, Liverpool FC, Reuters, Belgian, VRT's, Thomson Locations: Annecy, France, Instagram, Lake, Sweden, Pierre, Paris

☆ French Minister Dussopt says 'not exhausted, nor weakened' by favoritism charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) - French Employment Minister Olivier Dussopt said on Saturday he was innocent following a charge of favouritism in the award of a water contract in 2009 and would defend himself against the charge, adding he was "not exhausted, nor weakened". "I expect to convince the court of my good faith and my innocence," Dussopt, who played a key role in President Emmanuel Macron's decision to push through unpopular pension reforms, told France Inter Radio. Dussopt will face a court hearing in November over the allegation, France's financial prosecutor said on Friday. An official at Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's office said on Friday Dussopt continued to have her backing. The allegation of favouritism relates to before Dussopt took up his current ministerial role and when he was a local mayor.

Persons: Olivier Dussopt, Dussopt, Emmanuel Macron's, Elisabeth Borne's, favouritism, Mimosa Spencer, David Holmes Organizations: French, France Inter Radio, Thomson

☆ France in 'very close discussions' with S&P ahead of rating update
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks at a joint news conference after his meeting with World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Pool//File PhotoPARIS (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire is in “very close discussions” with credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s, which put France on notice in January for a possible downgrade, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday. “There are very close discussions between Standard and Poor’s and Bruno Le Maire,” Borne told Radio J. “I think there were detailed explanations from Bruno Le Maire to Standard and Poor’s on everything we’re doing to control our public finances and I think that we act in this direction,” she said. Le Maire explained France’s reforms and its objective of cutting the country’s budget deficit to 2.7% of gross domestic product by 2027, she said.

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech during the National Conference on Disability at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 26, 2023. "You talk a lot of nonsense everyday," the man told Macron, after the president, barely able to squeeze in an answer, said he should get his numbers right. Such direct confrontations, the president reckons, are essential to give people a cathartic release after weeks of anger directed at the government's pension bill and Macron himself. Before the pension reform protests, the government managed to pass legislation on issues such as nuclear energy and renewables with the help of both left-wing and right-wing lawmakers outside Macron's centrist alliance. That was apparent again this week, when his prime minister Elisabeth Borne was forced to give up on an immigration bill.

[1/2] Protesters hold placards depicting French President Emmanuel Macron during a demonstration as part of the 12th day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 13, 2023. It would also need to find its way through parliament, where Macron has lost his working majority and debate has become increasingly fractious. The conservative Les Republicains' (LR) party, which the government had hoped it would be able to count on for support, has emerged deeply divided from the pension reform saga. "There are gaping wounds in the country," LR lawmaker Aurélien Pradié, who rebelled against the pro-pension reform party line on the reform, said on Twitter. So while the pension reform is on the statute books, Macron has much political capital still to regain.

☆ French court to rule on pension age rise as nationwide protests rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Riot police guard the Constitutional Council building during a demonstration against pension reform in central Paris, France, on Thursday, April 13, 2023. French unions are held strikes and protests on Thursday against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, seeking to maintain pressure on the government before a ruling on the law's constitutionality. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFrance's Constitutional Council will rule on the legality of President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension system reforms on Friday, as nationwide protests against raising the retirement age rumble on. While some hope the Constitutional Council will fully reject the bill, many commentators say that is unlikely. Demonstrators march along the vieux port during the 12th day of nationwide strike on pension reform on April 13, 2023 in Marseille, France.

☆ Pension protests to bring 'maximum' workers in France after government, union talks fail
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Silvia Aloisi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Labour groups vowed to dig in their heels after talks with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday - which lasted just an hour - failed to calm the situation. They said the only way out of the crisis was for the legislation to be pulled, an option which Borne flatly rejected. "After this meeting, I am calling for a maximum of workers, men and women, to join the marches across France tomorrow," Laurent Berger, head of the country's biggest union CFDT, said on Wednesday. Strikes are still disrupting operations at oil refineries and nuclear plants, while garbage collectors have vowed to resume their protest from next week. Polls show a wide majority of French oppose the pension legislation and the government's decision to push it through parliament without a vote.

Wednesday's talks were the first high-stakes meeting between the government of President Emmanuel Macron and union bosses since nationwide protests and strikes against the legislation started in mid-January. The talks, ahead of a new day of walkouts and marches planned for Thursday, lasted about an hour. Borne told reporters that she was open to further talks but that she would not backdown on the retirement age. Labour representatives complain they are not being listened to despite weeks of protest marches and unrest against the pension overhaul. Chabanier said the unions told Borne the only way out of the deadlock was for the government to withdraw the reform.

☆ French feminist politician under fire for Playboy front cover
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 3 (Reuters) - French junior social affairs minister Marlene Schiappa is facing criticism from her own party for posing in a white dress for the cover of Playboy, with French media reporting Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne called Schiappa to express her displeasure. The furor comes at a time of social unrest in the country as the government is facing a big backlash over pension reforms. The Playboy cover will be accompanied by a 12-page interview in which Schiappa, who brought in legislation outlawing catcalling and street harassment, talks about women's and LGBT rights. In France, women are free. The Playboy issue is available to buy from April 8th, according to Le Parisien.

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