Violent protests in France over Macron's retirement age push
Paris, Mar 18 (AP) Angry protesters took to the streets in Paris and other cities for a second day on Friday, trying to pressure lawmakers to bring down French President Emmanuel Macron's government and doom the unpopular retirement age increase he's trying to impose without a vote in the National Assembly.
A day after Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne invoked a special constitutional power to skirt a vote in the chaotic lower chamber, lawmakers on the right and left filed no-confidence motions to be voted on Monday.
At the elegant Place de Concorde, a festive protest by several thousand, with chants, dancing and a huge bonfire, degenerated into a scene echoing the night before. Riot police charged and threw tear gas to empty the huge square across from the National Assembly after troublemakers climbed scaffolding on a renovation site, arming themselves with wood. They lobbed fireworks and paving stones at police in a standoff.
On Thursday night, security forces charged and used water cannons to evacuate the area, and small groups then set street fires in chic neighbourhoods nearby. French Interior Minister G rald Darmanin told radio station RTL that 310 people were arrested overnight, most of them in Paris.
Mostly small, scattered protests were held in cities around France, from a march in Bordeaux to a rally in Toulouse. Port officers in Calais temporarily stopped ferries from crossing the English Channel to Dover. Some university campuses in Paris were blocked and protesters occupied a high-traffic ring road around the French capital.
Paris garbage collectors extended their strike for a 12th day, with piles of foul-smelling rubbish growing daily in the French capital. Striking sanitation workers continued to block Europe's largest incineration site and two other sites that treat Paris garbage.
Some yellow vest activists, who mounted formidable protests against Macron's economic policies during his first term, were among those who relayed Friday's Paris protest on social media. Police say that "radicalised yellow vests" are among troublemakers at protest marches.
Trade unions organising the opposition urged demonstrators to remain peaceful during more strikes and marches in the days ahead. They have called on people to leave schools, factories, refineries and other workplaces to force Macron to abandon his plan to make the French to work two more years, until 64, before receiving a full pension.
Macron took a calculated risk ordering Borne to invoke a special constitutional power that she had used 10 times before without triggering such an outpouring of anger.
If the no-confidence votes fail, the bill becomes law. If a majority agrees, it would spell the end of the retirement reform plan and force the government to resign, although Macron could always reappoint Borne to name the new Cabinet.
"We are not going to stop," CGT union representative R gis Vieceli told The Associated Press on Friday. He said overwhelming the streets with discontent and refusing to continue working is "the only way that we will get them to back down."
Macron has made the proposed pension changes the key priority of his second term, arguing that reform is needed to make the French economy more competitive and to keep the pension system from diving into deficit. France, like many richer nations, faces lower birth rates and longer life expectancy.
Macron's conservative allies in the Senate passed the bill, but frantic counts of lower-house lawmakers Thursday showed a slight risk it would fall short of a majority, so Macron decided to invoke the constitution's Article 49-3 to bypass a vote.
Getting a no-confidence motion to pass will be challenging none have succeeded since 1962, and Macron's centrist alliance still has the most seats in the National Assembly. A minority of conservatives could stray from the Republican party line, but it remains to be seen whether they're willing to bring down Macron's government.
BREAKING: After French President Emmanuel Macron decided to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, the French took to the streets rioting and protesting to show their displeasure.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) March 17, 2023
This also happens to be the Republican’s plan in the United States. They want to raise the age… https://t.co/pio5XNDHWH pic.twitter.com/txArOFVVN8
BREAKING: After French President Emmanuel Macron decided to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, the French took to the streets rioting and protesting to show their displeasure.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) March 17, 2023
This also happens to be the Republican’s plan in the United States. They want to raise the age… https://t.co/pio5XNDHWH pic.twitter.com/txArOFVVN8
Unions blocked the main Paris ring road as they stepped up protests against President Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age.
— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) March 17, 2023
🔗 Read more: https://t.co/5tKTQjn2so pic.twitter.com/QLXid0jQ90
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Karnataka govt clears investment proposals worth more than Rs 75,000 cr, including Foxconn's project
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday approved 18 projects with a total investment of over Rs 75,000 crore, including a proposal by tech giant Apple's contract manufacturer Foxconn for Rs 8,000 crore.
Among the 18 projects that were approved by the State High-Level Clearance Committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, 10 are new, five are expansion projects, and three are additional projects with all the investment proposals expected to provide employment opportunities for 77,606 people.
Investment projects worth Rs 75,393.57 crore are expected to further push industrial growth and generate direct and indirect employment opportunities in Karnataka, an official release said.
Foxconn Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development Private Limited (FHH) would invest Rs 8,000 crore with employment opportunities for 50,000 people, it said.
A delegation led by Foxconn CEO and Chairman Young Liu had visited the state and held a meeting with Chief Minister Bommai a fortnight ago in Bengaluru.
"We are happy that the state has received such a huge investment. The proposals for green hydrogen, ethanol production, wind energy power plant, electrical and electronic items assembling, lithium batteries and electric vehicles, and cement and steel companies in the state have been approved in the meeting. Karnataka's contribution to the manufacturing sector will be remarkable in the country," Bommai said.
Expressing happiness over the volume of investment proposals received, Large Industries Minister Murugesh R Nirani said it is a testimony to the industry-friendly policies and the conducive ecosystem provided by the state government.
Stating that Karnataka is at the forefront of the renewable energy, ethanol production, and manufacturing sector, he said: "To encourage green hydrogen production, ethanol production, aerospace, and renewable energy, ESDM (Electronics System Design and Manufacturing), we have approved proposals from Amplus Active Private Limited, Ayana Renewable Power Six Private Limited, Vishwaraj Sugar Industries Limited, TATA Advanced Systems Limited."
"Karnataka is the third largest sugarcane-growing state in the country and also is the highest producer of ethanol. We are glad that the green energy sector investment proposals have been approved in this meeting," he added.
