In calm, precise tones she might use in lectures at her elite Parisian “grande ecole”, a student explained to a television reporter why she was smashing illuminated advertising signs during riots over President Emmanuel Macron’s contentious pension reforms.
“I think violence is unfortunately necessary,” she said, using a heavy implement to smash glass to cries of encouragement from others, unseen.
“I don’t attack cars or shop windows. I attack advertising.”
Not all those involved in an escalating series of anti-government demonstrations throughout France — more than a million were expected to take to the streets again on Tuesday — are quite as selective about their targets.
Cars have been set on fire, businesses and public buildings vandalised and police officers attacked in France's worst riots since the “gilets jaunes” or yellow vest movement earlier in Mr Macron’s presidency.
Strikes and blockades have severely disrupted everyday life, leading to massive queues for petrol, especially in Paris and Marseilles, and hundreds of people have been arrested, amid well-documented instances of grossly excessive force by police. A state visit by Britain’s King Charles III, his first since succeeding Queen Elizabeth II, was cancelled because of security fears.
The president has condemned “violent armed activists” for the trouble. And yet opinion polls consistently show widespread support for those taking to the streets.
One survey, published at the weekend by a Sunday newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, found 68 per cent hostile to the reforms, though only 21 per cent believed Mr Macron would be forced to abandon them. Other polls have recorded even greater opposition.
France, one of the most beautiful countries of the world, is not currently a pretty sight. Thousands of tons of rubbish are piled high on the streets of Paris, contempt for authority is rampant and the public is turning increasingly to extremes of left and right.
The prominence of students in the protests carries echoes of the so-called Paris spring of 1968, when France was paralysed by strikes and riots against the then president, Charles de Gaulle.
Successive French governments have attempted to address the issue of pensions, always provoking strong resistance from unions.
Viewed from almost any neighbouring country, the President’s reforms seem a model of reasonableness. In the UK, the state pension becomes payable at 66 and this will rise to 67 by 2028, 68 in the 2040s.
Under Mr Macron’s plan, the age of retirement in France will rise from 62 to 64 in stages between now and 2030 and people will need to work longer to qualify for full pensions.
What are known as “special regimes” allowing some workers to retire much earlier will be abolished but those doing jobs considered dangerous will still benefit from concessions. The striking rubbish collection crews in Paris are an example; their grievance is that retirement will be at 59, not 57 as now.
At the heart of the crisis is the importance of the work-life balance in the French culture. From early in their working lives, people talk about their future pensions as the British, for example, discuss house prices. They want to work less, not more.
When a former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, proposed lifting tax on overtime to encourage employees to work more and earn more, there was uproar.
But Mr Macron has made the reform the cornerstone of his second and final term of office. He says that without such change to take account of people living longer, rising deficits will overwhelm the pension system.
But without a parliamentary majority since the legislative elections of last year, he has had to rely on a deeply controversial decree known as article 49,3, to force through his bill. Unions and other opponents of the reform have seized on this as evidence of an undemocratic, even dictatorial approach.
“The government is trying to make savings on the backs of millions of workers,” says one militant supporter of the protests. “They spend hundreds of millions on war, do nothing to deal with tax havens and work against the interests of the French people.”
“The level of hatred towards Mr Macron is astonishing,” says Jacques Reland, a French analyst and commentator specialising in European political, economic and social issues.
“He handled Covid well, has been strong on Europe and Ukraine, the economy is doing quite well and France has suffered a lot less than say, Britain from the energy crisis and yet he inspires this animosity.”
Mr Reland, a senior research fellow at the London-based Global Policy Institute, says France has a historic taste for confrontation that has played a part in the ferocity of opposition to the reforms.
“The French are very attached to their social advantages. In addition, his policy was badly packaged, very badly presented and the timing — in the midst of a cost of living crisis with companies announcing big profits — could not have been worse.
“Part of the trouble is that Mr Macron is acting as if he still had a parliamentary majority and while 49.3 has been used in the past, forcing the reforms through in this way has caused great anger.”
Resentment at the use of the decree was also cited by some of those participating in an otherwise unrelated demonstration, over plans to build new reservoirs, that led to scores of injuries to police, protesters and journalists at Sainte-Soline, western France at the weekend.
Although Mr Macron has ruled out an about-turn of the fundamentals of his reforms, ministers say they are willing to talk to union leaders on a range of related issues. But they are adamant that there will be no “pause” on implementing reform, as demanded by one union.
Olivier Dussopt, France’s labour minister, insists immediate action is needed to avoid the annual pensions shortfall spiralling to a “cumulative deficit of 150 billion euros” by the end of this decade.
“Do they imagine that if we pause the reforms, we will pause the deficit?” he said on BFMTV, adding in another interview that while the changes required “effort” from the French, “there will be no losers because pensions will not go down”.
So far, there is no sign of either side backing down. Given his unpopularity, and that of his centrist Renaissance party, he seems unlikely to gamble on new parliamentary elections.
Mr Reland calculates that if the president holds firm, insisting as he did in a television interview last week that the national interest mattered more to him than popularity, the best solution would be for the constitutional council — France’s highest such body — to reject all or part of the bill.
“But I’m afraid it looks like getting worse before it gets any better,” he said.
Company%C2%A0profile
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TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
The%20end%20of%20Summer
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Salha%20Al%20Busaidy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20316%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20The%20Dreamwork%20Collective%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
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Persuasion
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
