The French prosecutors' actions are the latest to hit global banks over the dividend tax fraud scheme as similar investigations have been conducted in Germany and other European countries.
Jean-Baptiste Reddé has hoisted his giant, colourful signs in nearly every street protest for over a decade, embodying France’s enduring passion for demonstrations, and in the current dispute over Emmanuel Macron's push to increase the retirement age on full pension rights in order to fund the system, he says taxing the country’s rich would be more effective.
A 30-year-old man is in hospital in a critical condition after he was wounded to the head by a grenade fired by police during a demonstration by environmental activists against the building of a giant water reservoir for cereal farmers, when the very violent clashes left dozens of others injured among both police and demonstrators.
Several people among both demonstrators and police were left in a critical condition, and others less seriously injured, after clashes at a march in open countryside in north-west France against the building of giant water basins for cereal farmers which protestors say is stealing water away from environmentally positive uses.
Commenting on the postponing of the state visit to France by King Charles because of the disruption of protests over over pension reforms, Peter Ricketts, British ambassador to France between 2012 and 2016, said the planned banquet in the palace of Versailles would have been a 'particularly bad idea', with 'all kinds of echoes from the past going back to the revolution'.
An officer with France's elite intervention unit, the GIGN, was shot dead overnight Friday in French Guyana during a joint operation with armed forces against illegal gold digging, which is considered to be a major source of pollution of water systems in the overseas territory.
King Charles's state visit to France between Sunday and Wednesday has been called off by President Emmanuel Macron in face of major disruption caused by popular protests against his reform of the pensions system, and with unions calling for a major day of action on Tuesday.
A visit to France by the UK's King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, due to take place between next Sunday and Wednesday, is threatened with chaos as the continuing movement against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms sees unions refusing to prepare his red-carpet reception, while a further day of protest action has been called for Tuesday, the day of his planned visit to Bordeaux, where protestors on Thursday burned down the historic wooden door of its city hall.
A ninth day of nationwide demonstrations in France on Thursday in protest at Emmanuel Macron's pension system reforms saw no drop in turnout on those held earlier this month, with trades unions claiming more than three million took part while police estimated just more than one million.
Following a televised interview on Wednesday in which Emmanuel Macron made his first public comments since forcing his pension reform legislation through parliament without a vote last week, trades union leaders and opposition parties variously slammed the French president for telling 'lies' and showing 'disdain' and 'contempt' for those against the reform, while another nationwide day of demonstrations and strikes against its implementation is to be held on Thursday.
The French government on Monday survived by just nine votes a no-confidence motion in parliament that required 287 in favour to succeed, tabled after President Emmanuel Macron controversially ordered that his proposed reform of the pensions system, including raising the retirment age on full pension rights from 62 to 64, should be forced through parliament by decree.
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Jeudi 28 septembre, Mediapart et la C6R s’associent pour réfléchir à la manière de sortir d’une Ve République à bout de souffle. Des constitutionnalistes et des parlementaires de la Nupes, réunis à la Maison de l’Amérique latine, plancheront sur la méthode concrète pour y parvenir.
Partenaire indien de Mediapart, « The Wire » a organisé un M20 pour la liberté d’informer à l’occasion du G20 des 9-10 septembre à New Delhi. Siddharth Varadarajan, son coordinateur, a émis le souhait que l’initiative soit réitérée l’an prochain au Brésil qui assurera en 2024 la présidence tournante du G20. Nous publions son intervention.
Pour s’évader au calme, au bord de l’eau ou lors de la pause de la rando, Mediapart vous propose tout l’été un grand bol d’air frais pour rester conscientisé à l’heure de l’apéro. Illustrations concrètes de la bataille climatique, remises en question historiques, bouleversements féministes, enquêtes littéraires, mais aussi un film fantastique culte, un cartel de la drogue et sa succession, ou encore un club de foot populaire néolibéralisé…
Frapper des homosexuels pour les voler ou les humilier. Et parfois, les tuer. Ces violences, ces crimes, existent encore dans la France de 2023. Ces pièges homophobes sont l'objet d'un documentaire de 65 minutes que vous pourrez voir mercredi 19 avril sur Mediapart. Nous sommes fiers de ces formats vidéo mais ils sont coûteux : aidez-nous à les produire!