As unions launch massive strikes in France to protest government proposals for budget cuts, there will be widespread disruption.
Some areas of the country are expected to become paralyzed by the walkout on Thursday, which includes teachers, health workers, and transportation staff, with unions promising one of the largest mobilizations since last year’s contentious dispute over pension reform.
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Austerity plans, which have sparked more outcry against President Emmanuel Macron, have fueled the action. Despite a recent change in prime minister, the head of state’s popularity has fallen to new lows as a result of a government crisis that shows little sign of waning.
One-third of teachers will leave the classroom, nine in ten pharmacies will close, and the Paris Metro will experience severe disruption. Three driverless lines should operate normally, on average.
Metro and suburban rail services experience significant delays, despite the likelihood that the majority of high-speed trains will operate. After controllers delayed a planned strike until October, air traffic disruption should be limited.
According to data from the state-run utility EDF, nuclear power production decreased by 1.1 gigawatts as a result of workers’ labor action.
massive presence
Officials announced a massive police presence on the streets and warned that they were afraid of violence on the cue of union marches.
Bruno Retailleau, the interior minister, described the day as a “hybrid” event that combines organized demonstrations with potential sabotage from ultra-left groups as a “very, very strong” mobilisation.
He claimed that more than 80 000 police and gendarmes would be stationed using water cannon, drones, and armored vehicles.
Authorities expect between 600, 000 and 900, 000 protesters nationwide.
As Macron’s seventh prime minister, former defense minister Sebastien Lecornu, has promised to chart a new course. However, that hasn’t helped to lessen the hostility of workers.
Unions are still in a furious state due to Francois Bayrou, Lecornu’s predecessor, who created a 44-billion-euro ($52bn) austerity plan. Additionally, they are skeptical of Lecornu’s plans to end the prime ministers’ lifetime privileges and reject a proposal to cut two public holidays.
France’s budget deficit, which nearly doubled the EU’s 3 percent threshold last year, needs substantial cuts, according to the government. Lecornu must now battle valiantly to pass a 2026 budget, which he lacks a parliamentary majority.
According to Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of SNES-FSU, the largest union for middle and high school teachers, “we believe that our colleagues were not misled by the appointment of Sebastien Lecornu,” it “did not calm the anger”
Sophie Binet, a CGT union leader, claimed that Macron’s retirement reform remained the biggest impediment. She stated that the Elysee Palace is where the “huge obstacle” is.
The Federal Reserve of the United States is a tight-rope walking stick. It wants inflation to remain low while employment is high. However, both points in the wrong direction.
Policymakers seem more concerned about the current state of the labor market than the potential for price increases.
The central bank has lowered interest rates for the first time since December to help stabilize the ailing job market. However, that might increase prices.
Additionally, President Donald Trump is accused of challenging the Fed’s sovereignty under the influence of political pressure.
For the first time since Israel attacked the organization’s leadership in Qatar, a senior Hamas official has spoken publicly to Al Jazeera about the incident’s timing and how the officials fought to a bare minimum to survive.
The most significant violence to occur between Thailand and Cambodia since cross-border fighting between the two countries ended in July was the use of tear gas and rubber bullets during clashes in a disputed area on the Thai-Cambodia border, which left scores of Cambodian civilians injured.
Local media in Cambodia reported that 29 people were hurt in the Thai military’s melee on Wednesday afternoon, including Buddhist monks and local villagers, while Thailand’s military claimed that several of its officials were also hurt.
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The fighting is the most intense in months, having started when the Southeast Asian neighbors reached a ceasefire agreement in late July that saw at least 48 people die in both countries as a result of hundreds of thousands of people flee their homes for safety.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense criticized Thailand’s military for actions that violated “sovereignty and international law” and urged Thailand to refrain from actions that might raise tensions or worsen disputes in a statement released on Thursday.
According to a report from the Reuters news agency, violence broke out close to a disputed frontier settlement that Thailand claims is a part of the Sa Kaeo province’s Ban Nong Ya Kaew village and Cambodia claims is a part of the Banteay Meanchey province’s Prey Chan village.
On Wednesday, the Cambodian people are confronted by the Thai Border Patrol (BPP) in a tense area along the Thai-Chinese border.
The Thai military reported that it responded to the arrival of about 200 Cambodian protesters at 3:40 pm local time [08:40 GMT] in protest of the installation of “barricades and concertina wire to enhance security along the Thai-Cambodia Border.”
Thai forces “to control the situation” by deploying rubber bullets and using tear gas within 30 minutes of moving to the flashpoint area where protesters from both nations have gathered in recent weeks, accusing the Cambodian demonstrators of being armed with wooden sticks, stones, and slingshots.
Thai forces also used long-range acoustic devices as crowd control against the Cambodian demonstrators, who were forced to leave the area, according to the military.
In a statement from Thai military spokesman Winthai Suvari, “Crown control officers were ultimately deployed to de-escalate the situation in accordance with international norms, using tear gas and rubber bullets to stop the unrest from turning into a full-blown riot.”
The foreign ministry accuses Thai soldiers of entering Cambodian territory and attacking residents who were defending their homes, and Cambodian authorities have responded to the injuries of their civilians with a string of statements.
The Thai military’s repeated provocations “severely undermines both governments’ efforts to resolve disputes through peaceful dialogue and negotiation,” according to the ministry.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet accused Thai forces of “widening the conflict zone by erecting barbed wire and barricades, issuing ultimatums, and forcibly evicting Cambodian civilians from long-settled land.”
The human rights committee for the Cambodian government urged Thailand to “intervene and uphold regional and international law.”
