Iran says seven ships hit near Hormuz as US and Israel reportedly plan post-midterm strikes Aramco evacuates headquarters and US pulls diplomats as Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia intensify Russia strikes Kyiv after Witkoff-Putin talks as Ukrainian drones target Moscow Ebola reaches Nigeria as WHO warns of a more complex outbreak Oil climbs to five-month high as global stocks fall Millions of exploit attempts follow AI-found PHP flaws as sites return online French risk premium hits euro-crisis levels as borrowing costs pass US Death toll passes 150 after drone strike on Abyei market Trilateral Ukraine talks eyed for November as Witkoff's Putin remark angers allies Magnitude 7 earthquake kills at least 16 in northern Tibet France bans non-union protests ahead of Saturday demonstrations Lula accepts Bolsonaro's terms for record disclosure before Brazil run-off AI debt worries weigh on markets as Meta credit risk hits record Taiwan and China prepare as Super Typhoon Champi approaches Israel's race stays tight as Netanyahu courts right-wing voters Experts expect Meta to fight $25bn New Mexico penalty on appeal Israel frees nine settler suspects to house arrest as UN calls West Bank violence out of control Serbia's student list rallies in Belgrade as campaign closes before Sunday's vote North Korea to restart border propaganda broadcasts as tensions rise DeepSeek reportedly raises $15bn as TSMC seeks rare-earth workarounds Germany arrests Ukrainian man suspected of spying for Russia Italian truckers ease fuel-price protests as government lines up aid Trump asked Musk to lift Starlink limits in Ukraine, as Rubio says access is Musk's call Tesla profit falls as analysts debate SpaceX merger Protests in Indonesia demand action as haze blankets Southeast Asia Ankara rejects Greek and EU criticism of Libya maritime deal Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict turns to proxy groups after eight months ICC wins EU Sakharov Prize while under US sanctions Indonesia moves to shore up markets ahead of MSCI index change Retail investors fully subscribe Jio Platforms IPO Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia sign defence industry pact Nestlé removes Russian business from accounts after Kremlin takeover Albanian lawmakers scuffle in parliament as street protests continue NATO agency to let Ukraine buy weapons through its procurement system Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to son for first time in over five years Israeli fire kills four in Gaza as hospitals face fuel and medicine shortages Barclays to cut 5,000 jobs as it steps up AI adoption Iran says seven ships hit near Hormuz as US and Israel reportedly plan post-midterm strikes Aramco evacuates headquarters and US pulls diplomats as Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia intensify Russia strikes Kyiv after Witkoff-Putin talks as Ukrainian drones target Moscow Ebola reaches Nigeria as WHO warns of a more complex outbreak Oil climbs to five-month high as global stocks fall Millions of exploit attempts follow AI-found PHP flaws as sites return online French risk premium hits euro-crisis levels as borrowing costs pass US Death toll passes 150 after drone strike on Abyei market Trilateral Ukraine talks eyed for November as Witkoff's Putin remark angers allies Magnitude 7 earthquake kills at least 16 in northern Tibet France bans non-union protests ahead of Saturday demonstrations Lula accepts Bolsonaro's terms for record disclosure before Brazil run-off AI debt worries weigh on markets as Meta credit risk hits record Taiwan and China prepare as Super Typhoon Champi approaches Israel's race stays tight as Netanyahu courts right-wing voters Experts expect Meta to fight $25bn New Mexico penalty on appeal Israel frees nine settler suspects to house arrest as UN calls West Bank violence out of control Serbia's student list rallies in Belgrade as campaign closes before Sunday's vote North Korea to restart border propaganda broadcasts as tensions rise DeepSeek reportedly raises $15bn as TSMC seeks rare-earth workarounds Germany arrests Ukrainian man suspected of spying for Russia Italian truckers ease fuel-price protests as government lines up aid Trump asked Musk to lift Starlink limits in Ukraine, as Rubio says access is Musk's call Tesla profit falls as analysts debate SpaceX merger Protests in Indonesia demand action as haze blankets Southeast Asia Ankara rejects Greek and EU criticism of Libya maritime deal Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict turns to proxy groups after eight months ICC wins EU Sakharov Prize while under US sanctions Indonesia moves to shore up markets ahead of MSCI index change Retail investors fully subscribe Jio Platforms IPO Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia sign defence industry pact Nestlé removes Russian business from accounts after Kremlin takeover Albanian lawmakers scuffle in parliament as street protests continue NATO agency to let Ukraine buy weapons through its procurement system Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to son for first time in over five years Israeli fire kills four in Gaza as hospitals face fuel and medicine shortages Barclays to cut 5,000 jobs as it steps up AI adoption

Symbolic image: France bans non-union protests ahead of Saturday demonstrations

Symbolic image

France bans non-union protests ahead of Saturday demonstrations

15 sources

President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that "illegitimate" protests will be banned and blamed ultra-left groups for last weekend's riots. Several big cities have banned all protests on Saturday.

Macron spoke after meeting intelligence officials and senior ministers. Union requests to march will be examined and may be rerouted, while protests by others will be banned "wherever we can", he said. Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulon banned all Saturday protests. In Paris, authorities allowed a union march in the east but not a separate march by students and gilets jaunes. Macron blamed "seditious" ultra-left groups, later joined by looters, for the riots of Saturday, 17 October. Jean-Luc Mélenchon rejects any responsibility of his party LFI, and far-left MP Éric Coquerel called the bans "an attack on freedom". Justice minister Gérald Darmanin said 174 of 2,500 people arrested since then are in custody and over 900 are being prosecuted. Macron will chair a defence council on Friday to decide next steps.

Unions reject government offer

After meeting Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Wednesday, 21 October, seven unions said they had received almost nothing concrete on purchasing power. CGT leader Sophie Binet said no measure was announced, and the CGT called to "generalise" the strike planned for 5 November. Lecornu is due to receive student representatives on Monday, according to Le Monde.

Pressure on Macron grows

The Financial Times reports that France's 10-year borrowing costs rose above 5 per cent for the first time since 2002. Former president François Hollande called Macron "absent" during his Gulf tour, Le Monde reports.