French pension protests escalate with clashes and police preparation.

Clashes erupted in Paris and other French cities as protesters rallied against President Emmanuel Macron's pension bill, which will delay retirement age by two years to 64. While public frustration has evolved into broader anti-Macron sentiment, the level of violence on Tuesday was nowhere near that seen last week and rallies were otherwise largely peaceful. The government rejected a new demand by unions to suspend and rethink the pension bill, which has infuriated labour leaders who said the government must find a way out of the crisis. Millions of people have been demonstrating and joining strike action since mid-January to show their opposition to the bill.