Polls in France Underline New Political Momentum

The vote in May restarts a power struggle between a military-backed establishment and a political movement that has dominated elections for 20 years.

Protests erupted in several cities a day after President Emmanuel Macron doubled down on raising the pension age. Worker strikes shut down transport, while protesters blocked highways and other infrastructure.

In this special history episode of French Connections Plus, we take a deep dive into "la Belle Époque" or "The Beautiful Era", a period in France history straddling the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It was a moment of peace and prosperity, technological progress, bubbling creativity and hope in the future.

France, Germany face off on EU's 2035 internal combustion car ban. In this edition: Germany seeks an "e-fuels" exemption to the EU's ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars after 2035, while France pushes for an all-electric transport future.

France's midrange pret-a-porter chains are suffering due to the current economic crisis and structural problems. But some firms are surviving with sustainability, new digital concepts and branding.

It is crucial week for the future of the French government’s plans to reform the pension system. Another huge strike is planned by the unions for Tuesday, and any significant dip in the number of people taking part in demonstrations will weaken their cause.

We take a look at how the French papers are covering incidents of police brutality towards protesters. We also look at the parallels and differences between protests in France and Israel. The papers are also discussing a daylight savings time dispute in Lebanon.

The country's ruling accused the French broadcaster of "acting as a mouthpiece" for an al-Qaeda affiliated group. France 24 has denied the allegation and condemned the move.

This weekend's clashes between police and protesters in the small French town of Sainte-Soline reflect growing anger over water reservoirs that are meant to help farmers to irrigate their crops in times of drought.

The Constitutional Council has the power to scrap all or parts of the bill it deems unconstitutional. Emmanuel Macron's government passed the bill by decree, saying France can no longer afford to let people retire at 62.

Multiple French papers are digging into audio recordings of Saturday's protest against water reservoirs, namely of first responders saying they were told not to go in and help wounded protesters. We also look at the state of India’s democracy and if it could change the world in the next decade.

King Charles III has cancelled his state visit to France due to ongoing industrial unrest, but the fact that he had chosen the country for his first such trip is a sign that UK-France relations are getting back on track, after years on bickering over Brexit.