Cars burn as protesters clash with riot police near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. EPA
Cars burn as protesters clash with riot police near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. EPA

'Yellow vests' protests leave France shattered and divided



The French capital can’t endure “a third weekend of chaos” after an estimated 136,000 protesters clashed with police, Valerie Pecresse, the president of the greater Paris region, said on Monday.

But while the “gilets jaunes” – or “yellow vests”, after the fluorescent street jackets that drivers must carry in their vehicles – take the capital hostage, French President Emmanuel Macron shows little willingness to back down either.

Mr Macron, who in the course of 18 months has fallen from being the embodiment of a modern France to being derided as the “president of the rich”, has staked his political identity on never giving in to the streets.

As recently as 2013, a similar group – the "bonnets rouges" (or "red hats") – made socialist president Francois Hollande backtrack on an eco-tax on heavy vehicles, and Mr Macron is determined not to join the ranks of his predecessors who have had their public policies overturned by street protests.

But coming between motorists and their vehicles never boded well for a French president. The “gilets jaunes”, many of whom come from France’s poor rural regions, have risen in protests over the tax, which they say has made it impossible for them to financially reach the end of the month.

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Read more: 

Macron calls crisis meeting as 'yellow vest' unrest spreads across France

Demonstrations have a long history in the West – but are self-defeating when posing a threat to ordered society

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So far the clashes have led to three deaths – including that of an elderly woman injured by a tear-gas canister in her apartment – the defacing of some of France’s iconic historic sites and the splintering of French society, including within Mr Macron’s own party.

At a party meeting on Saturday, the representatives of La Republique en Marche (LREM), split along two lines: the hardliners who push for the continuation of Mr Macron’s tough stance and those who advocate for defusing tensions and reaching a compromise.

Discord also seeps among the bearers of the "yellow vests". Jacline Mouraud, one of the representatives of the movement, received death threats and has asked for police protection to attend the coming meeting with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

"These threats are the making of the hard-line fringe of the 'gilets jaunes' movement, of anarchists who want France to remain into chaos," Mrs Mouraud told French newspaper Le Figaro. She added that if she does not receive police protection she will not be able to attend a meeting with Mr Philippe on Tuesday.

The growing phenomenon of "fake news" is also playing its part in inflaming spirits. Images of injured protesters that received more than 140,000 shares and riled French society against police brutality have later been found to be old images of protests in Spain.

Fake rumours of police officers damaging iconic monuments disguised as protesters have also done the rounds on social media.

Officials estimated between 1,500 and 3,000 people infiltrated the Paris protest intent on causing destruction and attacking police.

Mr Macron has postponed a planned visit to Belgrade because of "problems" at home, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Monday.

"We were preparing for President Macron's visit. Unfortunately, because of the situation and the problems he faces, president Macron asked me to postpone his visit to our country for a few weeks," Mr Vucic said in a televised press conference

Mr Macron would have been the first French head of state to visit Serbia since Jacques Chirac in 2001. He was scheduled to meet Mr Vucic on Wednesday evening and pay tribute to a cemetery for fallen First World War soldiers on Thursday, before returning to Paris.

Mr Philippe earlier cancelled a scheduled trip to Poland.

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

Napoleon
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Marathon results

Men:

 1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13 

2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50 

3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25 

4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46 

5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48  

Women:

1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30 

2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01 

3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30 

4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43 

5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01  

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
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Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
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Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs

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Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:

Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')

Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate

SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
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Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Buy farm-fresh food

The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.

In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others. 

In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food. 

In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra. 

J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES

All matches at the Harare Sports Club:

1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets

2nd ODI, Friday, April 12

3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14

4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed


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