France

France held on to beat Ireland 1-0 in Dublin on Monday to win their second Euro 2024 qualifier, while the Netherlands eased past Gibraltar 3-0.

[Scotland](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/scotland/) with the next international window in June. [Montenegro](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/montenegro/) declared independence in 2006. "This is a game where you can hardly ever get it right. [Real Madrid's](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/real-madrid/) David Alaba came off the bench after 46 minutes after Gregoritsch has missed a first half penalty. [Bayern Munich's](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/bayern-munich/) Pavard told television channel TF1. [goalkeeper,](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/football/) tipped over team-mate Jules Kounde's panicked header.

France Tuesday braced for another day of strikes and protests with President Emmanuel Macron remaining defiant over the controversial pensions reform that ...

[France ](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/france/)on Saturday. [The Louvre in Paris](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/louvre/), the world's most visited museum, was closed on Monday after workers blocked entry to the attraction. [government ](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/government/)to come up with a "very big move on pensions". [protest movement](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/protest/) against the pension reform has turned into the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second mandate. [Britain's King Charles III](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/king-charles-iii/), which had been due to begin on Sunday, was postponed because of the unrest. [retirement](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/retirement/) age from 62 to 64.

Fears of more violent clashes with police as demonstrations against Macron's unpopular pensions policy to carry on.

Berger said the prime minister must come up with a “very big move on pensions”. French opposition politicians on the left and right said France’s image and diplomacy had been damaged by the last-minute cancellation. we need to calm down,” Borne told AFP, saying the government would not drop the pension changes. “We have to find the right path … Pickets continued at petrol depots and waste incinerators, particularly surrounding Paris, where 8,000 tonnes of rubbish are still piling up in streets across half of the city after weeks of bin strikes. High school unions said that up to 200 schools were blockaded by pupils. The interior minister Gérald Darmanin said many police officers had been injured during the protests. [cancel the state visit](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/24/king-charles-visit-to-france-postponed-amid-protests) because of the strikes and demonstrations. Authorities in Paris and several cities are braced for clashes between police and protesters. [Le Parisien](https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/greve-du-28-mars-nombre-de-manifestants-radicalisation-ce-que-prevoient-les-renseignements-27-03-2023-UKHZ7AWVGRFFZLLYLAMRAFHU5Q.php), the note said “the topic of repression and police violence … [trade union-organised strike days ](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/25/women-france-pension-protests)has shifted to more impromptu protest gatherings over the past 10 days. [raising the age from 62 to 64](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/16/why-are-pensions-such-a-political-flashpoint-in-france-macron) is the biggest domestic crisis of Macron’s second term, with the strikes on Tuesday expected to affect refineries, bin collections, rail transport, air travel and schools.

Business sentiment declined only slightly in March despite the social tensions surrounding the pension reform. This confirms that activity in France is…

In addition, the full impact of monetary policy tightening is likely to start to be felt, weighing on household and business investment. The fact that economic sentiment is holding up is good news for economic growth at the beginning of the year, but it does not mean that economic activity is very dynamic in all sectors. The business climate confirms that activity in France at the beginning of the year is proving to be more resilient than might have been anticipated a few months ago.

Protesters entered an airport southwestern France on Tuesday as part of demonstrations against the nation's proposed pension reforms, which have sparked ...

The FSU – which streamed a live video from Tuesday’s protest inside the airport – is one of France’s main trade unions in its education sector, representing “162,000 members, of whom 88% are teachers,” according to its website. At least four groups can be identified in the footage based on their insignia, including a local Basquec trade union and two national associations – the CGT Departmental Union of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Fédération syndicale unitaire (FSU). The government has pressed on with the hugely unpopular bill because it says that relying on the working population to pay for a growing age group of retirees is no longer fit for purpose.

Benjamin Pavard scored another worldie and Mike Maignan made a pair of game-saving stops to earn France a Euro 2024 qualifying win over Ireland.

[Jayson Molumby](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/243465/Jayson-Molumby), Republic of Ireland. [Chiedozie Ogbene](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/238192/Chiedozie-Ogbene): "There are positives to take and we had enough chances to take a point, at least. [Eduardo Camavinga](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/285150/Eduardo-Camavinga), France. The [Real Madrid](/football/team?id=86) midfielder is likely to be the man who ends [N'Golo Kante](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/173556/N'Golo-Kanté)'s international career. [Kyle Walker](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/129358/Kyle-Walker)'s pace is on a par with Pavard's, but he doesn't have the Bayern man's ability going forward. None of France's attacking players produced their best in Dublin, but [Eintracht Frankfurt](/football/team?id=125) forward Muani was the least effective. [World Cup](/football/league/_/name/FIFA.WORLD) winner [Hugo Lloris](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/43372/Hugo-Lloris) with two stunning late saves to ensure a 1-0 victory for Didier Deschamps' team against the Republic of Ireland. [Josh Cullen](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/207146/Josh-Cullen) gifted the ball to Pavard, but there seemed little danger until the [Bayern Munich](/football/team?id=132) full-back unleashed a right-footed shot that crashed in off the underside of the crossbar. The 18-year-old has scored seven goals in 16 first-team appearances for the Seagulls this season and he is already seeing his name linked with a move to [Manchester United](/football/team?id=360). The French central defensive pair developed an understanding while playing together at [RB Leipzig](/football/team?id=11420) before moving on to Bayern Munich and [Liverpool](/football/team?id=364), respectively, so they teamed up to nullify Ferguson. But while Pavard has a reputation for the spectacular, his primary role is to defend, and he was exceptional for Deschamps' team in this narrow win. It was a match-winning save by the goalkeeper, and it meant that France are now in firm control of qualification for the Euros.

Benjamin Pavard's sweet strike edged World Cup finalists France to a narrow Euro 2024 qualifying victory in Dublin as the Republic of Ireland were made to ...

Cullen intercepted Adrien Rabiot’s misplaced pass on the edge of his own penalty area, but then played the ball square, where Pavard pounced before smashing a shot past the helpless Bazunu off the underside of the crossbar. With wide frontmen Chiedozie Ogbene and Jason Knight dropping in when they were out of possession, the home side were compact, although they were breached with nine minutes gone when Randal Kolo Muani was played in over the top and rounded Bazunu, only for his back-heeled pass to Olivier Giroud as he was driven wide to be cut out by Collins. With what little share of the ball they were afforded, Ireland did their best to fulfil Kenny’s instructions to take risks without ever really threatening to pierce the French defence, but they needed Bazunu to spring from his line to prevent any damage after Griezmann’s 24th-minute corner had ricocheted across his six-yard box.

France's government is unfurling ramped-up security measures for a new flurry of marches and strikes against unpopular pension reforms.

[Emmanuel Macron](/topic/emmanuel-macron) blame his government for protest violence that has flared in recent weeks, saying his pension reforms are sparking it. Their goals have nothing to do with the pension reform. [Fears](/topic/fears) that violence could mar demonstrations planned across the country prompted what Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin described as an unprecedented deployment of 13,000 officers, nearly half of them concentrated in the French capital.

French police are preparing for protesters bent on violence to join marches against the government's pension reform bill today, after millions of people ...

In the western city of Nantes, the boarded-up front of a BNP Paribas bank branch was set on fire. With this project, we'll guarantee the future of our retirement model." [Unrest grows in Paris as riot police storm the streets](https://news.sky.com/story/france-pension-protests-latest-country-braced-for-violent-clashes-after-warning-angry-demonstrators-intend-to-kill-12843974?postid=5700797#liveblog-body) [Police confiscate 'riot gear' from protesters in French capital](https://news.sky.com/story/france-pension-protests-latest-country-braced-for-violent-clashes-after-warning-angry-demonstrators-intend-to-kill-12843974?postid=5700277#liveblog-body) [Demonstrations and violence elsewhere in France](https://news.sky.com/story/france-pension-protests-latest-country-braced-for-violent-clashes-after-warning-angry-demonstrators-intend-to-kill-12843974?postid=5702282#liveblog-body) [Macron has touched a nerve and set himself up for a long fight This is what Mr Macron is trying to do. Protests have turned violent in the French capital and other cities around the country as demonstrators join marches and workers go on strike to vent their anger at Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the retirement age to 64. Then we'll go and set fires across the city" A car was set on fire near the rally. Another protester wore a bag over their head reading "En Marche arriere" - En Marche is the name of Mr Macron's political party and "arriere" means "backwards". Mr Macron is the latest in a long line of presidents who have been trying to get the French to work for longer. "This is what the police do - they identify people who are particularly violent in the crows and then they go in and extract them." It may have only been a hard core that took part in the clashes, but the fury is a reflection of anger that is nationwide. Adele Robinson](https://news.sky.com/story/france-pension-protests-latest-country-braced-for-violent-clashes-after-warning-angry-demonstrators-intend-to-kill-12843974?postid=5701027#liveblog-body) [Will Macron back down?](https://news.sky.com/story/france-pension-protests-latest-country-braced-for-violent-clashes-after-warning-angry-demonstrators-intend-to-kill-12843974?postid=5701561#liveblog-body) [Why have proposed reforms to pension age sparked so much fury?](https://news.sky.com/story/france-pension-protests-latest-country-braced-for-violent-clashes-after-warning-angry-demonstrators-intend-to-kill-12843974?postid=5699012#liveblog-body) [How does France pension age compare with rest of Europe?](https://news.sky.com/story/france-pension-protests-latest-country-braced-for-violent-clashes-after-warning-angry-demonstrators-intend-to-kill-12843974?postid=5699191#liveblog-body)

Nearly two weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron rammed pension reforms through parliament, hundreds of thousands of people are set to take part in ...

Hundreds of people were arrested that day in the [most violent](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230324-use-of-force-signals-crisis-of-authority-as-france-s-pension-battle-turns-to-unrest)pension protests to date. The day of action is the 10th such mobilisation called by unions since protests erupted in mid-January against the reform, which includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. [nationwide mobilisation last Thursday](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230323-🔴-live-9th-day-of-nationwide-protests-as-france-s-macron-stands-firm-on-pension-reform)drew more than a million demonstrators, according to the interior ministry. Public transport was disrupted and deliveries were halted across France as workers walked out on the job. Days later, the government narrowly survived two non-confidence votes. Nearly two weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron forced an unpopular pension reform through parliament, hundreds of thousands are expected to take part in a new day of strikes and protests across France on Tuesday.

Fears that violence could mar the demonstrations against President Macron's unpopular pension reforms has led to deployment of 13000 officers, ...

Their goals have nothing to do with the pension reform. "It must be seized." Violence has since flared and thousands of tons of [stinking garbage](https://apnews.com/video/politics-france-government-macron-business-vulic-moncilo-14f36769fb764ad6b836efd73c2fb678) have piled up on Paris' streets as sanitation workers strike. We don't forgive!" The Louvre Museum was Despite fresh union pleas hat the government pause its hotly contested push to raise France's legal retirement age from 62 to 64, Macron seemingly remained wedded to it.