logo
French vow to fight ‘tooth and nail' over plot to increase retirement age to 66

French vow to fight ‘tooth and nail' over plot to increase retirement age to 66

Yahoo18 hours ago

French politicians have promised to fight 'tooth and nail' against leaked proposals to increase the country's retirement age to 66.
The Pensions Advisory Council (COR), which advises the French government, warned this week that the pension age must rise from 64 to 66 by 2045 to stop the country going bankrupt.
It comes just two years after protesters took to the streets over the plans to make residents work longer.
Laurent Berger, of the moderate CFDT union, told The Times: 'This is an outright provocation. French workers have already paid the price. Asking them to work even longer is unacceptable and will be fiercely resisted.'
Meanwhile, Olivier Faure, of the Socialist party, said: 'The government is using scare tactics and cooked-up figures to justify yet another attack on ordinary people. We will fight tooth and nail against this injustice.'
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, announced in 2023 that the the retirement age would increase from 62 to 64 by 2030. The rise was scheduled to happen gradually by three months per year.
The move sparked widespread public outrage, with more than one million protesters joining demonstrations across the country.
But the latest report from the COR suggests the pension system will sink further into the red despite the recent reforms.
Currently, a quarter of French public spending goes on pensions and this level is steadily rising, according to the report, which was leaked to the media ahead of its official release on June 12.
Without change, the system will be in deficit by €15bn (£12.6bn) per year by 2035 due to the growing number of pensioners, the state auditor has previously warned.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of the Left-wing Unbowed France party, lashed out at the call to increase the pension age to 66. 'This is a declaration of war on the French people. Macron and his technocrats want to turn retirement into a privilege for the rich. We will bring the country to a standstill if they persist.'
Meanwhile, far-Right party the National Rally has pledged to reintroduce the pension age of 62 if it gets into power.
France has one of the lowest retirement ages in Europe and one of the highest state pension entitlements relative to the cost of living.
In the UK, the state pension age is 66, increasing to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
Meanwhile, Denmark recently raised the age of retirement to 70, the highest in Europe.
Francois Bayrou, the French prime minister, agreed to reopen discussions around the highly unpopular 2023 reform in order to bring more stability to his minority government.
Unions continue to push for a return to 62 but Mr Bayrou, a centrist ally of Mr Macron's, has ruled out the idea.
According to France's state auditor, keeping the retirement age at 63 instead of increasing it would have cost an extra €13bn (£11bn) a year by 2035.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

CNN Correspondent Detained By LAPD, Camera Crew Arrested
CNN Correspondent Detained By LAPD, Camera Crew Arrested

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

CNN Correspondent Detained By LAPD, Camera Crew Arrested

CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll, who has been reporting on the unrest in Los Angeles for the past few days, found himself a part of the story tonight when he was detained and briefly questioned by Police in Los Angeles. During a live shot, Carroll is heard telling police his name and then seen being walked away with his hands behind his back. More from Deadline Jon Stewart Weighs In On L.A. Protests, Says Trump Is Escalating To Distract From Elon Musk's Epstein Accusation: "Petty And Petulant Man-Babies" Trump Sending Marines To L.A. To Respond To ICE Protests; POTUS Also Plans To Deploy Additional 2,000 Guard Troops, Gavin Newsom Says - Update BET Awards Set To Go On Amid LA Protests Against Immigration Raids A police officer is then heard saying, 'We're letting you go. You can't come back. If you come back, you will be arrested.' Carroll is heard to say, 'Ok.' You can see the scene below. CNN later reported that, while Carroll was released, two members of his camera crew were arrested. Carroll described the scene to Laura Coates back in the studio: 'I was walking over to the officer, tried to explain who I was, who I was with. He said, I'd like you to turn around. I turned around, I put my hands behind my back. They did not put me in zip ties, but they did grab both my hands as I was escorted over to the side, they said, you are being detained.' Carroll is not the first member of the press to get caught between police and protesters. On Sunday, Lauren Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Australia's 9News, appeared to be shot by a rubber bullet while reporting on the immigration protests. Nick Stern, a British news photographer, reportedly needed emergency surgery over the weekend after sustaining a leg wound during the clashes. A coalition of 27 press and civil liberties advocacy groups wrote to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem today 'to express alarm that federal officers may have violated the First Amendment rights of journalists covering recent protests and unrest related to immigration enforcement in the Los Angeles area.' The coalition, led by the Los Angeles Press Club, First Amendment Coalition and Freedom of the Press Foundation, further wrote that 'The press plays an essential role in our democracy as the public's eyes and ears. The timely reporting of breaking news is necessary to provide the public with complete information, especially about controversial events. 'A number of reports suggest that federal officers have indiscriminately used force or deployed munitions such as tear gas or pepper balls that caused significant injuries to journalists. In some cases, federal officers appear to have deliberately targeted journalists who were doing nothing more than their job covering the news.' The LA Press Club referred to at least 24 'documented' instances of journalists being targeted by law enforcement while covering the protests in Los Angeles between June 6-8, and multiple media workers report having been shot by police with less-than-lethal munitions. Those journalists included Southern California News Group's Ryanne Mena, freelance journalists Anthony Cabassa and Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, The Southlander's Ben Camacho, British photojournalist Nick Stern, and LA Taco's Lexis Olivier-Ray. City News Service contributed to this report. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media Where To Watch All The 'John Wick' Movies: Streamers That Have All Four Films

Cynthia Erivo crowned best actress at BET Awards
Cynthia Erivo crowned best actress at BET Awards

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Cynthia Erivo crowned best actress at BET Awards

British singer and actress Cynthia Erivo was crowned best actress at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards in Los Angeles. Hosted by Kevin Hart, Monday's BET Awards celebrated the work of black people in music, entertainment, film, sports and philanthropy. The London-born star, who rose to worldwide prominence last year for her role in Wicked, was also nominated for the BET Her Award — which recognises empowering songs that focus on women — for her rendition of Defying Gravity. Grammy Award-winning rapper Doechii used her acceptance speech to sharply criticise US President Donald Trump's handling of protests in Los Angeles. The Swamp Princess takes her crown again! Standing ovation please for the #BETAwards Best Female Hip Hop Artist, @officialdoechii 👑 In case you couldn't tell, we're your biggest fan! — #BETAwards (@BETAwards) June 10, 2025 Collecting the award for best female hip-hop artist, she accused the president of 'creating fear and chaos' in his response to demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which sparked days of protest across the city. 'I do want to address what's happening right now, outside the building,' she said. 'These are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities. In the name of law and order, Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want you all to consider what kind of government it appears to be, when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.' Mr Trump announced plans to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to California to quell the protests, which began on Friday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was 'essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States'. The decision drew sharp criticism from Democratic politicians, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who called the move 'purposefully inflammatory'. London-based girl-group FLO missed out after picking up nominations for best group and the Bet Her award for their track In My Bag, featuring GloRilla. Fellow UK artists Bashy and Ezra Collective earned nominations for best international artist, while multi-genre artist Odeal and R&B singer kwn were shortlisted for best new international act. Kendrick Lamar, who led the pack with 10 nominations, took home awards for album of the year and best male hip-hop artist. He also won video of the year and video director of the year for his hit Not Like Us, as well as best collaboration for Luther, his track with SZA SZA won best female R&B/pop artist, while Chris Brown took home best male R&B/pop artist. The evening featured a star-studded cast, including actor Jamie Foxx, with performances by Ashanti, Mariah Carey and GloRilla. Foxx, Carey, gospel star Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg were honoured with the ultimate icon award for their contributions to community, entertainment, and advocacy. Miles Canton, Luke James and Lucky Daye delivered an R&B tribute to Quincy Jones, who died in November.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store