Mostly small, scattered protests were held in cities around France, some degenerating late Monday into violent incidents. In Paris, small groups took to the streets to set fire to piles of trash that have formed due to a strike by garbage collectors in the capital that is in its 16th day.

Two no-confidence votes against French President Emmanuel Macron's government have failed in the country's parliament, clearing the way for his hugely unpopular pension reforms to be implemented and sparking new protests in Paris.

French President Emmanuel Macron is looking to move on and work on new reforms in the coming weeks after his government barely survived a no-confidence motion on Monday over an unpopular pension reform,

Firefighters and police officers work as smoke rises from burning materials on a highway during a protest against pension reform, in Rennes, France, March 20, 2023, in this image obtained from social

The future of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term was unclear after a no-confidence vote triggered by his effort to raise France’s retirement age fell short by only nine votes.

Parliament adopted a divisive pension bill Monday raising the retirement age in France from 62 to 64, after lawmakers in the lower chamber rejected

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to give a televised interview on Wednesday, with the 45-year-old seeking to calm public anger over his pension reform and tamp down spiralling protests and strikes.