PARIS: France’s “yellow vests” took to the streets on Saturday for a 10th straight weekend of anti-government protests, defying attempts by President Emmanuel Macron to channel their anger into a series of town hall debates. Last week’s turnout confirmed that, after a lull at the end of the year, the protesters behind the biggest crisis in Macron’s presidency remain fully mobilised. The centrist leader is hoping that the launch this week of a “grand national debate” on policy will mark a turning point. One of the yellow vests’ top demands is that ordinary citizens be given a greater say in policy-making. WARNING AGAINST DEBATE ‘BLUFF’:Macron is pinning his hopes on the debate to quash the image of a leader out-of-touch with the concerns of people in rural France.

Source: Pakistan Today January 19, 2019 16:30 UTC