300 Cars Torched in Bastille Day Riots

President promises to get gas flowing again, clamp down on 'troublemakers'

(NEWSER) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants his striking, rioting countrymen to calm down, act responsibly—and work until they are 62. He issued an appeal for calm yesterday as protests over plans to raise the retirement age continued to rock the country, the Guardian reports. Sarkozy insisted that he has no intention of backing down on his controversial reforms. Cars were torched and shops looted as protesters clashed with police in several cities yesterday. More»

More than 200 high schools were disrupted yesterday

(NEWSER) - Protests over plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 have brought much of France to a standstill, and authorities fear the civil unrest is just getting started. Young people have joined the strikes and protests that have disrupted daily life and a wide swath of industry. More than 200 high schools were blocked or disrupted yesterday and nearly 300 people were arrested as youths clashed with riot police in a dozen cities, the AP reports. More»

Anyone found guilty of murder will be executed, says party head

(NEWSER) - After thousands of troops were deployed to quell ethnic unrest in the Chinese city of Urumqi, “the situation is under control,” said officials—who vowed to execute anyone behind the riot's 156 deaths. Most of those charged with murder so far have been students, said the city’s Communist Party head, noting that “everyone, and particularly the Han people, should show restraint,” the BBC reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rivals for the Iranian presidency were placed under house arrest in the wake of the disputed election results as fiery riots beoke out across Tehran, the Los Angeles Times reports. Main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi, who had declared victory before the Interior Ministry's announcement that Ahmadinejad had prevailed, called the official results a "dangerous charade." More»

Violence follows G20 leaders to Strasbourg for NATO summit

(NEWSER) - French cops clashed violently with rioters in Strasbourg last night as G20 leaders prepared to head there for a NATO summit today. Hundreds were detained by police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets at rampaging masked protesters, reports the BBC. Shop windows were smashed and cars and bus stops were vandalized by protesters who erected a street barricade in a bid to hold off police. Some 25,000 cops are guarding the city to deal with tens of thousands of protesters expected to flood Strasbourg. More»