The violence broke out early after crowds began gathering at the Arc de Triomphe, where they found the Champs Elysees on lockdown by police manning barricades and water cannons.

While several dozen protesters were allowed to pass after an ID check and search, many others, often wearing gas masks or ski goggles, remained behind and fought with police, who responded with rounds of tear gas.

Demonstrators, some wielding slingshots, threw rocks, construction barricades and even paint at police in protective gear and helmets, with some officers seen spattered with yellow liquid.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, visiting the Paris police’s command centre, said at least 107 people were arrested in Paris among the estimated 5,500 protesters. Some 8,000 were counted in the city last Saturday.

Ten people were injured, including three of the 5,000 police officers mobilised in Paris, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez told BFM television.

An acrid odour of tear gas and smoke from burning cars and trash containers filled the air in the areas near the clashes.

Stores and restaurants along the famous avenue as well as surrounding streets had boarded up windows, anticipating a repeat of the clashes last Saturday which President Emmanuel Macron compared to “war scenes”.

Chantal, a 61-year-old pensioner who came from an eastern Paris suburb, said she was avoiding the “hooligans” but was determined to send President Emmanuel Macron a message on the rising costs of living.

“He has to come down off his pedestal,” she said under cold rain on the Champs Elysees. “Every month I have to dip into my savings.”

Although police managed to clear the square around the Arc de Triomphe toward midday, cat-and-mouse skirmishes continued as protesters spread out to nearby streets and neighbourhoods.

News channels showed burning barricades on several streets, and protesters lobbing paving stones and other items at police trucks.

‘Taking us for idiots’

Across the country some 36,000 people took part in mainly peaceful protests against a surge in fuel prices this year, which they attribute to a series of tax increases to finance the government’s anti-pollution efforts.

The “yellow vest” movement erupted on social media in October and has since become a wider protest against Macron, who is accused of failing to recognise the rising costs of living that has left many struggling.

Shortly after midday on the Champs Elysees, several hundred people began marching behind a huge yellow-and-red banner reading “Macron, stop taking us for idiots!”

“With all these tax hikes, there’s not much left for eating at the end of the month,” said Philippe, a high school cook in the Essonne region outside Paris.

Overall participation Saturday was down sharply from the first day of protests on November 17, which attracted around 282,000 people, while 106,000 turned out last Saturday.

‘We want our dignity’

The countrywide protests have included many pensioners and have been most active in small urban and rural areas where demonstrators blocked roads, closed motorway toll booths, and even walled up the entrance to tax offices.

Two people have died and hundreds have been injured in the protests which opinion polls suggest still attract the support of two out of three French people.

Attempts by the government to negotiate with the grassroots movement have failed, in large part because representatives have insisted on public talks broadcast on TV.

“We want our dignity back and we want to be able to live from our work, which is absolutely not the case today,” Jason Herbert said after walking out of talks with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Friday.

Macron has sought to douse the anger by promising three months of nationwide talks on how best to transform France into a low-carbon economy without penalising the poor.

He also vowed to slow the rate of increase in fuel taxes if international oil prices rise too rapidly but only after a tax hike due in January.

But many protesters were unconvinced by Macron’s speech on Tuesday.

“What we need is something tangible, not just smoke and mirrors,” said Yoann Allard, a 30-year-old farmhand.

Trade union leaders, who met Friday with Philippe, have called for a moratorium on a new fuel tax hike set for January, a suggestion which some pro-Macron members of parliament have started to endorse.

Here are excerpts of messages from the worlds of politics, business and Hollywood:

– ‘Best dad’ –

“George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.”

— his son, former president George W. Bush

– ‘Faith, family and country’ –

“Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service.”

— US President Donald Trump

– An unlikely friendship –

“I am profoundly grateful for every minute I spent with President Bush and will always hold our friendship as one of my life’s greatest gifts.”

— former US president Bill Clinton, who defeated Bush in the 1992 election

– ‘True partner’ –

“We had the chance to work together during the time of enormous changes. And this was a dramatic time which called for huge responsibility from everyone. The result was the end of the Cold War and the arms race… He was a true partner.”

— former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

– ‘Noble, joyous calling’ –

“George H.W. Bush’s life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling. (…) It’s a legacy of service that may never be matched, even though he’d want all of us to try.”

— former US president Barack Obama

– ‘Example to us all’ –

“President George H.W. Bush’s ethos of public service was the guiding thread of his life and an example to us all. (…) Today Britain remembers a great statesman and a true friend of our country.”

— British Prime Minister Theresa May

– ‘Lifelong friend’ –

“I feel privileged to have worked with him, and even more privileged that he became a lifelong friend. He was, quite simply, one of the most deep down decent people I have ever known.”

— former British prime minister John Major

– ‘We will never forget’ –

“In 1989, at a time of upheaval and challenges, when the blocs were staggering and the decades-long confrontation was beginning to crumble, he bravely seized the opportunity to end the Cold War. He is among the architects of German unity. We will never forget that.”

— German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas

– Strong backer of US-Europe alliance –

“He was a world leader, who strongly supported the alliance with Europe. Our sympathy to his family and beloved ones.”

— French President Emmanuel Macron

– ‘One last flight’ –

“President Bush has left us for one last flight but his destination isn’t unknown. He’s flying into the arms of the love of his life, Barbara.”

— Hollywood action hero and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

– ‘Great American’ –

“We have lost a great American. Service defined President George H.W. Bush’s life, and he taught all of us about leadership, sacrifice and decency.”

— Apple CEO Tim Cook

The Nobel Peace prize winner did not mention the Rohingya crisis — which has led the United Nations to call for a genocide investigation — in her keynote address to an international meeting organised by a group linked to the Unification Church.

“At the basis of conflict is ill-will which seeks to hurt and to destroy and thus to open the way to conflict, which in turn spews out an ever-renewing cycle of hate and fear, snuffing out the light of peace,” Suu Kyi said.

Suu Kyi called for cooperation between nations to seek peace and mutual prosperity.

“Only by promoting a culture of peace in this world of interdependence will it be possible to create harmony between diverse countries and societies,” she said.

Suu Kyi, whose position of state counsellor in Myanmar is considered the equivalent of a prime minister, has faced a wave of condemnation since Myanmar launched its military crackdown on the Rohingya in August 2017.

More than 700,000 have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state to camps in neighbouring Bangladesh. Many told horrific stories of widespread killings, rapes and villages razed to the ground.

Myanmar’s military insists it only targeted Rohingya militants and Suu Kyi has deflected all criticism.

Other top officials at the meeting, which was accompanied by boosted security in the Nepali capital to head off protests, did not mention the conflict which has overshadowed many of Suu Kyi’s international appearances.

Her speech at the Kathmandu meeting, backed by the Universal Peace Foundation, came a day after Paris announced will it will strip her of her honorary freedom of the French capital over her failure to speak out against the Rohingya crackdown.

The British cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Oxford have taken similar action against Suu Kyi over her refusal to condemn the military violence.

A UN rights team found evidence of widespread murder, rape, torture and arson, and called for top generals to be prosecuted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

About 300 Rohingya live in Nepal and one of the refugee community based in Kathmandu, who requested anonymity, called for Nepal to raise their issue with Suu Kyi.

“We are suffering. I think if she wants to help us, she can,” he said.

Jens Lutkenherm, German Ambassador to Laos, signed a €4 million agreement with MRC Secretariat CEO Pham Tuan Phan on Wednesday in Halong city, Vietnam.

Spanning over a three-year period from next year to 2021, much of the funding will go to support two joint transboundary projects between Cambodia and Laos, and Cambodia and Thailand.

The projects seek to better understand and manage the Mekong basin resources and address flood and drought issues.

A portion of the grant will also go to the MRC’s financial mechanism known as the “basket fund” to implement overall activities under the 2016-2020 strategic plan.

The mechanism allows the MRC to use funds

EU Ambassador to Thailand Pirkka Tapiola on Wednesday signed a new financial agreement worth €4.92 million.

Running over a two-year period from next year to 2020, the funding goes to support the implementation of the MRC 2016-2020 strategic plan.

The primary aim of the support is to promote and coordinate sustainable development and management of the Mekong river water and related resources in the four member countries.

Quoting from the media release, Pham said that: “The new funding from both Germany and EU will enable the MRC to ensure effective basin-wide water resources management and the inclusiveness of dialogue at the national and regional levels with a stronger representation of all relevant stakeholders.”

In preparation to implement the five-year strategic plan, the MRC will focus its work in four key result areas, such as strengthening regional cooperation, improving monitoring and communication of conditions in the basin, enhancing national plans and projects and turning the MRC into a more efficient river basin organisation.

The EU has funded the MRC with more than €11 million since 2003 for many important areas of work, including flood resolution, climate change, institutional reforms and integrated water resource management.

At the same time, Germany has financed the MRC since 2003, providing some €31 million in funding.

Over 15 years, German support has made it possible for the MRC to implement various strategic activities, including institutional reforms, sustainable hydropower development, integrated water resources management, flood mitigation and climate change.

The MRC is an intergovernmental organisation for regional dialogue and cooperation in the lower Mekong river basin, established in 1995 based on the Mekong Agreement between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

The list seeks to enhance visibility for the traditions and know-how of communities without recognising standards of excellence or exclusivity.

Malacca Museum Corporation made an announcement on its Facebook.

Heritage Department Commissioner Dr Zainah Ibrahim, Malacca Tourism, Heritage and Culture state executive councillor Muhammad Jailani Khamis and Malacca Museum Corporation general manager Kamis Abas were in the delegation to Mauritius.

The Malacca Museum Corporation said the application to UNESCO to list Dondang Sayang as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was made on 31 March last year.

The corporation said more than 10 Dondang Sayang performances had been held in the state this year for tourists.

Dondang Sayang is a traditional Malay art still practised in Melaka by four communities: the Malay, Baba Nyonya, Chitty and Portuguese communities.

The practice combines elements of music (violins, gongs and tambourines or the tambour), songs and chants, and features beautiful melodious strains of poetry.

Also known as love ballads, the songs are used by communities to convey feelings of love and give advice on special topics such as love and kindness.

During the Melaka Sultanate era in the fifteenth century, Dondang Sayang was performed at Royal Palace ceremonies and events; subsequently, the performance became widespread among the communities concerned.

Based on tradition, Dondang Sayang performances are accompanied by music and sung by two singers of the opposite sex, who sing in quatrains.

Typically, Dondang Sayang singers are individuals who are highly competent and skilled in poetry recitation.

Dongdang Sayang performances are open to all, irrespective of age, occupation, status or religion, and the art is considered as a means of conveying positive messages and sharing feelings of love, joy and sorrow that strengthen community bonding.

“Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” his son, former president George W. Bush, said in a statement released on Twitter by a family spokesman.

“George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.”

Bush’s passing comes just months after the death in April of his wife and revered first lady Barbara Bush — his “most beloved woman in the world” — to whom he was married for 73 years.

He is survived by his five children and 17 grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, a family spokesman said.

The US leader was a foreign policy stalwart who declared a “new world order” in 1990 and drove Iraq from Kuwait but saw his military intervention in the Middle East serve as a harbinger of chaos to come.

The decorated war pilot and former CIA chief suffered the ignominy of being a one-term president, denied a second term over a weak economy when he lost the 1992 election to upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.

George Higginbotham, 46, admitted to lying to US banks while transferring tens of millions of dollars to fund a lobbying campaign on behalf of Low Taek Jho — the 1MDB affair’s alleged mastermind.

Federal prosecutors in August charged the fugitive financier Low, also known as Jho Low, with eight counts of money laundering. He is accused of helping orchestrate the theft of $4.5 billion from the government-backed investment fund.

Higginbotham admitted to deceiving banks, including producing fake loan and consulting documents, to hide the true source of the funds, according to the Justice Department.

The true purpose of the funds was to finance a lobbying campaign to persuade US officials to resolve the civil and criminal cases brought in the 1MDB case — and to persuade American authorities to deport an unnamed foreign national from the United States back to his home country, according to the Justice Department.

Higginbotham, who until August had served as a liaison between the department and US lawmakers, was not involved in the 1MDB investigation and “failed to influence any aspect” of it, the department said in a statement.

The Justice Department separately announced Friday it was seeking to recover $73 million held in American bank accounts that Higginbotham and Prakazrel “Pras” Michel opened last year on Low’s behalf.