Thousands rally against spending cuts in France

Tens of thousands of people protested in France Thursday against public spending cuts, as President Emmanuel Macron was expected to name a new government this weekend, sources said.

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In Paris, thousands of workers, retirees and students marched on Thursday afternoon from Place d' Italie.

The Eiffel Tower informed visitors in a statement it was closed due to the strikes.

Macron, who has just 18 months left in power and is enduring his worst-ever popularity levels, has struggled to pull France out of a worsening political and economic crisis.

The president is set to put together a leaner team under Sebastien Lecornu, his seventh prime minister, sources said.

Heeding a call from trade unions, some 600,000 protesters staged a new day of demonstrations across the country, the leftist CGT union said. The interior ministry put the turnout at 195,000 people.

By comparison, trade unions said more than a million people took to the streets two weeks ago, when many schools were closed and public transport stalled.

"You can feel that the country is changing," hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon said at a rally in Paris.

"We do not know what will happen. But we know that this turmoil is there. Which way will it erupt?"

After years of overspending, authorities have struggled to reduce France's soaring public debt.