MASKED youths clashed with police and set fires in cities across France yesterday as protests against a proposed hike in the retirement age took an increasingly radical turn. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, long lines formed at petrol stations and train service in many regions was cut in half.

FRANCE yesterday honoured its last World War I veteran, who died last week, and the other 8.4 million Frenchmen who fought in the conflict.

FRENCH unions and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin agreed to meet today over a contested jobs law as protesters clashed with police in Paris and other cities.

A new skating rink opened in Paris today – 188 feet up the Eiffel Tower.