French government survives no-confidence votes over pension bill

Far-left MPs protest against the bill (Lewis Joly/AP)

The French government has survived two no-confidence votes in the lower chamber of parliament, proposed by MPs who objected to its push to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

National Assembly MPs rejected both motions on Monday, one from the far-right National Rally and the other, more threatening one, from a small centrist group that gathered support across the left.