French government pushes through pension reform plan despite protests

Opposition lawmakers in France's National Assembly booed and jeered as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced she was pushing through controversial pension reforms as it looked clear the government did not have the support to win the planned vote.

Deputies began singing the Marseillaise, the French national anthem, in an attempt to drown her out as she criticized what she called deliberate blocking tactics by some deputies during the debates.

"We cannot gamble on the future of our pensions, this reform is necessary," Borne told lawmakers, to explain why she was invoking special constitutional powers to see the bill passed, after it seemed clear that the lower house would not reach agreement by the afternoon deadline.