French police used tear gas against protesters on Saturday as authorities tightened security in cities across the country, seeking to prevent a repeat of the violence that followed last week’s demonstrations over the rising cost of living.

In Lyon, officers dispersed roughly 150 people after they made a brief attempt to block a road near the city centre, an area where protests had been prohibited.

“The police are extremely mobile. They move in and break up marches before they have even started,” said a 21-year-old student who took part in the protest.

Police elsewhere confiscated weapons and gas masks before the demonstrations began, while shopkeepers prepared for possible unrest. Around 70,000 riot officers were deployed nationwide.

The authorities are under intense pressure to restore order after being accused of losing control in several cities last weekend. They are also facing questions over crowd-control methods after a number of teenagers suffered serious injuries.

Last weekend’s protests descended into violence in parts of France. Town halls were targeted, stores were looted, and fires damaged Lyon’s tourist information centre and the town hall in Limoges.

Police appeared outnumbered as the unrest grew beyond initial anger over school conditions, drawing in people frustrated by the cost-of-living crisis and broader dissatisfaction with the government.

About 135 people had been arrested across France by Saturday.

In Paris, officers seized a significant quantity of “prohibited materials” ahead of the weekend protests, including knives, gas masks, an angle grinder, a katana, batons and goggles.

Several arrests were also made. The Paris prefecture said officers had carried out “massive checks” to discourage people with “bad intentions” from travelling to the capital.

Members of the gilets jaunes, or yellow vest movement, joined students and trade unionists on the streets. President Emmanuel Macron, however, announced this week that authorities would take a tougher approach to permitted protests.

He said only demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions will be allowed to go ahead today, and cities including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier have banned protests from taking place today completely.

Meanwhile in Orléans, up to 40,000 people are expected to gather to protest against the country’s hard-right party Rassemblement National, which has a two-day conference in the city.

Shopkeepers have boarded up their premises in Paris and other cities, while some areas have been in partial curfews.

Major tourist attractions including the Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums are all closed, while a home game for PSG has been moved until Monday and a number of metro stations are shut. 

Regardless of the crackdown by Mr Macron, hundreds of demonstrations are still expected today, with a website associated with the gilets jaunes listing 500 protests and 200 other actions. 

In Orléans, shops were boarded up, roads sealed off and 3,000 police and gendarmes deployed as the city, 70 miles south of Paris, braced for potential trouble. 

Protesters descended on the city early in the morning as the RN’s Marine Le Pen and her party president Jordan Bardella hold a two-day congress this weekend to officially launch their campaign to capture the French presidency next year.

The protest march, originally due to start outside the city’s Gothic cathedral, has been rerouted away from the historic centre of Orléans, while riot police have been deployed in force to keep the two rival camps apart. 

In Paris, soldiers from an anti-terrorism military unit patrolled the Champs-Elysees avenue while police vans circled the Arc de Triomphe, looking to protect some of the capital’s most famous sites from any repeat of the unrest that shook France last week. 

Police said more than 100 protesters and residents were injured in Paris last Saturday. Authorities have not released a nationwide injury tally. About 2,400 people were arrested across France that day.

Officers have also faced criticism after a 17-year-old girl lost an eye while participating in a protest in Mulhouse last Saturday, while a 17-year-old boy lost a hand in Saint-Etienne. Other teenagers have suffered disabling injuries during weeks of high school blockades and street demonstrations.

And today, an investigation was opened after a photographer was severely injured in the leg by a police grenade in central Paris last Saturday.

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French police forces are equipped with batons, tear gas, sound grenades and foam-round launchers, as well as riot shields equipped with powerful strobe lights designed to disorient protesters.

‘Intermediate-force weapons are defensive response tools that allow law enforcement officers to respond to a threat in a graduated and proportionate manner,’ French National Police said in a statement.

But critics, including families of injured teenagers, say the police have been too heavy-handed.

Some have called for bans on foam-round launchers, tear gas and stun grenades, echoing demands made by human rights groups since the violent 2018 gilets jaunes – ‘yellow vest’ – protests.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International called for a permanent ban on all stun grenades, saying they are designed to shock, disorient and sow panic, and that some can cause permanent hearing loss and life-changing injuries from blasts and shrapnel.

The use of such weapons reflects a broader shift in French policing toward keeping officers at a distance from protesters, said Jean-Marie Godard, an author specializing in France’s internal security.

In the early 2000s, France’s conservative government moved away from community policing, which emphasized foot patrols and engagement with residents, toward specialized riot-control units.

People across France’s political spectrum regret abandoning the community policing model, Mr Godard said.

French policing today differs from that in many other European countries, according to Laura Keesmann, a sociologist at the University of Antwerp who led a wide-ranging comparative study of policing methods in France, the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden. In the other countries studied, police often engage directly with demonstrators, sometimes mingling with crowds to defuse tensions, she said.

‘That is just really, really not the case in France,’ she said. ‘There’s much more of an authoritarian way of policing.’

Ms Keesmann stressed, however, that French police face unusually militant and sometimes violent protesters.

On the eve of last Saturday’s protests, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said his instructions were ‘very clear: the police and gendarmes should be able to use the entirety of the intermediate weapons at their disposal’.

France has more than 250,000 national police officers and gendarmes. Police generally operate in cities, while gendarmes usually cover rural areas and smaller towns. Both forces fall under the Interior Ministry, which said 997 officers and gendarmes were injured during Saturday’s unrest, seven of them seriously.

Mr Godard said protest movements have become increasingly decentralised as labor unions have lost influence over demonstrations, drawing a wider range of participants, including radical groups.

French authorities have blamed much of the recent violence on far-Left radicals, accusing them of orchestrating clashes with police and targeting public buildings. Others took advantage of the unrest to loot businesses, authorities said.

While protests in France have claimed most international attention, Milan is among the many other European cities where protests are also scheduled Saturday, from Portugal to Albania.

Premier Giorgia Meloni announced a raft of measures, including sending an additional 500 soldiers to Milan, and tougher penalties for minors, who police said made up a large part of the violent protesters.

The 500 soldiers come in addition to hundreds already stationed there, and will support about 5,000 police and other law enforcement personnel. 

Authorities are conducting drone surveillance, checks at railway stations, rapid-response units and online monitoring for potential calls to violence. 

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said he is concerned about a repeat of violence this weekend and expressed support for the deployment of more soldiers.

Rioters last weekend smashed their way into stores, targeting sneakers, athletic wear and sporting goods on streets that run off the city’s central Duomo square.

Officials said security measures on Saturday would extend beyond the city center amid concerns protesters could move into other neighborhoods to evade heavily policed areas.

Valter Mazzetti, secretary general of the Fsp police union, told The Associated Press that soldiers could provide immediate reinforcements, but not resolve police staffing shortages, noting that managing demonstrations requires specialized police training.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in a social media post that the troops lacked key tools available for public-order operations, and that soldiers were only recently allowed to use plastic restraint ties and only in areas around train stations, not throughout the city. They are not authorized to carry pepper spray or tasers, he said.

Milan police say last week’s violence and looting involved about 2,000 very young protesters, a large number of whom were ‘naturalized, second-generation Italians,’ alongside foreign nationals. Over two days, police arrested 45 people, 34 of them minors.

Milan’s welfare councilor Lamberto Bertolé told the AP that more investigation is needed to understand the backgrounds and motives of the young people who joined the looting.

‘Many young people increasingly lack a sense of belonging and prospects for the future. Part of our society feels excluded, amid social and economic inequalities,’ said Bertolé, a member of the center-left Democratic Party.

Security was also heightened in Rome, where authorities locked down luxury shopping streets and stepped up controls around the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo ahead of planned demonstrations, including one by right-wing students.

An anti-war march is scheduled to start in the early afternoon at the central Piazza della Repubblica, and there are concerns over possible infiltration by violent groups.

Organizers sought to distance themselves from potential unrest, urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and hands visible.

Aside from Rome and Milan, demonstrations have been called in at least seven other cities. The newly formed ‘October 17 Movement’ has been the main driver alongside student federations, grassroots trade unions, and anti-war coalitions.

Strictly Come Dancing star Delta Goodrem has become emotional while documenting her painful rib injury in a candid video.

The 41-year-old singer was forced to miss last week’s show after doctors instructed her to rest.

Because the injury left her unable to train, Delta was given a pass into the next round of the competition.

Strictly confirmed earlier this week that Delta had returned to rehearsals and was ready to make her comeback.

Ahead of her return to the dancefloor tonight, October 24, the singer revealed more about the extent of her injury in an emotional video shared on Instagram.

Filmed over several days, the footage opened with Delta in hospital on the Sunday after she was injured.

“This is very painful. I’m praying that this is OK. I’m feeling a little nauseous from the pain,” she said.

The video then moved to Monday, when Delta fought back tears as she explained: “They explained that it is fracturing my rib, which I feel very, very gutted about.

“Hopefully I’ll get back next week. That’s the plan.

“Thanks everyone for the support. I’m just super disappointed.”

In footage recorded on Tuesday, the singer broke down in tears as she faced the camera, eventually resting her head in her hands.

Following the emotional moment, Delta appeared more upbeat in the days that followed as she gradually began walking and spent time catching up with her professional partner, Kai Widdrington.

The pair were later shown back in training, with Delta telling her fans that she was “so happy to be back”.

In the caption accompanying the post, Delta wrote: “I filmed little moments over the past two weeks to remind myself that even on the frustrating days, there would be progress.

“I was gutted when the injury happened as I’ve been truly loving this experience so much. It’s hard to be patient when you want to be full force again, but I’ve been listening, taking things carefully and learning to appreciate the small steps!”

‘Heading into show day feeling grateful to be able to take a few more tonight with all the incredible help from everyone around me.

‘To all my warriors out there in your own battles i see you and am with you – we are fighters! #Teamdeltakai will see you tonight.’

Strictly shared the news Delta was back in rehearsals with her dance partner Kai on Instagram on Monday as they shared a sweet selfie of the pair. 

They captioned the post: ‘Following her bye last week due to injury, we’re delighted to confirm Delta has been given the all clear to dance again this weekend.

‘She’ll return to the ballroom on Saturday night, and Abi Clarke will pop into her rehearsal room for a chat on Training Room Diaries on Wednesday evening.’

Fans were delighted by the news and wrote in the comments: ‘That’s my girl @deltagoodrem so happy for you’

The Sydney-born star managed to perform a Salsa during week three of the competition, keeping her top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive week.

But it was only hours after the live broadcast that she was taken to hospital as she struggled to sleep through her pain.

Doctors ordered Delta to rest, as well as sleep upright to aid her recovery.

Long-established Strictly rules state that a contestant is allowed one free pass before they have to withdraw from the competition. 

On Saturday night, the hosts addressed the Australian star’s absence.

Emma Willis told how it was ‘such a shame’ for her to be missing out on Icon’s Week, as she explained to viewers what happened and reiterated that the rules meant she’d be able to dance again next week. 

Meanwhile, Johannes Radebe added: ‘Delta my darling, I know you’re watching at home, we’re all sending you so much love!’

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it received a letter in 2019 outlining “a number of claims” concerning Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle.

The Duchess of Sussex said on Friday that she was warned in 2018, shortly after her marriage to Prince Harry, about “troubling and disturbing” allegations involving her father.

Meghan said police showed her a letter detailing the allegations, which influenced her decision to prevent Thomas Markle from having contact with her family.

The Met had previously said officers were attempting to locate a letter received in 2018, while sources maintained that the force had never formally investigated Mr Markle.

On Friday, the Sussexes said they retained a copy of the document and would provide it to police if officers were unable to find their own record.

The Met has now backed Meghan’s account and said it is examining how the matter was handled.

In a statement released on Saturday, a police spokesperson said: “Following a thorough review of Met Police systems and records, we have confirmed that in January 2019, we received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom.

“It was sent to the MPS Protection Command to raise concerns about the security of the Duchess of Sussex.

“The letter was reviewed, and it was decided that it should be passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.

“The MPS is reviewing how the matter was handled in 2019 and considering whether it should be referred to the IOPC for an assessment of our approach.”

Meghan’s announcement about the letter’s “troubling and disturbing” contents made headlines around the world on Friday.

She said the allegations were why she had kept her father out of her life, explaining that she wanted to protect Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, from potential harm.

The duchess described feeling “deep distress” over allegations she said were “more sickening than one could ever imagine”. She added: “My thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.”

Meghan, 45, said she hoped the public would now understand that ending her relationship with Mr Markle and preventing him from contacting her children was motivated by one reason: protecting them.

Her statement came shortly after reports emerged that her father was under investigation in the Philippines over allegations that he had stored child-sex images.

One image reportedly provided to police allegedly depicted Mr Markle having sex with a girl who appeared to be underage.

The Sun reported that the alleged collection included an old 35mm film negative showing a bearded man, believed possibly to be Mr Markle, now 82, on a bed with an Asian girl. Another image reportedly showed the same man—thought to have been in his late 40s or early 50s—partly concealed by the girl’s arm.

Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, gave police four large boxes of material recovered from their father’s former home in Cebu City, Philippines.

Thomas Jr spent more than nine hours formally submitting the material, which he claims contains ‘hundreds, if not thousands’ of obscene images. 

Mr Markle has vehemently denied the allegations so far and is yet to comment on the latest accusations. 

Markle Jr, told police there that he had found horrifying photos of naked youngsters in boxes belongings to their father, who branded the claims ‘sick lies’ made up by his son for money.

The mystery deepened when sources at the Metropolitan Police revealed it had not carried out any investigation into Mr Markle, either in 2018 or since, and that officers were trying to trace the letter his daughter mentioned.

A Met spokesman said: ‘We are aware of media reports that officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command were involved in the passing on of a letter in 2018.

‘We are undertaking inquiries internally in an effort to confirm this.’

Meghan’s statement did not specify exactly when in 2018 the letter was sent to the police or when it was subsequently shared with her. She married Prince Harry in May that year.

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Other unanswered questions include who sent the letter to the Yard, who assured the duchess that it was being investigated, and which police force had investigated her father if not the Met?

The latest drama unfolded after Tom Jr, 60, told police in the Philippines he had discovered ‘hundreds, if not thousands’ of child-sex images in four large boxes ‘left behind’ at his 82-year-old father’s home, where he had been living until earlier this year.

Tom Jr allegedly saw a computer screensaver with ‘hundreds’ of disturbing thumbnail images, videos of girls under 12 involved in sex acts, and ‘old books that turned out to be full of naked little girls’.

He said he was ‘horrified’ and ‘had no option but to report my dad’, first contacting the FBI in America and the US Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

This week, he took the material to police in the Philippine city of Cebu, accompanied by Sun journalists.

Mr Markle is now under investigation by a child-sex abuse task force in Cebu, with the FBI also poised to join the probe now that he is living in the US in a nursing and rehab centre in Florida.

A source close to Meghan was quoted in The Sun saying: ‘Now maybe people will finally understand why she has had nothing to do with her father since 2018.’

On Friday, Mr Markle told the Mail that the accusations were ‘sick lies’, adding: ‘I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of.

‘It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.’

Speaking exclusively to this paper, he challenged his son’s account. He claimed the computers had not been in his possession since he left Rosarito, Mexico, in January 2025 and moved to the Philippines ‘for a fresh start’.

Asked by the Mail, ‘Did you download porn on to your computers?’, Mr Markle said: ‘Never. Never. Never. I have never done that.’ Authorities in the Philippines confirmed they were investigating. Interior minister Jonvic Remulla said Tom Jr had given police evidence including a laptop.

Meghan and her father had a very public falling-out before her marriage after he posed for paparazzi pictures on the eve of her wedding to Prince Harry.

Within days he had two heart attacks and was unable to walk her down the aisle.

The Sussexes left the UK in 2020, but returned this month.

In her statement, Meghan said: ‘I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. 

‘That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.

‘I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them.

‘I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families. Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.’

The FBI said it was ‘aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities. We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of US law’.

A source close to the Royal Family said: ‘This is a matter for the Sussex household.’

On Friday, The Sun reported that the letter sent to the Met in 2018 alleged Mr Markle sexually abused a child. The author also claimed Mr Markle had admitted travelling to Thailand and the Philippines to abuse children.

Annie Knight has opened up about her family plans with new husband Henry Brayshaw, revealing that the couple may wait until 2028 before having children. She also acknowledged that motherhood could eventually prompt her to leave her highly profitable adult-content career.

The 29-year-old social media personality recently married Henry, but the couple are taking their time before expanding their family.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Annie explained that children are part of their long-term plans. For now, however, she wants to pursue several significant professional opportunities.

“We definitely want kids, but it’s probably more of a 2028 plan,” Annie said. “I have some major work opportunities coming up next year, and there are things we want to accomplish professionally before starting a family.”

She also admitted that continuing to create adult content while raising children may not be realistic, meaning she could ultimately retire from the industry.

Annie is already developing new businesses and pursuing other sources of income, potentially giving her the financial flexibility to step away from adult content when the time is right.

“I’m starting a business and have plenty of opportunities in front of me. Having a child right now would probably be a little chaotic,” she said. “We absolutely want kids, but we’re prepared to wait.”

“It will depend on where I am in life when we have children. If I’ve built up different income streams and have other opportunities, I could see myself giving up my adult-content career.”

Annie was frank about the intensity of her current workload, saying the demands of motherhood could make it challenging to remain active in the industry.

“It’s much more demanding than people realise. The work is physically, mentally and emotionally intense,” she said. “If I have a child, keeping up with all of that could become difficult.”

The couple held their wedding at the picturesque Valley Estate in Currumbin Valley before travelling to the Philippines for a relaxing honeymoon.

Alongside sharing details about married life, Annie addressed reports about a bridesmaid who was removed from the wedding after an alleged disagreement.

“It was someone I had met within the last five years,” Annie clarified. “It wasn’t anyone from the Stan show I appeared on.”

She also revealed more about her fast-moving relationship with Henry, explaining that they only officially became a couple in March 2025.

Annie previously said Henry became jealous after seeing her flirt with US influencer Ryan Pownall during a trip to Los Angeles, before the pair had begun dating.

“I had been in love with Henry since meeting him years earlier. We went to dinner with Ryan, and the following night I went out with Henry. He asked me to be his girlfriend, and two days later he proposed,” Annie recalled.

‘I was so surprised and happy, it didn’t feel real!’

Annie’s wedding also made headlines after she spoke about Henry’s estranged  father, cricket legend James Brayshaw, missing the ceremony.

She previously expressed her ‘immense sadness’ that certain family members were absent from the big day, but insisted the estrangement between Henry and his father predated their relationship.

‘Henry hasn’t had a relationship with his dad for over three years, long before we were together. Their estrangement has nothing to do with me,’ she said.

‘That is a personal family matter, it has nothing to do with me. People assume that he has decided not to be a part of Henry’s life because of me… that is just not true!’

While Annie wished James had been there for his son, she acknowledged the circumstances made his absence understandable. 

‘Do I wish that Henry’s dad had been there? Yeah! In another world, for Henry’s sake, absolutely. But given where Henry’s relationship is now, it wouldn’t have been the right time.’

Instead, she said the support of Henry’s mother, Sarah, and his two brothers meant everything to the couple. 

‘What mattered most was that Henry’s mum Sarah and his two brothers were there. That meant the world to us,’ she continued.

‘We still talk about Sarah’s 12-minute speech and how much she loves Henry and me.’ 

Annie added that she hoped Henry and James could eventually reconcile, and that she would support her husband if they decided to rebuild their relationship.