France holds crisis talks after unrest

France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu convened an emergency cabinet session on Monday after more than 2,400 people were detained during two days of unrest across the country.

Earlier in the day, President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who had acknowledged that police had "lost control" of demonstrations, which first erupted last month over rising living costs and deteriorating conditions in schools but have now expanded.

Nearly half a million people took to the streets on Saturday, according to authorities, with organizers claiming figures closer to 800,000. Some 110,000 marched in Paris alone.

Most demonstrators gathered peacefully to protest, but the mood turned violent after masked, black-clad groups appeared among the crowds, the BBC reported.

Around 1,500 businesses were ransacked and destroyed, and police responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges. The Interior Ministry said about 1,000 officers were injured, seven of them seriously.

Vehicles were set ablaze across Paris and other cities in some of the worst disorder in years. In the central city of Limoges, flames destroyed the 19th-century town hall, in an apparent arson attack that caused its roof to collapse.

Looting was reported in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg and elsewhere. More than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured.

Addressing the nation on Sunday, Macron condemned the "shocking scenes" and those he called "dissenters" who had vandalized cities.

"Those who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable," he said.

Officials at the Elysee Palace said that Macron refused Nunez's resignation to ensure "continuous command of the law enforcement forces in the current context".

Political opponents, trade unions and critics on social media have accused Nunez of failing to prepare adequately and deploying too few officers ahead of Saturday's planned demonstrations.

Yael Braun-Pivet, president of the lower house of Parliament, has called for an inquiry into the security failures.

Speculation had mounted that Macron might impose a curfew or declare a state of emergency to restore calm. Instead, the president used his televised address to appeal for national unity and promise that perpetrators would face justice. French media criticized the speech for lacking concrete measures.

Prefects and mayors will be granted additional powers to ban gatherings, Macron announced, adding that a review would examine possible failings in intelligence or police preparedness. Sunday passed without major incident.

Protests in Albania

France was not the only country facing unrest over the weekend. In Albania, Prime Minister Edi Rama refused to resign after six days of violent anti-government protests in the capital Tirana.

Demonstrators are demanding action over poor university conditions, high tuition fees and corruption. The unrest follows earlier protests against a resort development, linked to United States President Donald Trump, in a protected area.

Police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets as crowds attacked a police station, the interior ministry, and Socialist Party headquarters with rocks and Molotov cocktails, Euronews reported.

Authorities urged protesters to distance themselves from masked agitators and assemble peacefully.

Police spokesman Albert Nushi said a Tirana police station came under attack, putting officers and those detained in custody at risk.

"An attack on a police station is not a protest. Violence against police officers, attacks on institutions, and actions that endanger human lives cannot be tolerated," he said.

Nushi called on demonstrators to avoid masked agitators and "assemble in a peaceful manner".

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