Macron set to offer fresh concessions

French President Emmanuel Macron was expected to offer fresh concessions to try to end the "yellow vest" protests that have rocked the country and taken a heavy toll on the economy.

Macron was set to address the nation at 1900 GMT yesterday after three weeks of anti-government demonstrations which again turned violent Saturday in Paris and other cities.

The stakes are high for the 40-year-old centrist, who has not spoken publicly about the unrest in over a week, leaving it to his government to try tamp down the anger -- much of it aimed at the president himself.

Macron is facing a "moment of truth," the Parisien newspaper said in its leading headline yesterday, warning that if he fails to appease the anger, "France will enter a dangerous period of political instability."

On the economic front, the protesters' nationwide campaign of road blockades, coupled with the looting and vandalism seen during weekend protests in Paris and other cities, has dealt a heavy blow to the retail and hospitality sector.

France's central bank yesterday halved its fourth-quarter growth forecast to just 0.2 percent from 0.4 percent -- far below the 0.8 percent growth needed to meet the government's full-year target of 1.7 percent.

"We can't recover this," Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on RTL radio yesterday. "That's the reality, for businesses, shop owners whose stores were damaged, vandalised or looted on Saturday."

Le Maire added that he was in favour of accelerating tax cuts in response to the protests -- one of the demands voiced during the past month.