France braces for mass protests and chaos amid cost-of-living fury

 Shop owners in Paris are putting up barricades ahead of another wave of expected protests ,  bracing for looting and arson.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to hit the streets again across France on Saturday, as students, trade unionists and remnants of the Yellow Vest movement join forces.

The initial wave of protests began last month at high schools in Paris' northern suburbs amid anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities.

The unrest is fueled by soaring living costs, strained public services, mass immigration and President Macron’s heavy spending - compounded by costly Ukraine aid, and the self-inflicted energy crisis from rejecting Russian energy that has hammered households and industry.