France unrest, Canada military base, Pope Leo and Siberian bears

Hi, I'm Tara Oakes in London. It's Sunday, October 18th. Today, a serious incident causes a major fire at a Canadian military base. Mass protests in France spiral into the worst violence in years. And in Yemen's besieged Taiz, families take shelter as Houthis close in. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Join for just $20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer, new members only. BJ's, home of the save. First to some developing news from Canada, where people have been killed and injured in a serious incident that resulted in a fire on one of Canada's busiest military bases. Defence Minister David McGinty has confirmed the incident in Alberta, but did not say how people were killed or injured. Or what caused the situation at the base, where a major fire is still burning at the time of recording. Stay across Reuters.com and the Reuters app for the latest on what we know so far. It's like a war zone here. That's Dutch tourist Thierry de Boer in Paris, saying protests forced him and his family to evacuate their hotel. Clashes broke out between demonstrators and police across France on Saturday, as more than half a million people took to the streets to denounce the rising cost of living. While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, looted luxury boutiques and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers. In Limoges, workers assessed the damage to the 143-year-old city hall, which was partially destroyed in an arson attack. The unrest has increased pressure on President Emmanuel Macron and his government, with the presidential election due next year. Prime Minister Sébastien Le Corneuil says the government will not be intimidated by violence, and blames the unrest on what he calls the ultra-left and criminals. Reuters' Laila Faroodi was on the streets of Paris. The student protest started in the poor suburbs of Paris, but has now become a national movement that is even going beyond the demands around education. People here have been talking about generally asking for more money to be invested in the public service, and contesting the rising cost of living. Laila Faroodi says allegations of police violence have become a lightning rod for public anger after a number of demonstrators were injured. One teenager lost his hand after picking up a stun grenade. Many protesters here today have come to denounce the police violence and the repression that the student movement has been met with over the last few weeks. There has been more than 8,000 arrests and many injuries of students, some of them irreversible. French authorities say more than 900 police officers have also been injured in the protests. Crowds cheering there at the Vatican as Pope Leo appeared, his first public event since undergoing surgery for lung cancer earlier this week. He thanked people for their prayers and says he will resume his normal schedule. Now to Yemen, where, in the city of Taiz, Reuters met 42-year-old Ali Hassan at his school where displaced families are sheltering. He says his family has fled multiple times as front lines shifted across the province. They're living under a stairwell. Taiz is once again at the center of the country's civil war. Houthi forces are tightening their siege around the city. Aid agencies say more than 120,000 people have been displaced in Taiz alone. And the World Health Organization warns some hospitals have just days of fuel left. Middle East lead writer Angus McDowell says the city is rapidly emerging as the most important battlefront in Yemen's civil war. Strategically, it's absolutely crucial. It's the last major urban stronghold held by pro-government forces in the southern part of Yemen's highlands. And that's an area which commands the heights over the Red Sea coastal plain running down to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is itself crucial for global oil supplies, and the Indian Ocean coastal plain, which is also crucial for global oil supplies, and the Indian Ocean coastal plain, which is also crucial for global oil supplies, and the Indian Ocean coastal plain, which is also crucial for global oil supply. Age groups also warn if the Houthis take the city, it could make an already dire humanitarian crisis even worse. But for families like Hassan's, the question isn't where the fighting goes next, it's where they'll sleep tonight. But for families like Hassan's, the question isn't where the fighting goes next. On PrizePix, you can make all the picks you want, all in the same app. And now, PrizePix is available nationwide. So what are you waiting for? Download the PrizePix app today and use code SPOTIFYED, that's code SPOTIFYED, to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. PrizePix, run your game. Must be present in certain states. Visit prizepix.com for restrictions and details. Trump is preparing for another week of campaigning for congressional Republicans, trying to win over both battleground states and states traditionally considered safe red states. This time next week, he'll be in Michigan, where our correspondent Eric Cox has been talking to locals about what's top of mind, heading to November 3rd. Michigan is a key battleground for November's midterm elections. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are fighting for a Senate seat that could help determine the direction of Washington. I've spoken to a lot of voters here in Michigan, and one issue rises above the rest. There is no middle class anymore when you look at it. You got the rich and you got the poor. That's 80-year-old Lennon McLaughlin, who says he's worried about the economic divide in his community. President Trump's influence looms large over this race. While Rogers largely aligns with the president's agenda, he breaks ranks by calling for an end to the tariff war and the conflict in Iran. Meanwhile, El-Sayed is pushing a progressive platform that includes Medicare for all and curbing corporate power. The war in Gaza and America's support for Israel, another flashpoint. El-Sayed opposes U.S. military aid to Israel, while Rogers supports continued assistance. With stark differences on the economy, Trump, and the war in Gaza, these candidates are offering voters competing visions for the country. And with control of the Senate at stake, Michigan could not only decide who represents their state, but what comes next for America as a whole. In China, the push to boost food security and rely less on foreign exports has forced companies to invest in new technology. And now, they're producing more than the country can consume. The solution? Unloading it abroad. But the surge in cheap Chinese protein is drawing scrutiny from Western producers and regulators. It signals fresh trade friction. Daphne Zhang and Louis Jackson have been knocking into it. It's a pattern similar to what we've seen in autos, solar, and steel. Huge overcapacity at home has forced these companies to go abroad to look for new markets. And now they're undercutting rivals in Asia and Europe. For consumers in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, and China, it's kind of like a benefit to them because they are increasingly going to have cheaper products. It's at a price point that a lot of Western producers can't match. So they like it. But the competitors, you know, at the same time, they're complaining about the inconsistent quality. The reputation of Chinese products certainly has improved in the last 10 years. But of course, it still lingers in a lot of buyers' mind about, you know, the food safety issues and like that. But at the same time, producers told us, when your chicken product is $1,000 cheaper per ton compared with Brazil and Thai chicken, you know, those buyers, those dealers in Middle Eastern countries, they'll come to you. So it's a very interesting dynamic at this time. In a Siberian snow forest, hunters stalk a brown bear before shooting and killing it. But it's been a long time since a black bear has been killed in a snow forest. But I think it's been a long time since a black bear has been killed in a snow forest. ring, according to state media. Several of them were in the Krasnoyarsk region, where local hunters have decided to take action. Mikhail Kondakov is one of them. He's crouching in the grass, cradling his rifle and feeling the fur of a dead bear in front of him. There are now over 300,000 brown bears in Russia, more than double the population 30 years ago. Experts cited in Russian media say an early, dry spring meant fewer berries for them to eat and they were forced to look further afield for food. Podtisovo resident Yulia Markova says people initially felt sorry for the bears, but after the killings, that changed. YULIA MARKOVA, Podtisovo resident: We've been living in the wild for almost two months now. Hank joined BJ's Wholesale Club the day he became a father of 30. I coach football. Now Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices, 30 pounds of pasta, three cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks. And that's just pregame. He knows teamwork, and BJ's knows savings. This is your home, Coach, home of the save. Join for just $20 at BJs.com/Mosquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. 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