France's new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu promised a "profound break" with the past on Wednesday as he faced the thorny task of trying to build a government with enough parliamentary support to avoid an early demise.
Lecornu's first day on the job coincided with street protests across France in a show of grassroots opposition to President Emmanuel Macron, which resulted in clashes with police and dozens of arrests, as well as some disruption to transport, schools and other services.