[JURIST] French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin [official website; press release] said that despite widespread protests he remains committed to a proposed labor law that will make it easier for companies to fire workers under the age of 26. Villepin said in a national TV interview [TF1 recorded video] Sunday that the new law will create incentives for firms to hire young people by ensuring them that they will be able to layoff new workers if profits unexpectedly wane.

About 200 protesters took part in a student sit-in on Friday that forced riot police to storm [AP report] the historic Sorbonne University in Paris. Altogether, about 400,000 people joined protests over the weekend, most of them peaceful. Youth unemployment in France currently stands at 23%, and runs as high and as high as 50% in some Paris suburbs. AP has more.