Dhaka, Oct. 24 -- France is on high alert ahead of fresh nationwide demonstrations a week after the country was rocked by its worst civil unrest in decades, the BBC reports.

Despite sweeping government restrictions, hundreds of thousands of people organised by student groups, trade unions, and a resurgent gilets jaunes (yellow-vest) movement are expected to take to the streets on Saturday against a backdrop of worsening cost-of-living pressures and looming public spending cuts.

The interior ministry has deployed 70,000 police officers following sharp criticism from opposition parties over security failures during the violence on Oct 17.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned that authorities would be "uncompromising with the vandals, w...