FRANCE YELLOW VESTS LATEST:  70 PERCENT APPROVAL RATING, 54 PERCENT SUPPORT CONTINUED PROTEST

While the French President Emmanuel Macron sits with a 23 percent approval rating, the Yellow Vests have a much higher approval rating.

An Elabe Institute poll for BFM-TV in France shows 70 percent approval for Yellow Vests with 54 percent favoring continuation of the protests.

Police slowed down their work in France on Wednesday to apply pressure on the government to pay the massive amount of overtime they have accumulated which totals over 20 million hours.

Union representatives met with the Interior Minister Christophe Castaner who countered with an offer of bonus payments in lieu of overtime ranging from 200 euros to 400 euros.

Late Wednesday night both sides reached agreement on a memorandum of understanding.

"We got tonight a real advance"

was the response of a police union leader Yves Lefebvre.

Salaries for police will be raised 120-150 euros per month depending on officer rank.  Master allowances of 40 euros are being granted at the beginning of 2019.

The issue of back overtime pay will be addressed in future negotiations.

(THIS STORY WAS UPDATED, EXPANDED LATE WEDNESDAY, EARLY THURSDAY)

(INFORMATION FROM BFM-TV GOOGLE TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH WAS USED)