Bordeaux (AFP) – Thousands in the southern French cities of Bordeaux and Marseille join nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s reform to pensions after the government pushed the bill through parliament without a vote.
Adiyaman (Turkey) (AFP) – People living in tents and container housing in earthquake-stricken areas of southeastern Turkey face a new challenge after flash floods killed at least 14 people on Wednesday.
North Korea (North Korea) (AFP) – Images from North Korean state media show the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which was fired amid joint military drills conducted by the United States and South Korea.
Jenin (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Thousands of mourners and armed fighters take part in the funeral procession of four Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, in the latest deadly raid on Jenin which Israel said targeted “armed suspects”.
Paris (AFP) – “We have to get organised and we have to fight,” says a young demonstrator in a rally organised on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, after French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne deploys article 49.3 of the constitution to push through President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial reform of the pension system.
Kigali (AFP) – After being re-elected as president of FIFA until 2027, Gianni Infantino asks journalists why some of them are “so mean” and insists that world football’s governing body “is about football and not about money”. Both Infantino and FIFA have faced criticism over their defence of Qatar’s hosting of last year’s World Cup, especially in light of the Gulf state’s treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ community.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israeli protesters return to the streets to rally against proposed judicial reforms, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a compromise plan touted by the country’s president Isaac Herzog. Since Netanyahu’s hard-right government announced the reforms in January, the month after taking office, massive demonstrations have regularly taken place across Israel, with protesters arguing that the reforms threaten the country’s democracy.
Athens (AFP) – Riot police in Athens clash with protesters during a demonstration amid a 24-hour general strike to voice outrage over last month’s train disaster, which claimed 57 lives.
Beijing (AFP) – Beijing calls for the United States to stop “unreasonably suppressing” TikTok, after the popular video-sharing app said US officials had urged it to part ways with its Chinese parent ByteDance to avoid a national ban. “The US has so far failed to produce evidence that TikTok threatens US national security,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin says.
Tecoluca (El Salvador) (AFP) – A group of 2,000 inmates belonging to MS-13 and 18 gangs are transferred to a new prison built in El Salvador to accommodate more than 40,000 suspected gangsters targeted in President Nayib Bukele’s “war” on crime. Bukele has boasted that the new Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) facility is the largest mega-prison in the Americas, but rights groups have criticized it over its severe conditions.
Chaclacayo (Peru) (AFP) – “It has left me with nothing, just the clothes I’m wearing”: after heavy rains flooded his house in Chaclacayo, outside Lima, police officer Elvis Palomino can barely believe the destruction that has unfolded before his eyes. According to the country’s Civil Defense, dozens of people have died and more than 12,000 have been affected by Peru’s rainy season since September due to flooding and overflowing rivers.
Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Eintracht Frankfurt fans clash with police after arriving in Naples despite not having tickets for their team’s Champions League decider with Napoli on Wednesday. Footage broadcast by Italian media showed hundreds of supporters of the German club throwing smoke bombs and flares at police, who responded with tear gas.
