France: Constitutional Council scraps pension referendum bid

We take a look at how the French papers are covering incidents of police brutality towards protesters. We also look at the parallels and differences between protests in France and Israel. The papers are also discussing a daylight savings time dispute in Lebanon.

The Constitutional Council has the power to scrap all or parts of the bill it deems unconstitutional. Emmanuel Macron's government passed the bill by decree, saying France can no longer afford to let people retire at 62.

Multiple French papers are digging into audio recordings of Saturday's protest against water reservoirs, namely of first responders saying they were told not to go in and help wounded protesters. We also look at the state of India’s democracy and if it could change the world in the next decade.

King Charles III has cancelled his state visit to France due to ongoing industrial unrest, but the fact that he had chosen the country for his first such trip is a sign that UK-France relations are getting back on track, after years on bickering over Brexit.

Lined by magnificent French castles frozen in time, the Loire is nicknamed the royal river, with its breathtaking views of these jewels of Renaissance architecture. But the river is also a place to escape, to get back to nature and to discover a lesser-known heritage. In Chaumont-sur-Loire, an association is bringing traditional flat-bottomed boats back to life, in order to offer tourists an exceptional view of the region's castles.

President Emmanuel Macron's first high-profile trip in weeks was to a picturesque Alpine village — far from Paris' currently restless streets. He said he his government must "continue working," despite the protests.

A photo of an elderly Frenchman, battered and bloody from nationwide pension reform protests, is circulating online – but so are rumours that it's created by artificial intelligence. We take a closer look and also verify a viral photo of Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket, in this edition of Truth or Fake with Vedika Bahl.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin denied allegations of brute force used by police officers against protesters but said that some officers are under investigation.

President Emmanuel Macron said a draft bill on "end-of-life" care will be prepared by summer. A citizen's council charged with debating the issue recently came out in favor of allowing some form of assisted dying.

France's greenhouse gas emissions are down for the first time since the post-Covid spike. Cipeta, the institution that measures carbon emissions, reports that they were reduced by 2.5 percent in 2022 compared with the previous year.

Anti-pension reform protesters again flooded the streets of cities around France on the 11th day of organized action against the unpopular proposal.

As the "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" exhibition opens in Paris, we bring you a special show dedicated to the celebrated king who ruled the Egyptian empire over 3,000 years ago. The exhibition's centrepiece is the pharaoh's sarcophagus, which is on special loan to France. It's a gesture of recognition from Egyptian authorities after French scientists saved the mummy of Ramses II from a devastating fungus in 1976.