French Strikers Renew Pressure on Macron to Axe Pension Plan

On International Women’s Day in Paris, tens of thousands of people marched in protest of the French Parliament’s proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, as reported by the Associated Press. Activists say that the law will exacerbate the current 15.8 percent annual salary disparity between French women and men. French unions have shown the most defiant resistance to the proposed law, organizing to partially shut down transportation by plane and train in major cities. The French Senate voted Thursday to pass the bill, which will then move to a mediation with the National Assembly. Macron still lacks a majority in the National Assembly, which is needed for parliament to turn the bill into law.

Iran Supreme Leader Orders Punishment for Schoolgirl Poisonings

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for the “harshest punishments” against the perpetrators of chemical WORLD attacks against Iranian schoolgirls but did not indicate who was responsible, per Al Jazeera. In the past six months, several thousand Iranian schoolgirls experienced symptoms of chemical poisoning, and hundreds have been hospitalized. The poisonings may have been committed as backlash against protests led by female activists in response to the Iranian morality police’s deadly enforcement of dress codes. Iranian leaders initially dismissed reports of the attacks as “mass hysteria,” but officials now seem to be formulating a res.

Thousands Protested Against Georgia’s Foreign Agent Bill

Outrage against the nation of Georgia’s foreign agent bill, which was rejected by the country’s ruling party yesterday, led to the arrests of over 60 protestors, the injuring of dozens of police officers and several protestors, and the assault of a member of the opposition party by a progovernment parliament member. According to BBC World News, the bill “would [have] required non-governmental and media organisations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to declare themselves as foreign agents” or face punitive measures. Opponents argued that the legislation would have placed Georgia under the influence of Russia, which passed a similar law in 2012. Protestors claimed Russia was attempting to suppress the influence of Western organizations to prevent Georgia from joining the European Union. Russia invaded and annexed 20 percent of Georgia in 2008 to block the nation’s bid for membership in NATO.

Russian Forces Claim Victory at Bakhmut

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner Group, a mercenary army privately contracted by the Kremlin, claims that Russia has taken the entirety of Bakhmut east of the Bakhmutka River — close to half of the city — as reported by Reuters. U.S. intelligence supports this claim. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy vowed not to give up the town easily and recently sent troops to defend the city’s western portion. The Wagner Group and Russian forces have been struggling to capture the town of Bakhmut since last July in the bloodiest battle of the Ukraine War.