French Pension Reform Sparks Violent Protests and Unrest.

Protesters clashed with police in cities across France over the government's move to raise the retirement age, with dozens of union activists briefly invading the Paris headquarters of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager. Turnout at the protests has dropped, but the demonstrations reflect the strength of public anger at President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reform, which will raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. The government's use of executive powers to pass the measure without a vote in Parliament's lower house last month intensified public anger against the reform and a president seen by many French people as elitist and out of touch.