Pensions: Elisabeth Borne defended the “indispensable” project on France 2

Without going back to the highly contested raising of the retirement age to 64, Elisabeth Borne defended an “indispensable” pension reform project on France 2. However, it has shown itself open to changes in the employment of seniors or long careers. The French Prime Minister declared “it is essential to carry out a reform to preserve our pay-as-you-go pension system even if asking French people to work progressively longer is not easy.” According to the leader of the CFDT Laurent Berger, “the mobilization against pension reform must be amplified during the day of action on 7 February”.

Furthermore, as part of the review of the pension reform in the National Assembly hemicycle starting on Monday, around 20,000 amendments, including nearly 13,000 from LFI, were tabled. During the previous An attempt to reform pensions, this figure falls short of the 41,000 amendments tabled in 2020.

Antony Blinken visits China: a Chinese spy balloon flies over the United States

For several days, the Pentagon has been tracking the movements of a Chinese spy balloon flying at high altitude over United States territory and sensitive military sites. This episode revives tensions between the two rival superpowers just a few days before American Foreign Minister Antony Blinken is due to visit China.

The Pentagon has considered the possibility of shooting down the balloon, which was detected about two days ago at the request of President Joe Biden. However, a senior US defense official said the decision was made not to do so because of the risks posed by the debris to people on the ground. According to him, there is “no doubt that the balloon came from China.” According to him, measures are being taken to protect against the collection of sensitive information. For Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder, “clearly, this balloon is intended for surveillance and its current trajectory takes it over the main sensitive sites,” airbases and strategic missile silos.

Ukraine's accession to the EU: a summit brings together European representatives on Friday

Since Ukraine is a candidate for EU membership, it is hosting a summit with European representatives today. According to the Commission, this is a “strong symbol in the face of unjustified aggression” by Russia, which has recently regained ground in the East. Accompanied by the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell and fifteen European commissioners, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kiev on Thursday. Also, the President of the European Council Charles Michel is expected, for discussions aimed at Ukraine's accession to the EU, an arduous process that Kiev intends to accelerate.

IN SHORT

Before the Paris Criminal Court, two lawyers suspected of having produced false documents to innocent their client, the British drug trafficker Robert Dawes, were sentenced to prison and banned from practising their profession.

The Peruvian Parliament rejected a new proposal on Thursday. It aims to bring the elections forward to the end of this year and also provides for the holding of a referendum on a constituent assembly in the hope of calming the current wave of protests.

After a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced Iran's “headlong rush” in its nuclear program on Thursday evening. He warns Tehran that a continuation on this trajectory would not remain without “consequences.”

Brazilian authorities have announced that the Foch aircraft carrier, a former flagship of the French Navy, will be sunk in the Atlantic due to the deterioration of its hull. This is described as an “environmental crime” by NGOs.

Armand Duplantis from Sweden opened his 2023 season brilliantly by crossing 6.10 m at the indoor meeting in Uppsala (Sweden). Then, he hit the bar for a new record at 6.22 m. Noted that Duplantis is the world record holder in pole jumping.