France strikes over pension reform continue

Workers blockade oil refineries across the country. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following France strikes over pension reforms continue [Protesters gather during a demonstration in Lille, northern France, Tuesday, March 7, 2023.] Credit: Michel Spingler/AP France Workers taking part in a sixth mass protest this year have [blockaded oil refineries]( across France. They’re protesting government plans to raise the nation’s retirement age. Schools, airports and trains have also been disrupted. And the civil aviation authority has asked airlines to reduce their scheduled flights. Meanwhile, cancellations have affected Eurostar trains connecting major European capitals, including London and Amsterdam. Garbage collectors, utility workers and train drivers have [walked off the job](. Tunisia The World Bank announced that it is pausing future work with Tunisia after the president made anti-immigrant comments. The bank's outgoing President David Malpass said President Kais Saied’s statements had triggered "[racially motivated harassment]( and even violence." And the African Union has [strongly condemned]( the remarks. Several sub-Saharan countries, including Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea and Gabon, are helping their citizens return home after the controversial remarks. Japan The Japanese space agency was forced to blow up its newest rocket during a [failed launch]( on Tuesday. The H3 rocket was uncrewed but carried a satellite for observing the earth and failed minutes into its first demonstration flight. The incident [sets back efforts]( to crack a market led by Elon Musk's Space X. Officials are trying to determine the cause of the failure. Now Japan will need to build another H3 before a second test. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World ['We lost everything': African students who fled war in Ukraine continue to struggle]( [Rescue workers clear the rubble from an apartment building that was destroyed in a Russian rocket attack at a residential neighbourhood in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023.]( Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP By and large, many African countries have stayed on the sidelines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As [major importers of wheat and fertilizers]( from the two warring nations, they are reluctant to jeopardize those vital supplies by taking sides, says Olayinka Ajala, a lecturer at Leeds Beckett University in Britain. [Irish-language film 'The Quiet Girl' is up for an Oscar]( [Screenshot of “An Cailín Ciúin”]( Credit: YouTube Film director Colm Bairéad had a complicated relationship with the Irish language growing up in north Dublin in the 1980s. Today, his new film, “An Cailín Ciúin” (“The Quiet Girl”) has been Oscar nominated for [best international film](, the first time an Irish movie has ever been selected in this category. --------------------------------------------------------------- Double take Busted! A Spanish court sentenced two people to four and a half years in prison [for stealing]( nearly $1.7 million worth of fine wine from a restaurant in the city of Cáceres in western Spain. The thieves, a former Mexican beauty pageant contestant and a Romanian-Dutch man, enjoyed a 14-course meal at the Michellin Star joint and left with 45 bottles of wine after touring the establishment’s cellar. They were later caught in Croatia. As for the wine, though, it was never recovered. In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.