BBC News

President Emmanuel Macron vowed to punish those responsible after violent protests across France, with at least 1,200 arrests and more than half a million people taking to the streets. In Paris there were running battles, buildings and cars set alight and shops looted, while part of a 19th-century city hall in Le Mans collapsed, the tourism office in Lyon was burned and the town hall in Marseille was stormed. The protests were against the cost of living, public services and educational standards; Jean-Luc Mélenchon condemned looting and arson but accused police of heavy-handed tactics, and Marine Le Pen said legitimate social concerns had been hijacked by the hard left. A Reuters correspondent described mostly peaceful demonstrations during the day and violence at the end, and said the unrest was already politicised ahead of next May's presidential election.

In Albania, riot police and protesters clashed late into the night in Tirana on the fifth consecutive day of student-led demonstrations over poor education facilities, the cost of living and alleged corruption. Demonstrators threw rocks, petrol bombs and metal objects, police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon, and buildings including the courthouse and banks were set ablaze; the Health Ministry said 35 people, including 18 police officers, were hurt and more than 160 were arrested. In the US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Trump's decision to waive sanctions against Russia, saying a 60-day period was needed to assess sanctions and tariffs on countries including India and the effect on the global and US economies, energy supplies and allies. A White House reporter said the move was being justified as potentially economically beneficial but had not addressed lawmakers' concerns that it could give Vladimir Putin an economic lifeline and pressure Ukraine.

France demanded Israel crack down on criminal violence after European diplomats observing the olive harvest in the occupied West Bank were attacked by settlers; video showed masked settlers confronting a convoy from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church near Ramallah. Belgium condemned the assault and called for those responsible to be brought to justice, and the attack came a day after Palestinians and a Washington Post photographer were injured in a separate settler assault; the US ambassador to Israel called the attack on the American photojournalist a despicable act of terror by masked cowards and urged prosecution. Organisers of the anti-Trump No Kings movement said Meta suspended their primary Instagram account as thousands of demonstrations were held across the US; Meta apologised and said access was disabled in error, while the day of protest urged Americans to vote early in the upcoming midterm elections. Pope Leo was expected to give the traditional blessing in St Peter's Square a day after leaving hospital, where doctors removed part of a lung including a growth confirmed as cancerous; there was no word yet on tests to see if the cancer had spread.