Riot police clashed with protesters for a second night in Paris as demonstrations continued against the government’s plans to raise the French pension age.

The growing unrest since the start of the year, which has resulted in a wave of strikes and rubbish piling up on the streets of the French capital, has left President Emmanuel Macron with the gravest challenge to his authority since the so-called “Gilets Jaunes” or “Yellow Vest” protests of December 2018.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Fang Bingxing - considered the 'father of China's Great Firewall', are joining OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk in raising concerns regarding the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI).

"We’ve got to be careful here," the 37-year-old Altman told ABC News last week, adding "I think people should be happy that we are a little bit scared of this."

"I’m particularly worried that these models could be used for large-scale disinformation ... Now that they’re getting better at writing computer code, [they] could be used for offensive cyber-attacks."

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad continues to be brought "in from the cold" and back into the Arab regional fold at rapid pace, with Reuters confirming on Thursday the prior rumors that Saudi Arabia and Syria were on the brink of fully restoring diplomatic ties. They will now reopen embassies - a huge step. Is a return to the Arab League next?

"Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen their embassies after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus's return to the Arab fold," Reuters reports.

The FTC explains on its website: "You get a call. There's a panicked voice on the line. It's your grandson.

"He says he's in deep trouble — he wrecked the car and landed in jail. But you can help by sending money.

"You take a deep breath and think. You've heard about grandparent scams.

"But darn, it sounds just like him. How could it be a scam? Voice cloning, that's how."

The Pentagon has admitted it is worried about growing Chinese influence in Mauritius amid warnings that plans by the United Kingdom to return a chain of islands to the Indian Ocean nation could undermine the security of the vital military base on Diego Garcia.

Rep. Mike Waltz, Republican chairman of the House military readiness subcommittee, wrote to the Department of Defense in December seeking assurances that any deal would not allow China to encroach on the U.S. base.

That could have a 'catastrophic' impact on U.S. military reach, he said at the time.

Thousands of Israeli protesters have taken to the streets, blocked main roads with some being arrested across the occupied territories in what they call “A Day of Paralysis” to protest plans by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right cabinet to overhaul the regime’s judicial system.

Protest organizers began a fresh day of demonstrations on Thursday, with dozens of large gatherings expected to draw as many as half a million people to the streets in major cities, on highways and outside the residences of the members of the coalition cabinet.

A group of Israeli military reservists unveiled banners on the statue of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, at the entrance to the coastal city of Herzliya.

The euro area won’t be able to recover massive terms-of-trade losses incurred by rising energy prices, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde explained, during a conference at Frankfurt’s Goethe University on Wednesday.

According to the head of the bloc's regulator, the cost of those losses must ultimately be shared between firms and workers.

“And it is important that there is fair burden-sharing between them, with both accepting that they cannot fully recover the income that the euro area has paid to the rest of the world and the ensuing loss of output,” Lagarde explained.

She added that the Eurozone has been hit by an inflation shock that is currently working its way through the entire economy.

The Indian government has ordered the removal of security barricades placed outside the United Kingdom's mission and High Commissioner Alex Ellis' residence in New Delhi in protest against an attack on its diplomatic mission in London.

In retaliation for the UK police's inaction regarding an act of vandalism at the Indian High Commission in London by Khalistani extremists earlier this week, the security outside the mission and the residence of the High Commissioner were removed on Wednesday.

On being asked about the removal of barricades, a British High Commission spokesperson declined to reply, saying, "We do not comment on security matters."

Ukraine’s foreign backers should be prepared to maintain their military support for a long time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

“The need [for weapons] will continue to be there, because this is a war of attrition; this is about industrial capacity to sustain the support,” the official told the Guardian newspaper on Wednesday.

He noted that Ukraine’s expenditure of munitions in the conflict with Russia has outpaced the production capacity of the nations arming Kiev. The NATO chief urged members of the US-led bloc to beef up their military spending to at least the target level of 2% GDP, to sustain the war effort.

French authorities struggled on Thursday to suppress nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform. Over a million demonstrators took to the streets across the country in what some security sources described as an “insurrection” against the government in Paris.

Tens of thousands of workers went on strike and protesters blocked public transportation, schools and oil refineries. Police used tear gas, water cannons, flash-bangs and batons to disperse the demonstrators. Videos making rounds on social media showed heavily armored officers clubbing unarmed protesters.

A leading Frexit politician has called for French president Emmanuel Macron to be impeached, as anger persists over his controversial pension reforms. François Asselineau called on legislators in the National Assembly, known as députés, to enact the “removal procedure” to force Mr Macron out of office.

Bordeaux's town hall was set on fire during angry protests in France as demonstrators continue to hit out at pension reforms imposed by President Emmanuel Macron. It has not been established who was responsible for the fire, but it was quickly put out by fire services.

Leading lawyers have been accused of undermining the legal system by declaring that they will not prosecute climate activists.

Around 120 top legal professionals are set to sign a 'Declaration of Conscience' vowing to refuse their services in prosecuting protesters from eco-groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion.

Amid accusations of virtue signalling, the group – who call themselves 'Lawyers are Responsible' – will also refuse to act on behalf of clients involved in oil and gas on the grounds that they are destroying the environment.

US weapons abroad are being relocated in line with Washington’s new strategic priorities. According to recent reports, the US will send old and outdated attack aircraft to the Middle East, replacing the modern and advanced aircraft that are currently stationed in the region. The goal is to transfer the most efficient military equipment to Europe and the Pacific, where it can eventually be used against Russian and Chinese forces – which are currently the main concerns for the US government.

The data was shared in an article published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on March 21. According to information obtained by the authors, there is a plan to redistribute the planes in April. It is planned that aircraft of the type A-10, an older and less efficient model, will be sent to American bases in the Middle East. WSJ sources inform that the Pentagon considers such planes to be strong enough to protect US interests in the Middle East, therefore there is no need for more modern and equipped jets.

“The imperative is to get the most suitable aircraft to the Pacific for the higher threat challenges (…) The A-10 is still relevant to the mission CENTCOM (United States Central Command) flies over the Middle East”, Larry Stutzriem, a retired Air Force major general, told WSJ.

It’s no secret the biggest news coming out right now is the possible indictment of Donald Trump. Democrat DAs in New York could issue a warrant for Trump’s arrest, over already debunked claims related to Stormy Daniels. Obviously, Republicans are outraged by this obvious attempt at interfering with the 2024 Election.

House Republicans are in the best position to do something about this. And they are wasting no time confronting the radical leftists who are using the justice system to manipulate our elections. And they just dropped a hammer on the Democrats conducting this “investigation.”

From The Post Millennial:

Members of the Congressional GOP have reached out to New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg to demand communications, documents, and testimony that Bragg is allegedly planning to use to indict former President Donald Trump…

“You are reportedly about to engage in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority… This indictment comes after years of your office searching for a basis—any basis—on which to bring charges, ultimately settling on a novel legal theory untested anywhere in the country and one that federal authorities declined to pursue.”

Russia would be justified in using any means necessary if Kiev tries to retake the peninsula, former President Dmitry Medvedev has claimed

Any Ukrainian attempt to capture Crimea could be met with a nuclear response by Moscow, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned. He insisted, however, that Kiev’s claims that it could seize the peninsular are nothing more than hollow threats.  

Speaking to journalists on Friday, Medvedev dismissed the likelihood that Ukraine would carry out an attack on Crimea, asserting that “this is propaganda and should be treated that way, during war it always exists.” 

Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, added that “if we talk about some sort of serious offensive that is associated with an attempt to retake Crimea, it is quite obvious that this is the basis for the use of all means of protection, including those provided for by the fundamentals of the Doctrine of Nuclear Deterrence, when the use of any types of weapons against Russia threatens the existence of the state itself.” 

Amid rising tensions in the Korean peninsula, North Korea says it has tested a 'secret weapon' that is capable of unleashing a 'radioactive tsunami'. Pyongyang tested an underwater drone in waters off South Hamgyong province. The test was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Pyongyang claims the 'secret weapon' is capable of annihilating 'enemy ship groups' without detection. North Korea claims it has been forced to strengthen 'war deterrence' amid ongoing U.S-South Korea drills. Watch this video for details.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the leader's Moscow visit is a cause of grave concern for Washington

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit to Russia should be regarded as a matter of grave concern for Washington, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told lawmakers on Thursday.

Speaking at the House of Representatives’ subcommittee on defense appropriations, Austin was asked to comment on Xi’s trip to Moscow, and its ramifications for Sino-US competition.

“Xi’s visit to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and remaining there for a couple of days I think sends a very troubling message, a message of support,” the Pentagon chief replied.

Webmaster addition: Ya think?

Russia and China will face substantial difficulty in their efforts to create an alternative to the US dollar in international trade, American Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claimed on Thursday.

Russia is conducting a rapid withdrawal from transactions in “unfriendly” currencies, against the backdrop of expanding EU and US sanctions. Moscow has been shifting towards the ruble and local

Webmaster addition:

Continued interest rate hikes by the Fed could worsen the banking turmoil, according to Bill Ackman

The US economy is facing disaster following another interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury’s rejection of full deposit insurance, billionaire investor Bill Ackman has warned.

“When combined with the higher cost of debt and deposits due to rising rates, consider what the impact will be on lending rates and our economy,” Ackman wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “The longer this banking crisis is allowed to continue, the greater the damage to smaller banks and their ability to access low-cost capital,” he added.

The billionaire’s warning follows the US central bank’s decision to raise rates by 25 basis points. On Wednesday, the Fed lifted its benchmark rate to a 4.75%-5% range as it continues to combat inflation.

The United States struck Iranian-linked groups in Syria on Thursday after a US contractor was killed and five military service members and another US contractor were wounded in a purported drone strike. 

The Pentagon said the US casualties were suffered on a base near Hasakah in the northeast part of the country, when a "one-way, unmanned, aerial vehicle" hit a maintenance facility at 1:38 pm local time. The statement said intelligence assessed the drone to be "of Iranian origin." 

Three service members and the surviving U.S. contractor were medically evacuated to military medical facilities in Iraq. Two service members were treated at the base. No details were provided about which military branches the service members were affiliated with, nor the identity of the contractors.