anchor: it is 10:00 p.m. and you are watching france 24. these are your headlines. hundreds of thousands gather on the streets of france for mayday protists -- protests against pension reform. we look at scuffles breaking out through the country. in cuba, fuel shortages forge look -- force the government to halt labor day celebrations. we have the latest. then, negotiations in the pipeline between sudan's warring army and paramilitary forces as deadly fighting continues

throughout monday. ♪ thank you for joining us, we are live in paris. in france, a labor day full of protest over a recently passed pension reform law. the government claimed more than 800,000 demonstrators lined the streets. as has been the case throughout, the union claimed it was more like 2.3 million protesters. there were scuffles and injuries. reporter: in cities across france, labor day was not just a day off work this year but a chance for hundreds of thousands of people to express their

frustration. the nation's labor unions called for a 13th day of action against emmanuel macron and his government's raising of the retirement age from 60 to to 64, a law already on the books and pushed through last month without a vote in parliament. >> we are here to send a clear message to the government, we have had enough. we try the democratic death it's to stop it in and it is wrong. >> is my first labor day and we cannot lose the rights we've been fighting for all these years. reporter: in places, protest got out of hand. in nantes, police fired tear gassed after protesters through projectiles at police. elsewhere, bicycle set on fire and the justice ministry splashed with orange paint. emmanuel macron has been desperately trying to turn the page since invoking a rule

enabling him to enact the reform without a vote i lawmakers. union leaders say they are backing a new effort to nullify the law. >> we can see the page will not be turned until the pension reform is withdrawn. we have a determination to win and there is a deadline on the eighth and we intend to win the repeal on this reform. reporter: with the constitutional council already turning down a request for a public referendum, emmanuel macron's opponents are pinning their hopes on a vote in the assembly in june when a group of deputies is expected to put forward a bill to repeal the law. anchor: as that report mentioned, violence got out of hand in some incidents -- in some places, specifically in paris. 19 officers were i -- hospitalized in the capital. >> i want to condemn this

violence against security forces as firmly as possible. 108 police injured on labor day is extremely rare and i would like everyone who was part of the public discourse on this to condemn this violence. it is unacceptable in a republic for police and firefighters to be attacked or hit by molotov cocktails or cobblestones be at anchor: it's not just in france where people took to the streets. the world witnessing a global outpouring of discontent not seen in years. in sri lanka, opposition parties and unions held workers day rallies protesting mass austerity while showing communist signs like lenin and stalin. similar scenes in indonesia, thousands protested a new job creation law. south koreans took to the streets to call for higher pay and better work conditions.

in denmark, a light spirited protest with coffee and cake. in nigeria, workers called for improved infrastructure, electricity and welfare. traditionally mayday has been a large celebration in cuba but this year the government has canceled the celebrations because of acute fuel shortages. it's the first time since 1979 it's been canceled for economic reasons. i'm joined by our correspondent in havana. could you tell people not in cuba what a big deal it is to not hold the celebrations on mayday. ed: it's a huge deal because it's cuba, one of only four a communist ruled countries in the world and it's interesting we are doing the last package about mayday in france. hundreds of thousands of people

on the streets in paris. in havana and by gone years there were upwards of a million people in the revolution square, where the population is only 11 million. it's always been a huge deal. in bygone years, 10 years, lots of people would march because it is an authoritarian government. but also lots of people just out on a jolly, rum in hand at 6:00 in the morning. so to have it canceled in cuba, especially at a time when the communist government is reeling from multiple economic, social and political crises is highly significant. anchor: let's talk about one of those crises, specifically what's happening with oil in the country. how serious is the situation? ed: i think it could be quite serious. cuba's national oil company said

recently they are receiving less than 40% of the crude oil they need to refine to turn into gasoline and diesel and other fuels. that is big, that is over half. why is cuba in this situation? two reasons, first of all venezuela, the countries main ally. venezuela has its own problem with energy. the last 10 years, oil shamans mr. cuba have almost halved. there was an agreement where cuba gives doctors and teachers and in return they get crude. venezuela is sending less. and quite frankly, the country is broke. they don't have enough money to import oil, crude on the international market and that's why they are so thrilling on venezuela. part of it is u.s. sanctions, ramped up in the trump

administration and left in place by the biden administration. it cost them billions per year. there are surreal queues in havana, motorists in their car days on end. prices going up across the economy because like any other economy, it is dependent on fuel. we will wait to see how this plays out but the president of the country said he doesn't have a clear idea of how they will get out of the situation. serious at the moment and we will see how serious as time continues. anchor: thank you, ed, live from havana, talking about no celebrations of labor day in cuba. sudan's top united nations official says negotiations could be in the cards between the country's army and paramilitary forces. an agreement has been made for

meetings to take place in saudi arabia with talks set to focus on establishing an internationally observed cease-fire. the announcement comes even as fighting persisted throughout monday, despite another attempt at a three-day truce. we have a report. reporter: black smoke billows over sudan's capital as artillery fire continues to pound the city. finding continues to intensify between the country's army and a paramilitary group despite both sides agreeing to further extend a cease-fire that would allow civilians to flee. for those unable to leave, major shortages of basic necessities have left families on the brink. for this person, the constant gunfire and rationing have her anxious about her family's survival. >> we hear the sounds of artillery from here and even behind us. we have to sleep on the floor. there is no water, electricity or food. all the shops are closed and the

only ones open cell products at expensive prices. we hardly eat what is enough, just enough to make our supplies last. reporter: the shortages in urban warfare mean many sudanese have been streaming out of the city for faith -- for safety, many hoping to board evacuation varies. the united nations worn it could be 800,000 people fleeing, including those already there as refugees. >> in consultation with all concerned governments and partners, we have arrived at a planning figure of 850,000 people who may flee into the seven neighboring countries. reporter: nearly one third of sudan's population was already heavily dependent on international aid before fighting broke out. many foreign aid groups have been forced to suspend most of their operations. anchor: just north from sudan as

the spotlight turns to press freedom, egyptian authorities on monday released and al jazeera journalist after four years in detention. a producer was arrested in june 2019 after being stopped while traveling from qatar to cairo. rights groups says he was charged with publishing false news and joining an outlaw group. more than 20 journalists are currently behind bars in egypt, which is considered one of the world's main media jailers. now to ukraine, where russia launched fresh attacks overnight on sunday, injuring at least 34 civilians east of kyiv. the capital was spared as ukraine's defense systems stopped a barrage of missiles. reporter: tracer fire over the

sky in kyiv as russia launched more attacks in ukraine. 15 out of 18 missiles were shot signed by the kyiv air defense system and there were no casualties or damage to report on the ground. while the capital was spared, meanwhile, moscow's forces did successfully stripe a city about 600 kilometers to the east. the russian ministry of its troops on the ground launching the attack. and here are the results. damaged homes, a crater in someone's front yard. dozens of people, including children, among the injured. >> once i heard the first explosion, shouted to my wife, let's put on clothes and get outside. we had only gone to the hallway when i heard another explosion. i was thrown back into the windows were blown out. it is good we were not outside because i don't know what would've happened to us.

reporter: ukraine recently received patriot missile defense systems from the u.s. it was unclear if they were used to repel monday's onslaught but the u.s. ambassador to ukraine reacted on twitter saying i am grateful for those who protect ukraine's disguise and the u.s. will continue to work hard and fast to support them and their ability to defeat russia's barbaric attacks on the people of ukraine. the latest russian attack comes on the heels of a drone strike by ukrainian forces on a fuel depot in crimea over the weekend, a region that has been occupied by the russians and's 2014. and as ukraine's gears up for a long-awaited spring counter efficient -- counteroffensive. anchor: kevin mccarthy met with benjamin netanyahu in israel on monday at a time when relations

between israel and the u.s. have soured. mccarthy lavished netanyahu with praise. he was greeted by frequent applause as lawmakers returned from a month-long recess, soon to resume fighting over a contentious judicial reform bill. mccarthy's visit was another sign israel is forming a wedge in u.s. politics. democrats have become increasingly critical of the treatment of palestinians and netanyahu has openly cited with republicans -- sided with republicans. >> we have no better friend express the solidarity with israel on the 75th anniversary. >> i look to the next 75 years. the world is better when american and israel are united. anchor: as our correspondent in israel explains, the subject of palestinians was completely sidestepped in the meetings.

>> it's interesting because there was no mention of palestinians in kevin mccarthy's speech. he's only the second u.s. house speaker to address israel's parliament and really it was an american love in, something only americans can deliver. your values are our values, your dreams are our dreams, we are better because of our friendship with you and we must do everything we can to defend it. that was the tone of repeated comments about how both israel and america were better together. there was a mention -- while not of palestinians, a mention of iran, which carthy stressed is one of the latest threats to peace at the moment. he did say there is this unity between americans and israelis in issues like high-tech, cyber, even military commands integrated.

he thought all of that was great. one warning note from him, don't let china, communist china as he referred to it, steel our innovative ideas. as you can imagine with this kind of support, he was interrupted by applause through the speech. anchor: time for business. the white house says it is not like 2008 but first republic has become the third major u.s. bank to collapse since march. it has been scooped up by america's largest lender. yuka: jpmorgan chase, a bank that is too big to fail has now become even bigger. it won an auction to take control of first republic after it was seized by the federal deposit insurance corporation. they are taking on about $200 billion in assets. it paid $10.6 billion to the

fdic. j.p. morgan will also pay back $25 billion to large u.s. banks that had deposited the money in march to shore up first republic and is eliminating the $5 billion it had as part of the joint solidarity move. on a conference call with analysts, the j.p. morgan chief executive, jamie dimon, said he believed the recent making crisis was largely over, stressing the overall system was stable and there were not any general bank runs. the u.s. president welcomed the deal. >> regulators have taken action to facilitate the sale of the first republic bank. to ensure that all depositors are protected and the taxpayers are not on the hook. these actions will make sure the banking system is safe and

sound, and that includes protecting small businesses across the country who need to make payroll for workers and small businesses. yuka: the closure of first republic marks the second largest failure in u.s. history after washington mutual in 2008. according to the new york times, the three banks that collapsed since march held a total of $532 billion in assets. adjusted for inflation, that's more than the amount held by some when he five u.s. banks that collapsed at the height of the global financial crisis 15 years ago. the paper also says from 2008 and 2015, more than 500 federally insured banks failed in the united states. j.p. morgan shares rose more than 2% today following the announcement. wall street shares initially rose overall but lost in later trading hours over concerns about impacts expected next from

the interest rate hike expected from the fed this week. to japan, where wages are starting to rise after decades of stagnation. the cost of living has gone up in recent months amid global price hikes. the countries of central bank is going against the global trend of raising interest rates to keep inflation in check as it thinks the price rises are temporary and the overall deflationary pressure has not gone away. we have the details. reporter: staff at this pastry shop near osaka got welcome news recently, their bonuses this year will be one third higher than last year. >> gives me more motivation at work so i am very happy. reporter: as a sales rebound in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, some six out of 10 small and medium-sized enterprises in japan are

planning to hike pay by 4% or more this year. this despite rising costs for raw materials. >> sales are rising but our prophets have not risen that much. still, to reward our workers who made it through the pandemic and boost their performance, we want to raise pay even a little bit for employees working very hard every day. reporter: large companies meanwhile raising wages by an average of 3.8%, the largest such increase in 30 years. for decades, japanese wages have stagnated, a result of deflationary pressure in the wake of the 1990's asset bubble collapse. but the war in ukraine and supply chain snacks have brought rising prices back to the land of the rising sun. japanese consumer core inflation hit a four decade high of 4.2% in january. the bank of japan's new governor believes that is a temporary phenomenon, projecting inflation will dip below its 2% target

next year. unlike most of his peers, he is maintaining negative interest rates for now, seeking to hit 2% inflation via higher wages and growing demand instead of restricted supply. yuka: workers took to the streets around the world to mark mayday, including in bangladesh. in the capital, protesters, many in the garment industry, demanded higher wages and better working conditions. they also called for the rights to unionize and urged the government to implement a new in u --n convention on workplace safety. this 10 years after a deadly collapse of a clothing factory building that killed more than 1100 people. that's it for business. anchor: working conditions very much the talking point of the day. that leads us into our next segments. time for focus and we turn to india, where industrial accidents kill thousands of

people and disable many more each year. the government says at least 6500 workers died on the job between 2017 and 202021. labor rights activists say the figure could be much higher. victims of workplace accidents are often poor, toiling away in factories or on construction sites. our correspondents bring us the story from new delhi, where many families wait for justice. reporter: in new delhi, this man is still mourning his sister's death. >> this is my sister. she died in a fshe worked in a . this picture is from when she was in school, she was doing modeling. when i look at this picture, i miss her very much. reporter: on 14th may 2022, a massive fire broke out at electronic manufacturing unit in

delhi. many people lost their lives. the building had no emergency exit. the only entrance was blocked by boxes and the building was engulfed in flames. the responsibility is put on the factory. >> if they had put in one more exit, everyone could have escaped. nobody would have died. the fault lies with the owners of the factory. when they took charge of it there was no fire exit, there should be for emergency situations. reporter: the factory was being operated illegally. victims families have sued the company and are awaiting trial. india, the most populous country in the world, has embarked on a race to industrial development. construction of factories can be

seen everywhere. tragedies are all too common in india with poor workers often the primary victims. just outside delhi, a factory agreed to open its doors to us. he met the director of a company , who showed us around. in this small factory, no emergency exits or fire extinguishers. the working conditions appear dangerous in this compact room. every window is blocked by iron bars and garbage. the workers are not provided gloves, safety shoes or even a mask. when we asked about the safety of employees, he prefers to pass the responsibility to the indian government.

17 employees work here six days a week. we were not allowed to speak to the workers. industrial accidents kill and is stable -- and disable thousands each year. there is an average of three deaths per day according to the government, others indicate the figure much higher. this man was seriously injured six month ago when a bottle of acid exploded over his body in the chemical warehouse where he was working.

after his accident, the family has no source of income. >> i've taken loans from here and there and have been unable to keep the family. i sometimes ask for five dollars or $10 from relatives. the rent has increased and i am in a lot of debt. reporter: there are no resources for a legal fight. in the indian capital, and international organization is trying to advocate for vulnerable workers. this is the regional secretary of a union. she denounces the laws that would worsen the working conditions. >> what has happened is there is a move on the government.

random, unplanned, unannounced inspections are going to be stopped. the inspectors will have to inform the management when they will come and inspect. this is not something that is safe for anybody, for workers paired reporter: other laws -- for workers. reporter: other laws announced by the government. only factories with more than 250 employees will be required to meet safety plans. anchor: that's all for this edition but there is more news coming up on france 24. ♪ >> from a distance it looks like a picture postcard, but if you look closer, this island still bears the scars of a decades long nightmare from which it is only now emerging.

situated in the south of the philippines, it was the stronghold of one of the most violent separatist groups in the world, whose assassinations, kidnapping and piracy have left an impact that will be felt for years. >> they are anywhere, waiting. >> despite everything, a desire for peace growing on the island, bringing hope of a better future. watch jolo revisited on france 24 and france24.com. ♪

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05/01/23 05/01/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> recently we have seen very many comments what the pentagon papers showed was the war was not winnable. and that is why i gave the pentagon papers. actually, none of the people who went to prison to protest the war did so because they thought the war was not winnable. they did it because they