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Over 1 million people turn out across France in protests against pension reform that takes the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. Women feel more discriminated against in this reform. The prevalent age discrimination bias in France makes it harder to find jobs after 50 years, even harder after 60 years. There is a perception that the reform is not the first priority so soon after a pandemic with its after effects, and that other changes including age discrimination and the way it affects women need to be tackled before pension reform. The government lacks an overall majority, the eight unions are united in protests and possible strikes, creating a situation in which French president Macron needs to rethink his whole approach on addressing pension reform- when tacking the cost of living crisis and climate change, energy transition, are other priorities that need more attention at this time.

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Kristof puts it in Arabic as he gives an account of an amputee and the injured on the front lines in Tahrir Square: Innaharda, ehna kullina Misryeen. This translates to: today we are all Egyptians.

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Nicola Clark's interview in NYT with Mathias Dopfner, CEO of Axel Springer which owns German newspapers Die Welt and Bild. Dopfner describes the digital transformation underway at Axel Springer, and the changing mindset of its managers for a cultural transformation.

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The town of Akcakale near a border crossing which was taken over by the Free Syria Army has an Arab population and is friendly to the Sunni opposition. The feeling here is that it was hit deliberately by the Assad regime because of ties with the Free Syria Army. The government of prime minister Erdogan in Turkey has gained parliamentary approval for war powers to enter foreign countries after the shelling of Akcakale.

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The U.S. contingency plans for taking control of chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria in the event of a chaotic situation and terrorists taking control of some of these stockpiles.

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Gretchen Morgenson reflects on 2011 and the lessons not learned from the financial crisis of 2008.

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Losses at Kabul Bank approaching $900 million in January 2011. According to the New York Times report investigators and Afghan businessmen believe that much of the money has gone into the pockets of a small group of privileged and politically connected Afghans, who prevented earlier inquiry into the bank's dealings. This threatens Afghanistan's nascent banking system. The bank is also used to pay Afghan security forces, which puts the American military in the position of having to look for new banks to process the $1.5 billion payroll.

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According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 17 million families, or roughly 15% of all households- had difficulty putting enough food on the table at some point in the year. USDA found that 5.6 million households had chronic problems all year long. The number of homes has tripled since 2006, but remain about the same as 2008.

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Marie Colvin, was killed in Syria in Feb 2012, while reporting for the Sunday Times of London. She was a student at Oyster Bay High School and Yale University, and was remembered by fellow students as passionate and determined and always involved in the issues of the time. Her makeshift media center was destroyed during an assault on the city of Homs by Syrian government forces.