NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Pension reform: France’s government is delaying a contentious overhaul of the country’s retirement system until at least the end of the year because of the economic crisis unleashed by the pandemic. Prime Minister Jean Castex said after meeting with unions Friday that the reform “will be maintained.” But he said the government will extend negotiations on details of the plan over the coming months, instead of pushing to finalize it this summer. The plan would end some benefits under which certain people are allowed to take early retirement. The government is also discussing whether to raise the retirement age from 62. The plan prompted weeks of crippling strikes and protests by unions.
2 Mexico corruption: The former head of Mexico’s staterun oil company Pemex landed in Mexico City on Friday after being extradited from Spain to face corruption charges and was immediately hospitalized, the Attorney General’s Office said. Doctors found Emilio Lozoya was suffering from anemia and generally poor health. Lozoya had been scheduled to make his first appearance before a judge Friday. Lozoya’s arrival was accompanied by great anticipation after he dropped his fight against extradition and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. His assistance could potentially aid additional corruption investigations concerning the administration of former President Enrique Pena Nieto, who governed from 2012 to 2018. He was extradited to face charges equivalent to money laundering, bribery and conspiracy.
3 Iran protest: Police dispersed protesters in southwestern Iran angry over the Islamic Republic’s anemic economy amid U.S. sanctions, and internet access to the wider region was disrupted as demonstrators shared videos of the rally. Internetaccess advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported Friday the disruption affecting Iran’s oilrich Khuzestan province the day before. The outage coincided with videos being published online of protesters gathering in the city of Behbahan, 355 miles southwest of the capital, Tehran.
4 Venezuela talks: Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said he met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro but was unable to win the release of several Americans jailed in the South American nation. Richardson said he and Maduro talked Thursday about the potential release of American prisoners as well as coronavirus humanitarian issues. Richardson said several families of Americans held in Venezuela had contacted him, prompting his visit to the country that started Monday. Among the U.S. citizens jailed in Venezuela are former Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested in May while participating in a botched raid organized from neighboring Colombia seeking to oust Maduro. Also being held are six executives from the U.S. oil company CITGO. 5 Knighthood: In the end, Sir Tom didn’t need to rise. On a day infused with emotion, Queen Elizabeth II tapped the blade of a sword once owned by her father on the shoulders of 100yearold Tom Moore, making him a knight of the realm Friday. Moore captivated the British public by walking 100 laps of his garden in England and raising some 33 million pounds ($40 million) for the National Health Service in April. The queen knighted him outside of Windsor Castle with the traditional sword tap, but the World War II veteran was not required to take a knee before the monarch. “I have been overwhelmed by the many honors I have received over the past weeks, but there is simply nothing that can compare to this,” he tweeted after the ceremony. “I am overwhelmed with pride and joy.”