Looters on Saturday seized the opportunity to raid and vandalise a host of shops and businesses across France – from bakeries and supermarkets to tech stores – as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest higher living costs and other grievances.

Protesters clashed with police in Paris and other French cities on Saturday as hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest higher living costs and the declining conditions in schools and other public services. Several town halls were broken into – and in at least one instance set on fire – and many shops were vandalised and ransacked. One protester had his hand torn off by what appeared to be a crowd-control grenade used by police.

Israeli settlers on Saturday attacked a convoy carrying a European delegation in the occupied West Bank, beating up a 78-year-old  French mayor. While Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who is just days from a crucial election – described the incident as a "smear" campaign against Israeli settlers, France's top diplomat urged Israel to "urgently halt criminal violence".

Pope Leo XIV was released from the hospital on Saturday after lung cancer surgery. Doctors removed part of the 71-year-old's right lung last week to extract a cancerous tumour. 

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group claimed responsibility after two missiles struck Aden International Airport on Friday, saying they had targeted a weapons depot as well as a military command headquarters. The Aden Security Department said a Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo had been preparing for takeoff when the attack took place.

Tens of thousands of people on Saturday took part in nationwide protests in France that quickly turned violent. Police used tear gas and batons to try to disperse unsanctioned marches, while in both Lille and Marseille, protesters briefly forced their way into the town halls before being removed by police. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he feared his US counterpart Donald Trump "will continue" lifitng sanctions on Russia. Zelensky's relationship with Trump deteriorated after the Washington eased sanctions on Moscow as part of a diesel-supply deal, despite Russia increasing strikes on Ukraine. 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday blamed the involvement of “foreign hands” for escalating protests, which he said are aimed at hindering Albania's bid to join the European Union. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Albania's capital since Tuesday, demanding Rama’s resignation and denouncing university conditions and high tuition fees.

A White House Press official said Friday that Secretary ​Katie Zacharia was "let go" from her role after US President Donald Trump signaled she was on her way out, a week after he picked her for the post. Zacharia's credentials as an attorney had come under scrutiny and she admitted to not having passed the bar in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.