Briefly

FRANCE

Pension reform seen as big test for Macron

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne was scheduled to unveil a highly sensitive pension overhaul aimed at pushing up the retirement age that has already prompted vigorous criticism and calls for protests from left-wing opponents and worker unions. The minimum retirement age to be entitled to a full pension is expected to be gradually increased from 62 to 64 or 65, in line with a long-standing pledge by President Emmanuel Macron. Details are to be released by Borne at a news conference on Tuesday. Macron has repeated his belief that the French "need to work more".

INDONESIA

Powerful deep-sea quake rattles islands

A magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit deep under the ocean off Indonesia and East Timor early on Tuesday, injuring at least one person after rattling nearby islands, damaging homes and forcing residents to flee in panic. The epicenter of the quake was 427 kilometers south of the Indonesian island of Ambon at a depth of 95 km, the US Geological Survey reported. The country's disaster mitigation agency said at least 15 homes and two schools had been damaged in the Tanimbar Islands. Its substantial shaking was widely felt in northern Australia.

UNITED KINGDOM

Harry memoir goes on sale after hype

After months of anticipation and a sustained publicity blitz, Prince Harry's autobiography Spare finally went on sale in his native UK on Tuesday, threatening more embarrassment for the royal family. Some British stores stayed open late for the midnight release of the biggest royal book since Harry's mother Princess Diana collaborated with Andrew Morton for Diana: Her True Story in 1992. The publication has been accompanied by four television interviews in the UK and the United States.

Agencies Via Xinhua