French President Emmanuel Macron has signed into law a controversial bill to raise the country’s retirement age by two years.

• The proclamation of the law came after France’s Constitutional Council approved the main retirement-age measure and follows months of protests against the reform, which the government forced through parliament without a final vote.
• The battle to implement the law turned into the biggest domestic challenge of Macron’s second mandate, as he faced widespread popular opposition to the changes but also sliding personal popularity.
• The nine-member Constitutional Council ruled in favour of key provisions of the reform, including raising the retirement age to 64 and extending the years of work required for a full pension, saying the legislation was in accordance with French law.