Macron’s plan to raise French retirement age approved by constitutional council

Demonstrators gather in Paris before the ruling (Lewis Joly/AP)

France’s Constitutional Council has approved an unpopular plan to raise the retirement age to 64 in a victory for President Emmanuel Macron after three months of mass protests over the legislation.

The move is likely to enrage unions and other opponents of the pension plan, including protesters gathered in towns and cities around France on Friday evening as the decision was announced.