- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
'When can I get my pension?' Chinese process rise in retirement age
Chinese employees on Friday began processing the news that they would have to work at least three extra years after officials announced they would raise the country's retirement age from 2025.
"My first reaction is: so when can I get my pension?" a 30-year-old marketing professional who gave her name as Xinzi, told AFP in Beijing.
"I'm worried that we modern people now are so competitive and distressed that our health may not see us through to that age," she said.
Officials announced the statutory retirement age for male workers would be raised from 60 to 63. For women workers, it would rise from 50 or 55 years to 55 and 58 years, depending on whether they were "blue-collar workers" or "cadres".
The retirement age will be gradually raised over 15 years from January 1, 2025, state media said.
Xinzi said she was also concerned about the current job market, where China's youth unemployment stood at 17.1 percent in July, and whether the extension would make people reconsider having children, exacerbating China's ageing population.
University student David told AFP he felt "a bit reluctant about working so long", but said he "can understand the decision".
"The country is probably thinking about its ageing population", the intern at a PR firm, who only wished to give his first name for privacy reasons, said.
- Ageing society -
China is facing a rapidly ageing society: its population fell in 2023 for the second year in a row, with policymakers warning of potentially severe impacts on the economy, healthcare and social welfare systems if action is not taken.
The country's retirement age had not been raised for decades and had been among the lowest in the world.
Online, a related hashtag quickly shot to the top of social media platform Weibo's "hot search" list, garnering 560 million views by Friday evening.
Some were supportive of the move. "It's more moderate than I expected, I can accept it," read one Weibo comment with over 3,000 likes.
"National policies are in line with the country's conditions," another user wrote.
Government censors appeared to scrub many posts from the site -- a common occurrence in a country where open discussions of national policy are often deemed sensitive.
However, some dismayed netizens were able to post.
"I don't know how they thought up this policy, young people are already so anxious, now the retirement age is being extended," one comment read.
"We're eating pre-made meals, living in shared apartments, working endless shifts. Don't feel too sad, everyone; in 15 years, the retirement age will probably be raised again," read another.
A 21-year-old entrepreneur in Beijing who gave his name as Ha Lide told AFP: "I'm not surprised, I think delaying retirement is an inevitable process.
"If the ageing population is severe... there won't be enough money to distribute for pensions", he said.
"I'll just have to bear the three extra years of work."
F.Bennett--AMWN