France Protests, Canada Military Base Fire, Pope Leo, and Siberian Bears

In France, clashes broke out between protesters and police on Saturday. While most of the more than 500,000 people who marched were peaceful, violent groups attacked police officers, looted stores, and damaged buildings. In the city of Limoges, a 143-year-old city hall was badly damaged in an arson attack, which means someone set it on fire on purpose. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said his government would not be scared off by the violence.

The protests started because many people in France are upset about the rising cost of everyday things like food and housing. What began as student demonstrations in the suburbs of Paris quickly spread across the whole country. More than 8,000 arrests were made, and many protesters were injured. One teenager lost his hand after picking up a stun grenade. French authorities also reported that more than 900 police officers were hurt during the unrest.

One Dutch tourist named Tije De Boer said the streets of Paris felt like a war zone and that he and his family had to leave their hotel because of the fighting nearby. The protests are putting more pressure on French President Emmanuel Macron and his government. A presidential election is scheduled for next year, which makes the unrest even more important politically.

In Canada, a deadly incident caused a major fire at one of the country's busiest military bases in the province of Alberta. Defense Minister David McGuinty confirmed that people were killed and injured, but did not give exact numbers or explain what caused the situation. The fire was still burning at the time of the news report. Officials asked the public to stay updated through news sources as more information became available.

Pope Leo appeared in public for the first time after having surgery for lung cancer earlier in the week. Crowds at the Vatican cheered when he came out to greet them. He thanked people for their prayers and said he would soon return to his normal schedule. His appearance was a relief to many followers around the world who had been worried about his health.

In Siberia, a region of Russia known for its cold, snowy forests, hunters are going after brown bears after a wave of deadly attacks. At least 22 people have been killed by brown bears since spring, according to Russian state media. Russia now has more than 300,000 brown bears — more than double the number from 30 years ago. Experts say an early dry spring meant fewer berries for the bears to eat, so the hungry animals started roaming into areas where people live.

Local hunters in the Krasnoyarsk region have decided to take action by tracking and killing bears that pose a danger to people. Hunter Mikhail Kondakov was photographed crouching in the grass next to a bear he had just shot. A local resident named Yulia Markova said that people in her town felt sorry for the bears at first, but after the deadly attacks, that feeling changed. The situation shows how conflicts between wildlife and humans can become very dangerous when animal populations grow quickly.