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French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has offered a concession to unions in a bid to end nationwide strikes against proposed pension reforms. In a letter, Mr Philippe said he was willing to withdraw a proposal which would raise the age at which workers can claim their pension from 62 to 64. One of France's largest unions, the CFDT, welcomed the announcement saying it showed a willingness to compromise. However, the CGT union called the proposal "a smokescreen". In a statement it said it was "more determined than ever" to stop the reforms. Industrial action against President Emmanuel Macron's planned pension reform is in its 38th day and has badly disrupted France's transport system - particularly trains. Protesters again took to the streets of Paris and other cities on Saturday. In the capital, police fired tear gas at some groups of protesters who smashed windows and set light to rubbish bins and billboards. Why are French workers on a nationwide strike? Mr Philippe's announcement followed talks between ministers and union leaders on Friday. The government says the reforms are necessary to make the system fairer and more sustainable, but unions say workers will lose out. "To demonstrate my confidence in the social partners... I am willing to withdraw from the bill the short-term measure I had proposed" to set a so-called "pivot age" of 64 with effect from 2027, he wrote in his letter to the union leaders. President Macron described it as "a constructive compromise". Laurent Berger, secretary general of the CFDT, hailed the government's concession as "a victory" for the union. Writing on Twitter, he said it marked "the government's willingness to compromise". "We obtained the withdrawal of the pivotal age, a victory for the CFDT! We will now continue our action for a fairer and more united retirement system," he said. However, the CGT said it would continue to demand "the withdrawal" of the pension reforms. It called on people "to participate massively in strikes and demonstrations planned for next week". French politician and former Socialist Party presidential candidate Ségolène Royal said it was "better late than never". "I hope that it will allow the resumption of serious discussions. It's a first step, it will take many more," she said, according to Le Figaro newspaper. What is the strike about? Workers are striking over Mr Macron's plans to replace France's 42 separate pension regimes with a universal points-based system. Unions representing millions of staff in both the public and private sectors warn the plan will remove the most advantageous pensions for a number of jobs and force people to work longer or face reduced payouts when they retire.

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The Pope has prayed for a softening of "stony and self-centred hearts" to help end injustice in the world, in his Christmas Day message. From the Vatican balcony, Pope Francis spoke of "walls of indifference" being put up to people fleeing hardship in the hope of finding a better life. The Pope prayed for those hit by conflict, natural disasters and disease, listing several countries. He singled out parts of Africa where Christians had been killed. Speaking under a clear blue sky to thousands crowded into St Peter's Square, the Pope urged "comfort to those who are persecuted for their religious faith, especially missionaries and members of the faithful who have been kidnapped, and to the victims of attacks by extremist groups, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria". An attack on Christmas Eve in Burkina Faso left 35 people dead, most of them women. Hundreds of people have been killed in the country over the past few years, mostly by jihadist groups. In pictures: Christmas around the world Hours earlier, in a rare joint message with two other Western Church leaders, the Pope appealed for peace in South Sudan. ADVERTISEMENT inRead invented by Teads In their statement, the pontiff, the head of the Anglican Church and the former moderator of the Church of Scotland called for "a renewed commitment to the path of reconciliation and fraternity". South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in 2011 but has been crippled by conflict ever since. In what was his seventh "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and the World") Christmas Day address, the Pope also highlighted other hotspots of unrest including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Venezuela, Ukraine and the Holy Land. For change to happen for the better, he said, people had to be more compassionate. "May [God] soften our often stony and self-centred hearts, and make them channels of His love. May he bring his smile, through our poor faces, to all the children of the world: to those who are abandoned and those who suffer violence," he said.

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