This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Celia Hatton, and at 14 hours GMT on Thursday, the 19th of January, these are our main

stories.

Strikes across France as public workers say no to plans to push the retirement age to

64.

European Defence Ministers gather in Estonia to sort out how else they can help Ukraine.

So in this podcast, a decade on from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, child survivors

in Guinea tell us how they coped.

And...

Each one of the 2500 individual pieces of wood salvage needed to undergo a lengthy process

of soaking, waxing and freeze drying.

Find out about the remarkable reconstruction of a nearly 600-year-old ship.

And first we start in France.

As the sound of people marching in cities and towns on the first day of protests and

strikes against President Macron's plans to overhaul pensions, making state workers

stay in the job until they're 64 before claiming full retirement payouts.

Today's public sector strikes have severely disrupted schools and rail transport.

So far, the French people are largely backing the protests.

It's thought two-thirds of them are against plans to raise the retirement age.

The leader of France has left wing alliance, Jean-Luc Milachel, joined protesters in the

city of Marseille.

He said people don't trust the government on this issue.

...