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       Anti-government protests are intensifying in Peru, with the country's capital, Lima, waking up on Friday to find one of its most historic buildings burnt to the ground.

       A near-century old mansion in the city centre was destroyed after catching fire, which authorities have lamented as the loss of a "monumental asset." No casualties have been reported from the incident.

       The government has subsequently denied rumours that the fire was caused by a tear gas bomb thrown by the police during the heated clashes.

       The fire came after thousands of protesters descended on Lima earlier this week, calling for major changes and angered by the growing death toll from the protests, which officially rose to 45 on Thursday.

       Meanwhile, in Arequipa, fresh clashes erupted between demonstrators and police, while operations at the region's main airport came to a halt on Thursday.

       The city of Cusco's airport and another in the southern city of Juliaca also were targeted.

       "It's nationwide chaos, you can't live like this. We are in a terrible uncertainty, the economy, vandalism," said Lima resident Leonardo Rojas.

       Thousands gather in Lima for two days of anti-government protests Peru’s government declares a state of Emergency Protesters gather in Peru capital to demand President resigns

       Protests erupted in Peru last month following the arrest and ousting of left-wing former President Pedro Castillo, who made a self-coup attempt by trying to dissolve Congress. It led to a new government headed by Dina Boluarte, formerly the first vice president under Castillo.

       The demonstrators, which include leftists and people from indigenous groups, are calling for Boluarte's resignation and snap elections.

       The new leader, nevertheless, has rejected efforts to make her step down, pushing for dialogue and vowing to punish those involved in the unrest.

       The government this week, moreover, extended a state of emergency to six regions, curbing certain civil rights.

       "All the rigor of the law will fall on those people who have acted with vandalism," Boluarte said on Thursday.

       Some locals criticised Boluarte for "not taking any action" to quell the protests. Human rights groups, on the other hand, have accused the police and army of using deadly firearms, with police in turn claiming protesters have used weapons and homemade explosives.

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       France will increase its military spending by over a third in coming years, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday, unveiling his goal to equip the French army to tackle this century's great "perils".

       The budget for the period will stand at €413 billion, a significant increase from the €295 billion allotted to 2019-2025. According to this plan, by 2030, France's military budget would have doubled since he took power in 2017, Macron said.

       The French leader acknowledged the end of the "peace dividend" following the Cold War, and said the planned 2024-2030 budget would adapt the military to the possibility of high-intensity conflicts, made all the more urgent by Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine.

       "As war is changing, France has and will have armies ready for the perils of the century," Macron said from the Mont-de-Marsan air base in southwestern France.

       "We need to be one war ahead," he added.

       He further stated that France's military should pivot towards a strategy of high-intensity conflict, and that the country would invest massively in drones and military intelligence -- the Achilles heel of the country's defence, which French officials say recent conflicts have exposed.

       Macron's speech came as defence ministers from NATO and other countries convened at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany amid warnings that Russia will soon re-energise its war effort, in which it has seized parts of southern and eastern Ukraine.

       While France is the world's third-biggest arms exporter and the EU's sole nuclear power, it has been criticised for not sending more weapons to Kyiv. Macron, nevertheless, has provided more supplies since last summer, with national officials blaming operations in Africa and years of chronic under-investment for making it impossible to do so more immediately.

       The French President did not announce new support for Ukraine, but said France had to be ready for a new era, with an accumulation of threats.

       He also said France would boost its capacity to handle to cyber-attacks and would increase the budget for military intelligence by almost 60%.

       Last year, France's head of military intelligence resigned just a month after Russia invaded Ukraine over what officials said was a failure to predict the invasion.

       Macron also said France would keep a close eye on its military presence in overseas territories, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where new threats were emerging.

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       British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined by police on Friday for failing to wear a seatbelt, dealing the Conservative leader a potentially embarrassing blow as he attempts to reverse his party's misfortunes.

       Sunak had uploaded a video on social media platform Instagram on Thursday, which showed the premier sitting in the back seat of a car while travelling through north-west England.

       Users subsequently noticed the PM had not buckled up, and widely shared the clip online, catching law enforcement's attention.

       Sunak's spokesperson eventually apologised for the "brief error of judgment", but the die had already been cast: local police investigated and ultimately issued the premier with a fine.

       Releasing a statement on Twitter, Lancashire police announced the news without directly naming Sunak.

       "Following the circulation of a video on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car... [we] have issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty," the tweet read.

       In England, a person can be fined up to ￡620 (€708) for failing to wear a seatbelt, bar certain exceptions such as for emergency services, in a taxi or when a driver is reversing.

       UK Prime Minister targets economy, health and migration as priorities Right to protest 'not absolute' says UK PM Rishi Sunak ahead of new legislation PM Sunak sets out priorities to tackle UK's problems but says there are no 'quick fixes'

       The faux pas risks turning into another setback for Sunak, who has been tasked with restoring the Conservatives' credibility after his predecessor, Liz Truss, survived only 44 days in office. A flurry of recent scandals have also severely dampened the party's electoral prospects -- which now trails over 20 points behind Labour in opinion polls.

       Sunak had previously been fined while serving as finance minister for breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules in 2020, leading to a major political storm over clandestine Downing Street gatherings -- dubbed "Partygate" -- that contributed to former PM Boris Johnson's downfall and resignation last July.

       In a statement released by his office in response to his infraction on the road, Sunak took accountability for his actions.

       "The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty," his spokesperson said.