"France braces for final votes on controversial pension reform amidst nationwide protests and strikes."

France saw an eighth day of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, as a joint commission of French senators and lower-house National Assembly deputies agreed on the government’s reform plan. The pension overhaul is moving closer to potential final votes in parliament, despite opposition from trade unions and activists who argue that the reform would exacerbate gender inequalities at work and abolish retirement privileges enjoyed by some public-sector employees. Opinion polls show that around two-thirds of French people are against the legislation.