"France Faces Nationwide Disruption and Travel Concerns Amid Pension Reform Strikes and Protests"

French unions are holding a nationwide strike in protest of a controversial retirement age reform that the government pushed through parliament last week without a vote. Public transportation in Paris is expected to be heavily disrupted and 50% of the country’s high-speed TGV trains will be canceled. The government’s plan to raise the retirement age for most workers by two years has been criticized by huge numbers of people. President Emmanuel Macron’s government did not back down and rammed the legislation through the French National Assembly last week using a constitutional clause that allows the government to bypass a vote.