France in Turmoil: Macron's Pension Reform Sparks Nationwide Protests.

Strikes and protests have intensified in France after President Emmanuel Macron pledged to implement legislation raising the retirement age by two years to 64. Labor unions are trying to raise the pressure on the government, a day after Macron gave a television interview that stoked their anger. The government’s use of executive powers to push the bill through has intensified a standoff with unions, which have drawn huge crowds since January but so far failed to get Macron to change course. Riot police scuffled with protesters in cities including Bordeaux, Rennes and Nantes, as people chanted and lit flares outside Gare du Nord train station in Paris.