France hit by nationwide strike as unions fight Macron's pension reform

Trains ground to a halt in France on Thursday, schools were shut and refinery shipments blocked as workers walked off their jobs in an attempt to derail the government's plans to raise the retirement age by two years to 64. The nationwide day of strikes and protests is a major test for President Emmanuel Macron, who says his flagship reform, which opinion polls show is very unpopular, is vital to ensure the pension system does not go bust. The challenge for unions is whether they can transform that opposition to the reform - and anger with a cost-of-living crisis -