Macron pension reform: France braces for second day of strikes

Widespread travel disruption is expected to continue in France for a second day on Friday as the largest nationwide strike in years continues.

Workers from a wide range of sectors are sagame protesting against pension reforms.

More than 800,000 people took to the streets on Thursday, with violent clashes reported in a number of cities.

Widespread rail cancellations and disruption to flights are expected on Friday with only a fraction of the capital's transport system working.

Paris's bus and metro operator have said their walkout will last until Monday at least.

Other unions are expected to decide on Friday about their further strike plans, Reuters reports.

Why are French workers on a nationwide strike?
In pictures: The pension protests rocking France
How could French strikes affect UK travellers?
Many French workers are angry about President Emmanuel Macron's plan to introduce a universal points-based pension scheme.

It would replace France's current system which has 42 different pension schemes across its private and public sectors with variations in retirement age and benefits.

What happened on Thursday?
French police said more than 800,000 took to the streets across the country, including 65,000 in Paris.

Union leaders put the numbers higher, with the บาคาร่า CGT union claiming 1.5m people turned out across France.

The disruption meant popular tourist sites, including the Eiffel Tower, were closed for the day and usually busy transport hubs like the Gare du Nord were unusually quiet.