Strikes continue to cause disruption in France

Further strikes disrupted rail and air transport in France on Thursday but the broader protest over
plans to raise the retirement age appeared to be ebbing away a day after parliament adopted pension reform legislation.

Flights in and out of French airports were reduced by 30 to 50 percent due to a one-day stoppage by air traffic controllers, and a rolling strike by rail workers halved some services but caused less disruption than previously to high-speed links.

President Nicolas Sarkozy refused to back down when unions mounted wave after wave of strikes and nationwide street rallies in the past two months over his presidency's flagship reform.