

Riot police officers take position during clashes with youth in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, on Oct. 19. Some airliners steered clear of France, drivers searched for gasoline, and police clashed with increasingly violent youths Tuesday amid a new round of nationwide strikes and protests over a bill raising the retirement age to 62. Thibault Camus/AP
French union workers burn tires to block the entrance of the Grandpuits oil refinery, east of Paris, on Oct. 18. Francois Mori/AP
Charred, overturned cars remain after clashes with police officers in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, on Oct. 19. Thibault Camus/AP
The signs say there is no fuel at this closed gas station in Caen, western France, on Oct. 19. Ongoing strikes by oil refinery workers have caused fuel shortages, forcing at 1,000 gas stations to be shuttered. Michel Euler/AP
Arcelor Mittal steel workers, dressed in protective suits, demonstrate against pension reforms in Marseille, France, on Oct. 12. French trade unions began a fresh wave of strikes on Tuesday, testing the resolve of the French government as the unpopular bill edges closer to becoming law. Rail services, flights, and sea ports ran below capacity as the unions kept up their battle against a plan to raise the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60. Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters
A demonstrator wearing a mask of French President Nicolas Sarkozy attends a protest march over pension reforms in Lille, France, on Oct. 12. Pascal Rossignol/Reuters
French FO (Force Ouvriere) labor union workers protest pension reforms in Lille, France, on Oct. 12. Pascal Rossignol/Reuters
The exterior of the Gare du Nord train station in Paris several hours before the start of a general transport strike on Oct. 11 in protest of planned pension reforms. Benoit Tessler/Reuters
Passengers crowd the platforms at the Saint Lazare subway station in Paris on Oct. 12 during a train-driver strike in protest of planned pension reforms. Remy de la Mauviniere/AP
Private and public sector workers demonstrate over pension reforms in Nantes, France, on Oct. 12. Stephane Mahe/Reuters
"The rich don't care about this pension reform" reads the sign held by a worker at a demonstration in Nantes, France, on Oct. 12. Stephane Mahe/Reuters
French President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris during nationwide protests against raising the retirement age. Laurent Rebours/AP
Steel workers flare up against pension reforms at a protest march in Marseille, France, on Oct.12. Claude Paris/AP
High school and university students protest over retirement reforms in Toulouse, France, on Oct. 12. Jean-Philippe Arles
SNCF railway workers cast their ballots as they vote about the strike at the Nice railway station in France on Oct. 14. Eric Gaillard/Reuters
High school students demonstrate in Marseille, France, on Oct. 14. The sign reads, "If walls can hear, the Elysee Palace will hear from Marseille." Claude Paris/AP
Marseille port employees and oil workers cook on a makeshift grill as they block the Fos-sur-Mer oil depot in southern France on Oct. 14. Claude Paris/AP
A worker demonstrates during a nationwide strike over pension reforms in Bordeaux, France, on Oct.12. Regis Duvignau/Reuters