Workers revolt
The week's news at a glance.
Paris
French labor unions have called a massive general strike for next week to protest France’s new youth labor law. More than 1.5 million people in cities across the country demonstrated against the law last week. Some of the protests turned violent, but French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said he would not be swayed by the unrest. The new measure, de Villepin said, would reduce unemployment by letting employers grant fire-at-will contracts to workers under 26. But opponents, who also pledged not to back down, called the reform the first step toward a broader erosion of France’s strict protections for workers. “France is going to get more and more unhappy,” predicted French pollster Gael Sliman, “with more and more people taking to the streets.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Crossword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff