Strikes paralize German, French rail networks
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BERLIN/PARIS (from news wires) - President Nicolas Sarkozy of France faced setbacks on two starkly different domestic fronts Thursday: a wave of strikes that swept through France and an official announcement that his 11-year marriage had come to an end. The 24-hour strike halted most trains, subways and buses around the country, which led to the cancellation of and classes at some schools and theatrical performances. Only 46 of the country's 700 high-speed trains were running. Many museums were closed. Workers at the state-owned electric and gas utility companies joined the walkout, leading to a reduction in electricity output. Meanwhile, all across Germany, commuters faced major disruptions for the second time in a week as train drivers began a new strike early on Thursday to support pay demands.
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Millions of commuters in London endured travel chaos on Tuesday as a 72-hour strike by maintenance workers closed most of the underground rail network.
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PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy's first real test after five months in office comes at rush hour today, with a strike disrupting flights and trains around Europe, and stripping Paris of public transport - all because of anger over plans to trim some retirement packages.
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PARIS  - Commuters crammed aboard the few trains left running and surgeons operated on only emergency cases as strikes over job cuts and pay disrupted French rail service and hospitals Wednesday.
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French workers face more misery as transport struggles to return to normal following a nationwide strike.
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The first high-speed rail link between France and Germany began scheduled services Sunday, slashing travel times and marking a major step towards a truly pan-European rapid transit network.
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Striking transport workers shut down most  of France's rail network on Thursday in a protest over  pensions, posing the biggest test yet of President Nicolas  Sarkozy's ability to push through economic reforms.
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PARIS - Transport workers shut down most trains yesterday, testing the patience of Parisians forced to walk, bike, or skate to work with a strike aimed at derailing President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to strip away labor protections he says hurt France's competitiveness.
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Rail workers join France's rolling campaign of strikes in the public sector, with massive disruptions expected.
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French railway and energy workers kept up  the pressure on President Jacques Chirac's government on  Wednesday with strikes over working conditions that severely  reduced train traffic and curbed electricity output.
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Muted protests greeted a train carrying radioactive waste as it neared a disputed storage site in northern Germany on Monday, a day after an antinuclear demonstrator was run over and killed by the convoy in ...
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From assembly lines to retail counters, these are bitter and confusing days for German workers.
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Striking workers shut down most of France's rail network on Thursday and further disruption was expected in a protest over pensions, posing the biggest test yet of President Nicolas Sarkozy's ability to push through reforms.
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PARIS : French trade unions called on workers at France Telecom to stage a 24-hour strike September 7 to protest government plans to privatize the public telecommunications operator, union sources said.
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Wildcat strikes have broken out at General Motors plants in Germany in the wake of the companyÂs announcement that it will cut 12,000 jobs in Europe and could close an assembly plant.
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French commuters struggled to work Thursday as public transport workers put President Nicolas Sarkozy's reform plans to the test with a 24-hour strike in defence of pension privileges.
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COMMUTERS packed aboard the few trains running and surgeons handled only emergency operations as strikes over job cuts and pay disrupted rail services and hospitals throughout France yesterday.