Today, the National Assembly is expected to approve the pension reform bill which the upper house of parliament, the Senate, passed on Tuesday. France has been hit by a wave of strikes across the country over the proposals, which include raising the legal age of retirement from 60 to 62, although opposition has been weakening as the dispute has dragged on.

If all goes according to plan, the measures will become law by the second week of November.

Source: bbc.co.uk/27.10.2010