February 7, 2006	Tuesday	Muharram 8, 1427

PARIS, Feb 6: The French government faces a tough test of its efforts to loosen labour market rules on Tuesday, as students, unions and the left-wing opposition take to the streets to fight a proposed youth job contract. The flexible new contract, to be debated in the French parliament from Tuesday, is the cornerstone of plans put forward by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to tackle stubbornly high youth unemployment.—AFP