Tensions Escalate at French Universities

French officials are demanding that university students and professors stop strikes and protests so that regular classes can resume, The Guardian reported. The protests aim to block President Nikolas Sarkozy's government from carrying out its planned higher education reforms, which critics say will give too much power to administrators and the government. At many universities, the protests have now gone on long enough that it will soon be impossible to complete the academic year, government officials warn.