French students have gone into the streets again in Paris and other cities to protest a new youth jobs law.
High school students joined the protests Tuesday as French labor union leaders press demands that the government withdraw the bill or face a general strike March 28.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin today expressed readiness to discuss improvements to the bill, but said he will not abandon it.
France's parliament earlier this month approved the measure, which allows companies to hire young workers for a two-year probationary period.
French President Jacques Chirac has said the new law is needed to tackle youth unemployment, which is as high as 50 percent in some parts of France.
Critics say the law gives bosses a source of cheap laborers who can be fired without notice.
Meanwhile, authorities in Paris say a man remains in a coma after injuries suffered in clashes between protesters and police on Saturday. Protest organizers say the 39-year-old man was trampled in a police charge.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.