Transport strikes have brought France to a standstill; the Rugby World Cup hopes have been dashed in the capital; the President and his wife have divorced by mutual consent. Not a good week for the French leader Nicolas Sarkozy. After just five months in office, his political honeymoon has come to an abrupt end.

On top of his personal affairs, comes Mr. Sarkozy's first major political challenge, as workers across the country ... in protests against his planned pension reforms. From Paris, John Sparks has this report.

The critics and columnists are calling it Black October. Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential nightmare, crippling strikes, sporting humiliation, and the end of his marriage. Is this the end of the affair between Sarko and French people?

Sheer energy, boundless ambition, the promise of a reform won Nicolas Sarkozy the presidency in May. The people seem to like his plans to introduce welfare reform and liberalize the labour market. Well, that was until many sought the details. This is a major headache for the president and it came in the form of 100,000 men and woman on the streets of Paris. Sarkozy has targeted raila and public transport workers: he wants them to work longer for their pensions. But meet Bernard Thibault, the leader of the communist affiliated CGT union, like a bull with a Beatles mark, he says this reform has to be stopped. He said, "The president is preparing the public by singling us out. Next everybody's pensions will be drastically redued."

Out in the suburbs where the train drivers left their carriages, we've found a British company that has attracted more venom form the unions. Founded in Sheffield, A4e trains, advises and pesters people back to work, even older ones, and Sarkozy loves it.

"People need it if they want to work longer. I am okay with that."
"So they should be able to do that."
"Yes, they should be able to do that. But that's true that's in France, ur, less than in, ur, UK, or United States, and so on. We do not really give the chance to older people to just, to work."

This engraves a new world in France, but from at least 2000 pounds for every person placed in a job. But the unions still don't like that either.

"(laugh), make money, of course, because we are not a sharing team, we are an association, so of course we make money to do that."

And then a dramatic announcement, subjected to much rumor, but now a reality. We got the news at 13:20 this afternoon. Well, like it has been a bad week for Nicolas Sarkozy, hasn't got a whole lot worse. He has begun seperation proceedings with his wife Cecilia. The rumors had been true. Now he's got the palace to himself. Life of the French First Lady is not to the liking to this glamourous and headstrong 49-year old. Her friend saying here today, she couldn't stand the pressure of public life. For easiness today, even members of the Union stated it was a private matter, not really any of their business, they said. "I think the President is a man. he has a right to divorce," he said. "I really don't care," said this woman, "my pension now, I am really worried about that."

And the other disater. Well, it's all about French rugby. The President had closely associated himself with the team. The manager, Bernard Laporte, will become his new sports minister.France will (be) practicing today for their runners-up match against Argentina tomorrow night.

"Well, there's a large press contingent here and plenty of people from the rugby world. But it's deathly silent here. Everybody is wispering. It feels a bit like a funeral."

The national team and the nation's leader (are) both in a certain amount of pain this evening, although they are hoping for better times ahead.