BBC News: Huge crowds join French strikes
Huge crowds have taken to the streets in France to protest over the handling of the economic crisis, causing disruption to rail and air services.
Financial Times: Clashes mar end of French protests
Union leaders said at least 2.5m people took part in 200 demonstrations in what they said was the biggest protest by employees for 20 years. The interior ministry said the number was 1m.
Guardian: A million on strike as France feels pinch
Bloomberg: Sarkozy Faces His Biggest Protest Yet on French Economic Plan

Elsewhere:

 

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"Aides Say Obama's Afghan Aims Elevate War," by Helene Cooper and Thom Shanker, January 28 New York Times:

President Obama intends to adopt a tougher line toward Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, as part of a new American approach to Afghanistan that will put more emphasis on waging war than on development, senior administration officials said Tuesday.

Mr. Karzai is now seen as a potential impediment to American goals in Afghanistan, the officials said....

The officials portrayed the approach as a departure from that of President Bush, who held videoconferences with Mr. Karzai every two weeks and sought to emphasize the American role in rebuilding Afghanistan and its civil institutions.

They said that the Obama administration would work with provincial leaders as an alternative to the central government, and that it would leave economic development and nation-building increasingly to European allies, so that American forces could focus on the fight against insurgents....

Now that the 17-year tradition of daily morning conference calls has gone public, statements from Begala, Carville and Stephanopolus related to "what's going on" are going to get a hell of a lot more cryptic and hard to interpret.