French arts workers, angry about a reduction in their work benefits, are staging strikes, threatening major summer arts festivals. “The first three days of a July opera festival in the southern city of Aix-en-Provence have already been pushed back, with director Stephane Lissner warning that the entire three-week event could be in jeopardy. Also at risk is the Festival d’Avignon, one of Europe’s most prestigious drama festivals due to begin on July 8. The event drew 98,000 theater-lovers last year, according to culture ministry figures.”