[Steve]

Unions representing French train workers have called for a nationwide strike starting next Monday following the breakdown of talks over what they see as plans to sell off the state rail company SNCF.
The rail strike, the sixth this year, will start at 8:00 pm on Monday and will be renewable every 24 hours, the four unions told AFP on Tuesday.
Talks between the SNCF management and unions, which are seeking guarantees that the operator will not be privatised, ended in failure earlier Tuesday, according to the secretary general of the FGAAC union, William La Rocca.
On Monday, the three other unions -- the CGT, FO and SUD-Rail -- issued a statement rejecting the latest proposals by SNCF chairman Louis Gallois as "a provocation for railway workers and bad news for customers."
The four unions, which represent more than 95 percent of train drivers and 71percent of all SNCF staff, say they suspect preparations are being made for the "runaway privatisation" of the loss-making operator.
The protest comes amid a general privatisation push by the conservative French government, which is selling off part of the electricity utility EDF and some toll road companies. — AFP