Paris - French railway workers were set to walk off their jobs late Wednesday to kick off a one-day general strike that will severely disrupt transportation and shut schools throughout the country.

The job action was called by most major trade unions to demand higher pay, more job security, additional state aid to small and middle-sized companies threatened by the economic crisis and a halt to parts of President Nicolas Sarkozy's economic reforms.

Berlin - Germany joined France Tuesday in offering credit to buyers of new Airbus planes amid fears that the reluctance of world banks to lend may be undermining the plane manufacturer's sales.

Germany's federal bank, KfW, and export credit guarantees agency, Hermes, will enable customers to keep buying Airbus jets.

"The objective is to help reliable customers abroad to solve their financing problems, thus securing exports of our planes," Peter Hintze, the government's aerospace coordinator, told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa in Berlin.

Kochi, Jan 24: The French Navy's helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc, with about 250 cadets and midshipmen on board, will call at Kochi port on January 28 on a six-day visit.

A training squadron for naval officers, the training ship will be accompanied by another ship of the French Navy.

The commanding officer Captain Herve Blejean of Jeanne d'Arc and Commander Thierry Catard is the Commanding Officer of ASW Georges Leygues.

According to sources, the purpose of the visit is to facilitate interaction between cadets of French and Indian Navies.

London, Jan 24 : The banishment of French Justice Minister Rachida Dati by President Nicolas Sarkozy into the "internal exile" of the European Parliament has been interpreted by the French media as a "slow-motion dumping" of the new mum.

Dati will retain her job until May but has agreed to stand down to become deputy leader of the ruling party''s campaign in the greater Paris area for the European elections in June, reports the Independent.

Paris  - French Justice Minister Rachida Dati has agreed to resign her post and stand in this spring's elections for the European Parliament, the daily Le Figaro reported on Friday.

After earlier refusing President Nicolas Sarkozy's request to lead the list of candidates for his UMP party in the greater Paris region, Dati has now consented to take the number two spot on the list behind Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier.

The state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is planning to sign a deal with French energy major Areva to set up two new nuclear power reactors in Maharashtra. The move would help to resolve ever increasing energy needs of the country.

It should be recalled that India had signed a deal with France to co-operate in civil nuclear program. NPCIL and Areva had already signed a deal to provide 300 tonnes of Uranium for fuel deficient Indian nuclear reactors.