Paris, Sept. 30 : India and France today signed a long term agreement for the Utilization of the Indian Polar Satellite launch vehicle for launching satellites.

The agreement was signed ahead of talks between Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and French President Nicholas Sarkozy here.

The Chairman of Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO) Dr. G Madhvan Nair and the CEO of Astrium, the French space organization, François Auque signed the pact.

The two companies have been already cooperating in the field of space activities.

Brussels/Paris - The bosses of Dexia stepped down on Tuesday after the struggling Franco-Belgian bank became the latest victim of the global credit crunch and was bailed out by three European governments.

Belgian media reports said Axel Miller, a Belgian who acts as its chief executive officer, and Pierre Richard, a Frenchman who chairs the board of directors, both tendered their resignation in the wake of the 6.4-billion-euro (9.2-billion-dollar) capital injection.

The company issued a statement confirming that the governments of Belgium, France and Luxembourg had agreed to support the bank.

"All the necessary measures will be taken to preserve the interests of Dexia's depositors," Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme said.

Paris  - French President Nicolas Sarkozy was to meet with the heads of French banks and insurance companies later Tuesday as French shares tumbled for a second consecutive day in the wake of the refusal of the US Congress to approve a finance bail-out.

The aim of the meeting at the Elysee Palace is to "review the situation of the financial institutions as well as the availability of credit to households and companies," Sarkozy's office said Monday, but the defeat in the House of Representatives of the plan to rescue the US finance sector will add urgency to the talks.

Paris, Sept. 30: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received a red carpet welcome here on Monday evening, hours after participating in a significant Ninth India-European Summit in the port town of Marseilles. He was received by French Immigration, Integration and National Identity Minister Brice Hortefeux.

The final leg of Singh's 10-day visit to the United States and France will see him holding talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy today on various issues of mutual importance to the two countries.

Marseilles (France), Sept. 29 : Seeking to defend his UPA Government on the issue of the recent attacks on Christians in Orissa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said on Monday that every community in India had a right to practice its religious beliefs, and violence to curb these beliefs would be firmly dealt with.

Marseilles (France), Sept. 29 : The European Union and India have identified new activities to complement the 2005 India-EU Joint Action Plan, with the objective of promoting international peace and security and working together towards achieving economic progress, prosperity and sustainable development.

They include the following:

Promoting Peace and Comprehensive Security

- To strengthen their consultations in the United Nations Human Rights Council and sustain their dialogue on human rights with a view to promoting the universality of human rights.