Paris - French workers from the public and private sectors went on strike on Thursday to protest the economic policies of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The second national anti-government job action this year will be accompanied by protest demonstrations in more than 210 cities and towns, trade union officials said.

The strike actually began late Wednesday when employees of the national rail network SNCF and the French oil giant Total walked off their jobs.

Saint-Etienne, France  - German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen on Wednesday became the first club through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup after holding French side St Etienne 2-2 on the night to advance 3-2 on aggregate.

St Etienne, who last season finished fifth in the French first division, but this season have slipped down into the relegation zone, rested several key players including Paul Machado.

Coach Alain Perrin explained before the game that the club's priority had to be the fight against relegation.

Paris  - A one-day general strike of French workers from the private and public sectors to protest the economic policies of President Nicolas Sarkozy began late Wednesday when employees of the national railway network SNCF walked off their jobs.

The SNCF said that only about half of its scheduled long-haul and regional trains on average were expected to be running during the strike.

Paris - The French Anti-doping Agency (AFLD) sprang a surprise out-of-competition doping test on seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong that included a sample of his hair, Armstrong said on his Twitter feed.

"Yet another "surprise" anti-doping control. 24th one. This one from the French authorities. Urine, blood, and hair! Classic," Armstrong wrote on the Twitter.

The AFLD confirmed the test on Wednesday, saying that Armstrong was subject to examinations like any other athlete.

Paris - The French Alpine town of Annecy was named Wednesday as France's candidate city to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, holding off the challenge from Nice, Grenoble and Pelvoux-les-Ecrins.

Town mayor Jean-Luc Rigaut said 80 per cent of the necessary infrastructure was already in place in Annecy, which is situated beside the cleanest lake in Europe and Mont Blanc.

The German city of Munich, Switzerland's Wallis and Pyeongchang, South Korea have already expressed an interest in hosting the 2018 Winter Games.

Paris  - The French government on Wednesday sharply criticized comments made by Pope Benedict XVI regarding the effectiveness of condoms in the fight against AIDS.

"Such statements are a danger to public health policies and the protection of human life," foreign affairs ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier told journalists in Paris. "The condom is an important element in the fight against the spread of AIDS."