11.   French railway unions extended a week-long strike Friday after talks with Transport Minister Bernard Pons broke down, union officials said.

12.   French railway services were hit from Thursday evening, with night trains and suburban services cancelled.

13.   French railways SNCF has meanwhile warned of disruptions due to the weather and major delays in the southwest.

14.   French state railways SNCF said the fire which broke out southeast of Paris did not affect any of the passenger compartments.

15.   French railway services were expected to be severely hit from Thursday evening, with night trains cancelled and cuts in high-speed TGV main-line trains.

16.   French railway services were expected to be severely hit from Thursday evening, with the exception of the high-speed Eurostar Paris-London link.

17.   French railways said the passengers booked on the first two Eurostars from Paris and London respectively would be taken by air instead.

18.   A national strike by French railway workers seriously disrupted regional express trains on Wednesday, the state-owned SNCF railway company said.

19.   A strike by railway workers over jobs and conditions, disrupted traffic on suburban lines east of Paris Monday, French state railway company SNCF said.

20.   A French judge Friday declined to release the jailed chairman of the French national railway company SNCF, Loik Le Floch-Prigent, indicted for financial malpractice.