Many casualties are reported after a huge blast at a technology college in Mulhouse, eastern France.

AP - A large explosion rocked a chemistry school in eastern France on Friday, police said. Fire services said there were casualties.

Reuters - A huge explosion destroyed a French university building in the eastern city of Mulhouse on Friday, injuring several people, the fire brigade said.

AFP - French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin was to meet leaders of the main trade unions in a bid to defuse a crisis that the day before sparked more violent protests against the government's youth labour law.

Reuters - French telecoms equipment provider Alcatel is in talks with its smaller U.S. rival Lucent Technologies to create a combine with sales of 21 billion euros ($25.33 billion), the companies said late on Thursday.

AFP - French telecom technology provider Alcatel and US telecom equipment firm Lucent Technologies are in negotiations on a possible merger, the two groups announced in a brief joint statement without giving financial details.

Reuters - U.S. telecom equipment maker Lucent Technologies and its French rival Alcatel confirmed late on Thursday they are discussing a potential merger of equals.

AP - Lucent Technologies Inc. and French telecom equipment maker Alcatel SA are discussing a merger in what could be the start of consolidation among the companies that help power telephone and Internet networks.

Union leaders are to meet the French prime minister to discuss a labour law which has led to violent protests.

Reuters - French President Jacques Chirac walked out of a European Union summit briefly on Thursday when the French head of the EU's industry lobby addressed leaders of the bloc in English.

AFP - US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez backed angry protests by Apple Computer over a new French law that would throw open Apple's popular online music store to competitors.

Reuters - French President Jacques Chirac briefly walked out of a European Union summit on Thursday when the French head of the EU's industry lobby addressed leaders of the bloc in English.

AFP - Violence erupted again during a protest march in central Paris against the French government's youth jobs programme, even as the embattled Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin gave ground by offering open-agenda talks with trade unions and student groups.

Reuters - Rampaging French youths set fire to cars and looted shops in Paris on Thursday, marring protests against a youth jobs law that Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, in a conciliatory move, agreed to discuss with unions.

Violence again erupts at a Paris demonstration against a controversial new labour law.

AP - European Union leaders risked another bad-tempered summit Thursday after weeks of protectionist sniping over attempts to shield companies from takeovers cast doubt on the EU's much-vaunted border-free market.

AP - Liberty Global Inc. on Thursday said it agreed to sell its French cable business, UPC France SA, for about 1.25 billion euros ($1.51 billion) in cash to two private equity firms.

AFP - Italian electricity giant Enel, presenting its 2005 results, posted a 48.0-percent rise in net profit and said it would expand through acquisitions but did not refer to French utilities group Suez.

Reuters - Cable operator Liberty Global said on Thursday it would sell its French operations for 1.25 billion euros, or about $1.51 billion, cash to private equity firms Altice and Cinven.

Reuters - French film star turned animal rights campaigner Brigitte Bardot tearfully begged Canada on Wednesday to stop the annual harp seal hunt, during which about 325,000 young seal pups will be shot or beaten to death.