French Trains Hit By Sabotage

France's high-speed TGV rail network has been damaged by a "concerted campaign of sabotage", the SNCF state-owned rail operator has said.

It said acts of sabotage overnight, including fires, caused huge delays to TGV services already hit by a long transport union strike over reforms.

The SNCF blamed militants for the attacks, saying they wanted to harm ongoing talks to end the strike.

Union officials deplored the attacks as acts of vandalism, warning that they put people's safety at risk.

The open-ended rail strike is over planned changes to the pension system by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said the saboteurs would be severely punished.