France braces for mass stoppage

France is bracing for massive disruption to transport and public services ahead of "Black Thursday", its first major strike triggered by the global financial crisis.

All the country's main trade unions have called for their members to stay away from work to take part in large-scale street protests against President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.

With businesses failing and unemployment mounting, many workers fear they will be made to pay the price for a crisis they blame on the greed of bankers and a failure in market capitalism.