France offers financial assistance to its jobless

The French government has announced an increase in funding for training programmes for the unemployed who are currently staging protests across France.The employment minister, Martine Aubry, told a news conference that eighty-three million dollars five hundred million francs was to be made available to unemployment offices to finance training programs.

And she urged the unemployed to stop occupying welfare offices.

Groups of jobless people have occupied unemployment offices in several cities and staged protests at hotels and restaurants demanding an increase in benefits.

Correspondents say unemployment is one of the biggest worries for the government with more than twelve per cent of the work force officially jobless.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service