France

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In Paris, President Envy: 'There Is No French Obama'

Country's egalitarian tradition takes a hit

(Newser) - Sacre bleu! With Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential race, the French, who’ve long prided themselves on a tradition of egalitarianism, are being forced to take a closer look at themselves—and they’re not happy with what they see, the Wall Street Journal reports. “This...

Hackers Get Bank Accounts of Sarko's Dad, Ex-Wife

Investigators now believe thieves may have been politically motivated

(Newser) - The same hackers who stole small amounts of money from Nicolas Sarkozy’s bank account appear to have gotten into the accounts of his father and first wife as well, the Times of London reports. They didn't steal money but rather set up phony cell-phone accounts. Police initially thought the...

Sarko Loses Bid to Block Voodoo Doll

French court rules presidential pincushion falls within the limits of humor

(Newser) - A French judge apparently finds Nicolas Sarkozy voodoo dolls funnier than the president does. The court threw out Sarkozy's Iawsuit against the maker of the dolls, the BBC reports, deciding it hadn't breached limits of "free expression and the right to humor." Sales of the presidential pincushion, which...

Cell-Seeking Man Traps Arm in Train Toilet

Passengers wait 2 hours while firemen saw through pipes

(Newser) - Talk about a dropped call: a man got his arm stuck in a French train toilet yesterday trying to retrieve his cell phone, the BBC reports. The high-speed commuter train was stopped for 2 hours as firemen sawed through pipes. They carried the 26-year-old out on a stretcher, "...

Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse
 Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse 
Oct 22, 2008 2:13 AM CDT

Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse

French prez vows to sue if makers don't take doll off the shelves

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is demanding that a voodoo doll in his image be withdrawn from bookstores, the Daily Telegraph reports. The fuming Sarko has threatened a lawsuit if the French distributor does not comply. Some 20,000 of the dolls, which comes with pins and a voodoo guide, have...

World Narrows Eyes at Exec Pay
 World Narrows Eyes at Exec Pay 
Oct 21, 2008 12:30 PM CDT

World Narrows Eyes at Exec Pay

Germany's bailout plan imposes broader curbs than US version

(Newser) - As governments worldwide implement bailouts for ailing financial institutions, the movement to curb executive compensation at those firms, and others, is gathering steam. Golden parachutes and pay practices that encourage excessive risk-taking are extremely unpopular in the public eye, the Wall Street Journal reports, and governments are finding restrictions necessary,...

Hackers Hit Sarko's Bank Account

The timing isn't great for leader calling for financial system overhauls

(Newser) - Small amounts of money began disappearing from Nicolas Sarkozy's bank account in September, and prosecutors now confirm that an ongoing investigation has not yet identified the "swindlers." The hackers are thought to have obtained the French prez's account information and password, reports the Telegraph. The theft comes at...

Paradis on Depp: 'I Want to Mob Him'

(Newser) - Vanessa Paradis isn’t in a rush to marry boyfriend Johnny Depp—to her, it might even be a step backward. “I'm more married than anybody can be,” the French chanteuse tells UK Elle in an interview reported by People. “Maybe one day, but it's something I...

Paris Festival Unveils 'Feminist' Pornos

Intellectuals welcome back erotica

(Newser) - A group of French intellectuals is staging Paris’ first pornographic film festival in an attempt to integrate hardcore erotica into mainstream cinema, the Guardian reports. Many argue the "feminism-friendly" videos are revolutionary, despite names like Strap-on Motel and Post-Apocalyptic Cowgirls. "For women it can be a sort of...

Cop Spied on Sarko's Lovers to 'Smear' Him

'Obsessed' intel chief detailed officials' drug habits, sexual exploits

(Newser) - Tawdry revelations from the diaries of a former intelligence chief are proving yet again that no one does scandal like the French: Authorities are accusing Yves Bertrand of spying on Nicolas Sarkozy’s wives and lovers to smear him before he became president and keep Jacques Chirac in power. Bertrand...

Jackie's Charm Sparked US Visit by Mona Lisa

First lady persuaded French to loan painting, boost our culture

(Newser) - Jackie Kennedy executed a diplomatic coup in 1962, when she convinced the smitten French culture minister to send the Mona Lisa on a perilous journey. The painting's visit to the US—"then regarded as a country with hardly any culture at all," in the words of one historian—...

Medvedev Calls for Anti-US Alliance

Tries to drive wedge between Europe and America

(Newser) - Dmitry Medvedev was in France today, mending bridges with Europe while laying the world’s problems—economic and otherwise—at America’s feet, the Telegraph reports. Medvedev blamed US “economic egotism” for the financial breakdown, and accused it of reviving its Russian containment policy and reigniting the Cold War....

French Writer Le Clézio Wins Nobel

Novelist, who lives part-time in US, wins $1.4M prize

(Newser) - This year's Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, reports the AP, a novelist often called France's greatest living writer. The Swedish Academy praised him as an "author of new departures, poetic adventure, and sensual ecstasy." The 68-year-old, who lives part of the...

Alsatian Wine Takes Sweet Turn
 Alsatian Wine 
 Takes Sweet Turn 
WINE REVIEW
Oct 8, 2008 1:48 PM CDT

Alsatian Wine Takes Sweet Turn

The French wines have gotten sweeter, and its hard to tell what's in the bottle, writes Asimov

(Newser) - Fifteen years ago, a few Alsatian wines were sweet, and the rest were dry. But "dry Alsace wines have taken a turn to the sweet side, usually without warning to consumers," Eric Asimov writes in the New York Times. The change occurred at both ends of the market:...

French Counterpart Calls Paulson Out on Lehman

Lagarde blames treasury sec's decision for increased global turmoil

(Newser) - Henry Paulson's decision to let Lehman Brothers collapse was "horrendous," his French counterpart said today. Christine Lagarde told a radio interviewer that "for the equilibrium of the world financial system, this was a genuine error." Lagarde added that her government would support financial institutions threatened with...

Europe Scrambles to Save Banks

Governments rescue troubled institutions, pledge to back deposits

(Newser) - Barely a day after rejecting the need for a massive unified rescue plan, European leaders are wading into two substantial bailouts and vowing to save banks, Bloomberg reports. France’s BNP Paribas will take over Fortis in Belgium and Luxembourg, while Germany’s government and banks bail out Hypo Real...

Europe Agrees to Take It One Financial Crisis at a Time

Sarkozy's hopes dashed amid other leaders' opposition

(Newser) - Leaders of Europe’s four biggest economies did not settle on a unified plan for tackling the financial crisis, the Washington Post reports. Instead, each country will deal with banking problems as they crop up. While France’s Nicolas Sarkozy hoped for a Europe-wide plan, British and German leaders were...

France Warns Israel: Don't Attack Iran

'Talk, talk and more talk' to stop Iranian nuke program, Kouchner urges

(Newser) - The French foreign minister has urged Israel not to launch an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Reuters reports. "There are those" in Israel and the Israeli army "who are preparing for a military attack," Bernard Kouchner told an Israeli newspaper. "That's not the solution." Kouchner,...

French Economy Enters Recession

After Ireland, it's the second EU nation in economic trouble

(Newser) - France has entered a recession. The national statistics agency projects that the economy will contract by 0.1% in the third and fourth quarters of 2008, meeting the generally accepted definition. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde blamed the troubles on high oil prices, the strength of the euro earlier this year,...

France Shudders at Bank Bailout of Its Own

(Newser) - As the financial crisis ripples through Europe, France’s banking industry is scrambling to assure investors and customers it will weather the storm, which prompted the country to join in the $9-billion bailout of Belgian-French bank Dexia, reports the Press Association. Dexia's cross-border status amplified the concern, reports the New ...

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