France – News Stories About France - Page 99

Dec 12, 2007 4:38 PM CST

French Divided on Qaddafi Trip

Critics see too much carrot, not enough stick during Libyan leader's highly visible visit

(Newser) - Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s visit to Paris continues to raise questions as to whether the French president sold out by dealing with the dictator, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Activists and some government officials say President Nicolas Sarkozy ignored Libya’s dismal human-rights record in favor of business, but...

Sarkozy Sits Down With Qadaffi

Dec 10, 2007 4:48 PM CST

Sarkozy Sits Down With Qadaffi

Human rights groups criticize French prez for meeting with Libyan leader

(Newser) - Muammar Qaddafi arrived in France today for his first visit in 30-plus years as human rights groups blasted Nicolas Sarkozy for agreeing to meet with the Libyan leader, AFP reports. The French president is preparing to to sign 10 billion euros' worth of contracts with Libya, which activists say is...

Mold Threatens Cave Paintings

Dec 9, 2007 8:30 AM CST

Mold Threatens Cave Paintings

Cave will be sealed for up to four months for treatment

(Newser) - They've existed for thousands of years but it's the lowly fungus that could finally be the death of France's most famous prehistoric cave paintings. Invading gray and black mold is threatening the animal images in the Lascaux cave in southwestern France, and scientists are uncertain what has caused it. The...

Merkel, Sarko Keep Heat on Iran

Dec 7, 2007 7:53 AM CST

Merkel, Sarko Keep Heat on Iran

Partners insist sanctions are still possible despite new intelligence

(Newser) - Angela Merkel joined Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday in reaffirming their hard line on Iran's nuclear program despite the new American intelligence assessment that weapons development was halted in 2003. "I don't see why we should renounce sanctions," said the French president at a joint press conference in Paris, with...

Bomb Explodes in Paris Office, Kills 1

Dec 6, 2007 9:42 AM CST

Bomb Explodes in Paris Office, Kills 1

Target was Sarkozy's law firm's building

(Newser) - A bomb exploded in a Paris office building today, killing a secretary and seriously injuring at least one other person, Bloomberg reports. The parcel was addressed to the fourth floor, which houses the Shoah Foundation, a Holocaust research group. The building is also home to Nicolas Sarkozy’s former law...

Eat Cake? Let Them Shop
on Sundays

Dec 4, 2007 9:41 PM CST

Eat Cake? Let Them Shop on Sundays

Sarkozy takes steps to scrap law keeping stores closed

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy wants to ax a 1906 law that shutters most retail outlets on Sundays, Bloomberg reports. The move would modernize the country, the maverick president says, energizing an economy that has dragged behind that of other EU countries. "Previous governments, left and right, always dodged the issue,"...

French Library Loosens Morals, Unveils Erotica

Dec 4, 2007 11:15 AM CST

French Library Loosens Morals, Unveils Erotica

Bibliothèque Nationale showcases 2 centuries of porn for first time

(Newser) - Turns out the auguste Bibliothèque Nationale has one of the world's biggest official collections of pornographic books and prints, and today it's going on view—to those over 16—for the first time in 170 years. The erotic works, which have been hidden away in a section called l'enfer,...

Ségolène Royal Blasts Ex-Lover in New Book

Dec 4, 2007 9:43 AM CST

Ségolène Royal Blasts Ex-Lover in New Book

French prez candidate blames her party for her election loss

(Newser) - A new book by Ségolène Royal hits stores in France today, writes the Times of London, and the unsuccessful presidential candidate apologizes for nothing in a fierce, at times vengeful 330 pages. Royal directs much of the blame for her defeat at her own Socialist party and particularly...

Sarkozy Shrugs Off Jewish Flap, Visits Algeria

Dec 3, 2007 1:32 PM CST

Sarkozy Shrugs Off Jewish Flap, Visits Algeria

Case closed, says French prez, focusing on energy contracts

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy downplayed an Algerian minister's comment last week that he gained the French presidency through a "Jewish lobby that has a monopoly on French industry" and arrived in the country today, the AP reports. On a 3-day visit to the former colony, Sarkozy hopes to lock up a...

French Attempt Sarko-Free Day

OPINION

Nov 30, 2007 1:50 PM CST

French Attempt Sarko-Free Day

Journalists and academics aim to take the 'omnipresident' down a notch

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy has earned his nickname of “omnipresident,” engineering his press coverage so deftly that a group of academics and journalists declared today “No-Sarko Day,” Jason Farago writes in the Guardian. The French president has spent the 6 months since he took office burnishing his image...

Massive Paris Police Action Quells Riots

Nov 29, 2007 6:47 AM CST

Massive Paris Police Action Quells Riots

But amateur video contradicts cops' story about boys' death

(Newser) - The Paris suburb of Villiers-le-Bel was relatively calm last night as hundreds of police dressed in riot gear restored order and a helicopter with searchlights hovered over the town. France's interior minister visited the suburb late last night, where a few rioters burned cars but no mass action took place,...

Sarkozy Vows to Punish Rioters

Nov 28, 2007 10:26 AM CST

Sarkozy Vows to Punish Rioters

Attacks against officers won't be tolerated, he says

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to bring armed rioters to justice after visiting wounded policemen in the hospital today, saying, “Opening fire at officials has a name—attempted murder.” More police were deployed last night, bringing violence down, but buildings and cars were burned throughout Paris and Toulouse, the BBC...

TV Babe Helps Sarko Rebound

Nov 26, 2007 12:48 PM CST

TV Babe Helps Sarko Rebound

Newly divorced prez turns to half of French TV's 'Ken and Barbie'

(Newser) - It didn’t take Nicolas Sarkozy long to get over his recent divorce—the French president is already in a “close and loving relationship” with star journalist Laurence Ferrari, according to the Daily Mail. It began when Ferrari interviewed Sarkozy on the campaign trail, creating visible chemistry. “They...

Airbus Lands $17B in Chinese Orders on Sarkozy Visit

Nov 26, 2007 7:46 AM CST

Airbus Lands $17B in Chinese Orders on Sarkozy Visit

French net $30B total; prez seeks higher yuan

(Newser) - French companies, led by Airbus, have landed $30 billion in deals during President Nicolas Sarkozy’s first visit to Beijing, where he urged the Chinese to accelerate appreciation of the yuan. The aerospace giant’s $17-billion order put Airbus back in the lead over competitor Boeing for orders this year,...

Iran Warns Against UN Sanctions

Nov 23, 2007 5:44 PM CST

Iran Warns Against UN Sanctions

US, Europe allies call for penalties after inspectors' report

(Newser) - Iran warned today that UN sanctions might bring a halt to its cooperation with nuclear inspectors, Reuters reports. The warning comes a day after Britain, France, and Germany joined the US in calling for such sanctions because a report by international inspectors gave Tehran mixed marks on its openness. "...

Crippling French Rail Strike Ends

Nov 23, 2007 3:11 PM CST

Crippling French Rail Strike Ends

Service resumes after 9 days

(Newser) - The 9-day French rail strike that left thousands of commuters stranded ended today with a whimper, reports the New York Times. All but 2% of the striking transit workers returned to work, and government and transit officials promised reimbursements for commuters inconvenienced by the unpopular action. "Commuters can take...

Low-Rise Paris Mulls High-Rise Revolution

Nov 23, 2007 2:05 PM CST

Low-Rise Paris Mulls High-Rise Revolution

Mayor, president team up to advocate new skyline for capital

(Newser) - The mayor of Paris, Europe's most densely populated city, has unveiled an ambitious new plan to reinvent the city's skyline. Bertrand Delanoë wants to build a collection of skyscrapers in the north and east of the city, where a tall building hasn't been completed since 1977. Despite Delanoë's popularity,...

French Attack Internet Piracy

Nov 23, 2007 8:34 AM CST

French Attack Internet Piracy

Move to stem high-tech theft raises worries about civil liberties

(Newser) - French internet pirates, beware. Big Brother is watching. Or, he will be if a three-strikes-and-you’re-out industry proposal backed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy moves forward, the Financial Times reports. Under the plan, ISPs would forward data on users illegally sharing files to the government, which could terminate problem internet...

Chavez Fired
as Hostage Mediator

Nov 22, 2007 7:32 PM CST

Chavez Fired as Hostage Mediator

Colombian prez says he overstepped boundaries

(Newser) - Colombia ended Hugo Chavez's try at freeing 45 hostages from Marxist rebels today, Reuters reports. The Venezuelan prez had been brokering their release for weeks when he apparently breached protocol by talking to a Colombian general. "Can you imagine (Russia's president) calling the chairman of the U.S. chiefs...

Chirac Faces Pilfering Probe

Nov 22, 2007 3:12 PM CST

Chirac Faces Pilfering Probe

Ex-prez grilled for 3 hours about funds for friends, allies during years as mayor

(Newser) - A French magistrate launched a probe yesterday into claims that former President Jacques Chirac skimmed funds while in office, the Independent reports. Chirac, who turns 76 next week, is accused of using tax money to back friends and allies during his reign as mayor from 1977 to 1995. More accusations...