France

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Champagne Sales Point to Gloomy 2012

Europe isn't snapping up the bubbly like it used to

(Newser) - Whether it's a stand-in for Europe's spirits or its wallets, the message is the same: It's been a rather gloomy 2012, at least according to Champagne sales, with shipments of the bubbly down 5% in the first three quarters. And though a holiday bump will occur per...

Furious Europe Rips Israel Over New Settlements

UK, France, Sweden summon ambassadors to express displeasure

(Newser) - Israel's decision to approve 3,000 new homes on occupied territory is drawing sharp condemnation from European allies, with at least three governments summoning ambassadors to express their disapproval of an action they say undermines an already troubled peace process. Israeli envoys were called out in France, Britain, and...

Formidable! Burger King Returns to France

Chain departed the country in 1997

(Newser) - Call it The Remembrance of Onion Rings Past. The French are buzzing over the return of Burger King after an absence of more than 15 years, reports the New York Times . The first Burger King opened on Paris' Champs Elysées in 1980, but fast food was a foreign concept...

Sorry, Sarko: Carla Bruni Backs Gay Marriage

Says it's personal, not political, for her

(Newser) - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy opposes gay marriage—but his wife feels otherwise. With the country considering a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption, Bruni tells France's Vogue that she's "rather in favor because I have a lot of friends—men and women—who are in...

'Apocalypse' Village to Media: You're the Problem

People in Bugarach can't wait for the 'end of the world' to end

(Newser) - A mysterious online rumor has brought immense fame to a village in France —but for locals and visitors the biggest annoyance seems to be reporters who keep asking about it, the Guardian reports. The sleepy village of Bugarach is known as the one place destined to survive the Mayan...

France Loses AAA Rating on Weak Growth

Moody's downgrades the government's bond rating

(Newser) - Moody's Investors Service has downgraded France's government bond rating, citing the country's weak economic growth outlook and its exposure to Europe's economic crisis. The rating agency lowered France's rating one notch today from triple-A—its top rating—to Aa1. The outlook for the rating remains...

Anti-Gay Marriage Parisians Clash With Topless Activists

Catholic marchers attack counter-protesters

(Newser) - Clashes erupted in Paris yesterday when topless protesters from the Ukrainian group Femen challenged a Catholic-led march to oppose gay marriage. The activists were punched and pushed to the ground after chanting "In Gay We Trust" and spraying white powder from bottles, the AP reports. A law proposed by...

Turkey Recognizes Syria Rebels

It's a major boost for new coalition, though US is still wary

(Newser) - The newly formed rebel coalition in Syria got another major boost today: Turkey announced its formal support, days after France became the first Western nation to do so, reports the Voice of America . The Syrian National Coalition is "the sole legitimate representative of the people of Syria," said...

US Pledges $30M More in Syria Aid

France formally recognizes opposition coalition

(Newser) - Two pieces of good news this week for the newly-formed Syria opposition coalition : France became the first Western country to officially recognize it as the only valid representative of the Syrian people, and the US pledged $30 million in humanitarian aid. Hillary Clinton pledged the additional aid today at a...

France's Champagne Harvest Is Worst in 40 Years

But this year's bubbly won't be affected

(Newser) - Wet weather and hailstorms combined to make this year's Champagne harvest—the real capital C stuff from France—the worst in 40 years, reports BloombergBusinessweek . Damaged vineyards in the Champagne region yielded 40% fewer grapes this year, says an industry spokesman in Paris. The only good news is that...

France's Gay-Rights Bill Takes Step Forward

Ministers back it, so it's now on to National Assembly and Senate

(Newser) - France's top ministers have given the nod of approval to the country's rather suddenly contested gay-marriage and adoption-rights bill, reports CNN . President Francois Hollande's Cabinet today pushed the bill forward, sending it to the National Assembly and Senate, which are expected to vote on it in February...

France: We're OK With Gay Marriage ... Right?

Suddenly it's a political hot potato

(Newser) - New French President Francois Hollande rode to victory promising to legalize gay marriage, and with a majority of the public supporting it, what could go wrong? A lot, it turns out: Religious and rural leaders are opposing him, ambitious conservative politicians are piping up, and even his own Socialist ministers...

Religious Hackers Post Warning on Euro Lottery Site

Hackers left Koran warning against gambling

(Newser) - A European lottery website has been hacked by a group that left behind a Koran warning against gambling. The hackers, calling themselves "Moroccanghosts," posted the message on France's Euromillions site in Arabic and French. Officials for the company that runs the Euromillions lottery, Francaise des Jeux, said...

Alps Murder Victim Had Saddam Hussein&#39;s Money
Alps Murder Victim Had Saddam Hussein's Money
police say
Oct 28, 2012 2:30 PM CDT

Alps Murder Victim Had Saddam Hussein's Money

Saad Al-Hilli held part of the secret stash: German police

(Newser) - The British engineer killed in the French Alps may have been murdered for holding some of Saddam Hussein's private fortune, the Telegraph reports. German secret police have given French authorities evidence to that effect to help in their investigation of Iraqi-born Saad Al-Hilli, who was killed on September 5...

Dog Survives After Getting Poisoned, Buried Alive

And it happened on his third birthday

(Newser) - A Jack Russell terrier has survived after being poisoned and buried alive—and he can thank the man who saw the ground wiggle. Ethan came back to life on his third birthday after someone tried to kill him. He had a whole chain of saviors: the man who dug him...

French President Promises to Outlaw Homework

Move is part of Francois Hollande's education reforms

(Newser) - French President Francois Hollande has been making good on a slew of campaign promises since taking office—like this , and this , and this —and now he's making headlines as he turns to education. The reason? He pledged this week to ban homework, reports France24 . "Work should be...

French Cops Kill 1, Nab 11 in Terror Sweep

Suspected terrorist Jeremy Sidney gunned down at his home

(Newser) - French police arrested 11 suspected terrorists and shot one dead today in a nationwide sweep aimed at breaking up terror networks and responding to a strike on a Jewish store, AFP reports. The man killed was Jeremy Sidney, 33, whose fingerprints were identified on a grenade tossed into a kosher...

France Drops DSK Gang Rape Case

Woman central to case won't press charges

(Newser) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn is off the hook in a gang rape investigation after a French prosecutor dropped the matter. The investigation was canceled after a Belgian woman withdrew testimony fueling the case. She now tells the prosecutor she was consenting and that she won't press charges, CNN reports. "Given...

Cops Nab UK Teacher Who Fled With Student

He and 15-year-old girl were found in France

(Newser) - Police have arrested a British math teacher accused of fleeing to France with a 15-year-old student, Sky News reports, resolving a missing-child case that's made big waves in the UK press and social media networks. Megan Stammers and her teacher Jeremy Forrest, 30, were found walking on a Bordeaux...

London Poised to Beat Paris as Foodie Haven: Michelin Boss

City now home to 60 restaurants with Michelin stars

(Newser) - Looks like London's not just meat and potatoes anymore. After 16 British restaurants got their first Michelin star yesterday and three their second, the city is rivaling Paris as a destination for fine dining. In total, London boasts 60 starred restaurants; four of those have three stars and eight...

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