France

Stories 1121 - 1140 | << Prev   Next >>

Sarkozy Took $66M From Gadhafi: Website

Libyan leader gave cash to 2007 campaign, investigators claim

(Newser) - Moammar Gadhafi helped bankroll Nicolas Sarkozy's rise to power, according to a French investigative website. Mediapart says it has seen documents suggesting the Libyan leader made a $66 million donation ahead of Sarkozy's election in 2007, the Telegraph reports. Gadhafi's son Saif-al Islam made similar claims a...

Sarkozy Son in Trouble for Chucking Marbles at Cop

Louis apologizes for striking female gendarme

(Newser) - Not the best move for the son of a law-and-order candidate: French President Nicolas Sarkozy's 14-year-old boy is in trouble for chucking marbles—and a tomato—at a female gendarme at the Elysée presidential palace. Louis apparently decided to pelt the cop on guard across the street as...

Avalanche Wipes Out French Ski Lift

Snow pours over chairs, cables, knocks down pylons

(Newser) - Skiers thought they were safe in their chair-lift perches as they watched a powerful avalanche rumble through a French ski resort near Grenoble—until snow began to bury the tips of their skis. No injuries were reported, but several skiers on higher ground were left dangling from lifts—and had...

Mob Chases Sarkozy Into Bar
 Mob Chases Sarkozy Into Bar 

Mob Chases Sarkozy Into Bar

French prez meets hostile crowd at campaign stop

(Newser) - Yesterday was a tough day on the campaign trail for Nicolas Sarkozy. The French president was forced to take refuge in a bar after being confronted by a hostile crowd in the southwestern city of Bayonne, the BBC reports. Hundreds of angry protesters—a mix of Basque nationalists and supporters...

Buy a French Village for $431K
 Buy a French Village for $431K 

Buy a French Village for $431K

Deserted hamlet of Courbefy has 19 buildings

(Newser) - Got $431,000 lying around? A deserted French village can be all yours. Courbefy, located in the Limousin region, comes with 19 buildings, including family homes, reports the Telegraph . Be forewarned: Neighbors say it's frequented by "thieves, drunks and squatters," and one dubbed it a ghost village....

French PM: OK, No More 'Mademoiselle'

Term will no longer be included on official paperwork

(Newser) - French feminists have successfully done away with the term "mademoiselle." After much uproar over the honorific , PM Francois Fillon has agreed that it should be removed as an option on French paperwork, meaning women will no longer have to choose between "madame" (for married women) and "...

DSK Held in French Hooker Inquiry

Cops question whether Strauss-Kahn knew women at sex parties were prostitutes

(Newser) - Anne Sinclair's patience might appear to be limitless, but Dominique Strauss-Kahn is again testing it to the max: The former IMF chief, who still faces civil action from the New York City maid who accused him of sex assault, is cooling his heels at a French police station this...

French Making In-Car Breathalyzers Mandatory

Drivers without self-testing kit to be fined

(Newser) - The French are taking one more excuse away from drunk drivers. Starting this spring, all motorists will be required to have a breathalyzer in their car so that if they have consumed alcohol, they can make sure they're not over the limit before they get behind the wheel, the...

Iran Cuts Oil to UK, France
 Iran Cuts Oil to UK, France 

Iran Cuts Oil to UK, France

Oil ministry issues ultimatums to European refineries to sign long-term contracts

(Newser) - Iran has halted oil shipments to Britain and France, the Oil Ministry said today, in an apparent pre-emptive blow against the European Union's sanctions on Iran's oil exports. The EU imposed tough sanctions against Iran last month, which included a freeze of the country's central bank assets...

Sarkozy Seeking 5 More Years
 Sarkozy Seeking 5 More Years 

Sarkozy Seeking 5 More Years

Rival shrugs as president officially launches bid

(Newser) - To the surprise of nobody in France, Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that he's seeking a second term as president. He officially launched his re-election bid in a TV interview last night, comparing himself to a "ship captain whose boat is in the thick of a storm," and...

Why French Parents Are Better
 Why French Parents Are Better 
OPINION

Why French Parents Are Better

Pamela Druckerman: They teach their kids patience

(Newser) - Tiger Mom showed us why Chinese parents were better, and now Pamela Druckerman is making a case for the French. Short version: The grownups are in charge, and they don't cater to their kids' every whim. They teach their children patience and tend not to wind up with spoiled...

Sarkozy Unveils 'Robin Hood' Tax

Financial transactions to be taxed starting this summer

(Newser) - With the French presidential election just three months away, Nicolas Sarkozy took to the airwaves last night to tell voters about a tax hike. The president announced a sales tax rise from 19.6% to 21.2% and a new "Robin Hood" tax on financial transactions, the BBC reports....

France Making It a Crime to Deny Armenian Genocide

Turkey expected to withdraw ambassador

(Newser) - If you are in France and deny that Turkey committed "genocide" against 1.5 million Armenians in 1915-1916, be prepared to be fined $57,000 and spend a year in jail. Actually, the new legislation applies to genocide denial in general, but it is the law's application to...

World's Timekeepers: Kill 'Leap Seconds'

Debate rages over fundamental shift

(Newser) - Countries across the globe are divided—and it's only a matter of time. Some, including Britain and China, want to retain a special "leap second" occasionally added to the calendar to keep atomic clocks in line with the Earth's rotation. The US, France, Germany, and others, however,...

French HuffPo's New Editor: DSK Wife

Anne Sinclair will run new site

(Newser) - Well, this is one way to stir up attention for your new website: Hire Dominique Strauss-Kahn's wife as its editor. It seems Anne Sinclair will head up the Huffington Post's new French edition, the New York Times reports, as she is listed as editorial director on an invitation...

'Mademoiselle' Banned in French Town

Now it's 'madame,' whether married or not

(Newser) - There's no equivalent of "Ms." in French—and in one French town, there's no "Miss" anymore, either. The village of 16,500 is banning the use of the title "mademoiselle," long subject to controversy , on official forms; now, all women in Cesson-Sevigne will...

S&P Downgrades France, Italy, 7 Others

Paris and Austria lose AAA status

(Newser) - Standard & Poor's has downgraded the government debt of France, Austria, Italy, and Spain by one notch, but maintained Germany's at the coveted 'AAA' level. The cuts, which eliminated France and Austria's triple-A status, deal a heavy blow to the currency union's ability to fight...

Michael Jackson Fans Sue His Doctor

French fans seek compensation for 'emotional damage'

(Newser) - Michael Jackson fans in France are suing the late pop singer's doctor over emotional distress, AFP reports. "It's similar to losing a childhood friend in a traffic accident," says lawyer Emmanuel Ludot, who is representing about 100 grieving fans against doctor Conrad Murray. "Because this...

France Toughens Citizenship Gauntlet

Now citizens must pass test of language, 'values'

(Newser) - Bad news, Francophiles: It just became harder to become French. Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has just thrown up some tough new hurdles for would-be French citizens, requiring them to pass a difficult language test (foreigners will need to speak French at the level of a French 15-year-old) and swear allegiance...

French Journo Found Dead in Yemen Hotel

Had been missing for days; circumstances murky

(Newser) - A French-Algerian journalist who'd been missing for four days has been found strangled in a hotel in Yemen's capital. The body of the man, whose name hasn't been given, was tied to the bed in his room, and Yemeni police said he had been strangled with an...

Stories 1121 - 1140 | << Prev   Next >>