France – News Stories About France - Page 102

Jan 9, 2008 2:59 PM CST

At 100, Beauvoir Stirs Anew

Female equality remains hot topic in native France on centenary of icon's birth

(Newser) - Simone de Beauvoir was born 100 years ago today, and the Independent observes the centenary by asking whether women are still the second sex in the feminist's native France. Her writings influenced multiple generations of women by dismantling assumptions about feminine identity, and new biographies have humanized the once imperious-seeming...

Sarko Secretly Hospitalized After Divorce

Jan 9, 2008 1:28 PM CST

Sarko Secretly Hospitalized After Divorce

French prez rushed to military clinic a day after Le Split, says new book

(Newser) - In the latest Sarko plotline, a new book reveals that the French president was hospitalized the day after announcing his divorce from wife Cécilia—and that sick and depressed, he called her from the hospital and she rushed to his bedside. The Daily Mail reports that Nicolas Sarkozy was...

Sarko's Son Pens Song for Angry Rapper

Jan 9, 2008 10:53 AM CST

Sarko's Son Pens Song for Angry Rapper

Anti-Sarko singer didn't know he was son of prez

(Newser) - A rapper who hates French President Nicolas Sarkozy has recorded a tune by the president's own 23-year-old son, the Times of London reports. Sarko junior, a hip-hop producer who goes by the name Mosey, helped produce rapper Poison's music and threw in some lyrics. "The guy brought me music,...

Sarko Hints at Marriage to Bruni

Jan 8, 2008 8:04 AM CST

Sarko Hints at Marriage to Bruni

'It is serious,' says president at New Year's press conference

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy alluded to possible wedding bells with supermodel Carla Bruni today, telling a packed press conference that "There is a strong chance that you will learn about it once it's already been done." Calling the relationship "serious," he lashed out at critics who accused him...

Smoke-Free Paris Clears the Air

Jan 3, 2008 10:35 AM CST

Smoke-Free Paris Clears the Air

Smoking ban ends French tradition

(Newser) - The hazy, brooding atmosphere of Parisian cafes and bars has changed overnight with a French ban on smoking in public places. Clouds of smoke from scores of Gauloises and Gitanes cigarettes, which once hung over France's most celebrated salons and dining rooms, have wafted away. Similar bans are already in...

Sarkozy Breaks Off Syria Talks

Dec 31, 2007 4:30 AM CST

Sarkozy Breaks Off Syria Talks

Stop blocking progress in Lebanese presidential stalemate, French prez warns

(Newser) - France has lost patience with Syria and has cut off mediation talks until Damascus stops obstructing the election of a new president in Lebanon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced yesterday. Lebanon has been without a president since November and the Syrian-backed parliamentary opposition has been accused of blocking the election...

Chad 'Kidnappers' in France

Dec 28, 2007 4:55 PM CST

Chad 'Kidnappers' in France

Aid workers will serve out Chadian sentences in homeland

(Newser) - Six charity workers convicted of kidnapping children in Chad arrived today in their native France, where they are expected to serve out 8-year sentences, Reuters reports. The six, employees of humanitarian group Zoe’s Ark, will meet with a prosecutor to decide their prison placement. By serving their sentences in...

Risqué Pics Won't Dethrone
Miss France

Dec 28, 2007 3:25 PM CST

Risqué Pics Won't Dethrone Miss France

Pageant winner barred from international competition under deal

(Newser) - Miss France will keep her crown despite the publication of racy pictures featuring the 22-year-old student, AFP reports. Photographs of Valerie Begue licking yogurt off a wall and straddling a cross in a bikini had Genevieve de Fontenay, the pageant's sharp-tongued patron, threatening to strip Begue of her title; Begue...

In France, 2008 Means Défense de Fumer

Dec 28, 2007 1:20 PM CST

In France, 2008 Means Défense de Fumer

Nouvelle année accompanies nationwide ban on smoke-filled cafes

(Newser) - Say goodbye to the tradition of puffing on Gauloises at Paris cafes: Beginning Tuesday, France becomes the latest nation to introduce a complete smoking ban in restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs. The ban has widespread support, although diehard smokers are threatening to fight it. "I cannot stand the idea of...

Chad To Return Convicted Kidnappers To France

Dec 28, 2007 5:56 AM CST

Chad To Return Convicted Kidnappers To France

Zoe's Ark members will avoid sentences of hard labor

(Newser) - The six French charity workers convicted in Chad of attempting to kidnap 103 children they claimed were Darfuri orphans will return to France. It's unclear whether the French justice system will reduce their 8-year sentences. The Zoe's Ark charity workers, scheduled to return on a special flight, claimed they were...

More Bubbly? French Farmers Are in Uproar

Dec 26, 2007 6:08 PM CST

More Bubbly? French Farmers Are in Uproar

Champagne country expansion will enrich some, snub others

(Newser) - Champagne drinkers may soon taste the fruits of of a French government initiative to welcome new farmers into the exclusive club of those allowed to call their sparkling white wines Champagne, with a capital C. As demand skyrockets, a list has been drawn up of 40 communities that might be...

Chad Sentences Aid Workers
to 8 Years

Dec 26, 2007 2:00 PM CST

Chad Sentences Aid Workers to 8 Years

Release likely after French govt. intervenes in 'kidnapping' case

(Newser) - Six French charity workers were convicted today of attempting to kidnap 103 children and send them from Chad to Europe, but a diplomatic agreement is expected to repatriate them before they begin their sentences of 8 years at hard labor, Reuters reports. The workers had testified that they believed the...

Le Beau Sarko Vexes French

Dec 23, 2007 1:20 PM CST

Le Beau Sarko Vexes French

Tiny Casanova's antics create cult status as some deride his lack of decorum

(Newser) - He ain't your daddy's Jacques Chirac, and French president Nicolas Sarkozy's escapades have his countrymen both enthralled and concerned, reports the Guardian. His rollercoaster love life provides delicious gossip to a public that buys "I love Sarko" skivvies, and the tiny dynamo poses for intimate photo shoots and traipses...

Sarko Stalwart Against Taliban

Dec 22, 2007 5:31 PM CST

Sarko Stalwart Against Taliban

French president says he'll commit more troops to Afghan conflict

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy said today the international community must prevent Afghanistan from falling back under extremist rule, the BBC reports. The French president made a quick visit to Kabul to reaffirm his support for the US-led operation, saying France would commit more troops in the near future. France currently has about...

Alleged French Kidnappers Go on Trial in Chad

Dec 21, 2007 7:21 AM CST

Alleged French Kidnappers Go on Trial in Chad

Charity workers on hunger strike; they face 20 years hard labor

(Newser) - Six French citizens accused of the attempted kidnapping of 103 children have gone on trial in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena, in a courtroom surrounded by riot police and packed with journalists. The members of the Zoe's Ark charity, who claim that the children were orphans from Darfur whom they...

France to Admit Colombian Rebels in Hostage Deal

Dec 19, 2007 12:38 PM CST

France to Admit Colombian Rebels in Hostage Deal

Government would shelter freed rebels in exchange including French woman

(Newser) - France's PM said today the country will take in freed Colombian rebels as part of an exchange for the 46 hostages the rebel group FARC is holding, including a former presidential candidate who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship. The offer came hours after FARC agreed to release three hostages—a former...

First Face Transplant Patient Smiles—Slightly

Dec 13, 2007 3:00 PM CST

First Face Transplant Patient Smiles—Slightly

Patient faces massive side effects

(Newser) - Isabelle Dinoire can smile a little, her doctors reported yesterday, a big accomplishment for the world’s first face transplant recipient. Her case shows that the controversial surgery can work—but it also highlighted the risks involved. Dinoire has dealt with two tissue-rejection episodes, two kidney failures, anemia and high...

French Divided on Qaddafi Trip

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...