France – News Stories About France - Page 63

Oct 19, 2011 1:54 AM CDT

Moody's Downgrades Spain, Warns France

Sarkozy vows to take bold action at debt summit

(Newser) - Credit ratings in Europe are continuing to slide downward: Moody's has followed Standard & Poor’s lead and cut Spain's rating by two notches, warning that France could be next, reports the Washington Post . "Spain continues to be vulnerable to market stress and event risk," said...

Cop Accused
of Organizing
Orgies for DSK

Oct 17, 2011 4:15 AM CDT

Cop Accused of Organizing Orgies for DSK

Officer allegedly brought hookers to Paris, NYC for Strauss-Kahn

(Newser) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn's name has appeared in another sex scandal, reports the Daily Mail . This time, a French investigation into a prostitution racket has turned up a high-ranking police officer who had hoped to lead Strauss-Kahn's protection unit, had DSK been elected French president. That police official allegedly organized...

François Hollande
to Run Against
Sarkozy

Oct 17, 2011 1:00 AM CDT

François Hollande to Run Against Sarkozy

Longtime party official says he can restore 'French dream'

(Newser) - The French Socialists have a candidate for next year's presidential elections (and, surprise, it's not DSK), so now preparations can really begin for the Nicolas Sarkozy showdown, reports the BBC . The Socialists yesterday chose François Hollande—a longtime party official who has never held a ministerial-level office—...

Oysters From French Region of Brittany 'More Precious Than Pearls'

French Oysters:
'More Precious
Than Pearls'

mollusk review

Oct 16, 2011 5:56 PM CDT

French Oysters: 'More Precious Than Pearls'

Bivalve connoisseur describes 3-day journey

(Newser) - The world's most delicious oysters can be found in the French region of Brittany, where "they are generally smaller than other varieties but intensely flavored," writes Susan Spano in the Los Angeles Times . She recounts her 3-day oyster tour of France's Atlantic coast, where she devoured...

French Teacher Sets Herself
on Fire at School

Oct 13, 2011 2:21 PM CDT

French Teacher Sets Herself on Fire at School

'God told me to do this,' student heard her yell

(Newser) - A high school math teacher set herself on fire in the middle of the schoolyard this morning in southern France, in what appears to be a flamboyant suicide attempt. She taught her morning class as usual, but then at the morning break walked into the center of the schoolyard, doused...

French Prosecutor Drops Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case

DSK Admits
Sex Aggression,
France Drops Case

Oct 13, 2011 9:44 AM CDT

DSK Admits Sex Aggression, France Drops Case

It's apparently too late to prosecute Tristane Banon's claim

(Newser) - The Paris prosecutor's office has dropped an investigation into a French writer's claim that Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her for lack of sufficient proof. The prosecutor's office said today that Strauss-Kahn admitted to sexual aggression against writer Tristane Banon but that it is too late to...

Meteorite Hits Paris Home

Oct 11, 2011 12:59 AM CDT

Meteorite Hits Paris Home

Space rock found in the Comette family's roof

(Newser) - The Comettes were on vacation when their home was hit by a meteorite. The egg-sized space rock stayed buried in the insulation of the French family's home in suburban Paris until they called somebody in to fix their leaking roof, the Telegraph reports. "We got the roof tiler...

Belgium Bails Out Failing Dexia

Oct 10, 2011 9:01 AM CDT

Belgium Bails Out Failing Dexia

Belgian division to be nationalized; Belgium, France offer guarantees

(Newser) - Leading Franco-Belgian bank Dexia has agreed to a government rescue plan—making it "the biggest euro zone bank failure in quite some time," one analyst tells the New York Times . The plan will nationalize Dexia's Belgian banking division in a $5.4 billion government buyout; meanwhile, Belgium,...

Merkel, Sarko Reach Bank Deal

Oct 9, 2011 11:50 AM CDT

Merkel, Sarko Reach Bank Deal

Mum on details, will pitch to EU leaders this month

(Newser) - The leaders of Germany and France, the eurozone's two biggest economies, say they have reached agreement on strengthening Europe's shaky banking sector. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she and French President Nicolas Sarkozy "are determined to do the necessary to ensure the recapitalization of Europe's banks....

To Protect Itself, France
Bans ... Ketchup in Schools

Oct 6, 2011 8:34 AM CDT

To Protect Itself, France Bans ... Ketchup in Schools

American condiment can only be served with French fries

(Newser) - France is famous for defending its language and culture from foreign invaders, and now the French have a new enemy in their sights: ketchup. The French government is banning ketchup from school and university cafeterias—with a single exception. The American condiment can be served with French fries, the LA ...

French Women:
Don't Call Me
'Mademoiselle'

Sep 28, 2011 4:15 PM CDT

French Women: Don't Call Me 'Mademoiselle'

Two groups pushing for 'madame' to be used in all cases

(Newser) - French men get to be "monsieur" their whole lives, and French women would like to stick with a single honorific as well. Jezebel reports on the effort to kill "mademoiselle," a campaign backed by Osez le Feminisme (Dare to be Feminist) and Chiennes de Garde (Watch Bitches)....

French Left
Captures Senate

Sep 26, 2011 3:52 AM CDT

French Left Captures Senate

Major right-wing loss spells trouble for conservatives

(Newser) - Socialists and other left-wing parties captured the French Senate in yesterday's elections for the first time since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958, reports the BBC . France's sputtering economy and high unemployment, combined with divisions among the right, caused the dramatic shift. This "will go...

Deaf Travelers
Kept Off Flight for
'Security Reasons'

Sep 23, 2011 10:26 AM CDT

Deaf Travelers Kept Off Flight for 'Security Reasons'

French government weighs in

(Newser) - A group of hard-of-hearing travelers in France was barred from its flight after checking its bags for “security reasons,” a French airline said. “Just as we were about to board, someone from the company told us we couldn't,” said a member of the group, 18...

First French Women
Fined for Wearing Veils

Sep 23, 2011 2:21 AM CDT

First French Women Fined for Wearing Veils

Veiled woman running for president of France

(Newser) - Two French women have received the country's first fines for wearing a full-face veil—and they hope the fines will be the first nail in the coffin of the ban. The Muslim women, who were fined more than $100 each after wearing the veils while trying to deliver a...

DSK Admits
'Moral Failing,'
Denies Rape

updated

Sep 18, 2011 2:39 PM CDT

DSK Admits 'Moral Failing,' Denies Rape

Tonight's French TV appearance could draw record audience

(Newser) - Making his first public appearance since his arrest on rape charges in New York four months ago, Dominique Strauss-Kahn admitted today to a moral failing: "What happened was more than an inappropriate relation. It was an error," the former IMF chief said on French television. "I regret...

Praying Banned in Paris Streets

Sep 16, 2011 7:17 AM CDT

Praying Banned in Paris Streets

The 'street is for driving, not for praying,' interior ministry says

(Newser) - Starting today, praying in the streets of Paris is illegal, and Interior Minister Claude Gueant said the ban could soon be extended to the rest of France, particularly to Nice and Marseilles, where “the problem persists,” the Telegraph reports. The “problem” in this case being Muslim worshipers...

Chirac, PM Took $20M From African Leaders: Aide

Sep 12, 2011 1:55 PM CDT

Chirac, PM Took $20M From African Leaders: Aide

Claims money was sometimes hidden in drums

(Newser) - Former French president Jacques Chirac and his prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, have been accused of taking $20 million in illicit payments from African heads of state, allegations that both men deny. Lawyer Robert Bourgi, a onetime aide to the politicians, made the accusations in a radio station interview today,...

Explosion Rocks Nuclear
Waste Site in France

Sep 12, 2011 7:59 AM CDT

Explosion Rocks Nuclear Waste Site in France

At least one dead, three injured

(Newser) - An explosion hit the Marcoule nuclear plant in southern France today, killing at least one person and injuring three others, the BBC reports. The site handles nuclear waste and recycles plutonium from nuclear weapons into MOX fuel, but does not include any reactors. The explosion occurred near a furnace, but...

It's Official:
US Is World's
Coolest Country

15-country poll

Sep 6, 2011 11:26 AM CDT

It's Official: US Is World's Coolest Country

Obama, Jay-Z, Steve Jobs help win crown

(Newser) - When it comes to foreign policy, perhaps Americans aren’t the world’s favorite nationality. But the US has clearly cornered the market on coolness. Just ask the 30,000 people from 15 different countries polled by social networking site Badoo.com. When asked to choose the coolest country, America...

Former PM: DSK 'Mentally Ill'

Aug 31, 2011 6:59 AM CDT

Former PM: DSK 'Mentally Ill'

Michel Rocard writes off fellow Socialist's political career

(Newser) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been handed back his passport , bid farewell to the IMF , and, according to Socialist Party leader Martine Aubrey, will soon be returning to France—where controversy awaits. Michel Rocard, France's prime minister from 1988 to 1991, has told a French TV station that DSK's repeated...