NEWS HEADS 7th February - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English



CHAD: Kidnapped French Red Cross worker is released
French aid worker Laurent Maurice, who was kidnapped in Chad last year,has been released in good health after three months in captivity, a Red Cross official has confirmed.

MILITARY: France to send 80 soldiers to Afghanistan for training missions
The French defence minister, Hervé Morin, announced that Paris will send 80 military trainers to Afghanistan after the United States urged its NATO partners to send some 4,000 extra instructors to help build up the Afghan army and police force.

FRENCH POLITICS: IMF chief hints at running for presidency as poll shows edge over Sarkozy
Dominique Strauss-Kahn (pictured) told French radio Thursday he would consider running for the French presidency "in certain circumstances". A CSA poll suggested that the director of the IMF would defeat President Sarkozy by a margin of 52% to 48%.

FRANCE: Headscarf-wearing officer to appear before disciplinary committee
A female security agent in Paris who was suspended for wearing an Islamic headscarf on the job is set to appear before a disciplinary committee. The case comes on the heels of the French government's controversial efforts to ban full face veils.

DIPLOMACY: France, Germany urge A400M military aircraft funding solution
France and Germany have called for an urgent solution to the funding crisis surrounding the A400M troop plane, Europe’s biggest military project, as Airbus resumed talks with government buyers.

EURO - DOLLAR (Dow Jones)--French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde Saturday welcomed the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, suggesting that recent developments could ease tensions that have long-burdened European economies because of a strong euro.

She also stressed the commitment of euro-zone members of the Group of Seven to closely monitor efforts by Greece to mend its public finances, as public debt worries have roiled markets in recent days.



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NEWS HEADS 6TH February - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


MILITARY: France to send 80 soldiers to Afghanistan for training missions
The French defence minister, Hervé Morin, announced that Paris will send 80 military trainers to Afghanistan after the United States urged its NATO partners to send some 4,000 extra instructors to help build up the Afghan army and police force.

FRENCH POLITICS: IMF chief hints at running for presidency as poll shows edge over Sarkozy
Dominique Strauss-Kahn told French radio Thursday he would consider running for the French presidency "in certain circumstances". A CSA poll suggested that the director of the IMF would defeat President Sarkozy by a margin of 52% to 48%.

FRANCE: Headscarf-wearing officer to appear before disciplinary committee
A female security agent in Paris who was suspended for wearing an Islamic headscarf on the job is set to appear before a disciplinary committee. The case comes on the heels of the French government's controversial efforts to ban full face veils.

DIPLOMACY: France, Germany urge A400M military aircraft funding solution
France and Germany have called for an urgent solution to the funding crisis surrounding the A400M troop plane, Europe’s biggest military project, as Airbus resumed talks with government buyers.

IRAN: French PM says time's up for Tehran, calls for strong sanctions
France's Prime Minister François Fillon has accused Tehran of foot-dragging on a proposed uranium exchange deal, warning that France would lobby the UN to impose stronger sanctions on the Iranian regime.


LOCAL WINE IN INTERNATIONAL LAW WRANGLE

NEW YORK (Reuters) - E. & J. Gallo, the largest family owned winery in the United States, said on Friday it is waiting for a French court and U.S. regulators to decide if its Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir is the real deal.

Thirteen people including executives from two wineries, five cooperatives, negociant Ducasse and conglomerate Sieur d'Arques, were charged this week with selling millions of dollars worth of fake Pinot Noir to E. & J. Gallo, the wine magazine Decanter reported in its online editions.

"Our contractual agreement with our supplier guarantees all wines supplied meet French regulations including the Pinot Noir in question," Susan Hensley, a spokeswoman for the California based winery said in an email on Friday.

"At this time it is still a question for the French courts and French and U.S. regulatory authorities to determine whether the wine in question was misrepresented to us," she said.

The arrests followed an investigation that lasted more than year, the online magazine reported.

Between 2006 and 2008, Sieur d'Arques allegedly sold 135,000 hectoliters (3.57 million gallons) of wine labeled Pinot Noir, but was actually wine made from much less expensive grapes, according to decanter.com.

Gallo paid about 4 million euros (roughly $5.4 million in today's dollars), the online magazine reported.

According to Gallo's winemaking notes, the 2007 Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir was sourced from several areas within the Languedoc Roussillon region in Southern France. The notes describe the wine as showcasing "dark fruit aromas and flavors of black cherry and ripe plum."

"When more information becomes available to us from the authorities," Gallo's Hensley wrote, "we will move quickly to ensure that the trust people place in our company and our wines is not put at risk."

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NEWS HEADS 4TH February - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


FRANCE: Far-left party reveals ‘veiled’ female candidate
The veil issue has shown its face in French politics once again, after radical anti-capitalist fringe party the NPA revealed that one of its candidates in forthcoming regional elections wears an Islamic headscarf.

IRAN: French PM says time's up for Tehran, calls for strong sanctions
France's Prime Minister François Fillon has accused Tehran of foot-dragging on a proposed uranium exchange deal, warning that France would lobby the UN to impose stronger sanctions on the Iranian regime.

FISHING: France to support ban on bluefin tuna trade
France will support an international ban on trade of bluefin tuna in 18 months, French media report, weeks before EU countries decide whether to back calls for the over-exploited fish to be officially listed as an endangered species.

FRANCE: Train workers stage nationwide strikes against downsizing plans
Workers at France's national railway company SNCF began a strike late Tuesday to protest against nationwide downsizing plans. Two thirds of high-speed trains are expected to run, as well as 50% of regional trains.


CHINESE Foreign Minister in Paris


Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (L) and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner host a joint press conference after their meeting in Paris, capital of France, Feb. 3, 2010. Yang Jiechi and Bernard Kouchner on Wednesday held talks on bilateral ties and reached important consensus on developing China-France relationship.

Through joint efforts of both nations, Sino-France relations has recently showed rapid development, Yang said.

This year marks an important period for relations between France and China, therefore, the two parties should further implement important consensus reached by two leaders, continue to respect and take care of mutual concerns and promote pragmatic cooperation in various fields, Yang underlined.

The Chinese minister also expected both countries to jointly oppose trade and investment protectionism, and maintain coordination and cooperation over significant international and regional issues in a bid to contribute for worldwide peace, stability and prosperity.

Yang expressed China's willingness to use 2010 Shanghai World Expo as an opportunity to enhance comprehensive cooperations with France, such as on humanism, and to consolidate the basis of bilateral ties.

As to China-Europe relations, Yang said the two sides have massive common interests as China always attaches importance to their relations and regards Europe as its important strategic partner.

China is willing to work with Europe and France along the sound and stable development track to build on bilateral strategic relations and to promote further China-France and China-Europe ties, Yang added.

Kouchner echoed Yang's view on China's relations with France and Europe, saying France attached importance to relations with China.

France is satisfied with the friendly cooperation between the two nations and the recovery and development of bilateral ties, Kouchner said, adding that France is willing to work with China to boost Sino-France and Sino-Europe ties to better prospect.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on climate change and other mutually concerned international and regional issues during their talks, which followed by a joint conference. Yang is on a five-nation tour, which has already taken him to Britain and Turkey. After a two-day visit in France, he will attend a meeting on security policy in Munich, Germany on Feb. 5-7.


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NEWS HEADS 3rd February - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


• IMMIGRATION: French citizenship denied to man who forced wife to wear burqa
Immigration Minister Eric Besson said Tuesday that French citizenship has been denied to a man for forcing his wife to wear a head-to-toe veil and for rejecting the principles of secularism and equality between men and women.
MORE ON THIS STORY BELOW

• FRANCE: French Muslims fear rise in Islamophobia after mosque attack
After condemning the weekend mosque attack which occurred in the north of Paris, France's top council of Muslim representatives called for a national debate on Islamophobia. The attack was the latest in a growing trend of violence targeting mosques.


NO AUSTERITY PROGRAM to slash French deficit: PM

PARIS — French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Wednesday ruled out an austerity program to bring the country's public deficit within eurozone limits.
"We are going to slow the increase in public spending," he told Europe 1 radio.
"It's not an austerity policy. An austerity policy entails tax increases and cuts in entitlements."
The French government on Monday made a commitment to the European Commission to reduce the country's public deficit, now running at 8.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product, to 3.0 percent in 2013 in order to meet eurozone requirements.
The public deficit comprises central and local government budgets and welfare spending.
Budget minister Eric Woerth on Tuesday told France Info radio that the French pledge was contingent on economic growth rebounding to 2.5 percent a year starting in 2011.
"For 50 years, public spending has risen faster than inflation," Fillon said Wednesday.
"We are going to hold public spending increases to under 1.0 percent in central and local budgets, and to under 3.0 percent for social welfare spending, which has never been done before.
"But even that will mean an increase in spending."
While the government has officially ruled out tax hikes as a means to reduce the deficit, the level of tax receipts is expected to rise from 41 percent of GDP this year to 43 percent in 2013.
"It's a serious policy that we can still implement because we have room to maneuver," Fillon said.
"In a few years, we will have no other choice but to apply rigour and austerity."

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Jim Carrey, Ewan Mcgregor get French honour

Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Jim Carrey and Ewan Mcgregor have received the French government's highest honours in recognition of their contributions to the movie industry.
According to reports, American comic actor Carrey and Scottish actor McGregor were named knights in the prestigious National Order of Arts and Letters ceremony Monday.
The event that took place in Paris saw the actors accepting their honours from the French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand.


HORSEMEAT BAN?

Campaign to end horsemeat trade in France
By Craig McGinty
THE Fondation Brigitte Bardot is backing calls to change legislation that would see horses classed as pets, and bring an end to their meat being made available in butchers.

The Je Ne Mange Pas de Cheval offers a particularly graphic argument against the practice, which now sees around 20,00 tonnes of horsemeat being consumed in France, about two per cent of all red meat.

Legislation has been proposed in the French parliament by UMP member Lionnel Luca which would see horses come under the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, effectively banning their consumption.

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MORE ON BURQA BAN FROM BBC News

France refuses a citizenship over full Islamic veil

The full-face covering has inflamed passions in France
The French government has refused to grant citizenship to a foreign national on the grounds that he forced his wife to wear the full Islamic veil.

The man, whose current nationality was not given, needed citizenship to settle in the country with his French wife.

But Immigration Minister Eric Besson said this was being refused because he was depriving his wife of the liberty to come and go with her face uncovered.

Last week, a parliamentary committee proposed a partial ban on full veils.

It also recommended that anyone showing visible signs of "radical religious practice" be refused residence permits and citizenship.

In a statement, Mr Besson said he had signed a decree on Tuesday rejecting a man's citizenship application after it emerged that he had ordered his wife to cover herself with a head-to-toe veil.

"It became apparent during the regulation investigation and the prior interview that this person was compelling his wife to wear the all-covering veil, depriving her of the freedom to come and go with her face uncovered, and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women," he said.

Later, the minister stressed that French law required anyone seeking naturalisation to demonstrate their desire for integration.

Mr Besson's decree has now been sent to Prime Minister Francois Fillon for approval.

The interior ministry says only 1,900 women wear full veils in France, home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority.

In 2008, a French court denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman on the grounds that her "radical" practice of Islam was incompatible with French values.



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NEWS HEADS 2nd February - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


The FRECHE case discussed in in Paris

• FRANCE: Continental, aviation officials go on trial, 10 years after Concorde crash
Supersonic travel came to an abrupt halt after a Concord flight crashed in 2000, killing 113 people. Accusations and counter-accusations abound as US airline Continental and three French aviation officials go on trial in a Paris suburb on Tuesday.

• FRANCE: Embattled France Telecom CEO to step down
Stephane Richard (pictured), France Telecom’s number two, will replace CEO Didier Lombard on March 1. Lombard has been under mounting pressure for mishandling a rash of suicides that plagued the French giant last year.

• FRANCE: Oil giant Total postpones decision on future of refinery
France's profit-making oil giant Total has postponed until late June a decision on the future of a refinery near Dunkirk, in northern France, pledging to guarantee the jobs of 370 workers there.

LOCAL - STORMS brew in run-up to the Regional elections - FRECHE in new “foot in mouth” trouble

UK pensioners get rough deal – new page created to take you through the issues

US ARMS SALES - Martyn Turner's take

Courtesy of the Irish Times and Martyn who lives in Pouzolles from time to time but "not enough" he says!

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NEWS HEADS 1st February - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

LOCAL STORMS brew in run-up to the Regional elections

FRECHE in new “foot in mouth” trouble
The Socialist Party are meeting to discuss George’s latest remarks about a previous Prime Minister when he managed to offend Jewish and Catholic opinion – quite a feat even for gaffe prone George.

Trouble is the election is approaching fast for the region and Helene Mandroux, Maire of Montpellier does not have much time to assemble a list – her preference for an alliance with greens and another left party have not been warmly accepted by either party. Helene has only a matter of weeks to form a credible list.

Might this provide the Right and the Senator Maire of Beziers with a fighting chance?

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FRANCE: Corsican separatists claim responsibility for multiple 2009 attacks
The separatist Corsican National Liberation Front claimed responsibility on Sunday for two dozen attacks in 2009, including multiple strikes on police stations as well as holiday homes in the island's south.

FRANCE: French PM asks top court to help draft law banning full Islamic veil
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has asked France's top court to help the government draft a law banning the full Islamic veil, his office said. The move comes three days after a French parliament report called for the ban.

MALI: Al Qaeda group extends French hostage ultimatum
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has extended to an unspecified date its ultimatum to kill French hostage Pierre Camatte if four of its members detained in Mali were not released by Saturday, a negotiator told AFP.

UPDATE: PEUGEOT Recalls 97,000 Cars Amid Toyota Woes
PARIS (Dow Jones)--French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen (UG.FR) Monday said it will recall 97,000 small vehicles as Toyota Motor Corp.'s (TM) worldwide recall of millions of vehicles due to accelerator pedal problems spread to its partners.

Peugeot said its recall will affect Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 sub-compact models made at a plant it shares with Toyota in the Czech Republic. It said the recall affects less than 10% of the two models in circulation in Europe.


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French first lady says courts ‘independent’


Bruni: stunned by Villepin’s allegation

French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy said yesterday that she believes in the independence of France’s judiciary after President Nicolas Sarkozy was accused of using the courts to down a political rival.

The former model told an interviewer on French radio station RTL: “I believe fundamentally in the independence of the judiciary, I am stunned by this sort of allegation.”

French prosecutors on Friday sought a second trial for former prime minister Dominique de Villepin after he was acquitted of plotting to smear Nicolas Sarkozy and wreck his presidential bid.

Chief prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin launched the appeal the day after the verdict, saying “some of the truth had yet to emerge” in the case.

Villepin branded the decision as politically-motivated, accusing Sarkozy of being “consumed with hate” and of ordering the prosecutor to appeal.

The president’s office said it “does not respond to false allegations”.

Villepin’s acquittal was seen as a blow to Sarkozy who reportedly vowed to hang those responsible for the alleged smear campaign by a “butcher’s hook”.

The former prime minister and four other defendants were accused of using falsified bank accounts to discredit Sarkozy ahead of his party’s nomination for the 2007 presidential vote, which he won.

Dubbed the Clearstream affair, the scandal made front page news across France when it broke in 2006 and Sarkozy said he long suspected that Villepin was behind an attempt to sabotage his presidential bid.

Carla Bruni said yesterday that she was “very surprised at the lack of confidence in expressed by Mr de Villepin and the media in the French justice system and the lack of independence attributed to it”.

She also took umbrage at being asked about the case, saying that she had been “taken hostage on this matter in a not very courteous manner”.

She said she was not competent to speak about the case and “it doesn’t interest me one bit”.

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NEWS HEADS 30 Jan - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


FRANCE: French PM asks top court to help draft law banning full Islamic veil
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has asked France's top court to help the government draft a law banning the full Islamic veil, his office said. The move comes three days after a French parliament report called for the ban.

CLEARSTREAM TRIAL: De Villepin faces retrial, ex-PM slams Sarkozy's 'vendetta'
French state prosecutors have decided to appeal the acquittal of former French prime minister Dominique De Villepin in the Sarkozy Clearstream smear campaign affair. Speaking on French Radio, de Villepin accused Sarkozy of pursuing a 'vendetta'.

FRANCE: New Yorker icon opens French comic book festival
Sempé, famous for “Le Petit Nicolas” and front page pictures on The New Yorker, opened France’s premier comic book festival. Getting the man who doesn’t like to be associated with the genre was a big coup for the organisers.



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NEWS HEADS 29 JAN

HAITI
French team makes new “miracle” rescue


AP French military medical staff shows Haiti's Darlene Etienne being tended aboard the French medical ship Siroco, off Port au Prince, Wednesday night. Etienne, 17, was pulled from the rubble in a stunning rescue 15 days after the earthquake. She was in stable condition on Thursday, to the surprise of doctors, who said her survival was medically inexplicable. Photo: AP

A French search team that would not go home pulled off another “miracle” rescue in Port-au-Prince, lifting a 17-year-old girl alive from beneath this cityscape of rubble.
Wednesday’s rescue of teenager Darlene Etienne from a collapsed home near St. Gerard University, 15 days after Haiti’s great quake killed an estimated 200,000 people, was the first such recovery since Saturday, when French rescuers extricated a man from the ruins of a hotel grocery store. A man pulled on Tuesday from the rubble of a downtown store said he had been trapped during an aftershock, not in the original January 12 quake.
Authorities say it is rare for anyone to survive more than 72 hours without water, let alone more than two weeks. But young Ms. Etienne may have had some access to water from a bathroom of the wrecked house, and rescuers said she mumbled something about having a little Coca-Cola with her in the rubble.
Her family said Ms. Etienne had just begun studies at St. Gerard when the disaster struck, trapping dozens of students and staff in the rubble of school buildings, hostels and nearby homes. “We thought she was dead,” said cousin Jocelyn A. St. Jules.
Then — a half-month after the earthquake — neighbours heard a voice weakly calling from the rubble of a private home down the road from the destroyed university. They called authorities, who brought in the French civil response team.
Rescuer Claude Fuilla walked along the dangerously crumbled roof, heard her voice and saw a little bit of dust-covered black hair in the rubble. Clearing away some debris, he reached the young woman and saw she was alive — barely.
“I don’t think she could have survived even a few more hours,” Mr. Fuilla said.
France’s ambassador to Haiti, Didier le Bret, praised the “stubbornness” of the French rescue squad.
“They should not have been working anymore because, officially, the rescue phase is over,” he said. “But they felt that some lives still are to be saved, so we did not say they should leave the country.”
At least 135 people buried in rubble have been rescued by search teams since the quake, most in the immediate aftermath.

On food aid, the U.N. World Food Program, which says it has reached 450,000 people, urgently appealed to governments for more cash for Haiti supplies — $800 million to feed two million people through December, more than quadruple the $196 million already pledged.

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EUROZONE UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 10%

The unemployment rate in Spain has increased to 19.5%
Unemployment in the 16 countries that use the euro hit 10% in December for the first time since the single currency was introduced in 1999.

It had been reported that the rate hit 10% in November, but this has subsequently been revised down to 9.9%.

Some 15.8 million people are now out of work in the eurozone, according to Eurostat.

Across all 27 countries that make up the EU, there are now 23 million people unemployed.

Latvia has the highest jobless rate in the EU at 22.8%.

Spain continues to have the highest rate in the eurozone - rising to 19.5% in December, up from 19.4% in November.

The Netherlands has the lowest jobless rate at 4%, followed by Austria at 5.4%.

Some 21% of under-25s in the eurozone were unemployed in December 2009, with Spain suffering the highest rate of all, at 44.5%.

According to Eurostat, a total of 87,000 jobs were lost across the eurozone during December. That was the lowest increase since May 2008.

Responding to the figures, Howard Archer from IHS Global Insight says eurozone unemployment will increase further in the coming year.

"Although the rise in eurozone unemployment has slowed in recent months, it still seems poised to trend higher during much, if not all, of 2010," he said.

Separate figures released by the country's National Statistics Institute show that in the final three months of 2009, 4.33 million people were unemployed in Spain.

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EU UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
Highest:
Latvia - 22.8%
Spain - 19.5%
Estonia - 15.2%

France - 10%
UK - 7.8%

Lowest:
Netherlands - 4.0%
Austria - 5.4%
Cyprus - 6.1%
Source: Eurostat

Trend in French jobless

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VIVENDI - French media giant misled investors


French media giant Vivendi will have to pay damages that could total millions of dollars after a US jury found that it misled investors.
The jury agreed with a civil lawsuit brought by Vivendi investors that accused the company of exaggerating its financial health in 2001 and 2002.
However, former Vivendi bosses Jean-Marie Messier and Guillaume Hannezo were found not liable.
Vivendi said it would appeal against the verdict.
Share fall
The case centred on Vivendi's financial state between October 2000 and August 2002, during which time its shares lost about 90% of their value following a merger with French television group Canal+ and the acquisition of Universal Studios from Canadian company Seagram.
Mr Messier was chief executive at the time, while Mr Hannezo was chief financial officer. Both have subsequently left the company.
The jury in New York took three weeks to come to its decision, after a trial that started in October.
Vivendi's wide range of media businesses include computer games firm Activision, which makes the popular Guitar Hero series.

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MONTPELLIER has just unvieled an artists impression of a section of LLOT H - an area of 9.6 hectares, half of which will be started this year.



In the first phase 889 apartments will be created - 196 of which will be social housing.

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Ex-PM Villepin condemns Sarkozy 'hate' over smear case

French ex-PM Dominique de Villepin has accused President Sarkozy of pursuing a vendetta against him, after prosecutors promised to appeal over his acquittal.

Mr de Villepin was found not guilty yesterday of having a role in a smear campaign against Mr Sarkozy.
But the Paris state prosecutor said there was scope for an appeal as not all the facts of the case had emerged.
The ex-PM, Mr Sarkozy's one-time rival for the presidency, said the president was acting out of "hatred".
"This decision is a political decision and what it shows is that Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the Republic, prefers to continue in his relentlessness and hatred instead of assuming the responsibilities of his office," he told French TV.
Minutes earlier, Paris state prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin announced the appeal, saying it was "surprising" that Mr de Villepin had been acquitted.
He told French radio: "All has not emerged in this case. There is still scope for a part of the truth to emerge.
"Whatever happens, there will be a second trial."
Mr Marin added that the appeal could be heard later this year or early in 2011.
On Thursday Mr de Villepin was cleared of four counts of complicity to slander, to use forgeries, dealing in stolen property and breach of trust.
Mr Sarkozy had promised he would "hang from a butcher's hook" for trying to smear his name.
Bribe allegations
In 2004, Mr Sarkozy's name appeared on a list of top politicians and businessmen who were wrongly linked to an illegal bank account in Luxembourg.

It was alleged those named on the list had received bribes from international arms sales.
The list was sent to people including Mr de Villepin, who was accused of failing to stop the conspiracy.
During the investigation, Mr de Villepin admitted he knew of the documents - but the court found no evidence to prove he had known they had been faked.
At the trial, prosecutors had called for him to receive an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros (£39,000).
Three other defendants were convicted, including a former executive of the EADS aerospace group, Jean-Louis Gergorin, who admitted leaking the fake list to investigators, and Imad Lahoud, a computer specialist, who confessed to adding Mr Sarkozy's name to the list.
Both men were fined 40,000 euros (£34,500; $56,000). Gergorin must serve 15 months in prison and Lahoud must serve 18 months.
A fifth defendant was cleared.

MONTPELLIER HOTEL gets 5 stars - the only one in l'Herault - see places to stay

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NEWS HEADS 28 Jan - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


CLEARSTREAM TRIAL France ex-PM Villepin cleared of Sarkozy smear
Former French PM Dominique de Villepin has been cleared of plotting to discredit President Nicolas Sarkozy when he was the interior minister.
He had been accused of failing to stop the Clearstream corruption inquiry into Mr Sarkozy, despite knowing the claims against his rival were false.
Both men had been hoping to succeed Jacques Chirac as president in the 2007 election.
Several other defendants in the case were found guilty on various charges.
The judge said there was no proof Mr De Villepin had acted in bad faith, and he was cleared on all four counts of complicity to slander, to use forgeries, dealing in stolen property and breach of trust.

There were cheers outside the courtroom as the verdict was read out, but Mr De Villepin showed little emotion, says the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris.
After the verdict, he said outside the courtroom: "After many years of ordeal, my innocence has been recognised. I was hurt by the image of politics that was portrayed, of the commitment that I have made over the past 30 years.
"I am now looking to the future to serve the French people and contribute in a spirit of unity to the recovery of France."
The former prime minister is now likely to relaunch his political career and to challenge President Sarkozy in the next general election in 2012, our correspondent says.
His acquittal will be a bitter blow to Mr Sarkozy, who celebrates his 55th birthday on Thursday, and who had promised he would "hang from a butcher's hook" for trying to smear his name, she adds.
Complex investigation
In 2004, Mr Sarkozy's name appeared on a list of top politicians and businessmen who were wrongly linked to an illegal bank account in Luxembourg.
It was alleged those named on the list had received bribes from international arms sales.

The list was sent to people including Mr De Villepin, who was accused of failing to stop the conspiracy.
During the investigation, Mr De Villepin admitted he knew of the documents - but the court found no evidence to prove he had known they had been faked.
At the trial, prosecutors had called for him to receive an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros (£39,000).
Three other defendants were convicted, including a former executive of the EADS aerospace group, Jean-Louis Gergorin, who admitted leaking the fake list to investigators, and Imad Lahoud, a computer specialist, who confessed to adding Mr Sarkozy's name to the list.
Both men were fined 40,000 euros (£34,500; $56,000). Gergorin must serve 15 months in prison and Lahoud must serve 18 months.
A fifth defendant was cleared.

FRANCE: 'Burqa' debate highlights rifts among French Muslims
As French lawmakers debate a controversial ban on women wearing Islamic face veils, unrest at a mosque in a Parisian suburb underscores simmering tensions within the country’s Muslim community.


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NEWS HEADS - 27 Jan

Tax equality for civil partnerships finally recognised
By Craig McGinty - Jan 27
IT has taken some time in coming, but the French tax authorities have finally agreed to treat same-sex couples who have entered into civil partnerships in the same way as French PACS couples.
Until recently the French system did not recognise couples who had registered under civil partnership arrangements in their own countries; so on the death of one, the surviving partner was treated as a third party and charged inheritance tax.
But in a publication from the Bulletin Officiel des Impôts same-sex couples will now receive the same treatment as others on issues such as inheritance, donations and income tax.
The official document is available as a .pdf to download, and is titled:
7 G-2-10 n° 6 du 13 janvier 2010 : Mutations à titre gratuit. Tarifs et liquidation des droits. Situation des personnes ayant conclu un partenariat civil à l'étranger (loi n° 2009-526 du 12 mai 2009 de simplification et de clarification du droit et d'allègement des procédures, article 1er).
It should also be noted that the rules have been backdated to August 2007, so couples who have made payments in this time should contact the tax authorities to look at gaining the money back.
The date has been chosen because this was when PACS couples enjoyed the same rights as a married couple.

www.thisfrenchlife.com/thisfrenchlife/

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NEWS HEADS 26 Jan - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

FRANCE: Sarkozy vows to help nation's unemployed
French President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared on prime time TV Monday evening to defend his programme of reforms in the face of sliding poll ratings. He promised to support those whose jobs and earnings have been wiped out by the crisis.


CALAIS GEARS UP FOR LONDON OLYMPICS by reclaiming its English heritage


When the French recaptured Calais from the English in 1558 in an epilogue to the Hundred Years War, Queen Mary I was inconsolable.

Now she is likely to be laughing from beyond the grave as officials on the north French coast boast of their Englishness in an attempt to cash in on the 2012 Olympics.

The rest of France may have gone into mourning since London was chosen ahead of Paris as host city for the games, but Dominique Dupilet, the chairman of the Pas de Calais regional council, spotted a unique opportunity.

Hoisting the Union Jack above his council offices “within a minute of the announcement” in 2005, he unveiled a plan for all things Anglais to generate revenue and publicity from the games by trying to attract athletes, fans and journalists. “We decided to make the Pas de Calais the most active English region in terms of the Olympics,” he told The Times.

The proud declaration that Calais had become English again earned him what he described as “queer looks” from residents who have spent most of the past five centuries trying to forget the occupation, which lasted for 200 years. But Mr Dupilet was having none of it. “We still feel a little bit English here,” he insisted, pointing out that Calais is just 18 miles (29 km) from Kent.

He added that the region had fond memories of the “peaceful English invasion” of the 19th century, when 20,000 Anglais lived there and brought prosperity, and said he was himself an anglophile honoured to have attended one of the Queen’s garden parties. “We were better off with London winning the Games than we would have been if Paris had won them,” he added, no doubt to the horror of his compatriots.

The council leader is not, however, trying to pretend that Calais is an ordinary part of l’Angleterre. It is, he boldly claims, a superior region. The hotels are cheap, at least 30 per less than in London, the restaurants are good value and the sporting facilities are free. What is more, there are fewer English people than in England itself, say tourist officials. They hope that this argument, which Mr Dupilet diplomatically pushed to one side in conversation with The Times, will prove decisive for fans from the likes of Argentina and Quebec, who have “little in common with the English”.

The stakes are high for a region that has become impoverished since the decline of its traditional industrial and mining activities and which has an unemployment rate of 12.6 per cent, three points above the French average.

The council is spending €100 million (£87 million) to upgrade sporting facilities before the Games, but Mr Dupilet hopes to generate much more income in the long term. “We want to project a positive image of the Pas de Calais,” he said, claiming that business leaders were already looking for office and factory sites there.

In practice, the region is likely to prove attractive to athletes from poorer nations who find London and the South East prohibitively expensive or to those with historical ties to France. Chad, Senegal and Uzbekistan have all taken up the offer and are planning to hold training camps in the area which is building a new velodrome and wrestling hall.

A shuttle train running through the Channel Tunnel and stopping at Calais and the Olympic site in East London will provide an affordable means of transport, Mr Dupilet claims.

“It will take no more time to get to events than if you’re in North London,” he said.

Source - THE TIMES WEBSITE

~~~

LAWMAKERS WANT LIMIT ON Muslim face veil

By ELAINE GANLEY The Associated Press

PARIS -- A parliamentary panel that wants Muslim women to stop veiling their faces recommended Tuesday that France ban such garb in public facilities, including hospitals and mass transit, and refuse residence cards and citizenship to anyone with visible signs of a "radical religious practice."

The nearly 200-page report contains a panoply of measures intended to dissuade women from wearing all-enveloping veils in France. However, there is no call to outlaw such garments - worn by a tiny minority of Muslims - in private areas and in the street.

The 32-member, multiparty panel heeded warnings that a full ban risked being deemed unconstitutional and could even cause trouble in a country where Islam is the second-largest religion.

The language in the report was carefully chosen in an effort to avoid offending France's estimated 5 million Muslims - the largest such population in western Europe - and accusations of discrimination. Muslim leaders have already complained that the debate over the full veil coupled with an ongoing debate on French national identity has left some Muslims feeling their religion is becoming a government target.

The topic of the all-encompassing veil is charged with passion and politicking, and the panel failed to reach a consensus on whether any action was warranted, and what kind, despite universal agreement that veils covering the face are not wanted in France.

The report culminates a six-month inquiry into the wearing of all-encompassing veils that began after President Nicolas Sarkozy said in June that they are "not welcome" on French territory.

Such veils are thought to be worn by only several thousand Muslim women who, most often, pin a "niqab" across their faces, hiding all but the eyes. Worn with a long, dark robe, such clothing is customarily associated with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.

The veil is widely viewed in France as a gateway to extremism, an insult to gender equality and an offense to France's secular foundation. A 2004 French law bans Muslim headscarves from primary and secondary school classrooms.

As hearings proceeded, "it appeared to members of the panel that the wearing of the full-body veil threw out a challenge to our Republic. It is unacceptable," the report said.

Equality between men and women and the principle of secularism are frequently cited in the report as French values compromised by the face-covering veil, viewed as radical dress.

Among its 18 proposals, the panel recommends modifying the code governing asylum and foreigners residing in France to ensure refusal of a resident card to those who "manifest a radical practice of their religion."

A more drastic recommendation would refuse citizenship for "failure to assimilate" to those who "manifest a radical practice of their religion." The code currently mentions "propagation of extremist theses" as reason for refusing citizenship.

The measure likely to curry the least favor with critics and - if passed - directly affect all Muslim women who cover their faces is the proposed ban on veils in all public facilities.

As envisaged by the panel, such a ban would be legal and "apply to all public services and therefore to public transport." Hospitals and schools would be included.

Such a ban would require that people show their faces when entering the facility and "keep the face uncovered throughout their presence," the report says.

Failure to do so would result "in a refusal to deliver the service demanded." That means, for instance, that a woman seeking state funds commonly accorded to mothers would walk away empty-handed.

It was not immediately clear whether the government, or parliament, would take up any or all of the report's recommendations. A leading lawmaker in the governing party, Jean-Francois Cope, has already presented an initiative seeking a ban on such veils in the street - dividing the panel.

Any action on the report would not come before March regional elections. A first, easy step would likely be passage of a resolution - a policy statement which carries no legal weight - denouncing the veil.

Sarkozy visited a Muslim cemetery on Tuesday in the north that has been desecrated several times. It holds the bodies of Muslim soldiers who fought for France.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 25 Jan - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


• AVIATION: Wife of ambassador to Lebanon in Ethiopian jet crash
The wife of France's ambassador to Lebanon, Marla Sanchez Pietton, was on board the Ethiopian airliner that crashed into the Mediterranean sea early Monday shortly after takeoff, according to a Lebanese government official and the embassy.

• RAIL TRANSPORT: Thousands protest new high-speed train line between France and Italy
Thousands protested Saturday in a town near Italy's border with France against a planned high-speed train line. The train line is a joint venture between France and Italy, but campaigners fear environmental damage.

• FRANCE: Illegal migrants sent to mainland
A group of some 60 refugees in Corsica who say they are Syrian Kurds were flown to mainland France Saturday. The rest of the 124 refugees are soon to follow. The group was abandoned in Corsica by traffickers.

~~

Ban on burqas receives strong public support in France

John Follain in Paris


A report drawn up by French MPs will this week call for a ban on Afghan-style burqas and other garments that cover a woman’s face.

The proposal has strong public support. According to an opinion poll by Ipsos for the magazine Le Point, 57% of voters favour a ban while 37% are opposed.

The recommendations of a parliamentary commission, to be published on Tuesday, are expected to include a bar on wearing full veils on public transport and in schools, hospitals and public-sector offices including post offices. The commission is thought likely to call for a total ban after further consultation.

President Nicolas Sarkozy launched a debate on veils last June, telling a special sitting of both houses of parliament that they were “not welcome” in France. He said last week the full veil was “contrary to our values and to the ideals we have of women’s dignity”.

Spearheading the call for a complete ban is Jean-François Copé, head of the UMP faction in the lower house, who claims to have the backing of 200 MPs. Supporters of a total ban, who include François Fillon, the prime minister, argue that it would protect public safety and women’s rights.

Copé has drafted a proposal stating that “nobody, in places open to the public or in the street, may wear an outfit or an accessory whose effect is to hide the face”. A few exceptions would be made, he said, such as for carnivals.

Copé suggested a fine of £750, but some conservative politicians have proposed that veiled women be denied child support payments and refused citizenship. France is home to about 5m Muslims.

André Gerin, the Communist MP who heads the commission, predicted the ban would be “absolute”. He has denounced what he called “French-style Talibans”. “The veil is only the visible part of the iceberg,” he said.

Hassen Chalghoumi, a Tunisian-born imam in northern Paris, backed the proposed ban last week, saying full-face veils had no basis in Islam and “belong to a tiny minority tradition reflecting an ideology that scuttles the Muslim religion”.

“The burqa is a prison for women, a tool of sexist domination,” he said.

Opponents of a ban argue it would stigmatise Muslims. “France would be the only country in the world that sends its policemen ... to stop in the street young women who are victims more than they are guilty,” wrote Laurent Joffrin, editor of the left-wing newspaper Libération.

Police officers in some areas with large Muslim communities have warned that stopping women wearing veils would provoke riots.

~~~

FASHION STOPS PARIS TRAFFIC
By JENNY BARCHFIELD
The Associated Press
PARIS — Fashion stopped the traffic on Saturday, as models at Kenzo took the show off the runway and onto a central Paris plaza, where a spinning rainbow of vintage Citroen cars awaited them.

Models present creations by Italian fashion designer Antonio Marras for the men's Fall-Winter 2010-2011 fashion collection he designed for Kenzo, Saturday, outside the Kenzo flagship shop on the Place des Victoires in Paris. A 1828 equestrian statue of French King Louis XIV by Monegasque sculptor Francois Joseph Bosio, and Citroen DS classic cars, part of the show.
A model presents a creation by Italian fashion designer Antonio Marras for the men's Fall-Winter 2010-2011 fashion collection designed for Kenzo, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, outside the Kenzo flagship shop on the Place des Victoires in Paris.

Models present creations by Italian fashion designer Antonio Marras for the men's Fall-Winter 2010-2011 fashion collection designed for Kenzo, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, outside the Kenzo flagship shop on the Place des Victoires in Paris. A Citroen DS vintage car, part of the show.


~~~
NEWS HEADS 23 Jan - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


FRANCE: Traffickers unload 124 illegal migrants in Corsica
In the first largescale landing of immigrants on the shores of France since 2001, 124 illegal refugees landed in Corsica after being dumped by traffickers. Most are from North Africa and the Middle East.

FRANCE: Friction mounts as parliament awaits ‘burqa’ ban report
An attempt to rush a law through parliament to ban full veils in public has upset parliamentarians still waiting for an official cross-party commission’s recommendations to be published.


~~~

EDF chief gives up Veolia salary after mounting criticism
Henri Proglio, the newly appointed president of France's public electric company EDF who also serves as chairman of the private Veolia water management firm, has given up the smaller of his two company salaries after mounting public criticism.


FRONT NATIONAL gasps for air under huge debt burden
France's cash-strapped far-right Front National, lead by Jean-Marie Le Pen may lose its annual subsidy of nearly two million euros for failing to repay its massive debts.


ENERGY: Govt steps in to calm energy firm row
French Prime Minister François Fillon met EDF and Areva top executives on Wednesday to settle a row over nuclear fuel treatment. Critics say their clash is hampering France's ambitions to be a world leader in the atomic energy industry.

~~~

FRENCH BUSINESS CONFIDENCE GAINS MORE than Forecast

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- French business confidence rose more than economists forecast in January on signs that the recovery is gaining pace after the worst recession in six decades.
France’s economy emerged from the slump last year, growing 0.3 percent in the second and third quarters. The Finance Ministry said this week that growth accelerated in the three months through December and raised its 2010 forecast, predicting that Europe’s second-largest economy will expand 1.4 percent.
“French industry is benefiting from the pickup in world trade,” said Joost Beaumont, an economist at Fortis Bank Nederland in Amsterdam. “Growth should mainly come from foreign demand.”
French bonds gained after the report, pushing the yield on the benchmark 10-year bond due in 2019 down 2 basis points to 3.43 percent. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.
French 10-year debt yielded an average 37.18 basis points more than 10-year German securities in 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The spread today was 23.5 basis points.
“Manufacturers see business significantly improving,” Insee said. “Inventories of finished products are judged to be small and order books, overall and from abroad, are filling up, even if they are still considered much less than full.”
The level of orders from foreign clients now shows a reading of minus 48, up from minus 58 in December, Insee said.
Domestic demand may be restrained by rising unemployment. The Finance Ministry expects France to lose 71,000 jobs this year, mostly in the first half, after shedding 373,000 in 2009.
“We have a recovery and the only question is how strong it will be,” said Pierre-Olivier Beffy, chief economist at Exane BNP Paribas in Paris. “In the U.S. inventories are being re- built and in Europe we are positive on the prospects for France and Germany.”

~~~

EASYJET IN FRENCH COURT OVER LABOUR LAWS

Easyjet says it fully complied with its obligations under French law
Easyjet is facing court action in Paris, charged with breaking French labour laws.

The airline is alleged to have failed to declare 170 staff employed at Paris Orly airport between 2003 and 2006.

The airline says it could be fined up to £200,000 in unpaid social security contributions. Other reports put the figure at nearer 10m euros.

Easyjet argues that because the staff were hired under British contracts, they were not subject to French rules.

"Easyjet, a UK registered company, believed it fully complied and met its obligations under French law, which did not at the time clearly cater for a UK company operating with French base and domestic routes," the airline said in a statement.

The company says that when the law changed in 2007, it moved to issuing French contracts.

The case is being heard in court today, with a judgement expected in a few weeks' time.

~~~


FRENCH PUBLIC DEBT - estimate revised down but set to hit record high in 2010
French public debt for 2010 is now seen at 83.2 percent of GDP, down from the 84 percent estimated previously. The revised figure reflects, in part, improved 2010 growth prospects. Still, public debt is set to hit a record high, the government said on Wednesday.
The government had initially warned of a public debt, an accumulation of annual public deficits, that would come to 84 percent of GDP.
It said the public deficit, the shortfall of revenues to expenditures in one year, would also be better than had been feared, coming to 8.2 percent of output in 2010 rather than 8.5 percent.
Both the debt and deficit figures exceed limits stipulated by the European Union, 60 percent of output for the debt and 3.0 percent for the deficit.

The revised figures reflect in part improved 2010 growth prospects, with momentum now expected to hit 1.4 percent rather than 0.75 percent.

The administration, presenting a revised 2010 budget, said a government borrowing scheme proposed by President Nicholas Sarkozy would have only a limited impact on public finances.

The loan, worth 35 billion euros (50 billion dollars) would widen the public deficit by 2.0 to 2.5 billion euros in 2010 and the years to come.
~~~
FRENCH CATHEDRAL DECLARED RUSSIAN property
A French court has ruled that one of the country's largest cathedral's is actually the property of Russia as it was paid for by Tsar Nicolas II.

The court ruled the Cathedral of St Nicholas was the property of the Russian state

The onion-domed Cathedral of St Nicholas was built for Russians – many of them aristocrats – who holidayed or settled on the French Riviera.

Yesterday, parishioners in the French city of Nice lost their battle over the biggest Russian Orthodox church outside the mother country.

It has also been portrayed as a tussle between descendants of white Russian nobility who fled to the Rivieria before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and "nouveaux riches" newcomers linked to Russian oligarchs and Mr Putin.

Yesterday the court ruled the listed building and its entire contents including some 300 rare icons were the property of the Russian state.

Alexander II purchased the land in 1865 to build a memorial to his oldest son and heir, Nicholas Alexandrovitch, who died there aged 21 of meningitis. The cathedral was completed in 1912.

The church's parish council argued that Nicolas II paid for the building work with his own money and they were the legitimate heirs to the building.

The Russian state contended that he used imperial funds belonging to the mother country and laid claim to the cathedral after a 99-year lease expired in 2007.

The Nice court ruled the parishioners did not have the right to buy the property after the lease expired and it should revert to Moscow. The association immediately said it would appeal the ruling.

"I cannot see how an association that has occupied the cathedral for 80 years in a peaceful and continuous fashion cannot be considered its owner," said the group's lawyer Antoine Chatain.

Andrei Kleymenov, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Paris said Moscow was "satisfied" with the decision.

"It's not the end of the proceedings," he said. But added: "We are satisfied that justice has been done and that our claim has been recognised."

The parishioners' group had said that by claiming ownership, the Russian state hoped to bring the cathedral under the control of the Patriarchate of Moscow and thus under the influence of the Kremlin. The parish council has since 1931 been affiliated to the rival Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The local association had also accused Moscow of trying to get hold of the revenues from the three-euro entrance fee to cathedral – a tourist attraction with an annual budget of almost 600,000 euros.
But Alexandre Avdeev, the Russian culture minister and the former ambassador to Paris said Russia would drop the admission fee altogether. "Free entry is in the tradition of (Russian) orthodox churches," he told Le Figaro.

~~~

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - Youths torched cars and clashed with police in the eastern French town of Woippy late Wednesday after a young man died while trying to flee police on a scooter.

Violent protests by disaffected youth in response to perceived heavy-handedness by police are not infrequent in France, but have won more attention since a wave of riots tore through poor suburbs in 2005.

Youths set cars, trucks and a bus on fire, Deputy Mayor Jean-Marc Rosier told Reuters. They also smashed phone booths, while riot police responded by firing stun grenades, footage from M6 television network showed.

Public prosecutor Remy Heitz said Wednesday police had followed a stolen scooter the previous night carrying three men who were not wearing any helmets, but had not engaged in a high-speed chase.

The driver of the scooter lost control in a curve and all three were thrown off, the prosecutor said. Two were seriously injured while the third died on the scene.

~~~

RWANDA genocide suspect arrested in France

Some 800,000 people were killed in Rwanda's genocide
A Rwandan doctor wanted on charges of genocide and war crimes has been arrested in France, police say.

Sosthene Munyemana, 45, who had been working in a hospital in Bordeaux for eight years, denies the charges.

His arrest on an extradition warrant from Rwanda comes weeks after France and Rwanda restored diplomatic ties.

France had rejected an asylum bid by him in 2008, saying there were "serious reasons" to suspect his involvement in war crimes in 1994, AFP reported.

Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the 100-day massacre in 1994.
Mr Munyemana was released on bail, but must report to judicial officials until a court date is set.
He had been on the Interpol list of wanted men for a few years.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UK LAGS EUROPE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Gordon Brown has a way with words - it is sometimes called "being economical with the truth" - and Mr Brown is VERY economical on this one!

Speaking on TV he recently claimed "The UK leads Europe on Green Technology"

Well perhaps but not on Green or renewable ENERGY.

Only Malta and Luxembourg do worse than the UK

The facts from www.energy.eu/#renewable#

EU Average - 9.2% renewable energy as a percentage of total energy used

UK 1.5% renewable

France 10.5%

And the winner is .........Latvia with 31.4% renewable

Now how, one has to ask, can one believe the Prime Minister when he uses weasel words like this?

~~~~

NEWS HEADS 17 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


IRAN: Clotilde Reiss's lawyer 'very confident' of acquittal
The lawyer of French academic Clotilde Reiss has said he is "very confident" his client will be acquitted of charges of acting against Iranian national security. Under Iranian law, the court has a week to issue its verdict.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE: France's foreign ministry denies objecting to the US handling aid flights
The French Foreign Ministry said that France made "no protest" against the US handling of aid flights into Haiti, contradicting a statement made earlier by Junior Minister for Cooperation Alain Joyandet.

FRANCE - AUTO INDUSTRY: Renault agrees to maintain partial production of Clio in France
French auto giant Renault has agreed to keep some of the production of the Renault Clio in France. Renault's CEO Carlos Ghosnmet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy Saturday afternoon.


Two French naval vessels to bound for Haiti to join int'l aid: Sarkozy

PARIS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- France will send two naval vessels to participate in international aid operation in Haiti after the devastation caused by a powerful quake, President Nicoals Sarkzoy announced here Thursday and called for an international conference for reconstruction in the impoverished Caribbean country.

The two vessels carrying humanitarian resources will start their aid mission from French overseas territory Martinique and east African country Senegal where France's military base locates, Sarkozy said at a meeting with Prime Minister Francois Fillon and some ministers.

Sarkozy added he would pay visit to the quake-hit island in the coming weeks to discuss reconstruction issues with his Haitian counterpart Rene Preval.

"I will propose to (U.S.) President Obama, with whom I will speak in telephone in a few hours, that the United States, Brazil, Canada and some other countries should take the initiative to convene an international conference for the reconstruction and development in Haiti," Sarkozy underlined.

Canada has expressed willingness to attend the conference Sarkozy proposed, according to the statement by the spokesman for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Local media said 100 French nationals injured in the catastrophe have been evacuated to Martinique for treatment. However, tens of others were still missing and two were dead, Sarkozy confirmed.

According to the Foreign Ministry, France has dispatched some 300 aid force within 36 hours after the disaster, and another hundred personnel and tons of aid resources, including emergency operation equipments, will reinforce the aid force in another 12 hours.

There were 1,400 French compatriots living in the former France's colony, of whom 1,200 reside in capital Port-au-Prince, where the 7.0-magnitude quake struck on Tuesday.

The accurate casualties of the Tuesday catastrophic quake are unknown yet, however, Haitian President Preval quoted some estimates as ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 fatalities.


France, Grudgingly, Imagines Google as a Partner on Digital Media Projects
New York Times
But the French cultural elite has not always been as welcoming, because Google's growing presence demonstrates France's dependence on the company to develop ...

Carrefour's 4Q Sales Up 1%; New French Manager Named
Wall Street Journal
LN) executive James McCann to head its French operations as it met forecasts with a 1% rise in fourth-quarter sales. A lift from newly revamped supermarkets.


~~~


NEWS HEADS 14 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

AFGHANISTAN: Third French soldier dies in as many days
Afghan insurgents killed four US troops and one French soldier in separate incidents in eastern and southern Afghanistan Wednesday, according to a NATO statement. This is the third French fatality in as many days.

INFLUENZA A(H1N1): Swine flu epidemic ends in France
The swine flu epidemic in mainland France that has killed hundreds has ended, a monitoring group of doctors said Wednesday. The doctors recommended continuing the vaccination programme, however, to avoid a resurgence of the epidemic.

AFGHANISTAN: French mission to train Afghan troops turns fatal
The French soldier killed in Afghanistan Monday in the Alasay valley was training Afghan soldiers. France’s combat mission is focused on helping the Afghan army operate independently, but they face numerous obstacles on the ground.

And from the Times this morning

SocGen warning sparks fears of US sub-prime fallout
Some analysts suggest that SocGen's lingering difficulties point to a crisis that remains widespread (Reuters)

Adam Sage and Robert Lindsay

Fears that the sub-prime crisis will continue to haunt banks this year increased yesterday as Société Générale surprised investors with a fourth-quarter profit warning.

Amid signs that the American property market recovery is running out of steam, France’s second-biggest bank said that risk-laden assets would wipe €1.4 billion (£1.3 billion) off its balance sheet.

The move means that the bank will record a small fourth-quarter profit, way below analyst forecasts of about €1 billion.

A Paris-based analyst, who asked not to be named, said that SocGen was likely to record further writedowns running to several hundred million euros. “We know that Société Générale has a slice of the least protected and therefore the worst type of residential mortgage-backed securities. The accounts still haven’t been completely cleaned up, in all probability, and more writedowns cannot be excluded,” he said.

Arturo de Frias, an analyst at Evolution Securities, said that the French institution stood out among European banks: “We have consistently said that SocGen was the only bank left that still had a significant loss to take in structured credit.”

Other experts, however, said that SocGen’s difficulties pointed to a crisis that remained widespread. “We’re not going to see writedowns involving the ridiculous sums that we saw at the height of the banking crisis,” a French analyst said. “But the view that it’s over is clearly wrong. It isn’t.”

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, estimates that 50 per cent of assets made toxic by the sub-prime crisis have yet to be revealed by banks, notably in Europe.

The European Central Bank was only slightly less pessimistic last month when it said that €187 billion of writedowns remained in the pipeline in eurozone banks. It revised its estimate for total eurozone writedowns between 2007 and 2010 to €553 billion, up from €488 billion.

SocGen said that the negative effect of risky assets involved writedowns on collateralised debt obligations linked to residential mortgage-backed securities and changes in the markto-market valuation of credit default swaps.

The move followed “contrasted signals coming from the US residential real estate market in the fourth quarter”, the bank said.

Recent studies have shown that American house price rises were slowing, prompting economists to predict a rise in mortgage foreclosures.

The French bank had already recorded a €1.5 billion hit on risky assets last year, but it seemed to have turned the corner when it announced a doubling in third-quarter profits. It also completed a €4.8 billion capital increase to pay back €3.4 billion in government bailout funds in October.

SocGen has been seeking to recover from its sub-prime exposure and from the fallout from losses approaching €5 billion run up by Jérôme Kerviel, its rogue trader, in 2008.

The scandal forced Daniel Bouton, its chairman, to stand down. He was replaced by Frédéric Oudéa.

Mr Kerviel is due to stand trial in Paris this summer on charges of breach of trust, falsifying documents and tampering with computer information.

SocGen shares closed down 3.4 per cent at €49.88 in Paris.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 13 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

WEATHER: Northern France braces for ice storm amid severe travel warnings
Paris is bracing for a snow and sleet storm, amid a ban on lorries on motorways and warnings of massive flight cancellations for Wednesday.

AUTO INDUSTRY: Paris pressures Renault to produce new Clio in France, not Turkey
The French government is pressuring Renault, the country's second-biggest carmaker, to produce the new model of Clio 4 in France, in a bid to protect jobs in the face of biting economic environment. Renault is considering producing the car in Turkey.

FRANCE: Parliament approves ‘move towards privatisation’ for La Poste
The French postal service, La Poste, is to be made a publicly owned limited company as of March 1, according to a law passed by parliament Tuesday. Unions fear this is a first step towards privatisation.

EGYPT: Radical Muslim cleric deported from France talks to FRANCE24
Watch France 24's exclusive interview with Ali Ibrahim el-Soudany, the radical Muslim cleric who was deported from France to Egypt on Thursday for religious extremism and inciting his followers to rise up against the West.

FRANCE: Niece of British government minister found guilty of murder
A French court has found Jessica Davies, the niece of a British government minister, guilty of murder Tuesday. Sentenced to 15 years in jail, Davies befriended 24 year-old Olivier Mugnier in a Paris bar before stabbing him to death.

MONTPELLIER English/Anglophone library - action group formed to secure the future of the 30,000 books - see special page


~~~
NEWS HEADS 12 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

AFGHANISTAN: French soldier among six foreign troops killed in insurgent attacks
Six foreign troops were killed on Monday in insurgent attacks across Afghanistan, including a French soldier who died in a rebel raid on his convoy in Alasay valley northeast of Kabul.

OVERSEAS FRANCE: French Guiana, Martinique vote against more autonomy
Voters in the overseas French departments of Guiana and Martinique have rejected greater autonomy from France in Sunday’s referendum polls. Nearly 70 percent of people in Guiana and 79 percent of Martinique voters favoured the “no” ballot.

MALI: North African al Qaeda demands ransom for French hostage
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it will execute French hostage Pierre Camatte (photo) if Malian authorities do not release four jailed militants, said US monitoring groups. They have also added a ransom request.

France battles theft of cultural treasures

French police colonel Stephane Gauffeny started the year with a heavy caseload. His job: investigating the theft of art and treasures in France, one of the best-endowed and most stolen-from countries in the world, which was struck by two major crimes in the week after Christmas alone.

In the first, a picture by Edgar Degas worth 800,000 euros (1.14 billion dollars) was unscrewed from the walls of a museum in Marseille.

The colourful pastel of performing singers, titled "The Chorus", was on loan from the Musee d'Orsay, Paris's eminent museum of Impressionist art.


IRAN: Clotilde Reiss trial to resume on Jan. 16
French academic Clotilde Reiss will be back in court on Jan. 16 for the third court session of her trial. She faces allegations of taking part in protests after the Iranian presidential election in June.


~~~
NEWS HEADS 11 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

French Guiana and Martinique reject increased autonomy

More than two-thirds rejected the move in French Guiana
Referendums in two French overseas departments have rejected plans for increased autonomy.
With a 48% turnout, 69.8% in French Guiana voted against the proposal. In Martinique, the margin was greater: 80% voted against, with a 55% turnout.
The votes come a year after violence hit French Caribbean territories, in protests over low wages.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed holding the referendums after visiting Martinique in June.
Voters were asked whether they wanted local government to be given more powers, a change that would make the departments more like autonomous French territories, including New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.
The two territories have been departments - giving them the same political status as mainland France - for more than 60 years, and receive considerable financial support from central government.
One voter in Martinique questioned whether the country could cope politically with more autonomy.
"I would like a change, but I don't think we are ready yet. I don't trust the people who lead the regional council, " Jacqueline Manger told the Associated Press news agency.
Guadeloupe, another French overseas department in the region, is also due to hold a referendum on the same issue, but officials say that regional elections in March should be held first.



OVERSEAS FRANCE: French Guiana and Martinique vote on greater autonomy
Voting has begun in French Guiana and in the Caribbean island of Martinique in a referendum to determine whether the two French departments should have a greater say in how they run their own affairs.

MUSIC: French singer Mano Solo dies at 46 of multiple aneurisms
French singer Mano Solo, known for his heart-rending and melancholic melodies, died on Sunday in Paris, aged 46. HIV-positive for many years, Solo's death came as a result of multiple aneurisms.


FINES FOR WEARING BURQA?

PARIS, (UPI) -- The head of France's Union for a Popular Movement political party says France should have a law that fines women $1,000 for wearing burqas.

UMP head Jean-Francois Cope said he proposed legislation that would fine women who wear the head-to-toe covering used by some Muslim women out in public, the EU Observer reported Friday.

Cope said the proposed legislation "would prohibit the covering of the face in public places and on the streets, with the exception of special cultural events or carnivals."

Anyone who forces a woman to wear a burqa in public also would be fined under the proposed law.

"We can measure the modernity of a society by the way it treats and respects women," Cope offered.

Socialist Party spokesman Benoit Hamon questioned how effective Cope's proposal would be if it became law, the EUObserver reported.

"The burqa is a prison for women and has no place in the French Republic. But an ad-hoc law would not have the anticipated effect," Hamon said.

~~~


NEWS HEADS 9 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


AVIATION: France to introduce body scans for US-bound passengers
France will introduce full-body scanners at some of its airports, initially to search US-bound passengers, Transport Secretary Dominique Bussereau said on Friday.

JUSTICE: French court allows Sarkozy to make civil complaint in fraud case
A French court has allowed Nicolas Sarkoy to be a civil plaintiff in a fraud case, despite him having legal immunity as president. The ruling could impact another fraud case, dubbed 'Clearstream', involving the French president.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 8 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


FRANCE: New international genocide and war crimes task force to be established in Paris
France plans to set up a new panel to try cases of genocide and crimes against humanity at the Paris High Court, according to Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

FRANCE: Paris expels radical imam to Egypt after 'inciting violence'
France has deported to Egypt a radical Imam who had been inciting his followers to rise up against the West. French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said the imam had shown "contempt" for French values.

LIFESTYLE: France tops magazine's poll of best places to live for fifth year
France was named the best place in the world to live by International Living, a US lifestyle magazine. The result seems to have split French public opinion:

TECHNOLOGY: France eyes 'Google tax' on Internet advertisements
The big Internet players are up in arms at a proposed new tax that may be slapped on web advertisements. The proposal follows complaints by media companies who say Internet giants such as Google are profiting from their content for free.


HERAULT - 100 morts sur les routes, record historique de baisse
Cent : c'est le nombre de personnes qui ont perdu la vie sur les routes de l'Hérault en 2009. Un chiffre bien évidemment très lourd, mais qui constitue néanmoins un record historique de baisse sur les vingt dernières années. En 2008 par exemple, 138 personnes avaient été tuées.

LOST CAR

My « Fish car » has been stolen: it’s a Renault clio (a bit of an old banger), battered but well loved.
If you see the car (it’s completely covered with paintings of fish and octopuses/octopi) abandoned in a car park, street or in a ditch, would you be kind enough to contact me. The police thought I was joking, and I think are unlikely to make a grand effort on my behalf to find it.
Anne x
04 67 24 88 52
anne.roberts@lamaisonverte.co.uk

~~~

NEWS HEADS 6 JAN

CRIME
French approach to security policy ‘archaic’ says expert
French daily ‘Libération’ has allegedly exposed government pressure on police chiefs to massage crime figures. France24.com spoke to an expert criminologist about the issue and takes a closer look at the problem.

INFLUENZA A (H1N1)
France confident it will avoid paying for cancelled vaccines
Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot believes France will be able to avoid paying for the flu vaccine orders it cancelled. France has cancelled some 50 of the 94 million doses it ordered.
FRANCE
Camus stirs up debate 50 years after his death
On January 4, 1960, French writer, philosopher and journalist Albert Camus died in a car accident. Fifty years on, French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plan to move his remains into Paris’s Panthéon is stirring up controversy.
(1) comment
IMMIGRATION
Frenchman admits smuggling illegal migrants into Britain
The 20-year-old son of a French local councillor has pleaded guilty in a British court to helping smuggle Vietnamese migrants into Britain in Oct. 2009. His mother, a councillor in a commune south-east of Paris, is due to enter her plea on Wednesday.
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban spokesman denies kidnapping French journalists
A man who claimed to be Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has denied allegations that his movement was behind the abduction of two French journalists who went missing in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday.
FRANCE
Picasso, Rousseau paintings stolen from private collection
French police have reported the theft of dozens of paintings, including works by Pablo Picasso (pictured) and Henri Rousseau, from a private residence in La Cadière d'Azur on the French Riviera.
FRANCE
Killer waves sweep beach walkers on New Year’s Day
Rescue teams in the south of France have wrapped up their mission a day after giant waves swept six people off the French Riviera on New Year’s Day. At least three people were killed by the tidal sweeps.


NEWS HEADS 2 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

AFGHANISTAN: Abducted French journalists believed to be in good health
Two French journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan are believed to be alive and in good health, a source involved in efforts to free them said on Friday. The fates of three Afghan assistants abducted with the journalists remain unknown.

FRANCE: New fiscal measures for a new year
On January 1, 2010, certain taxes will be raised, new economic measures will kick in, and subsidies will be revised. Here is an overview of both good and bad fiscal surprises awaiting French citizens.

FRANCE: New Year's Eve sees fewer cars torched than in previous years
This New Year's Eve in France was relatively peaceful, with figures suggesting fewer cars were torched than in previous year. Interior minister Brice Hortefeux said 405 people were arrested, but "no major incidents" were reported.

Car burnings are regular occurrences in poor suburbs that ring France's big cities, but the arson is especially prevalent during New Year's Eve revelry.

The number of vehicles torched was only 10 short of the record 1,147 burned this time last year, even though the Interior Ministry mobilized 45,000 police during the night -- 10,000 more than 12 months ago.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 1 Jan 2010 - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

AFGHANISTAN: Gunmen kidnap two French journalists
Afghan police say two French journalists were abducted on Wednesday by insurgents, along with their driver and interpreter, as they travelled in the Shinkai district of Kapisa province, 120 kilometres north-east of Kabul.

FRANCE: Upbeat Sarkozy hails 'year of renewal' in annual address
In his traditional New Year's Eve address, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would shake up the country's pension system and put forward a revised version of his flagship carbon tax in 2010, which he predicted would be a "year of renewal".


DEGAS STOLEN Stolen From Marseille Museum

A work by the Impressionist master Edgar Degas has been stolen from an exhibition in Marseille, Agence France-Presse reported. According to the police “The Chorus,” above, a small colorful pastel depicting singers on a stage, worth an estimated $1.15 million, was stolen overnight from the Cantini Museum. A security guard noticed that it was missing early Thursday morning. Jacques Dallest, a prosecutor, said the artwork appeared to have been unscrewed from the wall, adding, “As far as I know there was no break-in.” The Degas belongs to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, according to the French national museum authority, and was on loan for an exhibition featuring some 20 works by the artist.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 30 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


FRANCE: French women freed from Dominican Republic jail heading home
Two young French women jailed in the Dominican Republic for trafficking cocaine were freed on Wednesday after 18 months in prison, following pressure from President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

FRANCE: Government body rejects Sarkozy's 'carbon tax'
A 'carbon tax' planned for January cannot be implemented as it includes too many exemptions, a French government body has ruled, dealing an embarrassing blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy's administration.

FRANCE: Interior Minister Hortefeux to unveil new airline security measures
France's Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux is expected to announce a plan to tighten airline security measures along US lines in the wake of the Christmas Day bomb scare, according to a French news report.


AND FROM BBC NEWS

French public debt in new high after stimulus spending

France's debt levels have risen under President Sarkozy
France's public debt has risen to a new high of 76% of economic output after additional state spending during the downturn, figures have shown.

The national statistics office INSEE said government debt stood at 1.46 trillion euros ($2.1tn; £1.3tn) at the end of September.

This was an increase of 29.4bn euros since the end of June.

Debt levels of all major economies have risen sharply as governments have tried to spend their way out of recession.

French government spending helped the country's economy to emerge from recession between April and June.

Lower tax receipts have also contributed to spiralling debt levels.

The 1.46tn euros is the largest debt France has run since INSEE records started in 1995.

According to forecasts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), French public debt as a percentage of economic output will hit 96% by 2014.

Of the G7 economies, this is less than Japan (246%), Italy (129%), the US (108%) and the UK (98%), but more than Germany (89%) and Canada (69%), the IMF has predicted.


~~~

PARIS -- French gross domestic product expanded 0.3% in the third quarter from the second, the national statistics service said Tuesday, confirming that the euro zone's second-largest economy has pulled out of recession

FRANCE: discos can stay open all night under new rules
Party people across France will be able to dance all night under new regulations that will allow discotheques and bars with dance floors to remain open until 7:00 am. Business leaders say the rules will liven up French cities.

JOHNNY HALLYDAY: French court to look into ‘botched’ Hallyday operation
A Paris judge has asked two medical experts to determine whether the French doctor who operated on Johnny Halliday was guilty of malpractice. The allegedly "botched" operation forced the French singer to undergo additional treatment in Los Angeles.

FRANCE: Cosmetics entrepreneur Yves Rocher dies at 79
Yves Rocher, who founded a plant-based cosmetics line which now has a turnover of billions of dollars a year, died in Paris on Saturday, aged 79.

: PEZENAS wins the Urban Art Award for "Architectural Quality"

The National Urban Art Award is held each year under the patronage of Jean Louis Borloo Minister of State, Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea, in charge of Green Technologies and climate negotiations.
This contest is open to professionals of the living and elected officials eager to make a submission responding to the quality theme for "the urban environment - - accessible to all."
This year 6 communes were selected to present their achievements, including the city of Pezenas which had 8 minutes to convince a Paris jury of professionals.

"Molière - his city - accessible to all" was the theme piscénois. It followed the presentation of the firm Amphoux, landscape architect, a reflection on the parking lot and surrounding roads, cars and pedestrians:

Pezenas claims to be Sustainable City, including the regeneration of the historic center and an urban sprawl under control, with a moderate expansion to preserve the quality of life.

The City is developing today with the future residential Écoquartier Saint Christol north and the south mall, easily accessible from the outlets of the A75 motorway.



HOTELS polish up their star ratings

France, the world's top tourism destination, is polishing up its hotel star ratings and introducing a new luxury five-star category to help travellers know what to expect.

The new rating criteria will apply to 18,000 hotels across France, many of which are showing off stars awarded under the previous ranking system that dates back to 1986.

The upgraded star system went into force at the weekend when details were published in the government gazette.


French Mosque’s Symbolism Varies With Beholder
Michel Gangne/Agence France-Presse


MARSEILLE, France — The minaret of the new Grand Mosque of Marseille, whose cornerstone will be laid here in April, will be silent — no muezzin, live or recorded, will disturb the neighborhood with the call to prayer. Instead, the minaret will flash a beam of light for a couple of minutes, five times a day.

One rendering of the Grand Mosque of Marseille had a taller minaret than the one now planned.
Normally, the light would be green, for the color of Islam. But Marseille is a port, and green is reserved for signals to ships at sea. Red? No, the firefighters have reserved red.

Instead, said Noureddine Cheikh, the head of the Marseille Mosque Association, the light will almost surely be purple — a rather nightclubby look for such an elegant building.

So is this assimilation? Mr. Cheikh laughs. “I suppose it is,” he said. “It’s a good symbol of assimilation.”

But as Western Europe is plunged into a new bout of anxiety over the impact of post-colonial Muslim immigration — reeling in varying ways from the implications of a recent Swiss vote to ban minarets altogether — some scholars see a destructive dynamic, with assimilation feeding a reaction that, in turn, spawns resentment, particularly among young Muslims.

Vincent Geisser, a scholar of Islam and immigration at the French National Center for Scientific Research, believes that the more Europe’s Muslims establish themselves as a permanent part of the national scene, the more they frighten some who believe that their national identity could be altered forever.

“Today in Europe the fear of Islam crystallizes all other fears,” Mr. Geisser said. “In Switzerland, it’s minarets. In France, it’s the veil, the burqa and the beard.”

The large new mosque, which its builders call “the symbol of Marseillais Islam,” is a source of pride here in France’s second-largest city, which is at least 25 percent Muslim. But it is also cause for alarm, Mr. Geisser said, embodying the paradox that visible signs of integration set off xenophobic anxiety. “All these symbols reveal a deeper, more lasting presence of Islam,” he said. “It’s the passage of something temporary to something that is implanted and takes root.”

The change has been significant over the last five years, Mr. Geisser said. “Now we’re at a crossroads,” he said, of a complicated European anxiety that stems from economic crisis; the fear of globalization; the perceived increase in immigration as European birthrates fall; and the subsuming of national states into an enlarged Europe.

“There is an angst over identity in Europe,” he said. “There’s a feeling that Europe is becoming smaller and less important. Europe is like an old lady, who whenever she hears a noise thinks it’s a burglary.” This generalized anxiety and fear is translated into a specific one, he argues: Islam, “a box in which everyone expresses their fears.”

The European Union is believed to have more than 15 million Muslims and perhaps as many as 20 million. France has five million to six million Muslims, the most in Western Europe.

In general, relations between Muslims and other Europeans have been good. But the terrorism associated with attacks in France in 1995 and 2001 in the United States has resonated through the years, reinforced by the Madrid train bombings in 2004; the killing that year of the Dutch film director Theo van Gogh, a critic of conservative Muslims; the London bombings of 2005; and the controversy over Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published the same year.

In 2004, France banned the head scarf (and other signs of religious affiliation) in public schools. It is now debating a ban on the burqa, by which the government seems to mean any full facial covering, including the niqab, which shows the eyes. That controversial measure is caught up in a government-sponsored debate over national identity, led by the ministry that also handles immigration.

Both measures have been widely criticized as political maneuvers by President Nicolas Sarkozy, capitalizing on social fears to unite the center-right and co-opt the far-right National Front before regional elections in March. He has tried to play down the religious element in the debate, but he has also urged Muslims to show “humble discretion” and avoid “ostentation and provocation”; a junior minister, Nadine Morano, said young Muslims should dress better, find jobs and stop using slang and wearing baseball caps backward.

The far-right and anti-immigrant parties did comparatively well in last June’s European elections, which had a low turnout. For the first time, Britain’s far-right party won two seats, and the Dutch Freedom Party secured 17 percent of the vote.

This year, the Danes and the Swiss have brought a new focus to mosques and minarets. Plans for Copenhagen’s first two large mosques have met with strong opposition from the right. The Swiss vote brought widespread condemnation of fear-mongering and racism, including from Switzerland’s own government.

Youcef Mammeri, a writer on Islam in France and member of the Joint Council of Muslims of Marseille, says that the debates over minarets, burqas and national identity have angered many French-born Muslims and brought them together in a defensive circle.


~~~
NEWS HEADS 24 Dec

Court in Iran refuses to release French student Clotilde Reiss

A Tehran court has ordered that a teacher from Lille must remain under house arrest at the French Embassy after hopes for her release were set back


French Rocker Hallyday Released From Hospital

PARIS (Reuters) - Veteran French rocker Johnny Hallyday has been released from a Los Angeles hospital where he underwent a back operation earlier this month


~~~

NEWS HEADS 23 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

IRAN: Clotilde Reiss trial resumes, verdict expected
The trial in Iran of French academic Clotilde Reiss will resume on Wednesday, as a verdict is expected for the researcher who was arrested after June's disputed presidential election, the Fars news agency reported.

FRANCE: Parliament approves compensation bill for nuclear test victims
The French parliament voted Tuesday to pay compensation to victims of nuclear tests France carried out in Algeria and French Polynesia over the course of more than three decades.

FRANCE: UMP party to present bill banning burqas in public places
Sarkozy's UMP party has announced plans to introduce a bill to ban full Islamic veils in all public areas in France. Talk of a ban has stirred a heated debate in France and could present the government with legal difficulties.

TRANSPORT: After breakdowns, Eurostar trains restart
The first Eurostar in four days left Paris for London on Tuesday morning, after multiple train breakdowns left thousands of passengers stranded ahead of the Christmas holidays. The company has warned that it will take days to clear the backlog.

BUSINESS: France to continue using stolen Swiss bank data
France has said that it will still use client data information stolen by a former employee of HSBC in Geneva to pursue cases of tax evasion, despite French authorities agreeing on Monday to return the data to Switzerland.


CHINA/FRENCH relations now repared

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in China Tuesday that any misunderstandings between Paris and Beijing are a thing of the past.

Mr. Fillon told Chinese university students in Beijing the countries now want to build a relationship based on "mutual respect."

Tensions between Paris and Beijing grew last year when French President Nicolas Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama. China accuses the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader of seeking independence for the Himalayan region, which the Buddhist leader denies.

Fillon traveled to Beijing to smooth both diplomatic and economic relations. He oversaw the signing of 12 deals involving aviation, energy, culture and water resource utilization.

Fillon held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao and parliamentary speaker Wu Bangguo, a day after meeting Premier Wen Jiabao.


FRANCE BUYS BRITISH
France spurns domestic group and orders BAE armoured vehicle
Traditionally France has supported domestic producers, and so BAE's victory with Viking is seen as a huge breakthrough

The French Government has bought its first piece of military equipment from Britain in decades and, in the process, overlooked the claims of a French company.

In an unprecedented display of European co-operation, the French have ordered 129 armoured vehicles from BAE Systems in a £220 million deal. It is believed to be the first big equipment order that the French Armed Forces have placed with a British company in many years. It is certainly BAE’s first significant win in the country.

In selecting BAE’s Viking armoured vehicle, France has overlooked a product from Thales and Singapore Technologies called the Warthog. Thales is an important part of the French industrial landscape and is 27 per cent-owned by the French State. It is also one quarter-owned by Dassault Aviation, which builds French military aircraft, such as the Rafale fighter.

Traditionally, France has supported domestic producers, such as Thales, and so BAE’s victory with Viking has been heralded as a huge breakthrough. It comes after a state visit to Britain by President Sarkozy last year, when he and Gordon Brown signed an agreement to expand military co-operation.


Britain and France are collaborating on the designs for a new generation of aircraft carriers and a similar project may be established to develop unmanned aerial vehicles.
Howard Wheeldon, senior strategist at BGC Partners, the brokerage group, said: “This is a very important win for BAE and shows what a diverse range of products the company is able to offer. The deal is also important because it is the first notch in greater co-operation between the French and the British. This is an example of what might be to come.”
The French have placed an initial order for 53 BAE BvS10s, or Vikings, with a total order for 129 vehicles. The contract is worth £220 million, including servicing. The vehicles will be built at BAE’s factory in Sweden.
The Viking is an all-terrain amphibious armoured vehicle and was designed for use by the Royal Marines. It is also being used by the Army in Afghanistan. Britain has 167 Vikings, including 24 upgraded models that were ordered in September. The Viking is based on the older Bv206, which was sold to 40 countries. More than 11,000 were produced.
The Viking’s rival is the Warthog, built by Singapore Technologies, with Thales supplying the battlefield electronics. Britain awarded a £150 million contract to Thales for 100 Warthogs last year. The first vehicles are expected to enter service in Afghanistan next year.
There has been some criticism of the Vikings in Afghanistan because they are designed to be highly mobile but are not heavily armoured, and a number of British soldiers have been killed in them. Among these fatalities was Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the most senior army officer to be killed in action since the Falklands War.
BAE has since fortified the armour on the Viking and it is these new Mark II vehicles that will be supplied to British and French forces in future.
Jan Soderstrom, managing director of BAE’s vehicles business, said: “The French requirements were very challenging and so it was particularly rewarding to win this contract. The contract acknowledges the high performance and strong market position of our battle-proven BvS10 and secures the continued development of the vehicle.”

~~~
NEWS HEADS 22 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

TRANSPORT: After breakdowns, first Eurostar train leaves Paris for London
At 8:11 am on Tuesday the first Eurostar left Paris for London, after two days of cancelled service following the breakdown of trains and stranding of thousands of passengers over the weekend.

FRANCE: Fillon uses China visit to call for more flexible yuan
French Prime Minister François Fillon, on the final day of his visit to China, urged Beijing to make its exchange rate more flexible to help promote economic cooperation between France and China.

IRAN: France refuses to swap Iranian prisoner for Clotilde Reiss
France has refused to exchange Clotilde Reiss, a French academic charged in Tehran with taking part in opposition protests, for an Iranian agent jailed in France for murder, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has said.

FRANCE - CHINA: Aviation and nuclear deals signal improved relations
France and China applauded efforts to buck up relations strained by the Tibetan issue on Monday, as a French delegation led by Prime Minister François Fillon signed a raft of business deals during a trip to Beijing.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 21 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


EUROSTAR: Thousands hit by second day of Eurostar standstill
Eurostar train services between England and France were suspended for a second day because of freezing weather on Sunday, throwing the holiday plans of tens of thousands of people into chaos.

AEROSPACE: France's Safran to sign major deal to equip Chinese jet
French aerospace and defence industries group Safran on Monday will sign a 7.2 billion dollar contract to provide engines for China's first large passenger jet, the group announced.

~~~

PARIS: Former president Chirac indicted for embezzlement
A drawn-out case involving claims that former French president Jacques Chirac set up fictitious jobs while he served as mayor of Paris is heading to court after a judge ordered Chirac's indictment on embezzlement charges.

GOOGLE: Paris court orders Google to stop scanning French books
Google may not scan French books without the permission of the publishers, a court in Paris has ruled. The California Internet giant must pay 300,000 euros in damages to the publishing house that brought the case to court.

AF 447 CRASH: Investigators call airplanes' speed monitors into question
The French aviation accident investigative body, the BEA, has said the causes of mysterious Air France 447 June crash remained unclear, but called for new testing standards for air speed monitoring on aircrafts.

FRANCE: Fourth mobile phone licence goes to Free
French Internet service provider Free has secured the fourth licence to operate a mobile phone network in France, setting the stage for a showdown with the sector's trio of established players.


EUROSTAR - 4 trains "stuck" in the tunnel - no reasons given. Perhaps it is the "Wrong sort of tunnel" All trains from Paris to London supsended and waiting trains in France being sent back to Lille.

ANOTHER PRIZE WINNER AT THE CHRISTMAS CRACKER FAIR - go to WoW Christmas Cracker page to learn who is the lucky winner.

AND from BBC News

Fine for Google over French books

A Paris court has found Google guilty of copyright infringement in a ruling which could have ramifications for its plans to digitise the world's books.

The search giant must pay 300,000 euros (£266,000) in damages and interest to French publisher La Martiniere.

It was one of many to take Google to court for digitising its books without explicit permission.

Google was also ordered to pay 10,000 euros a day until it removes extracts of the books from its database.

Google expressed disappointment at the ruling.

"French readers now face the threat of losing access to a significant body of knowledge and falling behind the rest of internet users," said a spokesman for the firm.

Serge Eyrolles, head of the French publisher's union Syndicat National de l'Edition, said he was "completely satisfied with the verdict".

"It shows Google that they are not the kings of the world and they can't do whatever they want," he said.

Google wants to scan millions of books to make them available online.

This court case will be seen as a victory for critics of the plan who fear Google is creating a monopoly over information.

Publisher Herve de La Martiniere launched his court case three years ago but Google continued to scan books during this period.

La Martiniere, the French Publishers' Association and authors' group SGDL who started the court battle initially demanded that Google be fined 15m euros (£13.2m).

The book publishers claimed that scanning books was an act of reproduction and, as such, was something that should be paid for.

Google's plans to establish a digital library have hit several buffers.

It agreed to a settlement with US authors and publishers but is renegotiating after the US Justice Department concluded that the deal violates anti-trust law.
~~~


NEWS HEADS 17 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


FRANCE: Sarkozy defends Afghan migrants expulsion
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has defended his government's decision to proceed with the expulsion of nine Afghan migrants, despite protests from rights groups. The migrants were flown back to their war-torn country in a special charter flight.

FRANCE: National Assembly debates military reinforcements in Afghanistan
French lawmakers are debating three potential strategies for the ongoing war in Afghanistan, including sending additional military personnel to aid a US-led troop surge, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said.

REPORTERS: A little part of Mali in Brittany
Collinée is a village of fewer than 1000 inhabitants. Thirty years ago, the local abattoir had a severe staff shortage. A dozen Malians came here to work and were later joined by their wives and children. Today, one inhabitant in ten is Malian.

MUSIC: French rocker Hallyday scraps farewell tour after emergency surgery
French rocker Johnny Hallyday will not be fit for his scheduled farewell tour next month, his production company said. The 66-year-old singer awoke from an induced coma on Tuesday after undergoing emergency surgery in Los Angeles.

BEZIERS - new Ryanair flight to Stockholm starts 13 April next


AND From BBC news

French troops spearhead assault in Afghanistan

More than 1,100 troops have launched a major operation in Afghanistan's eastern Uzbin Valley.
The force includes 800 French legionnaires, together with US and Afghan soldiers.
Ten French soldiers were killed in the area in August 2008 when they were ambushed by Taliban fighters.
A further 21 French troops were wounded, in one of the heaviest tolls suffered by the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).
The operation is aimed at "reaffirming the sovereignty of Afghan security forces in the north of the Uzbin Valley", Col Benoit Durieux of the French Foreign Legion told the AFP news agency.
The French have codenamed the offensive Septentrion. It follows weeks of negotiations with local villagers.
'Demonstration of force'
Last year's ambush was in the area of Sarobi, some 50km (30 miles) east of Kabul.
At the time it was seen as a warning that insurgents were closing in on the Afghan capital, and was thought to be the heaviest loss of life suffered by the French military since 58 paratroopers were killed in Beirut in 1983.
A French military spokesman said Thursday's operation was a "demonstration of force... meant to assure the local population of our presence".
The aim was to plant an Afghan flag in a strategic village in the Uzbin valley.
After several hours' progress, they came under rocket-propelled grenade and heavy machine-gun fire from the insurgents, officials said.
The French responded with shell fire, backed up by French and US air support.
Five US troops were injured - three seriously - and evacuated by helicopter to Bagram air base.
The battle continued for around 90 minutes. A French spokesman said at least one Taliban fighter was killed and three injured.


~~~

FRANCE: Afghan migrants to be expelled 'in the coming days'
France is set to expel a group of Afghans migrants "in the coming days" three months after it shut down a squatter camp near the English Channel, presidential spokesman official Claude Gueant has confirmed.

FRANCE: Sarkozy unveils €35 billion public spending spree
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled details of a 35-billion-euro "grand loan" that will be invested in green technologies and universities in a bid to boost the national economy.

Another Air France A380 glitch

RFI
A technical problem onboard an Air France Airbus A380 superjumbo caused a delay to its take-off from New York.
www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/120/article_6188.asp


France-Africa summit venue is changed to avoid al-Beshir invite

RFI
A France-Africa summit, scheduled to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh in January, will now be held in France to avoid inviting Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.
www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/120/article_6194.asp


MUSIC: France’s Johnny Hallyday recovering, but will not be fit for first tour dates
French rocker Johnny Hallyday, recovering from surgery in Los Angeles, will not be fit for his scheduled farewell tour next month, the singer's insurer was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 15 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

FRANCE: Sarkozy unveils €35 billion public spending spree
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled details of a 35-billion-euro "grand loan" that will be invested in green technologies and universities in a bid to boost the national economy.

ENTERTAINMENT: Hallyday emerges from artificial coma, speaks after LA surgery
French rock star Johnny Hallyday emerged from a second medically induced coma on Monday after undergoing surgery in a Los Angeles hospital and was speaking to family and friends, his spokesman said.

ARCHAEOLOGY: France returns ancient relics from the Louvre to Egypt
French President Nicolas Sarkozy returned fragments of stolen Egyptian murals on display at the Louvre museum to President Hosni Mubarak on Monday. Egypt has stepped up demands for the restitution of many of its ancient artworks.


EIFFEL TOWER

Steps from Eiffel Tower sell for 85,000 euros

A piece of a staircase from the Eiffel Tower sold at auction for 85,000 euros (124,000 dollars) in Paris on Monday.

The 7.8-metre chunk of the tower's spiral staircase, containing 40 steps, was part of a larger piece removed from the tower in 1983.

It was bought on Monday by an ironworker from the town of Troyes, east of Paris, during a sale of Paris-themed souvenirs at the Drouot auction house.

The man, who declined to give his name, told AFP he planned to "cut it up and re-sell it."

He said he had done the same with a piece of the Berlin Wall.

~~~

France to Digitize Its Own Literary Works
PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged nearly $1.1 billion towards the computer scanning of French literary works, audiovisual archives and historical documents, an announcement that underscored his government’s desire to maintain control over France’s cultural heritage in an era of digitization.

The French National Library announced in August that it was engaged in discussions with Google over the digitization of its collections, part of a global effort by Google to digitize the world’s literary works. This provoked an uproar among French officials and the publishing community here, and the discussions were suspended.

“We won’t let ourselves be stripped of our heritage to the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is,” Mr. Sarkozy said last week, apparently in a reference to Google.

The money pledged will finance a public-private partnership that will digitize the nation’s cultural works, Mr. Sarkozy said. Yet that partnership might well involve Google.

The French culture minister, Frédéric Mitterrand, met last week with David C. Drummond, a senior vice president and chief legal officer at Google, to express his concerns about a potential collaboration with the company.

France has long regarded Google warily. In 2005, French and German leaders announced plans, since abandoned, to develop a multimedia search engine to be called Quaero — “I seek,” in Latin — seen by many as a direct challenge to the company. The French government has also urged the European Union to undertake its own book digitization project.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is currently assessing the legality of Google’s global digitization plan. In a September submission to the court, the French Ministry of Culture wrote that the plan did not conform either to “intellectual property law or to competition law and constitutes a threat to cultural diversity.”


~~~

NEWS HEADS 14 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


ENTERTAINMENT: Hallyday's controversial surgeon assaulted in Paris
The French surgeon blamed for performing a botched operation on rock legend Johnny Hallyday, who is currently undergoing emergency treatment in the US, was mugged by two hooded people in Paris overnight.

FRANCE: L'Oreal family feud over one billion euro gifts heads to court
In a story that has gripped Paris, the daughter of France's wealthiest woman has filed a suit in court arguing that her 87 year-old mother has been tricked into lavishing gifts totalling over one billion euros on a society photographer.

REGIONAL NEWS


France Telecom broadband plan for Languedoc-Roussillon Region
Planned over 18 months from January 2010 to June 2011, the project will provide coverage of near on 99.6%.
The partnership agreement between the Region and France Telecom lasts for seven years and will cost 52M €.
The scheme is co-financed by the regions and departments to the tune of € 42 million, the remainder coming from the EU amounting to € 10M

Didier Lombard, CEO of France Telecom, has announced the creation of a project company, Languedoc-Roussillon High-Speed, 100% subsidiary of the group and based in Montpellier.
It will use FT and local SMEs in the construction and technical operation and commercial network. "40% of the construction of the network will be outsourced to local companies," said Didier Lombard.

The agreement with the Region, coupled with the departments of Aude, Gard, Lozère and PO, will connect the 400 000 people currently deprived of access, to residential broadband Internet (2 Mb / s or a more efficient service than the minimum ADSL 512kb / s)
Where is Herault in this?



REGIONAL ELECTIONS

The future for George Freche

The first secretary of the Socialist Party (PS), Martine Aubry, has decided ... not to decide.
So there will be no formal nomination or alternative list. On December 3, lists of Georges Freche received the support of the vast majority of members, between 88 and 98% depending on the departments. Privately, Martine Aubry has always said she would do everything to block the road to regional president.
Internally, the names of potential candidates, including President of the General Council of Hérault Andre Vézinhet and the mayor of Montpellier Helene Mandroux were tested by sampling. But the results were not considered sufficiently conclusive. The PS therefore prefers to try to keep the region with Frêche, a man they excluded from their ranks in 2007 after his controversial remarks on harkis than to deliver it to the right.
The decision is not unanimous and so Arnaud Montebourg, the national secretary of the PS, still believes that an alternative list is the name of "honour common socialist."


REGIONAL ELECTIONS – our best guide yet
Towards the front of the left?
The Greens, who refuse any alliance in the first round, have been publicly implicated in the failure to find an alternative to Georges Freche. Former minister Claude Bartolone has been criticized for not wanting to associate with another head of Socialists, Radicals and contrary to the CPF. A charge is swept by Jean-Louis Roumegas, the leading European region in which Ecology has reaffirmed its position: "a gathering of left forces in the second round against the UMP, but without the presidency of Georges Freche. "Rest now whether the" left of the left "- will unite with the Socialists to disappointed frêchisme

MORE REGIONAL POLITICS

Raymond Couderc unveils his economic program
This is the first guest of the new appointments Objective Languedoc-Roussillon, held tomorrow Tuesday at Montpellier. The UMP candidate for regional elections, also Senator-Mayor of Beziers, will present the exclusive plans for economic development in the region at the "Club of Eco”. A meeting of two hours under the fire of questions from 8:30 to 10:30 at the Hotel Mercure Antigone..



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NEWS HEADS 12 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


ENTERTAINMENT: Hallyday back in induced coma after 'botched' surgery
French rock legend Johnny Hallyday has been put back into a drug-induced coma in a Los Angeles hospital, where he is recovering from surgery. His son said Hallyday was doing "very well."

FRANCE: Sarkozy’s UMP youth wing launch 'star-studded' music video
A music video made by the ruling French UMP's youth movement is creating considerable media buzz. Launched ahead of French regional election campaigns, the deliberately amateurish clip features cameos from the party's top brass.


CHANEL cleared in French counterfeit case

A French court on Friday threw out accusations against Chanel of stealing a design from a knitwear supplier but ordered the fashion house to pay damages to the firm for illegally breaking a contract.
The case pitting World Tricot, a small firm that manufactures high-end knits, against Chanel was seen as test of the rights enjoyed by skilled artisans toiling in the luxury industry.

FRANCE: Bernard Thibault re-elected as head of biggest trade union
For the fourth consecutive time Bernard Thibault was re-elected head of the CGT, the country's biggest trade union. This comes despite accusations that Thibault was soft on Sarkozy's right-wing reforms.

FRANCE: UK government warns its compatriots against drink-skiing
Known for their binge drinking antics abroad, young British holidaymakers heading to French ski slopes have been warned by their own government to go easy on the booze.



France Investigates Another Troubled Flight

PARIS — The French agency studying the cause of the fatal crash of an Air France jetliner six months ago confirmed Thursday that its investigators had opened an investigation into another incident involving an Air France jet of the same type under similar circumstances.

Air France Flight 447The second plane was forced to abruptly descend after encountering extreme weather in the same area of the Atlantic Ocean where the doomed plane is believed to have gone down.

A spokeswoman the French agency investigating the accident, BEA, said investigators had asked for access to the data from the onboard computers and were interviewing the crew of Air France Flight 445, an Airbus A330-200 that flew from Rio de Janiero to Paris on the night of Nov. 29-30.

Air France Flight 447, also an Airbus A330-200, was flying through an area of strong thunderstorms when it went down on the night of May 30 to June 1, about 960 kilometers, or 600 miles, off northern Brazil, killing 228 people aboard.

“There are a lot of striking similarities between the two flights — the route, the fact that it was at night, the difficult weather conditions,” said Martine Del Bono, an agency spokeswoman. “While we cannot know in advance whether this inquiry will provide complementary information about what happened to Flight 447, we cannot ignore such a coincidence.”

According to Air France, the plane — carrying 203 passengers and 12 crew members — encountered “severe turbulence” roughly four hours into the flight and the pilots requested authorization from air traffic controllers to descend to a lower elevation. After failing to get a response, the pilots sent out an emergency “mayday” message via radio that they were changing altitude, a communication that was picked up by another Air France flight nearby.

A French daily, Le Figaro, reported that Flight 445 descended from roughly 10,000 meters to 8,500 meters, or 33,000 feet to 28,000 feet — a drop of about 90 meters is normally called for by Air France procedures. Both Air France and the investigations office declined to comment on the report.

“We are providing all of the information requested by the BEA and Air France is providing its full collaboration and support to the investigation,” Véronique Brachet, an Air France spokeswoman, said.

According to Le Figaro, the Nov. 29 incident took place about 10 nautical miles from the area off the Brazilian coast where Flight 447 was when its computers sent out a series of automated messages — the plane’s last known communications — to a French maintenance center.

The maintenance messages have been a focus of the investigation into Flight 447 in the absence of the plane’s “black boxes” — the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which, along with the bulk of the plane’s wreckage, have not been found. Those messages indicated that the air-speed sensors on Flight 447 had malfunctioned and investigators have said that this fault may have contributed to the crash.

In the latest incident, however, Le Figaro cited a person close to the investigation as saying that there was no sign that the air-speed indicators had failed.

French investigators plan to publish a second interim report on the Flight 447 crash on Dec. 17. A preliminary report published in July said an examination of the floating debris indicated that the plane had hit the water intact, but offered few additional clues to the cause of the disaster.France is planning a renewed search for the black boxes of Flight 447 early next year, with the support of experts and specialized equipment from the United States, Britain, Brazil and Russia.


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NEWS HEADS 10 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English


FRANCE: Data on French tax evaders 'was stolen' from HSBC in Switzerland
Part of a list of alleged tax evaders and money launderers being investigated by French authorities was stolen from HSBC Private Bank in Geneva, the bank has confirmed.

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE: Sarkozy, Brown in united front on taxing banker bonuses
Despite rumours that Britain and France had fallen out over EU financial reform, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy stood united on Thursday to urge other leaders to impose a tax on bankers' bonuses.

ENTERTAINMENT: French rock star Hallyday responding well to medical treatment
One of France's best-loved rock stars, Johnny Hallyday, was admitted to hospital in Los Angeles Tuesday with an infection following surgery on a slipped disc and is responding well to treatment, his spokesman said.

MORE ON BROWN SARKOZY from BBC News

Brown, Sarkozy to meet after diplomatic spat

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have issued a joint call for urgent global reform of financial markets.
The joint letter comes ahead of talks on the sidelines of an EU conference, where they will try to brush off a row over an EU appointment.
Mr Sarkozy appeared to boast that a Frenchman's appointment to oversee European banking was a British defeat.
The EU summit will also address climate change and financing.
Mr Brown and Mr Sarkozy had cancelled a meeting scheduled to be held last week, amid speculation of a row over EU posts.
Mr Sarkozy had told Le Monde newspaper the British were "the big losers" in the share-out of EU jobs after former French agriculture minister Michel Barnier was given the role of supervising Europe's internal market for financial services, most of which is in the City of London.

But European diplomats tried to brush rumours of a disagreement between the two leaders to one side.
"I think it'll be fine. In two years, you'll be wondering what the fuss was about," one unnamed source told Reuters.
Mr Brown's spokesman too said the meeting had a broader agenda than fixing bruised ties.
"It's not specifically focused on any one issue. There are lots of things going on," he said.
In a show of unity ahead of the talk, the leaders issued a joint call for the urgent global reform of financial markets.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, they say a one-off tax on bank bonuses should be "considered a priority".
The two leaders say it is "simply not acceptable" for taxpayers to cover the cost of bank failures but not benefit from their successes.
The BBC's Jonny Dymond, in the Belgian capital, says the joint article at times reads like a call to arms.
In it, Mr Sarkozy and Mr Brown say the financial crisis has made them "recognise that we are now in an economy which is no longer national but global, so financial standards must also be global".
Banker focus
"We must ensure that, through proper regulation, the financial sector operates on a level playing field globally."

They say there is an "urgent need for a new compact between global banks and the society they serve".
"A compact that ensures the benefits of good economic times flow not just to bankers but to the people they serve; that makes sure that the financial sector fosters economic growth."
Various proposals to reform the sector "deserve examination", they said, but a one-off tax on high bonuses paid to bankers "should be considered a priority".
"People rightly want a post-crisis banking system which puts their needs first. To achieve that, nothing less than a global change is required," the leaders wrote.
The meeting comes as the UK finance minister Alistair Darling announced a one-off supertax on banker bonuses in a pre-Budget report on Wednesday.
The new tax - which would be paid by banks and not individuals - is designed to discourage institutions from paying large bonuses to employees in the wake of the major taxpayer support they have received in the financial crisis.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 9 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

FRANCE: Swiss minaret vote reveals concern over identity, says Sarkozy
In a column in French daily Le Monde on Tuesday, President Nicolas Sarkozy denied that the Swiss ban on minarets was evidence that national identity debates, such as the one promoted by his government, risked fuelling racism.

FRANCE: Alleged robber-cops become Internet sensation
Two Paris policemen have become an overnight Internet sensation after they were caught on camera apparently robbing a mobile phone store while conducting an ID check on members of staff.

FRANCE: No Mona Lisa, no Venus de Milo, foreign press groans as museum strike holds
Drenched, disappointed tourists outside the French capital’s landmark museums are making the news in the foreign press as a strike by museum workers dampens dreams of the ideal Paris vacation.

FRANCE: The British press on Sarkozy's quest to define French national identity
The oft-quoted “French model” has long been defined by what it is not – the so-called “Anglo-Saxon model”. But as two British newspapers found out, the defining issue now appears to be immigration.


LOCAL

MONTPELLIER - the C word surfaces after 64 years - Collaboration

Responding to a request made some months ago by a veterans organization, the City of Montpellier has changed the name of Georges Claude Street.

A native of Paris, Georges Claude (1870-1960) was a French physicist and chemist. He is known for having developed, in 1902, a process for liquefying air whose patents were taken over by Air Liquide.
Georges Claude was elected to the Academy of Sciences in 1924.
But his scientific activity is "disturbed" by being collaborationist. He is thought to have supported the Franco-German collaboration, and was appointed by Vichy member National Advisory Board in 1941. His rapprochement with the enemy led him to being interned December 2, 1944. Sentenced in Court to life imprisonment in 1945, he was also expelled from the Academy of Sciences. He was released from prison in 1950 and then devoted himself to research on the use of ocean energy.

Other cities in France (Meaux, Tours, Aix-en-Provence ...) have Georges Claude Streets but Montpellier is one of the first cities in France to remove this surname - something it also did for, several years ago, for Alexis Carrel, author of a particularly reprehensible paper on eugenics.
Montpellier was chosen instead of Georges-Claude to give the street name of a former resistance fighter. Vincent Euvrard was a militant communist and fascist fighter and a volunteer in Republican Spain.
He died in Montpellier in 2003 at the age of 87.

Recognizing the disruption this change creates for local residents, the City has notified people in the renamed street by post.

~~~

EASYJET pulls out of East Midlands Airport - see travel section


And from the WASHINGTON POST

SARKOZY DELIVERS MIXED MESSAGE TO MUSLIMS IN FRANCE
By Edward Cody
Wednesday, December 9

PARIS -- Faced with swelling unease over the place of Muslim immigrants in France, President Nicolas Sarkozy called Tuesday for tolerance among native French people but warned that arriving Muslims must embrace Europe's historical values and avoid "ostentation or provocation" in the practice of their religion.

Sarkozy's appeal, in a statement published by Le Monde newspaper, reflected concern that a government-sponsored debate on France's "national identity," sharpened by a recent referendum banning minarets in neighboring Switzerland, seemed to be contributing to expressions of anti-Muslim sentiment and generating resentment among Muslim citizens and immigrants.

"I address my Muslim countrymen to say I will do everything to make them feel they are citizens like any other, enjoying the same rights as all the others to live their faith and practice their religion with the same liberty and dignity," he said. "I will combat any form of discrimination.

"But I also want to tell them," he continued, "that in our country, where Christian civilization has left such a deep trace, where republican values are an integral part of our national identity, everything that could be taken as a challenge to this heritage and its values would condemn to failure the necessary inauguration of a French Islam."

Sarkozy said he understood the fears of many native French at the growing visibility of Muslims. France has Europe's largest Muslim population, estimated at well over 5 million. That, he said, is what led him to propose the national-identity debate managed by Eric Besson, the minister of immigration, integration and national identity.

"This muffled threat felt by so many people in our old European nations, rightly or wrongly, weighs on their identity," Sarkozy added. "We must all speak about this together, out of fear that, if it is kept hidden, this sentiment could end up nourishing a terrible rancor."

Dismissing criticisms from leftist figures and some members of his own government, Sarkozy said the Swiss decision Nov. 29 to ban construction of minarets arose from a democratic vote and, instead of outrage, should inspire reflection on the resentment felt by Swiss people and many other Europeans, "including the French people."

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had said he was "a little scandalized" by the Swiss vote and suggested it "means a religion is being oppressed." Intellectuals in the Paris chattering class took their criticism further, suggesting the Swiss vote betrayed bigotry and isolationism.

But Xavier Bertrand, head of Sarkozy's political coalition, the Union for a Popular Movement, seemed to indicate that a referendum like the one in Switzerland would be a good idea for France. In an appearance before reporters, he questioned whether French Muslims "necessarily need" minarets for their mosques.

Bertrand's stand, and Sarkozy's entry into the controversy Tuesday, were seen against the background of regional assembly elections in March, in which the governing coalition is seeking to make inroads into provincial Socialist Party strongholds. The extreme-right National Front, which could drain votes from Sarkozy's party, openly applauded the Swiss decision and said minarets -- towers beside mosques from which the faithful are called to prayer -- should also be banned here.

Along the same lines, members of parliament from Sarkozy's coalition introduced a bill this month giving mayors the authority to ban foreign flags at city hall marriages, aiming at Algerian, Moroccan or Tunisian flags that often accompany the weddings of immigrants' children. Similarly, a mayor from the government majority complained recently that, in his city hall, weddings more often are accompanied by Arab-style ululating than polite applause.

While urging Muslims to avoid ostentation and provocation, Sarkozy avoided specific comment on another test soon to be posed for his government, this one over whether Muslim women should be allowed to wear veils that cover their entire faces. Although only a small number do so, a parliamentary commission has held three months of hearings and is expected to issue a report next month proposing legal restrictions.

The president has said publicly that "the burqa has no place in France," placing his opposition in the context of women's rights. But since then, a number of political leaders have suggested that the French constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion, would make legislating on the question difficult no matter what the angle of attack.




~~~
NEWS HEADS 8 December - from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

NORTH AFRICA: Al Qaeda ‘claims’ kidnappings of Frenchman and three Spaniards
In an audio tape broadcast on an Arabic TV station, an alleged spokesman for al Qaeda’s North Africa branch claimed responsibility for the Nov. 25 kidnapping of a Frenchman in Mali and one of three Spaniards in Mauritania on Nov. 29.

EUROPEAN UNION: Barnier seeks to ease British fears over his appointment
Frenchman Michel Barnier has tried to assuage fears in London that his nomination as EU internal market commissioner heralded an attempt to impose stiffer regulation of the UK's financial services industry.

FRANCE: French intellectuals slam controversial new education bill
Several prominent French intellectuals have issued a strongly-worded joint statement voicing their opposition to a new education bill that would scrap history and geography for final year science-focused baccalauréat students.

WINE: Landmark Paris restaurant sells off 18,000 bottles from its cellar
The Tour d'Argent, Paris's best-known restaurant, auctions off some of the finest items in its legendary 430,000-bottle cellar this week. The restaurant hopes to bring in around one million euros to replenish its stock with new vintages.


LOCAL -CERS
The January meeting of Cers books will be the last.
We are going to stop then . There maybe a new book club starting in Pezenas - please could a reader let WoW know if this is true and when and where?

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NEWS HEADS 7 December - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

FRANCE: French intellectuals slam controversial new education bill
Several prominent French intellectuals have issued a strongly-worded joint statement voicing their opposition to a new education bill that would scrap history and geography for final year science-focused baccalauréat students.

France urges firmer sanctions on Iran

France called on Sunday for tougher sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.

"The time has come to seek firmer sanctions against Iran," secretary of state for European affairs Pierre Lellouche said on the French Jewish radio station Radio J.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out on Sunday at the United States and Britain, labelling them Tehran's main "enemies" and warning they will fail to isolate Iran over the nuclear issue, state television said.


Renowned French museum reopens after strike

Paris's Orsay Impressionist art museum reopened on Sunday after a strike shut it down for four days, staff said, but more disruption at major French tourist sites looked likely next week.

Tourists had to take pot luck visiting other sites in the capital, where several national monuments were closed this week.

Entry to the Orsay museum, home to a major collection of Impressionist art, was free as usual on the first Sunday of the month, the museum's press service told AFP.

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NEWS HEADS 6 December - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


SOCIETY: Miss Normandy takes 63rd annual 'Miss France' title
Miss Normandy, 22-year-old Malika Ménard, took the title of Miss France on Saturday while Miss Rhône-Alpes was designated second runner-up.

FRANCE: Debate on national identity stirs up passions over immigration
The government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy launched a debate on national identity last month, inviting citizens to help define what it means to be French and sparking a wider debate on immigration policy.


FRENCH against troop surge in Afghanistan

In France, a recent opinion poll suggests that a vast majority of the people are against sending more French troops to Afghanistan.

The poll conducted for the weekly Sud Ouest Dimanche (the South West Sunday) showed over 82 percent of French adults are apposed to the planned reinforcement of some 3,300 French troops already in the war zone.

The findings come as the United States prepares to send more than 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan. Washington's NATO allies have also pledged 7,000 additional troops.

France says it's waiting for an international conference on Afghanistan planned for late January, before making a decision on whether to increase the number of troops there.

With around 490 combat-related fatalities, 2009 has been the deadliest year for foreign troops in Afghanistan so far.

In France, like the UK and the US, public opposition to the Afghan mission is growing sharply due to the surge in troop casualties.



TGV line - route decided between Perpignan and Montpellier = South route chosen - line to go south of Beziers and Pezenas

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NEWS HEADS 5 December - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

AFGHANISTAN: Clinton hopes France 'will come forward' with more troops for surge
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday voiced hope that France would commit additional forces to a US-led troop surge in Afghanistan. But Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in the past has said there was no need to send more troops.

BEZIERS 55 professional people...dealers are accused of falsifying the odometers on second hand cars. 100's of cars are involved and it all happened at Beziers. The cars are all over the country!!

READ MORE montpellier.ville.orange.fr/direct/index.html?direct/listeactu/091204
175612.f1ackk6p



CHRISTMAS CRACKER FAIR - the winners

Winners of the TOMBOLA announced - go to Christmas Cracker Fair page for details

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NEWS HEADS 4 December - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

FRANCE: Strike shuts doors of French landmarks
Tourists were shunned from the Louvre museum and other French tourist sites on Thursday, as striking staff voiced their opposition to job cuts in the public sector.

France defends Areva deal

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Thursday hit back at charges of economic nationalism sparked by the sale of a major division of nuclear giant Areva to two French firms.

State-controlled Areva plans to sell its power transmission and distribution network to Alstom and Schneider Electric, having rejected bids from Japanese and US firms.

"I read in the press that we were are being accused of economic patriotism," Fillon told workers at an Alstom plant in eastern France.



FRENCH POLYNESIA: Former president Flosse in detention facing new corruption charges
After already spending time in jail on embezzlement allegations, former French Polynesia president Gaston Flosse, an ally of former French president Jacques Chirac, was again placed in provisional detention on Wednesday on fresh corruption charges.

LOCAL

CHRISTMAS CRACKER FAIR

“Best Christmas Cracker Fair” ever was the view of visitors and exhibitors alike for the 4,021 visitors, a 33% increase on last year and 107 exhibitors – twice as many as last year, agreed it was one of the best Christmas Fairs in Herault.

Visitors enjoyed the wide range of products for sale, the variety of catering, the delightful entertainment and noted much better parking than before.

A wide range of nationalities made up the crowd, - 45% French, 37% British – 95% of whom rated the show very good or good.

Exhibitors noticed a reduction in spending this year as a result of the global economic turndown – but more than ¾’s we positive about the show with 72% sure the want to exhibit in 2010.

The organizers, the WoW website and ANPQ gallery in Peret, now have the difficult task
of finding a suitable venue for the 2010 event as Chateau Cassan is to undergo a huge re-development next year to create a “business wellness centre” spa and hotel complex.

The organizers say “we know our clients love the fair – our challenge is to find a venue in Herault which has charm and delight, we do not feel an exhibition hall would provide the sort of ambiance people like at Cassan.”

Visitor comment
I want to say how lovely the fair was yesterday. There were so many wonderful things for sale; the quality and selection just gets better every year. It's great to see so many talented people displaying their crafts
The Christmas Fair has become a much anticipated event and justifiable so. Well done for taking it over.

Lesley

Exhibitor comment
Thank you for the fair. We definitely will participate next year again!!!
Carlos Perez & Anja Kalinowski
Le 5 GALLERY

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NEWS HEADS 3 December - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


FRANCE: Greenpeace activists invade National Assembly debate on Copenhagen
Greenpeace activists abseiled from the gallery of the National Assembly on Wednesday to disrupt a debate on France's official position ahead of the Copenhagen climate summit, causing chaos and consternation among parliamentarians.

FRANCE: Power plant nuclear reactor is shut down after cooling failure
A reactor at a nuclear power plant in southern France was shut down on Tuesday after an error in its cooling system was identified. French energy company EDF said there was no release of radioactivity into the environment.

FRANCE: French army medics to help swine flu vaccination drive
With vaccination centres across France facing endless queues filled with anxious patients, student medical interns and army doctors have been called in to help. They government has also announced that the centres will now be open seven days a week.

FRANCE: Paris’s museums close as workers strike over job cuts
Many of Paris's top museums and tourist attractions closed Wednesday leaving tourists visiting the capital disappointed. Museum workers went have gone on strike to protest against job cuts.


SARKOZY blaims "free-wheeling Anglo-Saxon" model of financial markets

Nicholas Sarkozy must have been chortling to himself yesterday as he watched the City of London put on an Oscar-worthy display of righteous indignation. The French president had chosen to herald the appointment of his countryman, Michel Barnier, as the new European commissioner in charge of financial services with language which could only have been designed to cause maximum fury and a degree of fear on the other side of the Channel.

Blaming the "free-wheeling Anglo-Saxon" model of financial markets for the world's economic crisis, Mr. Sarkozy said: "I want the world to see the victory of the European model, which has nothing to do with the excesses of financial capitalism."

The message couldn't have been clearer if he had said: "Watch out London, my man is in charge now, and he is going to clamp down on the activities of the City of London."



Reuters

Nicholas Sarkozy criticizes the 'free-wheeling Anglo-Saxon' model of markets.
London responded accordingly, with its bankers and politicians grabbing the microphones to warn against the dire consequences of any such attack. Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling leapt into print to argue that "London is New York's only rival as a truly global financial center," and thus it is in Europe's interests that it be strengthened, not weakened.

Mr. Sarkozy obviously doesn't share that view. His preference would be for La Defense, that Parisian predecessor of Canary Wharf, to become the financial powerhouse of Europe. The fact that his son was unsuccessful in his efforts to win the top position there hasn't dimmed the presidential vision.

But while the City of London was spluttering its outrage over the mission that Mr. Sarkozy appeared to have been setting for Mr. Barnier, an altogether more sensible mood was prevailing.


Peugeot to be Mitsubishi Motors' top shareholder: report

French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen is in the final stages of talks with Mitsubishi Motors to become the top shareholder of the struggling Japanese carmaker, a report said Thursday.

Mitsubishi would likely issue 200-300 billion yen (2.3-3.4 billion dollars) in new shares, giving Peugeot a 30-50 percent stake, the Nikkei economic daily said, without citing its sources.

The deal would give Mitsubishi a cash injection while Peugeot would tap Mitsubishi's expertise in electric vehicles and its network in emerging countries, it said.


AFGHANISTAN: NATO chief confident of support despite France, Germany refusals
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he is confident members of the transatlantic alliance will make a "substantial" increase in their commitments to the war in Afghanistan, despite French and German refusals to send more soldiers.




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NEWS HEADS 2 December - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

FRANCE: Court sanctions closure of Christian Lacroix’s iconic clothing line
A French court approved plans to close Christian Lacroix's haut couture and ready-to-wear clothing lines after potential buyers backed out. Lacroix will maintain just a skeleton staff of 11 to run the perfume and accessories lines.

FRANCE: Assembly approves plans to create "Greater Paris"
The French National Assembly approved plans Tuesday to create "Greater Paris", the bill must now clear the Senate for final approval. The plan would cost 21 billion euros, with the aim of creating closer ties between Paris and its surrounding suburbs

AFGHANISTAN: France considers Obama troop surge request
France is unlikely to send any more troops to Afghanistan other than those involved in training Afghan army and police units, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said in response to Obama's imminent announcement of a troop surge.

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NEWS HEADS 1 December - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


AFGHANISTAN: US has asked France to send 1,500 more troops, Le Monde says
The United States has asked France to provide another 1,500 troops for the NATO mission in Afghanistan, France's daily Le Monde reported Monday on its website.

GUANTANAMO: US transfers Algerian inmate to France
The US has transferred an Algerian inmate, Saber Lahmar, from the US jail at Guantanamo camp to France, according to his French attorney. A US judge had ordered Lahmar's release in November 2008 due to insufficient evidence.

AVIATION: Computer glitch forces Air France A380 to return to New York
An Air France A380 had to turn around 90 minutes after takeoff and return to New York after problems with its navigation system. This is the second time an A380 has had to turn around midflight.

CHAD - SUDAN: Kidnappers threaten to kill French aid workers, demand talks with Paris
A group claiming to have kidnapped three French aid workers has threatened to kill them unless French authorities agree to direct negotiations on French policy in the region, specifically in Chad and Sudan.

ISLAM: Kouchner criticises 'religious oppression' of Swiss minaret vote
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a radio interview on Monday that he was "shocked" by Switzerland's referendum vote to ban mosque minarets.


HERAULT - Les Japonais transforment l'huile en or
L'huilerie coopérative de Clermont-l'Hérault accueille actuellement une société cosmétique japonaise, Shodojima Healthy Land. Cette entreprise fait presser 3 200 litres d'huile d'olive qui serviront de soin pour le corps. Un elixir, dont les Japonaises raffolent, vendu 62 euros les 30 ml.

WoW Christmas Cracker Fair - 34% more visitors at Chateau Cassan on Sunday.
Of the 4,021 visitors around a third were French, a third British and the other third from Northern Europe and North America.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 28 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


INFLUENZA A (H1N1): Mutated strain of virus claims two lives in France
Two patients who were infected by an A (H1N1) mutation that was also recently detected in Norway have died in France, the government's Health Surveillance Institute (InVS) said in a statement on Friday.

COMMONWEALTH SUMMIT: France, Britain commit to climate fund financed by rich countries
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Nicolas Sarkozy, attending a closed-door Commonwealth summit in Trinidad, committed to a multi-billion-dollar climate fund financed by rich countries.

DIPLOMACY: Putin's France visit sparks alarm over possible warship purchase
Russian PM Vladimir Putin heads to France for a visit aimed at improving economic ties. But his trip sparked some concern amid reports of plans by Moscow to buy a French warship that would significantly boost Russia’s military capabilities.

EUROPEAN UNION: France's Barnier secures key EU Commission job
Former French foreign minister Michel Barnier (pictured) was named on Friday to oversee the EU's internal market and have responsibility for financial services, while Finland's Olli Rehn will be head of economic and monetary affairs.

BRAZIL: Emulous Sarkozy chides Obama for Copenhagen travel plans
As things warm up for the UN climate change summit in December, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken a dig at Barack Obama for planning to be in Copenhagen a full week before any other head of state.

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NEWS HEADS 27 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

RUSSIA - FRANCE: Putin seeks energy, car deals on visit to Paris
Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, is in Paris along with a host of Russian business leaders, including the head of ailing car giant AvtoVAZ, on a mission to sign lucrative contracts with French firms.

BRAZIL: Sarkozy promotes forest preservation, hails US and Chinese climate proposals
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has invited leaders of forest-rich nations to discuss preservation measures in Paris ahead of the Copenhagen summit. The French leader hailed the latest US and Chinese climate proposals as "extremely encouraging".

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NEWS HEADS 26 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

VIOLENCE: Government to pass law targeting domestic violence
In a speech to mark the United Nations' tenth International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, France's government announced it is to pass a law banning "psychological violence within the couple".

FRANCE - BRAZIL: Sarkozy travels to Manaus to discuss Copenhagen goals with Amazon countries
French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet with the leaders of eight Amazon countries in Manaus to discuss proposals concerning the Amazon forest ahead of the environmental summit in Copenhagen.

FRANCE: Education and postal workers strike to protest government policies
The first education sector strike since the beginning of the academic year got underway Tuesday. The educational professionals were joined by striking postal workers, who are protesting the privatisation of postal services.

FRANCE: Senate rejects move to end VAT discount for restaurants
French senators have rejected an amendment that would have forced the catering industry to bring value-added tax (VAT), currently standing at a discount rate of 5.5 percent, back to the standard rate of 19.6 percent.

PEZENAS CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO CAR DRIVERS!

To help traders and visitors alike, the Ville de Pezenas is supsending car-parking charges in some car parks until after Christmas.

Check first but the Mairie park is free.
WoW suggests you search for the others and let us know - so we can share the good news!

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NEWS HEADS 25 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


FRANCE: Youth claims riot police acted with deliberate racist violence
A French student of Moroccan descent has claimed police reacting to celebrations in Paris following Algeria's qualification in the World Cup were deliberately and overtly racist.

FRANCE: Education and postal workers strike to protest government policies
The first education sector strike since the beginning of the academic year got underway Tuesday. The educational professionals were joined by striking postal workers, who are protesting the privatisation of postal services.

Alleged victim of police brutality told by uni dean it was "essential to publicise account"

THE OBSERVERS
The story of a French university student being sprayed in the face with tear gas and called a "dirty Arab" is all over the French press today, notably in left-wing newspaper Libération.

TGV - new line between Perpignan and Montpellier to be publised on 8th December

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NEWS HEADS 24 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


FRANCE: Aids charity boss hits out at 'parasitic' Telethon
France's annual 'Telethon' fund-raiser for muscular dystrophy research makes "too much money", according to the head of a French Aids charity.

AEROSPACE: EADS insider trading trial gets underway
French securities regulator AMF begins hearings over alleged insider trading at the European aerospace giant EADS Monday. The company is accused of misleading investors by concealing information of delays in its A380 project.

French warship Russia wants stirs debate

A French amphibious assault ship -- of a type Russia hopes to buy -- has arrived in St. Petersburg, sparking unease among neighboring nations
~~~

NEWS HEADS 23 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


FRANCE: Fugitive French prisoner Jean-Pierre Treiber arrested
Fugitive prisoner Jean-Pierre Treiber was arrested Friday, two months after his daring escape from a French prison. Treiber was detained in 2004 on suspicion of a double murder and was awaiting trial at the time of his breakout.

FRANCE: Prosecutors to appeal chemical plant explosion acquittal
French prosecutors have said they will appeal a court ruling that cleared a subsidiary of energy giant Total and its former boss of responsibility for a chemical plant blast that killed 31 people in 2001.

FRANCE: It's that Beaujolais Nouveau time of year
Finally, it’s here: the official uncorking of the Beaujolais Nouveau, France’s favorite fruity wine. This year, the vintage is being touted as one of the best in half a century.

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP: Henry's handball sparks media storm against 'Les Bleus'
Devastation from the Irish, a vicious spanking from the UK and red-faced admissions from the French - three countries' media react to Thierry Henry's handball that cost Ireland its World Cup dream on Wednesday.

JUSTICE: European Commission to take France to court over waste water
The European Commission announced Friday that it is taking France to court over its failure to properly treat waste water in over 60 large towns, including Avignon, Bordeaux and Lyon.

AND FROM BBC NEWS

Eurozone economic activity 'hits a two-year high'

Manufacturing helped to drive economic activity in November
Eurozone economic activity rose at its fastest pace in November for two years, according to an influential survey.

The latest Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) figure rose to 53.7, up from 53 in the previous month, confirming the bloc's recent economic recovery.

The growth was driven by manufacturing output, which scored 54.6, its fastest growth since September 2007.

Figures released earlier this month showed that the eurozone emerged from recession between July and September.

'Fragile' growth

Any PMI score above 50 indicates an expansion in economic activity.

"The November survey suggests that the eurozone continued to expand at a robust pace, raising hopes that GDP growth in the final three months of the year could outpace the 0.4% rise seen the third quarter," said Chris Williamson at Markit Economics, which compiles the PMI.

But he added that the new orders index fell to its lowest level since February. This, together with rising unemployment, "highlighted the fragility of the recovery," he said.

Despite the two-year high, analysts were not getting carried away by the survey.

"The eurozone numbers are not going to set anything alight," said Peter Dixon at Commerzbank.

"It's an expansion that is consistent with [a recovery] which is slow and steady and [the eurozone economy] will probably continue to expand for some months to come, but I don't think we should be expecting a massive pick-up in activity from here."



~~~

NEWS HEADS 21 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

FRANCE: Fugitive French prisoner Jean-Pierre Treiber arrested
Fugitive prisoner Jean-Pierre Treiber was arrested Friday, two months after his daring escape from a French prison. Treiber was detained in 2004 on suspicion of a double murder and was awaiting trial at the time of his breakout.

FRANCE: Prosecutors to appeal chemical plant explosion acquittal
French prosecutors have said they will appeal a court ruling that cleared a subsidiary of energy giant Total and its former boss of responsibility for a chemical plant blast that killed 31 people in 2001.

JUSTICE: European Commission to take France to court over waste water
The European Commission announced Friday that it is taking France to court over its failure to properly treat waste water in over 60 large towns, including Avignon, Bordeaux and Lyon.

FRANCE: It's that Beaujolais Nouveau time of year
Finally, it’s here: the official uncorking of the Beaujolais Nouveau, France’s favorite fruity wine. This year, the vintage is being touted as one of the best in half a century.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 20 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


FRANCE: Toulouse court clears Total of reponsibility in AZF factory explosion
A French court cleared oil giant Total and its former CEO Thierry Desmarest (photo centre) of responsibility in the 2001 explosion of the AZF chemical factory near Toulouse. The plant's former manager was also discharged due to lack of proof.

FRANCE: Govt report calls for 35 billion euro spending plan to boost economy
Former prime ministers Michel Rocard and Alain Juppé have handed the president a long-awaited report on the post-credit crisis economy. Its conclusion is proving controversial, with many baulking at the 35 billion euro bill.

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP: Henry's handball sparks media storm against 'Les Bleus'
Devastation from the Irish, a vicious spanking from the UK and red-faced admissions from the French - three countries' media react to Thierry Henry's handball that cost Ireland its World Cup dream on Wednesday.

DUNKIRK - Destroyed by police, Dunkirk's migrant 'jungle' is up again by nightfall

DIPLOMACY: Gabonese president Bongo in first Paris trip since election
Gabon's President Ali Bongo was to visit France Wednesday for his first trip since succeeding his father, who was France's closest ally in Africa and the key figure in a rather dubious network of trade and political ties known as "FranceAfrique".

~~~

NEWS HEADS 18 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

FRANCE: Police foil schoolboy's massacre plot
Police in the French town of Beauvais foiled a 13-year-old French student's plan to kill teachers and himself in a shooting spree. The schoolboy's parents warned the police after discovering the plot on his blog.

FOOTBALL: Pressure on French ahead of decisive Ireland match
French fans are cautiously optimistic for Wednesday's World Coup playoff match against the Republic of Ireland. Despite the prospect of playing at home and their goal advantage, Les Bleus have everything to prove.

IRAN: Frenchwoman charged with provoking unrest appears in court
Clotilde Reiss, charged with provoking unrest following Iran's disputed elections, briefly appeared in court Tuesday before returning to the French embassy.

FRANCE: Heist driver admits guilt, remains silent on missing cash
Toni Musulin has handed himself in and admitted stealing more than 11 million euros after nearly a fortnight on the run. Although police have recovered most of the money, Musulin is keeping quiet about the whereabouts of the rest of the cash.

FRANCE : Bid to probe Sarkozy opinion polls stumbles in parliament
The law commission of France's National Assembly has rejected calls by the Socialist opposition to probe the French presidency's use of opinion polls, calling the request "unconstitutional".


LOCAL NEWS - ROUJAN Webmasters win global award in US

Alex and Greg are, as usual, modest about their award! "It is not often that we like to blow our own trumpet but then it is not every day that you win a global award! The website we (as MyWebSpinners) created for Domaine de Lavagnac has won the International Property Award's entry for 'Best Property Development Website' in The World. As the regional winner for Europe, the site went forward to be judged at the world awards held in San Diego last week. This the sixth award to have been scooped by Domaine de Lavagnac including Best European Golf Development and Best French Development - a real testament to the quality and vision of this local project."

The Lavagnac developement claims to have reservations on about a half of their houses and over 100 virtually "signed" for.

And news just in

French robbery van driver captured in Monaco

PARIS, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- French security van driver who heisted 11.6 million euros (about 17.4 million U.S. dollars) surrendered in Monaco on Monday, police said.
Monacan police will escort Toni Musulin, 39, to Jardin Exotique park on Monaco-France border to hand him over to French police, local media reported.
Police said the reason for the suspect to turn himself in was somehow confused yet, considering that he still had about 2 million euros at hand.
The robbery suspect has rocketed to be an internet star after he drove away the security van containing millions of euros while his co-workers were busy with the unfinished work of transferring cash from a French bank in Lyon on Nov. 5.
Two days later, in Lyon, police found 9.11 million euros in packets stashed behind a hired car parked in a garage that had been rented under a false name. French police meant to wait for Musulin back to his booty as the alone heist left few clue.
According to early reports, because Musulin made the taking away without using violence or leaving injury, he may face a maximum three-year prison term if convicted. (1 U.S. dollar = 0.6667 euros)

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NEWS HEADS 17 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


IRAN: Trial of French 'riot-provoking' academic resumes
Iran has rejected France's demand for a guarantee that jailed Frenchwoman Clotilde Reiss would remain out of jail after her next hearing while she awaits a verdict on charges of stoking June anti-government protests.

FRANCE : Sarkozy in Saudi Arabia for one-day state visit
French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Saudi Arabia Tuesday for a one-day visit. He was quoted in a Saudi daily expressing his "extremely worrying" stalled Middle East peace process.

IRAQ: Pomp, defence and economic deals greet Iraqi leader
Pomp and circumstance was on display as France welcomed Iraqi President Jalal Talabani during his state visit Monday, while French and Iraqi officials got down to the business of nailing bilateral defence and economic deals.

~

EasyJet results

Results for the year ended 30 September 2009


RESILIENT PERFORMANCE; INCREASED YIELDS, PROFITS IMPACTED BY HIGHER FUEL COSTS


Total revenue per seat up 10.9% (4.1% at constant currency), driven by the strength of the easyJet network, competitor capacity reduction of around 6%, strong ancillary revenue performance and a 2.6% sector length increase
Passenger numbers up 3.4% to 45.2 million and load factor improved by 1.4ppt to 85.5%
Underlying profit before tax1 of £43.7 million delivered in line with expectation. The £79.4 million reduction in underlying pre-tax profit compared to the prior year is driven by a unit fuel cost increase equivalent to £86.1 million and interest income lower by £30.5 million
Operating costs2 per seat (excluding fuel and currency movement) increased by 3.9% for the full year. Total underlying cost per seat1 (excluding fuel and currency movement) up 6.2% partly driven by increased sector length, planned lower aircraft utilisation during the winter and a £30.5 million reduction in interest income
Significant progress on cost reduction initiatives: 19 expensive aircraft exited from the fleet; systems implemented; renegotiation of our maintenance arrangements with SRT to deliver savings of around £175 million over the 11 year life of the contract
easyJet’s position in European short-haul aviation has strengthened with market share gains in a number of valuable markets such as Paris, London Gatwick, Milan and Madrid and over a 10% increase in slots at capacity constrained airports
Sufficient resources in place through a combination of undrawn committed facilities and surplus cash to fund future aircraft deliveries for at least the next 18 months
Forward bookings broadly in line with prior year


Fuller report on the Travel page


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Blair for EU President? -
Martyn Turner - political cartoonist for the Irish Times and occasional resident of Pouzolles has a view


~~~

NEWS HEADS 16 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


Young woman marries fiancé killed in car crash
A 26-year old French woman was permitted to marry her dead fiancé in a small town in eastern France. Authorities were moved to grant the bride her unusual request due to the couple's tragic story.

He was the love of her life. On Saturday, 26-year old Magali Jaskiewicz said ‘I do’ to her fiancé Jonathan at a civil ceremony in the eastern French town of Dommary-Baroncourt. A simple, traditional ceremony like so many others, except for the absence of the groom: Jonathan was killed last year in a car accident.

Christophe Caput, the mayor of Dommary-Baroncourt, performed the unusual ceremony. He told reporters that Magali’s request to be legally married to her deceased fiancé was exceptionally granted due to the tragic circumstances of Jonathan’s death.



MONTPELLIER - Grippe A : l'école d'Aiguelongue fermée



PARIS - MINISTER OF FINANCE report on budget

Amending Finance Act for 2009
16.novembre2009

(Sorry it is Google translate - but gives the gist)

Minister of Budget, Public Accounts, the Civil Service and State Reform was presented with the Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment, the bill Supplementary Budget for 2009.

Excluding expenses of recovery, adjustments of credit which makes this bill to limit spending to a level lower than 2 billion euros for the purpose voted by parliament in the initial finance law. The reduction in debt burden as a result of lower interest rates was partially offset by increased levies on revenue to the European Union, the rise in social spending under the effect of the crisis and the financing costs related to influenza A.

This result reflects a strict expenditure control, whose evolution is compared to 2008 (-0.1% from one year to another).

The draft supplementary budget proposes to use the room for 2 billion euros and carried on spending to make openings for additional funds to ensure repayment of exceptional size of the debt of the state to 'against social security. Given the other measures, the government debt to social security, which amounted to 3.5 billion euros in late 2008, will be reduced to less than 1 billion ' euros at the end of the year.

The revenue estimates for 2010 they are on the whole confirmed.

The total balance associated with this group amounted to -141 million, in line with the forecast deficit for 2009 associated with the presentation of the draft budget for 2010.

On the fiscal front, the bill includes provisions organized around four main themes:

-the fight against tax havens: According to findings G20 Pittsburgh, states and territories that refuse to comply with transparency requirements set by the international community will be punished by tax penalties. The bill proposes to finance and strong measures: taxation at 50% of the money paid in those states; taxation of dividends from these states; tougher rules against the artificial localization of incomes in these states; limited deduction in corporate tax paid in the States concerned; requirement for companies to document their transfer prices.

These measures will apply to states or territories in early 2010, have not left the OECD list or have not signed agreements to exchange information with France. The project also helps to establish a precise monitoring of commitments by the states or territories.

-fight against the black economy: the tax will strongly involved in the fight against trafficking criminals to "hit the traffickers portfolio. Thus, the bill amends the rules on professional secrecy in order to allow communication of information held by tax officials to the police. It gives tax authorities the means to control and tax much more effectively illegal activities, such as giving the Treasury the ability to tax ex illegal income and apply penalties more severe, and by introducing also a presumption that those engaged in trafficking have rebuttable perceived income an amount equal to the value of products they hold illegally.

-Modernization of tax and customs administrations and their relations with users: the bill strengthens the guarantees offered to users by creating an adversarial process between the customs administration and traders. It also plans to expand the scope of télédéclaration and remote payment required for new businesses, thus allowing greater speed and reliability of collection and processing of tax information. It has finally cleared by the Government to proceed in order to reform the status of conservative mortgages.

-the adaptation of our law to EU requirements and modernization: the draft law transposing the European Directives on Excise Duties, stating that selling tobacco is prohibited on the internet. He also restored the system of tax consolidation, the system of patronage and taxation of property income of nonprofit organizations, to take account of recent case law of the European court.

Finally, the bill includes various other measures, including the creation of a right in the fund for compensation of professional solicitors and extending the partial refund of excise tax on petroleum products and internal tax consumption of natural gas for farmers.


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NEWS HEADS 15 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


FRANCE: Paris "free cash" publicity stunt turns ugly
A publicity stunt involving envelopes of cash thrown at pedestrians from the top of a Paris bus turned ugly after it was canceled for security reasons. Youths angry at losing out on fast cash smashed shop windows and overturned cars.

FRANCE: Violence erupts in Marseille over Algeria-Egypt football match
More than 500 officers were deployed in the centre of the southern French port of Marseille Saturday, as rioters smashed shop windows, hurled stones, and set fire to boats after Egypt beat Algeria in a World Cup football qualifying match.

FRANCE: Focus on Israeli-Syrian talks as Assad visits Paris
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, in Paris Friday amid Syrian calls for France to play a bigger role in the Mideast peace efforts.


NEWS HEADS 14 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


FRANCE: Focus on Israeli-Syrian talks as Assad visits Paris
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, in Paris Friday amid Syrian calls for France to play a bigger role in the Mideast peace efforts.

REPORTERS: Prisons: life behind bars
In France, one prisoner commits suicide every three days. FRANCE 24 went behind the scenes of this hidden world to bring you previously unseen footage of punishment cells.

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NEWS HEADS 13 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English


ANGOLAGATE: Pasqua insists Chirac knew of illegal arms sales to Angola
Former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua, sentenced to one year in prison for his role in the illegal sale of arms to Angola in the 1990s, said then president Jacques Chirac was fully aware of what was going on.

RELIGION: President Sarkozy says 'no place' for burqa in secular France
In a major speech Thursday about what it means to be French, President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the burqa and the "subservience of women" had no place in secular France. France has one of Europe's largest Muslim populations.

PEUGEOT says it needs to cut 6,000 French jobs

French auto maker PSA Peugeot Citroen said on Thursday it needed to cut 6,000 jobs in France between now and 2012 in order to boost productivity.

Peugeot chairman Philippe Varin, outlining 2010-2012 performance plan for the group, said the reductions would come through the non-replacement of workers leaving the company voluntarily.

"Our assessment today is that we do not need a supplemental restructuring plan," he said.


IRAN: Tehran says no guarantee Reiss will remain free
Iran has rejected France's demand for a guarantee that jailed Frenchwoman Clotilde Reiss would remain out of jail after her next hearing while she awaits a verdict on charges of stoking June anti-government protests.

HEALTH: France kicks off widespread swine flu vaccination campaign
A widespread vaccination campaign against the A(H1N1) flu virus begins Thursday across France, with roughly 6 million high-risk individuals expected to receive the vaccine as priority patients.

AND FROM BBC NEWS

French economy continues growth

Ms Lagarde pre-empted the official announcement due later
The French economy grew by 0.3% between June and September, confirming its exit from recession, according to French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde.

Ms Lagarde told Europe 1 radio that the economy would contract in 2009 overall but enter next year "with elan".

Europe's third-largest economy grew by the same amount in the second quarter, joining Germany and Japan in ending year-long contractions.

While the US has also left recession, the UK's economy is still shrinking.

France and Germany may have been less hard hit than the UK by the global economic slowdown because their financial sectors, which were at the heart of the crisis, account for a smaller proportion of their economies.

Stronger exports and consumer spending, as well as government stimulus packages, have contributed to the growth in the eurozone's largest economies.

But economists had expected France to grow by double what it actually did in the third quarter - predicting growth of 0.6% in the third quarter.


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NEWS HEADS 12 November - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

ARMISTICE DAY: Former foes unite in Paris to mark end of World War I
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken part in ceremonies in Paris to honour the victims of World War I alongside French President Nicolas Sarkozy, becoming the first German leader to do so.

BANKING: 'Rogue trader' Kerviel to face trial after top court rejects appeal
France's highest appeal court has dismissed former trader Jérôme Kerviel's bid to delay his trial over massive trading losses at French lender Société Générale, which the bank says were due to unauthorised deals carried out by the then junior trader.

FRANCE: Netanyahu and Sarkozy complete Paris meeting
Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke for two hours on Wednesday in Paris, with Netanyahu saying he was ready to restart talks with Syria, according to an Israeli official.

FRANCE: Prosecutors seek maximum fine for Total in 1999 'Erika' oil spill
Prosecutors on Tuesday repeated a request that Total be ordered to pay the maximum fine for polluting as the oil giant appeals a January 2007 decision for a massive fuel spill along the coast of Brittany in 1999.

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LOCAL NEWS - LAVAGNAC scoops the pool

DOMAINE DE LAVAGNAC IS THE STAR AT THE CNBC ARABIYA EUROPEAN PROPERTY AWARDS, WINNING THE COVETED 5 STAR AWARDS FOR BEST FRENCH DEVELOPMENT, BEST FRENCH GOLF DEVELOPMENT AND BEST FRENCH DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE .

British developer, The Frere Group, has scooped three top 5* awards at the CNBC Arabiya European Property Awards and the company’s winning development, Domaine de Lavagnac, has also been chosen to represent Europe in two categories in the forthcoming World Property Awards .
Domaine de Lavagnac is a €500 million golf, spa and residential resort being built in Languedoc, in the South of France, The 5 star awards, the highest achievement possible, were presented for Best French Development; Best French Golf Development and Best French Development Website.



Domaine de Lavagnac has also now been nominated to represent Europe in the Best Golf Development and Best Website at the World Property Awards which will take place in San Diego.

The luxury French resort will go head to head with nominated developments from Asia Pacific, the Americas and Arabia to find the World’s Best Golf Development and World’s Best Website.
The European Property Awards are part of the globally respected International Property Awards, which have been running for 15 years.

Organiser Stuart Shield said, “Looking at the quality of companies who are competing for the coveted World’s Best titles, I think its going to be one of the most tightly contested competitions in the 15 year history of the International Property Awards.”


For information on the project - go to "buying a place in Herault"

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NEWS HEADLINES - from France 24 - the French TV station in Paris in English

Netanyahu arrives in Paris after Washington meeting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Paris from Washington for talks with French leaders, amid signs of friction after his White House meeting.


Prosecutors seek maximum fine for Total in 1999 'Erika' oil spill
Prosecutors on Tuesday repeated a request that Total be ordered to pay the maximum fine for polluting as the oil giant appeals a January 2007 decision for a massive fuel spill along the coast of Brittany in 1999.


Court grants homosexual woman the right to adopt a child
A court in the eastern French city of Besançon has ordered local authorities to grant a school teacher and her partner adoption rights, ending an 11-year legal battle that has divided the country


Parliament closer to probing Sarkozy's appetite for polls
A bid by France's left-wing opposition to have parliament investigate a flurry of opinion polls commissioned by the French presidency has cleared a first hurdle after the speaker of the lower chamber said he would not hinder the move.

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10 November NEWS HEADS from France 24 - the French TV station from Paris in English

FRANCE
Police recover most of the 11 million euros stolen in security van heist
French police have announced that they have found 9 out of the 11.6 million euros stolen by a French security van driver in a rented car hidden in a lock-up garage.


IRAN
Prosecutor says trial of Frenchwoman Reiss is set to resume
Tehran's prosecutor says the trial of French teaching assistant Clotilde Reiss is set to resume. Reiss was arrested July 1 and is accused of taking part in Iran's post-election protests.

===================================================================


NEWS HEADLINES from France 24 - the French News English TV news station


BUSINESS
European Commission to ask France to slash public spending
A report set to be approved by the European Commission recommends that France step up efforts to shrink public spending in response to the country’s structural deficit and exploding debt. AIR FRANCE 447
Victims' families gather in Rio for memorial service
A private memorial service near Rio de Janeiro takes place on Saturday for the European and Brazilian families of the 228 people who died in the fated Air France 447 flight in June. FRANCE
Nigerian peacemakers win Chirac foundation prize
The 'Fondation Chirac' has awarded its first prize for conflict prevention to two Nigerian religious leaders. The award is intended to honour unsung peacemakers across the world.

Sliding polls greet Sarkozy's mid-term mark
Half way through his five-year presidential term, Nicolas Sarkozy has sank to his lowest poll score since he took office. But analysts see no serious challenger to thwart his bid for re-election in 2012.


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NEWs HEADS 6 November from FRANCE 24 - the English Language service from Paris

PARIS: Scandal-hit Chirac settles old scores in memoirs
With harsh words for his old rivals, fondness for his family, and an evasive approach when it comes to discussing Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president hits the front pages again with the publication of the first volume of his memoirs.

MONT BLANC SHRINKS by foot-and-a-half
Western Europe's tallest peak, the snow-capped Alpine giant Mont Blanc, has shrunk by 45 centimetres (18 inches) in two years, experts said Thursday following an official survey.

The new height of Mont Blanc, which lies on the three-way border between France, Italy and Switzerland, is now 4,810.45 metres (15,782.3 feet), just over half that of Nepal's Everest but still the tallest Alpine peak.


UNITED KINGDOM: Conservatives will ‘castrate’ Britain in the EU, says French minister
A French minister has accused the opposition Conservatives led by David Cameron of "autism" on Europe, describing a campaign pledge to negotiate a return of powers from Brussels to London as "pathetic".


FRANCE to borrow up to 50 billion euros: presidency

France will take out a national loan of between 25 billion and 50 billion euros (37 billion-74 billion dollars), the office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday, eying post-crisis investments. Sarkozy will decide on the exact amount "at the beginning of December," his office said.

The president had announced in June that the French state would take out a "grand loan", from markets or the public, to finance strategic investments in the wake of the economic crisis. But he did not offer a figure at the time.


PARIS: Sarkozy admits 'error' in nepotism row over son’s plum job
The French president has admitted to “having committed an error” by letting his son seek a job managing France's top business district, the La Defense skyscraper park west of Paris, according to a source at the Elysée presidential palace.


Renault, Nissan to Form Car Battery Venture With French State
Bloomberg
5 (Bloomberg) -- Renault SA and alliance partner Nissan Motor Co. will develop and make electric-car batteries in a French government-backed joint venture

~~~~~~

NEWS HEADS 5 November
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

• Scandal-hit Chirac settles old scores in memoirs
Former French president Jacques Chirac is back in the public eye with his memoirs to be released Thursday, in which he settles old scores but avoids any mention of the corruption scandal for which he has been ordered to stand trial.

• France to borrow up to 50 billion euros: presidency
France will take out a national loan of between 25 billion and 50 billion euros (37 billion-74 billion dollars), the office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday, eying post-crisis investments. Sarkozy will decide on the exact amount "at the beginning of December," his office said.
The president had announced in June that the French state would take out a "grand loan", from markets or the public, to finance strategic investments in the wake of the economic crisis. But he did not offer a figure at the time.

• NUCLEAR IRAN: Kouchner hardens stance against Iran's nuclear dallying
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned Iran on Wednesday that Western powers would not wait "until the end of the world" for the Islamic Republic to give an official response to a UN-brokered nuclear deal.

~~~

TORY crossness as Hague dismisses French 'outburst'

William Hague, shadow foreign secretary: "We take that in our stride"
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague has hit back at comments by a French government minister who branded the Tories' new European policy "pathetic".

Mr Hague said Pierre Lellouche's view was not shared around the EU, adding: "We won't be put off by one emotional outburst from one minister."

The Tories have vowed to repatriate powers from Brussels after ditching a pledge for a Lisbon Treaty referendum.

Two Tory Euro MPs have quit their frontbench posts in protest.

Daniel Hannan said he had stepped down as Conservative legal affairs spokesman in the European Parliament, to concentrate on campaigning for a referendum on Europe.

He wrote in his Daily Telegraph blog that he had returned to the backbenches to build a movement that would "push for referendums, citizens' initiatives and the rest of the paraphernalia of direct democracy".


Conservative MEP Roger Helmer has resigned as the party's employment spokesman in Brussels, telling the ConservativeHome blog: "I can neither justify nor support our new EU policy."

He said Tory leader David Cameron's pledge to hold referendums on future treaties, also announced on Wednesday, was like "installing a largely ineffective burglar alarm when the family silver has already been stolen".

Mr Hague dismissed the resignations, saying support among Tory MPs and Euro MPs for the new policy was "near unanimous".

'Bizarre autism'

The shadow foreign secretary said Mr Lellouche's comments had been inspired, in part, by Britain's EU rebate - and he promised a future Tory government would expect a "bit of abuse" on that as it would be "tougher" than Labour in negotiations.

"We will stick up for our national interests, which French ministers never fail to do, by the way," he added.

Mr Lellouche, who is France's minister for Europe, said the Tories had a "bizarre autism" on the EU and likened their new policy to their withdrawal from the main centre-right grouping in the European Parliament.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 4 November
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

OBITUARY: Anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss dies aged 100
Famous French anthropologist and ethnologist Claude Lévi-Strauss has died aged 100, his publisher announced. He passed away during the night from Saturday to Sunday.

NUCLEAR ENERGY: Regulators call for redesign of France’s latest reactor
Nuclear safety watchdogs in France, the United Kingdom and Finland have requested "improvements" to safety systems in the design of the third-generation EPR reactors being built by French nuclear giant Areva.

~~~

Time to time Pouzolles resident, the political cartoonist Martyn Turners, take on the sorry war in Afganistan


Courtesy of the Irish Times


NEWS HEADS 3 November
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

HOUSING: Winter ban on evictions brings temporary relief to crisis-stricken tenants
France’s annual winter ban on tenant evictions began on November 1 and will go on until March 15. The measure guarantees some 1.8 million families who struggle to pay their rent an albeit temporary roof over their heads.

~~~


NEWS HEADS 2 November
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE: Poll shows most French back 'National identity' debate
Sixty percent of French voters support a plan put forward by Immigration Minister Eric Besson for a vast public debate on France's "national identity", a poll published on Sunday shows.

FRANCE: Court action against former President Chirac to proceed
A Paris judge has ordered former French President Jacques Chirac to stand trial over the alleged misappropriation of public funds when he served as the French capital's mayor.

French chefs whip up world record tiramisu

Chefs rustled up the world's biggest tiramisu at a food festival in France on Friday, whipping buckets full of eggs, cream, sugar and cocoa into a tonne of the finger-licking Italian treat.

Weighing in at 1,075.92 kilograms (2,367 pounds) the giant tiramisu -- which means "Pick me up," or "Send me to heaven" in Italian -- was officially logged as a new Guiness World Record, according to an AFP reporter.

A dozen pastry chefs worked through the night on the dessert, with an ice rink set up specially at the fair in Villeurbanne near Lyon to keep it chilled.

LOCAL NEWS

PERTURBATION DE LA DISTRIBUTION DE L’EAU
SUR LA COMMUNE DE LIEURAN-LES-BEZIERS
DANS LA JOURNEE DU 4 NOVEMBRE 2009 de 9h à 17h

La Communauté d’Agglomération assure la gestion et la distribution de l’eau potable de la commune sur Lieuran-lès-Béziers. Des travaux sur les ouvrages de stockage d’eau engendreront une baisse de la pression de distribution de l’eau potable sur la commune, et des coupures d’eau intempestives dans certains quartiers. Ces perturbations auront lieu au cours de la journée du 4 novembre entre 9h et 17h.

Les services des eaux de Béziers Méditerranée restent à la disposition du public du lundi au vendredi de 8 h 30 à 12 h et de 13 h 30 à 17 h
Tel : 04 99 41 07 20

www.beziers-agglo.org

PEZENAS - A local currency introduced



An explanation from the power behind the scheme Jean-Francoise Marquis

"In England, a few towns have been successfully introduced local currencies. One of the most well known is the Lewes Pound which started in August 2008 and has been a success so far. More recently, in September, Brixton in London set up its own currency. But what exactly does the word currency mean? It’s a special tool accepted by members of a community to exchange goods, services, or to pay a debt. It has three applications:
� It’s the ‘middle man’ for commercial transaction
� It’s an accounting device used to calculate a value for everything we can imagine
� It’s a reserve tool
In Europe, the Germans have well-developed the system with more that forty cities using local currencies. The Berliner for Berlin or the Chiemgauer in Bavière. In Ireland, they have the ‘Youro’ in the Kenmare Transition Town! In the USA, there is the Berkshare in Massachusetts which is accepted by 350 businesses and five banks, its the most important local currency in the world along with the Ithaca Hours Dollars in upstate New York.
The goal behind these moves is simply to encourage a part of the purchasing power toward the local traders which suffer the most from the big commercial chains. The euro or pound spent locally has a very slim chance of being reinvested locally its much more likely to travel toward China or elsewhere in the World! It also helps to reduce our impact of CO2 emission and minimises incoherent importation practices. In times of economic crisis, it makes even more sense as people tend to have serious doubts about the strength of supposedly well known currencies.
Regarding Pézenas, the ACAI (shopkeepers association) is launching the Occitan before Christmas. It will be introduced by local businesses and will be given to customers as a bonus like racking up points to buy a new mobile telephone, or flyer miles for a free ticket from an airline company. Customers will be able to redeem occitans for €Euros minus a commission fee or they can spend them for regular purchases among participating stores."
For more info www.deviseOccitan.org

~~~


NEWS HEADS 31 October

MONTPELLIER Thanks to the eagle eyes of Viviano Rossi MBE - Hon Consul for Scots in the South of France and President of the France - Ecosse Society (Reminds WoW to remind you of Whisky Soiree on 10 Nov) saw this in the Daily Telegraph.

~~~

English doctor wins French wine medal: pas mal pour un anglais
For three days a week he is a GP tending the sick in his adopted village in the South of France.
By David Harrison

But Graeme Angus, an Englishman from Seaham, County Durham, devotes the rest of his working week to fulfilling a dream he first had over 20 years ago as a pharmacy student in Leicester - producing high-quality wines from his own vineyard.
Now his efforts have been recognised in the world's biggest competition for wine-producers.

The 43-year-old has won a gold medal for one of his reds in the 2009 International Wine Challenge, which claims to be the world's most rigorously judged wine competition, with up to six rounds of blind tasting.
The competition, which was launched in Britain 26 years ago but is judged by more than 370 connoisseurs from all over the world, saw Mr Angus's Grenache Shiraz triumph over more than 1,000 other wines in the Languedoc-Roussillon category
His success is all the more remarkable since he and his wife Alice sold their first wine only three years ago and he combines his wine-growing with part-time work as a doctor in the village of Nébian, 20 minutes drive from their home, a farmhouse in the village of Octon. In what is arguably an even greater accolade, some of his French patients have congratulated "l'Anglais" on his award and are enquiring enthusiastically about his next vintage.
"Most people are very complimentary," said Mr Angus, originally from Seaham in County Durham. "The French are proud of their wine culture, and some are a bit surprised that an Englishman can produce good wines, but on the whole people are positive."
Mr Angus's interest in wine began when he was a pharmacy student at Leicester University and took a job in a wine cellar. It developed into a passion after he gave up working as a pharmacist and trained to be a doctor.
After seven years working as a haematologist in London hospitals, he decided to turn his love of wine into a career. In 1999, aged 33, he gave up medicine and went to Australia with Alice - an English agricultural economist who was brought up in France and whom he had met just two months earlier - to study wine-making.
He took his new skills to France, where his English in-laws had lived since 1976, and worked at a wine-maker's before deciding to set up his own business in 2003.
The start-up costs were huge, so to pay the bills he resumed his medical career. Today he makes two vin de pays d'oc organic wines, the Grenache Shiraz and a "pure " Syrah.
He produces 6-8,000 bottles a year which he sells to shops, restaurants and a growing number of people who have heard about the wines and drop past to buy at the door.
Some French people do find it a bit hard to accept that an Englishman has beaten French producers to an award," added Mrs Angus, who was born in London and moved to France with her parents when she was seven. "A lot of them thought he was an eccentric Englishman who wanted to make wine as a hobby and were convinced it would taste pretty disgusting. But they are fine about it once they actually taste it."
The couple, who have two young children, produced their first grapes in 2004 and their wine went on sale in 2006. The business has grown rapidly at a time when many other vineyards are suffering.
Mr Angus says he is proud to be an Englishman producing good wines in France. He describes his organic wine as "chunky, fruity, concentrated and aromatic".
The competition judges were more effusive, describing the 9 Euros-a-bottle wine as "very exciting...with lots of raspberry, white pepper and spice flavours and elegant structure with floral but fine tannins".
His Grenache Shiraz 2007 vintage won one of 39 gold medals awarded in the Languedoc Roussillon red wine category.
This year more than 9,500 wines entered the competition from a record 41 countries and 304 won gold medals, a 13 per cent rise on last year.
A spokesman for the Challenge said: "It's a great achievement to win a gold medal because the competition is tough and the judges are very strict. To do it as an Englishman in France is highly impressive."
Mr Angus is determined to build on his success. He is planning to switch his wines from vins de pays d'oc to the higher quality category of appellation d'origine controle(acute)e and aims to have his wines on sale in the UK next year.
Even the French media have expressed slightly reluctant admiration for his wine-making skills. "Pas mal pour un anglais,"said maville.com, a news website for the Montpellier region - "Not bad for an Englishman."



FRANCE: Court action against former President Chirac to proceed

A Paris judge has ordered former French President Jacques Chirac to stand trial over the alleged misappropriation of public funds when he served as the French capital's mayor.

FRANCE: Child sex offender gets 30 years in 'castration' case
A French court has sentenced Francis Evrard, a repeat child sex offender, to 30 years in jail for kidnapping and raping a 5-year-old boy. The case had sparked a national debate about the use of castration in dealing with repeat sex offenders.

PAKISTAN: Court acquits man sentenced over 2002 attack on French engineers
Due to a "lack of substantial evidence", a Pakistani court on Friday acquitted a man who was sentenced to death over a 2002 bombing that killed 11 French engineers in Karachi.

FRANCE: Rights group slams French child migrant policy
Human Rights Watch has called on France to scrap its policy of detaining and deporting unaccompanied migrant children who fly into Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. French Immigration Minister Eric Besson criticised the group's report.

AVIATION: Air France is first European airline to receive Airbus A380
French flagship carrier Air France became the first European airline to take delivery of the new Airbus A380 superjumbo passenger jet Friday, at a ceremony in the German city of Hamburg.

LOCAL NEWS - SETE

Local Artist Tony Gaunt writes of the defection of Maïthé Vallès-Bled
from Lodeve to Sete

"She will direct all the museum/galleries in Sète. (An exception is CRAC, which is run by the region).
That means the Musée Paul Valèry, the MIAM and La Salle Tabouriech and one or two other places. It also announced a plan to create a maritime museum in the old Ifremer building which would liberate a lot of space in the Paul Valèry. Sète is fast becoming an Arts centre with lots of artists working there. When I retire, that's where I will go.

I think it an inspired appointment. Lodeve will miss her but she has shown them the way."

WoW wonders - will she also bring her brilliant PR person, Martine Piget, with her?

~~~

NEWS HEADS 30 OCT

AFGHANISTAN: French families to sue over soldiers' deaths
The families of two French soldiers killed in an ambush in August 2008 in Afghanistan's north-eastern Kapisa Valley are planning to file a lawsuit to determine whether the lives of their loved ones were put at risk unnecessarily.

FRANCE: Rights group slams French child migrant policy
Human Rights Watch has called on France to scrap its policy of detaining and deporting unaccompanied migrant children who fly into Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. French Immigration Minister Eric Besson (pictured) criticised the group's report.

FRANCE: Court stops inquiry into three African leaders’ property portfolios
A case looking into luxury properties and cars owned by ruling African clans in France has been called off by the Court of Appeal in Paris. NGO Transparency International said it would appeal the decision.

FRANCE: Pasqua wants state secrets lifted in Angolagate appeal
Charles Pasqua, a former French interior minister, says he will appeal his prison sentence announced by a Paris court Tuesday in the 'Angolagate' case. His appeal, he said, will involve a request to lift state secrets on illegal arms sales.

POLITICS: Former PM de Villepin has 2012 poll in sight
Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who faces charges of complicity in a smear campaign targeting Nicolas Sarkozy, has re-positioned himself as a potential rival for the presidency, saying he wants to embody a "Republican alternative".



AND time to time Pouzolles resident Martyn Turners take on Halloween



Courtesy of the Irish Times

~~~~



NEWS HEADS 29 OCT

LODEVE

The director of the Lodeve gallery who made the town art gallery aguably THE leading art gallery in Herault is leaving

Maïté Vallès-Bled quitte le musée Fleury - Lodève, aphone de la culture

L’annonce est tombée le 11 septembre dernier, comme un couperet… Maïthé Vallès-Bled, grande historienne de l’art, conservatrice depuis 13 ans du musée Fleury, également à l’origine de la création du festival Les Voix de la Méditerranée, quitte Lodève pour Sète. Laissant derrière elle un projet d’extension de musée considérable, qui a nourri sa réflexion pendant sept ans et un chiffre de fréquentation record pour sa dernière exposition d’été consacrée à Bonnard. Rencontre...

Which gallery in Sete - clever town and what madness have you committed Lodeve?

~~~


NEWS HEADS 28 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE : Jail terms for 'Angolagate' power players
The son of former French president François Mitterrand, Jean-Christophe, and Senator Charles Pasqua, a former French interior minister, are among those convicted by a Paris court in the "Angolagate" arms-to-Africa trial.

FRANCE : French court convicts Church of Scientology of fraud
The Church of Scientology in France has been found guilty of defrauding its followers and its leaders have been handed fines and suspended prison sentences. However, the court did not ban the organisation’s activities in France.

FRANCE : Sarkozy announces 'unprecedented' farm aid plan
French President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed the demands of farmers’ unions and agricultural employers in a speech on Tuesday, promising to protect the industry through one billion euros in government loans, 650 million euros in aid, and tax cuts.

FRANCE : Treatment of sex offenders in the spotlight as high profile case starts
The trial of repeat child sex offender Francis Evrard is prompting French officials to take a new look at whether castration should be used as a way to prevent recidivism.


'I feel innocent', Mitterrand says after verdict
RFI - ANGOLAGATE
"I feel innocent," Mitterrand told RFI after leaving court. "I’m free now from accusations of arms dealing so that’s the most important thing for me."


LOCAL NEWS -

Panto producer needs horse of the panto variety - see Panto page

Pezenas Enchantee playing to the biggest audiences so far

~~

NEWS HEADS 27 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

FRANCE : Sentences due in 'Angolagate' trial
Some 42 politicians, businessmen and members of the Parisian elite are to be sentenced Tuesday for trafficking arms worth 790 million dollars to Angola in the 1990s.

FRANCE : Treatment of sex offenders in the spotlight as high profile case starts
The trial of repeat child sex offender Francis Evrard is prompting French officials to take a new look at whether castration should be used as a way to prevent recidivism.

FOOTBALL - FRANCE : Six injured in clashes betwen Marseille and PSG fans after match cancelled
Clashes erupted around the city of Marseille after the game between arch rivals Paris St Germain and Olympique Marseille was cancelled due to an H1N1 outbreak in the Parisian team.

FRANCE : Judge to decide on pursuing corruption charges against Chirac
A French judge will decide this week whether to pursue corruption charges against former President Jacques Chirac, who is accused of misusing city funds while he was Paris mayor.

And from BBC NEWS Scientology church guilty of fraud
A French court convicts the Church of Scientology of fraud, but stops short of banning the group from operating in France.

MONTPELLIER gives Joan Baez the award of "Citizen of Honour" for the town after she entertains 20,000 on Saturday night. All ages too we noted.

MOntpellier Maire on the left - Joan in the middle with her medal and a small file of French paperwork perhaps. No idea who the big chap on the right is - as if anyone cared. Oddly no sign of big George Freche.

WoW was there and it was just wonderful and for 68 - well she was just such a joy to see and hear. She said she had been a very serious person when she was young but had become "lighter, calmer and now had more fun" but still a fighter for peace she confessed in French to wild applause.
It was an evening of a lifetime - such fun and she radiated delight, poise and grace and sung like a dream.
WoW regrets that while Joan was on stage for well over an hour and a half and did not even perch on a stool, the WoW team tottered off to a bench for the last few numbers complaining of backs and feet and age and ................
But was it worth is - a resounding "YES" cried the WoW team over a vanilla milkshake! (No - not a Horlicks thank you very much)


~~~~~~~

NEWS HEADS 25 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


AVIATION : Rift at Air France over safety standards
Five months after the crash of a Rio-Paris flight, tension is mounting at Air France as safety procedures come under increasing scrutiny, putting added pressure on pilots and creating an atmosphere of mistrust.

~~~


NEWS HEADS 24 OCTOBER


CLEARSTREAM TRIAL : Sarkozy slander trial ends, verdict due January 28
Judges in France's "trial of the decade", in which former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin is accused of trying to smear Nicolas Sarkozy before he became French president, will announce their verdict at the end of January.

IMMIGRATION - FRANCE : Security fears spark fresh controversy in Afghan deportation row
French immigration officials face fresh criticisms over Wednesday’s deportation of Afghan migrants following reports that the three men hailed from dangerous areas of the war-torn country.

FRANCE : Sarkozy's son elected to board of influential agency
The morning after Jean Sarkozy renounced his controversial bid to head an influential public agency that oversees Paris's business district, the 23-year-old son of French President Nicolas Sarkozy was instead elected to its board.

MONTPELLIER - FREE JOAN BAEZ CONCERT TONIGHT - rumoured to be costing the town €50,000.


LEBANON : French FM Kouchner 'worried' at Lebanon's failure to form cabinet
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (pictured) has urged Lebanon's feuding parties to step up efforts to form a government four months after the country held elections.

POLANSKI : US formally demands film director's extradition
The United States has formally asked Switzerland to extradite Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski over a three-decades-old child sex case.


GERMANY : New coalition government begins with agreement on crucial fiscal scheme
Germany's newly elected coalition got set for government on Saturday after adopting a common programme in a late-night meeting aimed at guiding the country out of its worst recession since World War II.

NUCLEAR : Iran says it will respond to IAEA nuclear proposal next week
Iran will reply next week to a UN-drafted plan for it to cut a stockpile of nuclear fuel, Iranian state television quoted a senior official as saying on Friday.

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES : Mahmoud Abbas calls January 24 elections
The head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abba has called for presidential and legislative elections to be held on January 24 after rival factions failed

ARGENTINA : Retired general given life sentence for crimes during dictatorship
Retired Argentine general Jorge Olivera Rovere was sentenced Friday to life in prison for crimes committed during the 1979-1983 dictatorship, including the assassination of two Uruguayan lawmakers.

TUNISIA : Fifth term a foregone conclusion for incumbent leader Ben Ali
Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali is running in Tunisia's presidential election for a record fifth time. Despite criticism of his authoritarian rule, the 73-year-old ruler is set for another comfortable victory.


~~~
NEWS HEADS 23 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE : Sarkozy’s son drops bid for plum position
Jean Sarkozy, the 23-year-old son of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has withdrawn his bid to oversee the agency that manages the wealthy business district known as La Defence amid charges of nepotism.

JUSTICE - FRANCE : DNA may lead to new clues in 25-year-old murder case
DNA found on a threatening letter from decades ago may offer valuable clues to solving a murder case involving a little boy who was killed in 1984. Crucially, the DNA samples don't match those of the parents of 'Little Gregory'.

SUDAN : French aid worker kidnapped in Darfur, Red Cross says
The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday that a French employee had been kidnapped in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur. Sudanese officials say the abducted worker is in "good health".

STUDENT HOUSING CRISIS RFI -
Students struggle to find accomodation at the start of the academic year, RFI discusses the housing crisis with activists, politicians, estate agents and the inhabitants of a student squat in Paris.


CLEARSTREAM TRIAL : Court enters final day of proceedings
Lawyers for former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin accused prosecutors on Wednesday of building a case to please the "pernicious prince" Nicolas Sarkozy. The trial ends on Friday, but the verdict is expected in January.


REGIONAL NEWS - Tourist board discovers facebook

Le Comité Régional du Tourisme Languedoc-Roussillon est sur Facebook !
Restez en contact permanent avec le Languedoc-Roussillon en devenant "ami" de Sud de France Languedoc-Roussillon sur Facebook.

Retrouvez en temps réel l'actualité touristique du Languedoc-Roussillon, suivez l'agenda des événements, visionnez des photos et des vidéos, soyez informés des idées de séjours...
...et faites partager vos commentaires sur le tourisme en Languedoc-Roussillon !

Découvrez le profil Facebook Sud de France Languedoc-Roussillon.

Shame it misses the 3.5 million Anglophones who visit the region each year - only in French - ah well - a start!



~~~
NEWS HEADS 22 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE : Three Afghan migrants deported to Kabul
In a joint operation with British immigration services, France deported three Afghan illegal migrants early on Wednesday. Immigration minister Eric Besson said all three were from the Kabul area where they "there is no risk to them".

CLEARSTREAM TRIAL : Court enters final day of proceedings
Lawyers for former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin accused prosecutors Thursday of building a case to please the "pernicious prince" Nicolas Sarkozy. The trial ends Friday, but the verdict is expected January.

And from the ever helpful Craig McGinty

HELP for Anglophones wanting to write a letter in French for the ever helpful website - check it out at This French Life www.thisfrenchlife.com/


France slips down press freedom league table
By Craig McGinty on Oct 21, 2009 in Current Affairs.
FRANCE has slipped down the Press Freedom Index compiled by the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières, leaving it behind both the UK and the US, as well as countries such as Mali, Macedonia and Chile.

The annual report is based upon a questionnaire that is completed by journalists from around the world, with France falling eight places to lie in 43rd place.

Reporters Sans Frontières said that France slipped down the index because of judicial investigations and arrests of journalists and raids on news media, and also because of meddling in the media by politicians, including President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Journalists in other European countries such as Spain and Italy said they had been physically threatened, with Reporters Sans Frontières saying new laws being introduced by governments were making news reporting more difficult.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 21 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

CLEARSTREAM TRIAL : Former PM de Villepin set to counter accusations
After prosecutors demanded an 18-month suspended sentence and a 45,000-euro fine against Dominique de Villepin for his alleged involvement in a slander campaign, the former premier's lawyers were expected to counter the accusations in court.

IMMIGRATION : Afghans lodge last-minute EU appeal, hours before deportation from France
A group of 12 Afghan nationals about to be deported from France have lodged a last-minute appeal, the European Court of Human Rights said on Tuesday.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE : Lyon stun Liverpool at Anfield with late goal to secure 2-1 victory
Lyon came from behind to claim a late 2-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield. The French side therefore hold on to the top spot in Group E, as Liverpool's hopes of progressing to the knockout stages fade.


LOCAL NEWS - PEZENAS TO LAUNCH NEW LOCAL CURRENCY - THE OCITAN - MORE NEWS TOMORROW

~~~


NEWS HEADS 20 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

CLEARSTREAM TRIAL : Sarkozy’s lawyer delivers closing arguments
The final week of hearings in France’s “trial of the decade” has come to a head with President Nicolas Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog delivering closing arguments on his behalf.

FRANCE : France Telecom issues stress survey after rash of suicides
France Telecom issued a company-wide survey on stress in the workplace on Monday in response to the 25 employee suicides.

FRANCE : Centre-right UMP wins by-election despite scandals
France’s ruling UMP party has won a by-election in one of its affluent strongholds outside Paris, in the first test of the government’s popularity after a string of gaffes and scandals.


~~~

French Govt May Compromise on Sarkozy Son's Job

By REUTERS


PARIS (Reuters) - The French government Sunday showed the first signs of retreat in a row over efforts by President Nicolas Sarkozy's undergraduate son to secure a plum job overseeing development of Paris's business district.

The plan to put 23-year-old Jean Sarkozy in charge of the agency, which aims to transform La Defence into a financial hub to rival the City of London, has caused an outcry over preferential treatment for Sarkozy junior, dubbed the "dauphin," or crown prince, in the national press.

Sunday, government spokesman Luc Chatel was quick to seize a lifeline thrown by socialist parliamentarian Gaetan Gorce in a radio broadcast.

Gorce said the government could avoid a conflict of interest if the ministerial representatives on the board of EPAD, the public agency in question, were to abstain from the vote.

That would make Jean Sarkozy's election as president of the agency more uncertain by shifting the political balance of the board to the left.

"I note that in the past, there have been times when the state's representatives did not participate in the vote," Chatel said in the same radio program on Europe 1.

"So, in order to ensure clarity and transparency, one could very well imagine that the state's representatives will not take part in this vote."

This would leave four right-wing elected officials, four left-wing elected officials and a representative from the chamber of commerce to vote on Jean Sarkozy's expected candidacy.

The younger Sarkozy, taller than his father but with similar mannerisms and ambition, is a second year law student and a councillor in the wealthy Hauts-de-Seine department just outside Paris.

President Sarkozy built his own political career in that leafy suburb and used to head the EPAD agency himself until just before his election as president in 2007.

He and his son have said the attacks are unjustified and that Jean Sarkozy will prove his worth independently of his famous name.

But even politicians from within Sarkozy's ruling UMP party have voiced concerns the plan will hurt their electoral chances as surveys show most French people oppose it.


~~~


NEWS HEADS 18 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


AFGHANISTAN : Kouchner, foreign leaders pressure Karzai to end election standoff
On a visit to Kabul on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (left) joined a chorus of foreign leaders and top officials pressuring Afghan President Hamid Karzai (right) to resolve the dispute over August's presidential vote.

GUINEA : France advises its citizens in Guinea to leave the country
The French foreign ministry has recommended that French nationals leave Guinea. Alain Joyandet, Minister of State for Cooperation and Francophonie, told FRANCE 24 that the safety of civilians in the West African nation cannot be guaranteed.

FRANCE : Farmers block Champs Elysées to demand government aid
French farmers briefly blocked the Champs Elysées on Friday amid a nationwide wave of protests against falling prices. The main farmers' union has urged the government to provide an aid package and press the European Commission for better regulation.

LOCAL NEWS - Roujan based web-designers won Gold in London on Saturday night for their site promoting the Lavagnac project. The award was for "Best Property Website in France".
Greg Taylor and Alex Charles - directors of the award winning design company My Web Spinners said, "we are delighted with the award for our website which underlines the importance of quality web marketing for projects of the size and quality".

The Lavagnac project was also successful in two categories

Best New Project in France and
Best New Golf Club developement in France

Finals of the NBC awards will be held in San Diego next month
WoW learns that around 30% of the houses/apartments have already been sold of plan. For full details of the project - go to -
Buying a Place in Herault.
Or visit the Chateau sales office during office hours for a tour and presentation of the project.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 16 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

AFGHANISTAN : French army denies reports of Italy paying bribes to Taliban
France's military has denied a British newspaper report that the Italian army failed to inform its French ally that it was paying off the Taliban in Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of 10 French soldiers in an ambush on August 2008.

FRANCE : A 25th suicide at France Telecom
A 48-year-old engineer working for France Telecom in Brittany hung himself on Thursday. It is the 25th case of suicide at the French telecommunication giant since February 2008.

FRANCE : No extra troops in Afghanistan, says Sarkozy
France will not send "a single soldier more" to fight the bloody conflict in Afghanistan though troops already deployed as part of the NATO-led coalition will remain there, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a newspaper on Thursday.

CLEARSTREAM TRIAL : Former intelligence boss gives evidence
As the giving of evidence in the Clearstream trial draws to a close, France's former domestic intelligence supremo Yves Bertrand (pictured) has denied any involvement in an alleged plot to smear Nicolas Sarkozy.

TERRORISM : France charges nuclear scientist suspected of al Qaeda links
French magistrates charged a nuclear scientist from the European Organisation for Nuclear Research with membership of a terrorist group on Monday, suspecting him of having links with al Qaeda.

~~~

LIGHT DAY FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS

so we thought you would be interested in the Energy saving in Montpellier
This is an aerial photo showing heat loss - red is a lot of loss

Après avoir ouvert l’Agence Locale de l’Energie, la Ville de Montpellier a lancé en partenariat avec Montpellier

Agglomération une grande opération de sensibilisation du public et des professionnels à la maîtrise de l’énergie et à la réduction d’émission de gaz à effet de serre, en réalisant une cartographie de thermographie aérienne infrarouge durant l’hiver 2008/2009 désormais accessible sur le site de la ville www.monpellier.fr


~~~

NEWS HEADS 14 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

Sarkozy says son 'thrown to the wolves' in nepotism row

President Nicolas Sarkozy said his son had been "thrown to the wolves" as a row escalated over the 23-year-old's imminent appointment France's La Defense business district.

JUSTICE
French appeals court confirms life sentence for Paris metro bomber
An appeals court has upheld the life sentence handed down to Algerian-born Rachid Ramda for plotting the 1995 Paris metro bombings that left ten dead and more than 200 injured. Ramda will serve at least 22 years behind bars.

French troops on tuna ship fight Indian Ocean pirates
PARIS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - French marines deployed on a tuna fleet off the Seychelles fired at suspected Somali pirates on Tuesday, the second such clash in days


Sarkozy aims to reform French schools, avoid protest
Reuters By Estelle Shirbon PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled a watered-down plan to modernize high schools on Tuesday, keen to avoid a stand off.


LOCAL NEWS 14 October -


PEZENAS developement

Garrigae Unveils New Plans For Its Former Distillery Development In South Of France

Read more on "Buying a place in Herault" page

~~~~
VILLENEUVE-LES-BEZIERS SERVICE DE L’EAU POTABLE

COUPURE D'EAU SUR LA COMMUNE DE VILLENEUVE-LES-BEZIERS
LE 15 OCTOBRE 2009 ENTRE 9H ET 12H

La Communauté d’Agglomération assure la gestion et la distribution de l’eau potable de la commune de Villeneuve-lès-Béziers. Des travaux sur le réseau d’eau potable au niveau du boulevard Frédéric Mistral entraîneront une coupure d’eau au centre de la commune le 15 octobre 2009 entre 9h et 12h.
Les services des eaux de Béziers Méditerranée restent à la disposition du public du lundi au vendredi de 8h30 à 12h et de 13h30 à 17h
Tel : 04 99 41 07 20
www.beziers-agglo.org

~~~

LOCAL NEWS 13 October

English team win Noilly Prat sculpture award

Earlier this year Noilly Prat put up a €28,000 prize for a competition to design and build a sculpture for the courtyard at its home in Marseillan.
Today it was shown to the Press with Francis Reynolds from Wimbledon, one of the artists, present (just a year out of Art School)


Frances sitting on "Madeleine

The piece is made from 11 meters of steam bent oak - the oak staves were charred on the inside and then infused on the outside with an essence of 3 of the herbs and spices which give the drink its special flavour. (Orange, nutmeg and cloves)

So not only a sculpture but also a seat in the courtyard but also a resonance of the drink itself as Noilly Prat is made from wine which is aged in the sun for 12 months in barrels - so in a sense the sculpture echos the process which brings us Nolly Prat.

Ned Scott - one of the artists who spent the summer working on the sculpture said " It was the most amazing experience for us all - 2 months in the sun working each day to create the Madeleine (a reference to the Proust novel - A la recherhce du temps perdu)

Try and visit - the museum is excellent and has been transformed - to join a guided tour call 04 67 77 20 15

And of course Ludovic - "Global Ambassador for Noilly Prat" has created a cocktail to honour the piece - with Noilly Prat, Vodka, lemon juice, Almond Syrup and egg white - worth the visit to get the cocktail if you ask WoW!


SO REMEMBER - WoW does not only bring news of disasters!


~~~

NEWS HEADS 11 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE: Ben Barka body incinerated near Paris, author claims
A French author, Georges Fleury, says secret police documents reveal that the body of Moroccan activist Mehdi Ben Barka was incinerated in the Essonne, south of Paris, after he was abducted in the French capital in 1965.

FRANCE: Homemade explosives found after Poitiers riots
French police investigating a riot in the city of Poitiers have found a cache of weapons, including homemade explosives. The violence erupted at an anti-prison demonstration Saturday.

FRENCH POLITICS: Mitterrand threatens legal action to clear his name
Frédéric Mitterrand, the French culture minister facing pressure to resign over a book in which he describes paying for "boys" in Thailand, has threatened to take legal action over what he describes as a "campaign of insensitive calumny".

PIRACY: French soldiers fend off pirate attack on fishing ships
Soldiers stationed on fishing ships in the Indian Ocean have repelled pirate attacks on two French vessels north of the Seychelles, AFP reports.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 10 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE: Mitterrand threatens legal action to clear his name
Frédéric Mitterrand, the French culture minister facing pressure to resign over a book in which he describes paying for "boys" in Thailand, has threatened to take legal action over what he describes as a "campaign of insensitive calumny".

INDIAN OCEAN: French soldiers fend off pirate attack on fishing ships
Soldiers stationed on fishing ships in the Indian Ocean have repelled pirate attacks on two French vessels north of the Seychelles, AFP reports.

~~~

NEWS HEADS 9 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

FRANCE: Sarkozy's son Jean eyes top urban development job
Jean Sarkozy, the 23-year-old son of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, seems first in line to become the new development head of the La Défense business district, sparking charges of nepotism.

FRANCE: Embattled minister defends himself in ‘boy sex’ uproar
Responding to mounting criticism over his book that discusses paying Thai boys for sex, French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand rejected calls for his resignation on Thursday, claiming the book was not an apology for paedophilia.

FINANCE: Paris woos Islamic investment to tackle credit crunch
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde (photo) is leading a governmental drive to attract investment from Muslim countries, in a bid to turn Paris into the European capital of Islamic finance and help France battle the credit crisis.

POLITICS: Is the EU on the right path?
Despite the Irish finally saying "Yes" in a referendum last week, the Lisbon treaty still needs to be adopted by the Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus. Is the EU on the right path? Marc Perelman and his guests analyse the future of the treaty.

LOCAL - MONTPELLIER - The absolute legend - JOAN BAEZ is giving a FREE CONCERT - see October events

And from BBC News

LOUVRE to return Egyptian frescos

The richly decorated tombs near Luxor are a magnet for archaeologists
The Louvre museum in Paris will return five ancient fresco fragments to Egypt within weeks, France's government says.

The announcement comes two days after the head of antiquities in Cairo said he would cease all co-operation with the museum until they were sent back.

The Egyptians say the Louvre bought the Pharaonic steles in 2000 even though it knew they had been stolen in the 1980s.

They are believed to be from a 3,200-year-old tomb of the cleric, Tetaki, in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor.

The steles, which are each only 15cm (5.9in) wide and 30cm (11.8in) high, are currently part of the Louvre's reserve collection.

The decision to return the disputed fragments came after the French Culture Minister, Frederic Mitterrand, convened a special meeting of a national committee empowered to rule on restitution.

French ministry of culture
The committee's experts were said to have been satisfied with the evidence presented by the Egyptian authorities showing they had been stolen.

"Restitution is now a matter of weeks away," the culture ministry told the AFP news agency after the meeting, adding that the committee had voted unanimously to return the artefacts.

The ministry also said the steles had been "acquired in good faith" by the Louvre. Four were purchased from the Maspero gallery in France in 2000, while the fifth was acquired at auction in Paris in 2003.

Ancient Egyptian artworks and relics are displayed in many of the world's top museums, but in recent years the Egyptian government has stepped up pressure to repatriate some of them.


~~~

CLEARSTREAM TRIAL: De Villepin fights back after damning top spy testimony
Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin claimed that "history showed" that he never dealt "underhand blows" against his political rival Nicolas Sarkozy, after a top French spy linked him to a smear campaign targeting the French president.

SOMALIA: Pirates attack French navy ship by mistake
A French naval vessel, acting as a command ship for all French forces in the Indian Ocean, has repelled a night assault by Somali pirates and captured several of the attackers after a chase on the high seas, the military said.

FRANCE: Culture minister says Egyptian relics to be returned if theft proven
Hours after Egypt suspended ties with France’s Louvre Museum over allegedly stolen antiquities, French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said France was ready to return the relics to Egypt if they were proved to have been stolen.

DIPLOMACY: Turkish president to lobby reluctant France for EU membership
Turkish President Abdullah Gul flew into France on Wednesday, officially in the context of a Turkish cultural season in France. But he is also expected to lobby hard for Turkey's bid for EU membership.

FRENCH GAY SOCCER TEAM SNUBBED

The Associated Press
PARIS — A French gay soccer team says its members were victims of homophobia when a team of Muslim players refused to play a match against them.


FRANCE: President Sarkozy in Kazakhstan to secure contracts
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in energy-rich Kazakhstan as part of a two-year diplomatic push aimed at securing French companies valuable space, energy and defence contracts in the Central Asian country.

~~~


NEWS HEADS 6 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station and BBC NEWS

Pirates hit FRENCH navy ship 'in error'
The pirates attacked the 160m ship in skiffs
A group of Somali pirates has been captured after attacking a French navy ship by mistake, apparently thinking it was a harmless cargo vessel.



French military spokesman Admiral Christophe Prazuck said the pirates attacked in skiffs late at night some 500km (310 miles) off the Somali coast.

But the command and supply ship, the Somme, repelled the attack and chased the pirates, capturing five of them.

Dozens of international warships fight piracy in Somalia's lawless waters.

Once they realised they were facing a ship that was responding and was heading towards them, they stopped shooting and attempted to flee

Postcard from a pirate capital
The country has had no effective central government since 1991, leading to a complete breakdown of law and order, and pirates operate off the coast almost with impunity.

Admiral Prazuck told French TV station La Chaine Info the pirates seemed to be surprised that the navy ship fought back.

"Once they realised they were facing a ship that was responding and was heading towards them, they stopped shooting and attempted to flee," he said.

"The Somme gave chase and intercepted one of the pirates' boats. All the weapons had apparently been tossed into the sea and the suspected pirates are now being held on board the Somme."

About two dozen ships from European Union nations, including Britain, France, Germany and Italy, patrol the waters off Somalia - an area of about two million square miles.

Although the international naval forces have stepped up patrols in the Gulf of Aden this year, relatively few of the pirates detained have faced trial because of the legal complexities involved.

~~~

FRANCE: President Sarkozy in Kazakhstan to secure contracts
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in energy-rich Kazakhstan as part of a two-year diplomatic push aimed at securing French companies valuable space, energy and defence contracts in the Central Asian country.

CLEARSTREAM: General's testimony piles pressure on de Villepin
General Philippe Rondot (pictured), whose infamous notebook is the central piece of evidence in the Clearstream trial, has contradicted former PM Dominique de Villepin's claim that he had no knowledge of forged Clearstream client lists.

FRANCE TELECOM: Deputy CEO replaced over wave of suicides
France Telecom, a telecommunications firm grappling with a wave of staff suicides, has appointed Stephane Richard (pictured) to replace deputy chief executive Louis-Pierre Wenes, whom unions had accused of instigating a climate of fear.

FRANCE: Continental and Dubai-based MAG drop talks on tyre plant
German auto parts maker Continental and Dubai-based MAG group have failed to reach an agreement on a possible takeover by MAG of a tyre-making plant in northern France, where distraught workers staged sit-ins in the spring.

GUINEA: Paris calls for 'international intervention' against junta
France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called for an international intervention in Guinea, saying that Paris could "not work anymore" with the West African country's junta leader, Daddis Moussa Camara.

NEWS HEADS 1 October
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


USA - JUSTICE: France distances itself from Polanski after backlash
The French government has distanced itself from film director Roman Polanski. It had originally protested the arrest of the Oscar winning film director, but following a backlash the government has changed its tune.

CLEARSTREAM: Sarkozy's name 'never came up' at pivotal meeting, says de Villepin
Former French PM Dominique de Villepin testified in a Paris court on Wednesday that he knew nothing of the Clearstream affair before a January 9, 2004 meeting at the Foreign Ministry and that Sarkozy's name "never came up."

ECONOMY: Is the 'French model' immune to the crisis?
Does the French Model protect France from the full impact of recessions, or does it stop France from fully benefiting from the boom times? It enjoys exemplary public services, but workers are showing increasing signs of discontent...

JUSTICE: Judges urged to drop Chirac corruption charges
French prosecutors have appealed to judges to drop corruption charges against former president Jacques Chirac, pointing to insufficient evidence. Chirac has been accused of misusing city funds during his 18-year stint as Paris mayor.

FRANCE: Deficit to hit record 8.5% of GDP in 2010
The French government vowed to continue its stimulus effort as it unveiled its latest budget Wednesday. Public deficit will grow to a record 8.2% of GDP this year and 8.5% in 2010, by which time public debt will have reached 84% of national output.

~~~


NEWS HEADS - 26 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

FRANCE: Rafale jet crash 'likely caused' by mid-air collision
The crash of two French Rafale fighter jets in the Mediterranean during a test flight Thursday was probably caused by a mid-air collision, according to a senior French Navy official. One pilot was rescued, another is missing.

FRANCE: From Ben Barka to Elf, justice turns a blind eye to political elites
The Clearstream trial now making its way through the courts is just the latest of many high-profile scandals that have plagued France's political elite in past decades. But justice often seems blind when it comes to prosecuting French officials.

RFI: Nuclear reactor switched off after fire
An Electricité de France (EDF) nuclear reactor was switched off on Friday after a fire at a power station in the north of the country.

FINANCIAL CRISIS: French banks demand billions of dollars over Lehman collapse
France's top banks – including BNP Paribas, Société Générale and Dexia – are demanding billions of dollars from the administrator of Lehman Brothers over the Wall Street investment bank's September 2008 collapse.


French consumers slightly more confident: survey
(AFP)

PARIS — French households are slightly more optimistic about their prospects, official data showed on Friday, as signs grow that the global crisis may be easing.

Consumer confidence rose in September but still remained at a low level overall and well short of its long-term average, the figures showed.

Having risen steadily in the first half of the year, consumer confidence fell back two points in July but then showed a rise of two points to minus 36 in September, "a level clearly below the long-term average," the official statistics agency INSEE said.

Consumer demand is a crucial driver, typically accounting for two-thirds of all economic activity in a developed economy.

In July 2008, the indicator hit a historic low point of minus 47 as the global financial crisis began to bite.

French households believed their personal financial situation deteriorated in the 12 months to September, INSEE said, but they were more optimistic about the future.

Their readiness to make major purchases was unchanged at minus 28, the level seen since May, INSEE said, noting that fears over rising unemployment eased slightly in the latest survey.

Similarly, concerns over inflation were muted, it added.

Bank of France figures released on Friday showed credit flows for business and individuals rising just 2.3 percent in August compared with the level a year earlier but down 0.2 percent from July.

Consumer demand is critically dependent on credit but as a result of the global financial crisis, banks have become very wary of lending despite government efforts to get them to extend more loans.

Governments have made massive borrowings to fund economic stimulus programmes but the cost has been high, Le Figaro daily reported on Friday, saying that the public deficit for 2009 would top eight percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Under EU rules, member states are supposed to keep their annual public deficits to less than three percent of GDP.

Separately, INSEE confirmed growth figures of 0.3 percent for the second quarter, marking France's exit from recession.

In light of the second quarter performance, the government has upgraded its 2009 forecast to show the economy contracting by 2.25 percent, compared with its previous estimate for a drop of 3.0 percent.


~~~~
CLEARSTREAM: Former PM de Villepin to file suit against Sarkozy
Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin will press charges against President Nicolas Sarkozy for violating his right to the presumption of innocence in the Clearstream case, de Villepin’s lawyer has announced.

FRANCE: Govt minister sees hike in unemployment rate for August
About 40,000 French workers joined the ranks of the jobless in August, Employment Minister Xavier Darcos said Thursday ahead of the release of the latest unemployment data.

IRAN: Sarkozy calls offer to swap prisoners for Reiss 'blackmail'
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has rejected Iran's offer to release Clotilde Reiss (pictured), a 24-year-old Frenchwoman detained in Tehran, in exchange for the release of Iranian prisoners held in France, calling the offer “blackmail”.

BEZIERS TGV station - not a done deal WoW hears - only sure of a stop in Montpellier

H1 N1 - Flu vaccintation now started - go to H1N1 page for Doctors info note

~~~
NEWS HEADS - 24 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


IRAN: Sarkozy labels Iranian prisoner exchange as 'blackmail'
President Nicolas Sarkozy has spurned an offer by Iran to grant amnesty to French teaching assistant Clotilde Reiss, detained in Iran, in exchange for Iranian prisoners held on French territory, calling it "blackmail".

CLEARSTREAM: Defendant admits adding Sarkozy to bribes list
On day two of the Clearstream trial, defendant Imad Lahoud (photo left) told the Paris criminal court that he added President Nicolas Sarkozy's name to a fake list of people taking bribes, at the request of Jean-Louis Gergorin (photo right).

FRANCE: Police detain 278 migrants in raid on Calais 'jungle'
French riot police have detained 278 migrants in a dawn operation to dismantle the "jungle", a network of makeshift camps set up by illegal migrants, mostly Afghans, near the northern Channel port of Calais.

FRANCE: Parliament adopts Internet anti-piracy law
France's parliament on Tuesday adopted a new Internet anti-piracy law, known as "Hadopi 2", allowing authorities to cut off repeat illegal downloaders' Internet access. The opposition swiftly announced that it would appeal the decision in court.

FRANCE: Paris postal workers strike on privatisation fears
Workers at La Poste are striking on fears that moves to liberalise the sector will inevitably lead to the privatisation of a cherished public body. Under EU rules, the postal sector in France has to open up to competition in 2011.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 23 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

FRANCE: Police detain 278 migrants in raid on Calais 'jungle'
French riot police have detained 278 migrants in a dawn operation to dismantle the "jungle", a network of makeshift camps set up by illegal migrants, mostly Afghans, near the northern Channel port of Calais.

FRANCE: Parliament adopts Internet anti-piracy law
France's parliament on Tuesday adopted a new Internet anti-piracy law, known as "Hadopi 2", allowing authorities to cut off repeat illegal downloaders' Internet access. The opposition swiftly announced that it would appeal the decision in court.

CLEARSTREAM: Journalist who set ball rolling gives evidence
Denis Robert, the journalist who lit the touchpaper that ignited the Clearstream bomb, gives evidence Tuesday in a trial that has brought to a head a bitter rivalry between a former prime minister and France's current president.

FRANCE: Paris postal workers strike on privatisation fears
Workers at La Poste are striking on fears that moves to liberalise the sector will inevitably lead to the privatisation of a cherished public body. Under EU rules, the postal sector in France has to open up to competition in 2011.

FARMING: Milk protests spread across Europe
French farmers mark the 12th day of protests against sliding prices and European plans to scrap the quota system by distributing free milk in Paris. On Monday, farmers in France, Italy and Switzerland dumped millions of litres of milk in fields.

~~~
NEWS HEADS - 22 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

CLEARSTREAM: Villepin launches spirited offensive on first day of trial
A trial pitting President Nicolas Sarkozy against his arch rival, former PM Dominique de Villepin, opened on Monday amid questions of whether de Villepin can get a fair trial with the sitting president as a plaintiff.

CRIME: Detained suspect admits to Sarkozy death threats
A man arrested in southern France on Sunday has admitted he was the author of mysterious letters bearing death threats and bullets sent to several French politicians, including President Nicolas Sarkozy.

FORMULA ONE: 'Crashgate' could 'finish' Team Renault
Renault's F1 team is up against the wall as it faces the sport's governing body on charges it deliberately fixed a race last year. With Renault cash-strapped and F1 reeling from corruption scandals, the implications for motor racing could be huge.

LITERATURE: Giscard to release romantic novel about affair with a princess
Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing (left) has written a soon-to-be-published romantic novel about a French leader's affair with a British princess, apparently modelled closely on Giscard and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

STRIP not STRIKE French workers strip to try to save their jobs
By RACHEL KUROWSKI (AP)
PARIS — Workers at a struggling heater factory in northwest France are taking it all off in a bid to save their jobs: They posed nude for a calendar to call attention to their plight.
Mr. February is wearing nothing but a cardboard box. Mr. October is posed like the famed Rodin sculpture "The Thinker." Mr. April is naked but for a flag bearing the company's logo, flowing in front of his lower body.
Their protest is the latest, and barest, effort by French workers to fight back at the economic downturn. Employees have locked up their bosses, threatened to blow up factories and blocked oil supplies in scattered incidents around France in recent months.
After receiving the news in June that they might be laid off, the workers at the Chaffoteaux factory took a creative approach to show their displeasure. The company, which makes gas and water heating equipment, is facing declining demand amid a slump in real estate sales and a shift in French households away from gas heaters.
Fifteen men who work at the factory in Ploufragan, 450 kilometers (280 miles) west of Paris, posed for the calendar. Five thousand copies were printed, and 2,000 had been sold at euro7 each as of Monday, three days after they were made available.
Brigitte Coadic, the representative from the CGT labor union that organized the calendar, said the workers want to attract public attention to the layoffs in the hope that will help them in negotiations with the management.
"In contrast to classic responses to layoffs ... we aren't going to just accept fate," she said. The workers did not appear to be offering any solid solutions to the company's declining sales.
Requests for the calendars have come in from cities across France, said Coadic.
A Chaffoteaux spokeswoman said 207 of the factory's 251 employees may be laid off, but said that depends on further negotiations. A meeting between the management of Chaffoteaux and factory representatives is scheduled for Sept. 28, said the spokeswoman, who was not authorized to be publicly named because of company policy.

She would not comment on the calendar.
Ludovic L'Hostellier, 32, is "Mr. February." His nude pose is in a big box whose lid is closing on him. The box is labeled Chaffoteaux.
"It represents the company closing, just like the box I'm in," he explained by phone.
He said his wife was pleased with the photos and "we have had only good reactions" to the calendar." He said if he does lose his job at the end of the year, he will look for another immediately. "We can't live without working," he said.
Chaffoteaux is a branch of Italy-based Ariston Thermo Group.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


NEWS HEADS - 21 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station



CLEARSTREAM: France’s trial of the decade begins, pitting ex-PM against Sarkozy
France's most politically charged trial in years, involving big names in politics and intelligence circles, begins Monday with former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin accused of plotting to smear Nicolas Sarkozy before he became president.

FLOODS: South of France sees worst floods in 50 years
Authorities in the South of France are cleaning up and assessing the material damage caused by the worst floods in the region for half-a-century.

CRIME: French police detain suspect over bullet threats to Sarkozy
A man suspected of mailing envelopes stuffed with threatening letters and bullets to a number of French politicians, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, was arrested Sunday in southern France, according to a police source.

RELIGION: Obama sends Eid greetings as French Muslims mark Ramadan's end
Muslims in various countries celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan Sunday, which is marked by the Eid al-Fitr holiday. US President Barack Obama has extended greetings to Muslims worldwide.

FRANCE - RFI: Government to track down bear killers
The French government has launched an investigation into the alleged killing of two bears in the Pyrenees mountains, according to Secretary of State for Ecology Chantal Jouanno.

~~~
NEWS HEADS - 20 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE: 15,000 monuments open for European Heritage Days
This weekend in France, monuments and other heritage sites all over the country are available for visitors to explore as part of European Heritage Days, organised by the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

FRENCH POLYNESIA: Tahiti senator investigated for embezzlement
Police have searched the home and headquarters of French Polynesian political leader Gaston Flosse. Flosse was also questioned in Paris by financial investigators over an alleged embezzlement of some 1.5 million euros.

TERRORISM: European terror victims seek recognition at Paris gathering
Targeted as political pawns, European victims of terrorism have gathered for a two-day congress in Paris to demand greater recognition and support from their governments.


'TOBIN TAX'

Nicolas Sarkozy will try to rally G20 leaders behind the idea of a Tobin Tax

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will urge fellow G20 leaders to introduce a special tax to reduce risky behaviour by banks, the BBC has learned.
Mr Sarkozy wants a levy known as a Tobin Tax to be applied to every financial transaction.
The move is aimed at cutting excessively speculative trades and encouraging long-term decision-making.
But senior EU officials told the BBC that the chances of getting a global agreement were "less than minimal".
The proposal does not yet have the formal backing of the EU or Germany - France's largest trading partner - and according to the BBC's business reporter Joe Lynam, it is widely expected to face resistance from Britain and the US, home to the world's largest financial centres.
The BBC has also learnt that the issue of bankers' pay, especially bonuses, will also be on the agenda at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, the US, next weekend.
There will be no suggestion of capping individual bonuses, our correspondent says, but it is likely that overall bonuses as a proportion of a company's earnings could be restricted.
There may also be a possibility of payment deferral and the option of clawing payments back should decisions by bankers prove to have been excessively risky or erroneous.


~~~

NEWS HEADS - 18 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station

FRANCE: Government to close Calais migrant camp
The French government has announced that it will close this week an area of wasteland in the channel port of Calais known as "the Jungle" by the mainly Afghan and Iraqi migrants who have set up home there as they try to get to Great Britain.

FRANCE: PM Fillon announces improved growth forecast
Prime Minister François Fillon says he expects the French economy to shrink by 2.25% in 2009 (down from a previous forecast of 3%), and resume growing by 0.75% next year. Yet, while the economy is no longer contracting, it is still shedding jobs.

JUSTICE: Algerian appears in court to appeal against metro bombing conviction
Rachid Ramda, an Algerian jailed for life in connection with the 1995 bombing of Paris metro stations, has appeared in a French court to appeal his conviction. Eight people died and 200 people were injured in the attacks.

FRANCE: Fugitive Treiber claims innocence in letter to magazine
Jean-Pierre Treiber, who escaped from prison a little over a week ago, claimed his innocence in a letter sent to French magazine Marianne on Thursday. Treiber is wanted for the murder of French actor Roland Giraud's daughter and her lover in 2004.

French fine eBay on counterfeits
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA said on Friday that eBay Inc. was fined by a French tribunal after being held liable for the sale of counterfeit goods on the net.

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NEWS HEADS - 17 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


TRANSPORT: France earmarks €7 billion to bolster rail freight
The French government says it plans to spend 7 billion euros by 2020 to shift freight transport away from roads and onto railways. In doing so, France aims to nearly double freight transport and trim 2 million tons from its CO2 emissions.

JUSTICE: Algerian appears in court to appeal against metro bombing conviction
Rachid Ramda, an Algerian jailed for life in connection with the 1995 bombing of Paris metro stations, has appeared in a French court to appeal his conviction. Eight people died and 200 people were injured in the attacks.

IRAN : Obama, Sarkozy discuss Iran nuclear strategy
US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday discussed ways to bring Iran "into compliance" with UN resolutions on its nuclear programme ahead of upcoming diplomatic talks between Iran and the West, the White House said.


~~~

NEWS HEADS - 16 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


IRAN : Obama, Sarkozy discuss Iran nuclear strategy
US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy discussed Tuesday ways to bring Iran "into compliance" with UN resolutions on its nuclear program ahead of Oct 1multiparty diplomatic talks, the White House said.

FINANCIAL CRISIS: Brown, Sarkozy 'in agreement' ahead of G20
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed confidence Tuesday an agreement would be reached at next week's G20 summit after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who wants to curb bankers' bonuses.

FRANCE: Lawmakers approve controversial anti-piracy bill
After a summer of acrimonious debate, French lawmakers have approved an amended version of a controversial anti-piracy bill, known as 'Hadopi'. The legislation is intended to crack down on illegal downloading of copyrighted material.

FRANCE: Parliament examines plans for prison shake-up
French lawmakers have begun studying a prison reform bill aimed at modernising the country's over-populated and decrepit jails and making the detention system more "humane".

IMMIGRATION: Residency permits offered to lure foreign investors
Breaking with habitually restrictive immigration laws, the French government has announced that it will award residency permits to foreign entrepreneurs and investors in a move intended to attract foreign investment on French soil.

And from BBC news

France to close migrant 'jungle'

Some 1,500 migrants live in dirty settlements in Calais
France has said it intends to close the camp in Calais known as "the jungle", where migrants gather to try to reach the UK.
Immigration Minister Eric Besson told French television that the illegal gathering of tents and shelters should close imminently.
The jungle has replaced official camps like Sangatte as a gathering point.
Mr Besson said the closure would send a strong message that people traffickers could no longer use Calais.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 15 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV sta

FRANCE: New law blocks Scientology from being dissolved
A new French law means the Church of Scientology cannot be dissolved in France even if it is convicted of fraud, it has emerged during a trial of the organisation.

FRANCE: Rights groups welcome immigration minister’s U-turn on DNA tests
French civil rights groups have welcomed a decision by French Immigration Minister Eric Besson to scrap a controversial measure requiring DNA tests for residency seekers wishing to reunite with their families in France.

INFLUENZA A (H1N1): Flu kills patient with no underlying condition in mainland France
A 26-year-old man has died after contracting Influenza A (H1N1), becoming the first person without an underlying health condition to die of the flu in France. The virus, commonly known as swine flu, has reached epidemic proportions in France.

FRANCE: State intervenes as suicides mount at France Telecom
In the past 18 months 23 employees at France Telecom have committed suicide, which unions blame on the firm's restructuring programme. Employment minister Xavier Darcos is due to meet it's CEO Tuesday to discuss the issue.


NEWS HEADS - 14 Sept
from France 24 - the English language French TV station


IMMIGRATION: Minister Besson calls for delay in DNA test law's application
Warrants for the use of DNA tests in visa applications will not be signed, French Immigration Minister Eric Besson has told a radio station. Evoking a lack of resources, the minister called for the delay of the law's implementation.

FRANCE TELECOM: Labour minister calls in CEO to discuss suicides
French Labour Minister Xavier Darcos has requested a meeting with the Chief Executive of France Telecom, Didier Lombard, to discuss the wave of suicides and suicide attempts at the company, which is undergoing restructuring.

FRANCE: French photographer Willy Ronis dies aged 99
Iconic Paris photographer Willy Ronis died on Saturday at the age of 99. He is one of France's giants of photography, particularly famous for his images of post-war Paris in the 1940s and 1950s.

FRANCE: Interior minister faces calls to quit over alleged racist remark
France's interior minister, Brice Hortefeux, is facing calls to step down over filmed remarks about the Arab population that the opposition have denounced as racist. The former immigration minister says the comments were taken out of context.

G20: Sarkozy, Zapatero find common ground on financial regulation
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero say they have reached a common stance on financial regulation and climate change ahead of a G20 summit in the United States later this month.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 11 Sept

from France 24 - the English language French TV station


FRANCE: Sarkozy honours two French soldiers killed in Afghanistan
French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend a memorial service on Friday to honour two French soldiers killed last week in Afghanistan in a roadside bomb attack that also injured several other soldiers.

FRANCE: Interior minister accused of racism after remark
Some critics of French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux (centre of photo) have said he should resign after he made a joke, which they say was racist, about a young Arab. He and his defenders, however, say he was misinterpreted.

NATO: French general named supreme commander
A general in the French Air Force, Stéphane Abrial, has officially become one of NATO���s two supreme allied commanders. He is the first non-American ever to hold the job.

FRANCE: Sarkozy announces carbon tax to tackle global warming
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced plans for a new carbon tax aimed at combating global warming. The tax on consumption of oil, gas and coal will apply to households and businesses as of 2010.

FRANCE: France Telecom staff protest over wave of suicides
Dozens of France Telecom employees have staged protests in Paris and in the city of Troyes, where a 49-year-old technician employed there stabbed himself after a demotion. There have been a staggering 22 suicides at the company in just 18 months.


~~~

Wine news from Rosemary George MW

THE 2009 VINTAGE
If you have been driving around the roads of the Languedoc in the last few days, you are more than likely to have found yourself sitting behind a large mechanical harvester, or a trailer full of grapes heading for a nearby cellar. The harvest is in full swing, which begs the question: how is it looking? In a nutshell: Good, but not uniformly so. We had a wet spring – remember the deluge of Easter – so that there are good water reserves, but some vineyards have suffered more than others from the dry, hot summer. Vines like warm sunshine, but they need a bit of rain too, or else they begin to suffer from stresse hydrique or drought and the ripening process slows down. This year there were none of the usual storms around the middle of July and the middle of August and the whole of August has been hot, with mutterings about a canicule, similar to that of 2003.
The harvest has started earlier than usual. One local friend, in the Côtes de Thongue, picked his Sauvignon on 11th August and now in early September most wine growers have started their harvest. Most people I have spoken to are relatively happy about quality; some even very happy, but winegrowers tend to be cautious in their judgements, and will not commit themselves until the harvest is finished. But most are lamenting the lack of quantity, for the grapes are small and tending to lack juice, and in some cases even shrivelled and sunburnt, so that yields are down, and by as much as one third in some cases. Chardonnay for some reason seems particularly affected. Also although sugar levels are good, some people are expressing doubts about phenolic or flavour ripeness. But on the whole, if the sunshine continues, there is every reason for optimism and we can look forward to some delicious bottles from 2009.

You can read Rosemary's recommendations in "Wine Matters" - click the tab on the left - a new one each week.
~~~

LOCAL NEWS

It is September. In a small town on the South Coast of France, holiday season is in full swing, but it is raining so there is not too much business happening. Everyone is heavily in debt.
Luckily, a rich Russian tourist arrives in the foyer of the small local hotel. He asks for a room and puts a Euro 100 note on the reception counter, takes a key and goes to inspect the room located up the stairs on the third floor.
The hotel owner takes the banknote in a hurry and rushes to his meat supplier to whom he owes E100. The butcher takes the money and races to his supplier to pay his debt. The wholesaler rushes to the farmer to pay E100 for pigs he purchased some time ago.
The farmer triumphantly gives the E100 note to a local prostitute who gave him her services on credit. The prostitute goes quickly to the hotel, as she was owing the hotel for her hourly room use to entertain clients.
At that moment, the rich Russian is coming down to reception and informs the hotel owner that the proposed room is unsatisfactory and takes his E100 back and departs.
There was no profit or income. But everyone no longer has any debt and the small town's people look optimistically towards their future.

Thanks to Cinderella International for this gem of economics!

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 9 Sept

from France 24 - the English language French TV station


INFLUENZA A(H1N1): School closures on the rise in France amid contamination fears
The swine flu virus is wreaking havoc on the French school year, which began just a matter of days ago. A number of schools have already closed in the Paris region, Alpes-Maritimes, Ariège, Lot and Aude, with students reporting symptoms.


INFLUENZA A(H1N1): Is the swine flu threat real?
In France, where 14 people have died from the virus, dozens of schools have been closed to contain the virus since the start of the school year. However, are these preventive measures causing more alarm than needed?


KISSING BAN in France

Some French companies and schools are introducing kissing bans to try and stop the spread of swine flu, ITN reported.

In some places, even the traditional kiss on the cheek has been banned, the BBC reports.

A large insurance company, Axa, told its employees to wave at each other instead of sharing a kiss or a handshake, ITN added.

The mayor of Guilvinec in south-western Brittany, Helene Tanguy, has said that no child should kiss in her town.

The Guardian reports:

Mayor Helene Tanguy said: "I asked the children not to kiss anymore. I felt that the protections sought to wash hands regularly, not throw used handkerchiefs around, and not cough any old way had no meaning if we let the kids keep kissing."
No national ban has been called for at this time


MONTPELLIER - deux mâts ont été posés sur une platine béton à l’aide d’un hélicoptère sur le terrain Granier en cours de rénovation.

Oh yes it is - a very very large floodlighting pylon being transported by helicopter
~~~

NEWS HEADS - 8 Sept

from France 24 - the English language French TV station


DEFENCE: Brazil to acquire 36 French fighter jets
Brazil has announced plans for the acquisition of 36 French-built Rafale fighter jets in a contract estimated to be worth at least $4 billion during French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the country.


FRANCE: Legal battle rages over restoring the landmark Lambert Hotel
The Lambert Hotel, an architectural treasure of the 17th century located on Saint-Louis island in Paris, stands at the centre of a legal battle over renovating France's historical landmarks.


FRANCE: Economic growth ‘to stabilise’ in third quarter, minister says
Economic growth in France is set to stabilise in the three months from July to September, according to French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde. The French economy emerged from a year-long recession in the second quarter of this year.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 7 September


DEFENCE: Sarkozy hopes to clinch French fighter jet contract on Brazil visit
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in Brazil to attend national day festivities and discuss military contracts on the sale of Rafale combat jets. France offered to share Rafale technology to sweeten the deal and gain an edge over rival suppliers.

UNESCO: Delegates to begin selecting new UN culture chief
The UN's culture and education agency, UNESCO, begins seeking a new chief on Monday amid controversy over alleged anti-Israeli comments made by candidate Faruq Hosni. A first round of voting on the nine candidates vying for the post begins Sept. 17.

AFGHANISTAN: Second French soldier dies of wounds after bomb attack
A French soldier who was injured in a Taliban bomb attack on Friday that killed one of his comrades and injured eight others has died of wounds at a US military base in Germany.

FRANCE: Economic growth ‘to stabilise’ in third quarter, minister says
Economic growth in France is set to stabilise in the three months from July to September, according to French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde. The French economy emerged from a year-long recession in the second quarter of this year.

FRANCE: ex-PM accused of plotting smear campaign against Sarkozy
A key defendant in the upcoming Clearstream trial has accused former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin of masterminding a smear campaign against Nicolas Sarkozy when both top politicians were seen as presidential rivals.


~~~

NEWS HEADS 6 September


French PM warns of lingering economic risks
But French Prime Minister Francois Fillon noted that while forecasts point to 1 percent growth in the euro zone for 2010. That is half the expected growth.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 5 September

from France 24 - the English language French station


FRANCE: UMP party's youth branch sets up summer campus
French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s centre-right UMP party begins it annual summer meeting in the Landes region, while François Bayrou will address his MoDem centrists at their own gathering in the Grande-Motte.

AFGHANISTAN: French soldier killed, nine others wounded in insurgent attack
One French soldier was killed and nine others wounded when the convoy they were travelling in came under an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan early on Friday. France has 2,900 troops in the NATO coalition in Afghanistan.

EL SALVADOR: Suspect arrested in connection with French filmmaker’s slaying
A day after French filmmaker Christian Poveda was shot dead in a drive-by shooting, Salvadoran police say they have arrested a suspect. Poveda’s acclaimed 2008 documentary film “La Vida Loca” examined gang violence in El Salvador.

LOCAL NEWS

WoW CHRISTMAS CRACKER FAIR - 56 stands now reserved for November 29th
Register your interest now before the list closes

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 4 September


FUEL tax marks start of political calendar
A flat tax on fuel consumption is at the centre of France’s first political debate after the government’s return from summer recess. Prime Minister François Fillon is defending the fiscal measure, which promises to be a divisive issue.

EL SALVADOR: French director of film on gang violence shot dead
Christian Poveda, a French filmmaker whose 2008 film “La Vida Loca” tackled gang violence in El Salvador, was shot dead on a road north of San Salvador, police said Wednesday.

RYANAIR reports a 19% increase in passengers in August compared with 2008

~~~
NEWS HEADS - 3 September

from France 24 - the English language French station

SCHOOLS reopen amid strike threats over teacher job cuts
The prospect of teacher job cuts has overshadowed the return to school in France this week. Unions say that government ministers are diverting public focus from the issue with H1N1 virus concerns, and are threatening a strike.

PEZENAS 'Spiderman' fined for scaling Malaysia's tallest building
A Malysian court slapped a fine on fined Frenchman Alain Robert on Wednesday for climbing the nation's tallest building.


FRENCH IDEAS TO CURB BANK BONUSES - Get E.U. Support

BRUSSELS — French-inspired plans for tough new curbs on bank bonuses won broad support from European finance ministers Wednesday, as the bloc called for similar measures from the United States at the upcoming G-20 summit meeting in Pittsburgh in September.

After discussions in Brussels chaired by Sweden, which holds the European Union’s presidency, the country’s finance minister, Anders Borg, said it was now up to Washington to discourage, not reward, excessive risk-taking.

“We have put a lot of pressure on the other side of the Atlantic,” Mr. Borg said. “Europe has a very strong view.”

Despite his comments, no details emerged on what practical measures all 27 E.U. members could agree on.

Moreover, Britain, which has made public its reservations about placing a ceiling on bonuses, kept a low profile Wednesday, sending a junior minister to Brussels.

(Gosh - a JUNIOR minister - WoW - serious stuff - sadly the head cleaner who should have lead the delegation was on holiday - the junior minsiter was sent but he made clear he only claimed the childs rate for travel)

But Britain is expected to introduce new proposals when G-20 finance ministers meet in London this week, according to British officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

These would seek to ensure that banks pay out bonuses for their top earners over five years, with no guaranteed bonuses beyond the first year, with a proportion made in stock or other noncash rewards and the full amount subject to be withdrawn if performance declined over time.

Britain would also like regulators to have the power to impose higher capital requirements on banks as a constraint on risky remuneration practices.

Ahead of the meeting in London on Friday, European ministers stepped up their rhetoric.

“The bankers are partying like it’s 1999 but it’s actually 2009,” said Mr. Borg, who added that the authorities needed “stronger muscles and sharper teeth” and that there should be “a clear message that the that the old bonus culture must come to an end.”

Deputy Finance Minister Jörg Asmussen of Germany said that Friday, the G-20 finance ministers would need to agree a position. The E.U. wants a clear relationship between bonus and performance, he said, adding that the British minister had agreed in principle.

The French finance minister, Christine Lagarde, said there had been unanimity on proposals from Paris during a meeting Wednesday of countries that use the euro. There had been “massive” support when all 27 countries, including Britain, met. France called for bonuses to be regulated, with limits on payments and a mechanism to sanction those who break the rules, Ms. Lagarde said.

One European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said bonus ceilings had been discussed at the Wednesday gathering but with little detail.

France has already moved to curb bonuses at home, with major banks agreeing to limit their awards. Some bonuses will be withheld and paid out over three years, giving a longer period over which to judge performance.

In an interview with The Financial Times earlier this week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain supported the idea of withholding payments over several years. But the newspaper quoted him as saying that imposing a cap on bonuses would be “very difficult in an international environment.” (Oh Dear poor Gordon - thought he was meant to be PM - probably he has to check with the US first - pathetic)

With a large financial sector playing a major role in its economy, Britain is sensitive to any measures that it thinks might prompt business to leave the country to seek a more lightly regulated environment.

A British government spokesperson, who asked not to be identified in line with departmental policy, said: “The U.K. is committed to ending the short-term bonus culture and pay practices that could threaten the stability of the financial system. We need to see measures that are global in scope, reflecting the global nature of the market for financial services, and practical in action.”

European Union finance ministers agreed on Wednesday to lift the bloc’s contribution to the International Monetary Fund to €125 billion, or $178 billion, from the €75 billion pledged in March.

The increase came after leaders from the Group of 20 industrial and emerging countries tripled, rather than doubled, as was initially expected, the amount of I.M.F. resources to $750 billion at their meeting in April.

LOCAL NEWS
AUGUST GOOD FOR TOURIST TRADE

42% of businesses reported more trade this year than last
35% the same as last year
22% were less busy

In total the Region reports than over €7 milliards was spent by tourists - the 4th largest take in France

The region also reports that they are investing € 114 in training for the tourist industry.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 1 September


JUSTICE: France’s independent investigating judges face the chop
On Tuesday, a government report on the reform of the justice system is set to call for the removal of France’s independent investigating judges. The move has judges reeling in their robes.

JUSTICE: French ex-trader Jerome Kerviel to stand trial
Jerome Kerviel, the rogue trader suspected of having lost the Societe Generale 4.9 billion euros in a huge fraud scandal in 2008, will be facing trial on charges of breach of trust, among others. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

AIR FRANCE 447: More extensive Air France crash probe to resume in autumn
The head of the BEA air accident investigation agency has said the hunt for the black boxes of the Air France jet that plunged into the Atlantic, killing 228, would resume in autumn with other countries invited to take part in the probe.

FRENCH POLITICS: Socialist leader caps summer convention with call to fight back
In her closing speech at the summer meeting of the French Socialist Party in La Rochelle, leader Martine Aubry detailed her plans to rescue the party from internal strife and pull the country out of economic crisis.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 29 August
from France 24 - the English language French station


POLITICS: Socialists attempt to heal rift at summer meeting
France's embattled Socialists, the main opposition party, gathered in La Rochelle for their 'summer university' Friday to discuss strategies for solving their recent divisive history. The party is already looking ahead to the 2012 presidency.

TECHNOLOGY: Apple denies iPhone problem in explosion cases
After being asked by French authorities to react, US giant Apple explained on Friday that recent cases of iPhones exploding in France were caused by "external force" from the user and denied that there was a problem with overheating batteries.


BEACH ALGAE KILLS HORSE in Brittany: Prime minister vows clean up

It must have been horrifying for Vincent Petit when within minutes his horse stumbled into a mire of algae on a beach in Brittany and died. But by then he had already lost consciousness. Luckily his plight was witnessed and Petit was dragged out of the glop and revived.
Nightmare for France
This is, of course, a tourism nightmare for French beaches, long prized for their scenic beauty. This has been a growing problem that went undiscussed, but it’s hard to ignore a dead horse and an unconscious scientist. And, now the French are being quite proactive about the situation.
The French Minister Francois Fillon announced at a press briefing that the state would “take over the responsibility for cleaning the beaches most affected.” He is also creating an interdepartmental committee to fight proliferation of the deadly green algae and to protect the population and beaches.
Fillon spoke on a Brittany beach after the government study confirmed the toxic nature of gases emanating from decomposing green algae spread over numerous beaches.
In the case of Brittany the cause is the formation of dangerous gases - notably hydrogen sulphide, with its characteristic rotten-egg smell - when they wash up on land and decay. A white crust forms and traps the gases, which are released when stepped on or otherwise disturbed. Over time, putrefied algae turns sand into a black silt muck, sometimes containing pockets of poison gas.
Nightmare for the beaches of Brittany is not an isolated incident.
But the rest of the world had better not be complacent. There have been reports from all everywhere from the coast of Australia, and even lakes and reservoirs of USA of toxic algae.
In Massachusetts health officials are advising people to take caution around Lake Attitash this weekend due to high counts of a toxic algae. The advisory, which falls short of a full closure of beaches on the region's largest lake, was issued after a Department of Public Health test showed high levels of cyanobacteria, which, if it blooms, appears as a blue-green slick on the water.
In Indiana, State Department of Health is advising people to avoid contact with a blue-green algae that's been found at two popular central Indiana reservoirs. Elevated levels of the algae have been found at Morse and Geist reservoirs in Hamilton and Marion counties. And high levels of algae toxin have been detected at Geist reservoir.
In Australia a new type of toxic algae is being blamed for killing two dogs on Auckland's beaches. Scientists at the Nelson-based Cawthron Institute have been scouring Narrow Neck Beach for clues into the deaths. Doctor Susie Wood says they have been working with local agencies testing various samples from the affected areas, including shellfish which tend to absorb any existing toxins. She says it is believed the deaths have been caused by a naturally occurring neurotoxin within the beach environment. Eight penguins and several other birds were seen dead on Omaha beach, north of Auckland.
And Italian beaches aren’t escaping this new plague. Swimming has been banned along sections of the Italian coastline because of blooms of toxic algae. Officials last Friday halted swimming from beaches near the northern Italian city of Genoa when a 60-year-old man had to be hospitalized, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Such high concentrations of Ostreopsis ovata -- a type of algae that release neurotoxins into the air -- sent more than 200 people to Genoa-area hospitals during a similar incident last year. The people became ill after swimming in the algae or inhaling toxins carried to the beach by winds, ANSA said.
This reports attributes the increasingly frequent outbreaks of the algae on global warming.
However, in other reports the culprit appears to be nitrate-packed fertilizers that power algae blooms. And the source of the fertilizer is largely the farming industry. Agribusiness that provides inexpensive produce for the world is also slowly killing our oceans, and in some cases, following us on land to create more destruction.

~~~~~

NEWS HEADS - 28 August


FRANCE: Consumer affairs minister to meet Apple over exploding iPhones
France's consumer affairs minister minister, Hervé Novelli, will meet Apple France commercial director Michel Coulomb for talks following several reports of iPhones spontaneously exploding. France's consumer watchdog is investigating the reports.

FRANCE: Official says racism accusations against him are political ploy
A high-ranking French official accused of racially insulting airport personnel has denied the claim, accusing French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux of orchestrating a biased investigation against him to restore his own image.

SOMALIA: French agent returns to Paris after escaping captors
French security agent Marc Aubrière arrived in Paris after a brief halt in the Republicof Djibouti, the day following his daring escape from Somali kidnappers who abducted him and his colleague last month.

FRANCE: Socialist Party leader favours US-style primaries
Socialist Party leader Martine Aubry backs US-style primaries to pack the party's presidential candidate. The concept is gathering support, with many seeing it as ideal way to find a candidate beat President Nicolas Sarkozy.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 27 August

BANKING: Sarkozy to call for international cap on bonuses at G20
French President Nicolas Sarkozy told an assembly of French ambassadors gathered at the Elysée palace that he will call on G20 governments to set an international limit on banking bonuses, a move the German government is expected to support.

SOMALIA: French hostage tells of escape from kidnappers
French security agent Marc Aubrière told French radio RFI that he escaped Hezb al-Islam, the Somali insurgent group holding him hostage, by slipping out when his guards were asleep and finding safety with African Union soldiers.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 26 August

BANKERS: Sarkozy chides bankers for bonuses, calls for tougher regulation
French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a group of senior bankers that he sees "bad habits resurfacing" regarding compensation for traders. Sarkozy said he would press calls for tougher international regulation at a G20 summit in the autumn.

TECHNOLOGY: Second Frenchman hurt in 'exploding iPhone' incident
A 26-year-old security guard in the south-eastern town of Villevieille has become the second French national to claim he was injured when his iPhone screen suddenly exploded, sending shards of glass up in the air.

HOUSING sector picks up in second quarter
French government data released this Tuesday shows that the housing sector has started to recover in France, with sales of new homes during the second quarter of 2009 rising by almost 30% from a year earlier.


Ed O'Neill or www.finefrenchhomes.com comments
"I don't how they source this but find the figure spurious on the basis that hardly any were sold in the 2nd quarter of 2009! Developers are only now beginning to purchase land as they see it as the bottom of the market - so this sort of information is misleading to say the least. Far better to wait for the FNAIM info in September which generally is more market based, rather that stats led."
Find Ed on the "How to buy a house page"

~~~~~~~~~~

Local News

WoW on RPH to run all year after successful summer service

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 25 August


TERRORISM: French police find suspected ETA hiding places
French police have found three new hiding places thought to belong to Basque separatist group ETA in the country's south. Earlier, a judge charged three alleged ETA militants with terror offences, five days after their arrest in the French Alps.

INFLUENZA A (H1N1): Woman, 56, becomes second flu fatality in mainland France
A 56-year-old French woman with pre-existing health conditions has become the second person to die from Influenza A(H1N1), or swine flu, in mainland France, the national health agency has announced.

FRANCE: Website keeps Paris's memories of liberation alive
As Paris marks the 65th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation, a website set up to record commemorative plaques on the walls of the French capital is breathing new life into the memories of those who suffered and resisted.

FINANCE: Sarkozy and Lagarde to call bankers to account on bonuses
Ahead of a meeting on Tuesday with President Nicolas Sarkozy, French bankers meeting with France's Economy Minister Christine Lagarde (pictured) on Monday agreed to make concessions on excessive bonus payments amid growing public anger.

ENVIRONMENT: France to claim exclusive fishing zone in the Mediterranean
France's environment minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, has announced plans to declare an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Mediterranean Sea in a bid to protect dwindling fish stocks.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 24 August


INFLUENZA A (H1N1): New Caledonia swine flu death toll rises to five
The swine flu death toll in French territory New Caledonia has risen to five after the death of a 46-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man, officials have said. Neither had pre-existing conditions putting them at greater risk from the virus.

FRANCE: Five killed in small plane crash in Callas
Five people were killed on Sunday when their small plane crashed into a hill and burst into flames in Callas, in the Var region, just inland from the French Riviera. The airplane is thought to have taken off from the coastal city of Cannes.

GREECE: Athens seeks aid from France, Italy to battle fires threatening capital
A raging forest fire is threatening homes outside of Athens, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency and order residents to evacuate. Greece has requested assistance from Italy and France to combat the blaze.

~~~

NEWS HEADS - 20 August
from France 24 - the English language French station


TERRORISM: Arrests lead police to ETA bomb factory
French police have discovered an ETA hideout with more than 100 kilograms of bomb-making materials 40 kilometres from the Spanish border only hours after arresting three men suspected of belonging to the Basque separatist group.


~~~

NEWS HEADS - 19 August

MAURITANIA: Al Qaeda branch claims French embassy attack
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for the August 8 suicide bombing near the French embassy in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott in which three people were injured, including two French gendarmes.

FRANCE: Justice minister announces measures to reduce prison suicides
As French prisons experience a rise in suicides, French Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has announced new preventive measures, including kits containing paper pyjamas to avoid hangings, and support for vulnerable inmates.

IRAN: France paid 'around 200,000 euros' in bail for jailed lecturer
Clotilde Reiss, the French lecturer accused of spying after last month's Iranian presidential election, will await her verdict in the French embassy in Tehran after Paris paid around 200,000 euros in bail to secure her release.

AND FROM BBC NEWS

France holds three 'Eta suspects'

French police have arrested several top Eta suspects in the past year
French police have arrested three suspected Basque separatist militants in an Alpine ski resort, officials say.

The men were reportedly armed and had false identity papers. Police arrested them in a raid on an apartment in Le Corbier Villarambert on Wednesday.

One suspect, named as Alberto Machain Beraza, is thought to be linked to recent Eta bombings, including an attack in Majorca, Spanish media say.

Eta has been blamed for more than 820 deaths during its separatist campaign.

Eta claimed responsibility for the bombings in Spain in July, carried out just ahead of the 50th anniversary of the group's founding.

More than 40 people were injured by a bomb blast in Burgos, northern Spain, then two Civil Guards were killed by a car bomb on the holiday island of Majorca.

The militant group is fighting for the creation of an independent Basque homeland.

The other two suspects arrested at the resort in France's Savoie region were Aitzol Etxaburu and Andoni Sarasola, according to Spanish security sources quoted by the Efe news agency.

They are suspected of belonging to Eta's military wing, responsible for providing arms and explosives for attacks in Spain.

Police reportedly burst in while they were asleep and they offered no resistance.

Alberto Machain Beraza was among six Eta suspects on a wanted list released by the Spanish government after the July bombings.

~~~~

NEWS HEADS Monday 17th

IRAN: Frenchwoman Reiss released on bail
Clotilde Reiss, the French lecturer on trial in Tehran for spying, was hosted at the French embassy upon her release on bail, the French presidency said. France's Foreign Minister added that a verdict could be expected in the next eight days.


~~~~

13 August - NEWS HEADS

from BBC

France and Germany exit recession

Consumer spending has risen in both France and Germany
The French and German economies both grew by 0.3% between April and June, bringing to an end year-long recessions in two of Europe's largest economies.
"The data is very surprising. After four negative quarters France is coming out of the red," said French Finance and Economy Minister Christine Lagarde.
Few analysts expected the economies to come out of recession this early.
The eurozone's official gross domestic product (GDP) figures will be released later on Thursday morning.
Both the French and German economies last grew in the first quarter of 2008.
The German economy, Europe's largest, contracted by a revised 3.8% in the first three months of the year.
And while exports rose 7% in June, the fastest pace in nearly three years, few analysts had expected a return to overall economic growth so quickly.
The country's Federal Statistics Office said that household and government expenditure had boosted growth.
Consumer spending
France's economy had contracted by a revised 1.1% in the first quarter.
Ms Largarde said that consumer spending and strong exports had helped to pull France out of recession.
"What we see is that consumption is holding up," she said.
Official figures showed that household consumption rose by 0.4% in the second quarter.
She said government incentive schemes for trading in old cars for new ones, together with falling prices, were helping consumers.
Foreign trade contributed 0.9% to the GDP figure - a "very strong impact," said Ms Largarde.

And a report in the Times says

The figures caused embarrassment at Westminster, the Government having claimed that Britain is best placed to weather the global downturn.

The UK economy shrank by a much bigger than expected 0.8 per cent in the second quarter and Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, warned this week that the recovery would be “slow and protracted.”

Jim O’Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, yesterday joined those saying that the recession is over, further boosting hopes that Britain could emulate France and Germany’s resumption of growth. But economists said that the UK’s reliance on the battered financial sector, as well as the number of overindebted consumers, meant that it was lagging behind its European partners on the road to recovery.

The positive news from the eurozone caused a surge in shares and commodity prices amid renewed confidence that the worst of the downturn may be over.

The FTSE 100 climbed by 38.7 points to close at 4,755, its highest closing level since October last year. Light crude oil prices went up by nearly 3 per cent to rise above $72 a barrel, before paring the gains slightly on the back of an unexpected 0.1 per cent dip in American retail sales in July.

The euro and the pound fared well against the dollar as investors shunned the US currency in favour of riskier assets denominated in euros or sterling. The euro hit a one-week high against the dollar of $1.4275, while the pound rose 0.7 per cent to $1.66.


IRAN: Trial of French lecturer Reiss 'ends', verdict awaited
The trial of detained French lecturer Clotilde Reiss has ended, but she is to stay in prison until a verdict is passed, a Tehran prosecutor says. France says it is ready to pay bail for her.

RELIGION: Paris pool bans 'burqini'-clad woman
A Parisian pool has refused entry to a Muslim woman who was wearing a "burqini", on the grounds that the head-to-toe swimsuit broke the pool's hygiene rules. A French newspaper quoted the woman complaining of segregation.

FRANCE: iPhone shatters, injuring teenager
A French teenager suffered an eye injury when his girlfriend’s iPhone shattered. The incident came weeks after a British girl’s iPod exploded, sending the device flying into the air.

INFLUENZA A (H1N1): France ready to close all schools to combat swine flu
France's ministry of education is considering closing all schools in the event of a major swine flu outbreak in September. Authorities are also currently working on distance-learning material to help students who may be forced to stay at home.

IRAN: French embassy worker released, but will face spy charges
French embassy worker Nazak Afshar (left) was released from prison on Tuesday but will still face charges related to protests following Iran's June 12 presidential election. A second French national, Clotilde Reiss, awaits trial from behind bars.

~~~

12 August - NEWS HEADS

And from BBC

French pool bans 'burkini' swim

Loose-fitting 'burkinis' cover the entire body while swimming
French officials have banned a Muslim woman from swimming in a public pool while wearing a swimsuit that covers her entire body.
The woman had swum in July in the pool in Emerainville, east of Paris, in the "burkini" - a loose-fitting garment resembling a wetsuit with a hood.
But staff stopped her from swimming in August, citing hygiene concerns.
It comes as the government examines ways to limit burka use after the president said they reduced dignity.
France is home to Western Europe's largest population of Muslims, with about 5 million living there.
That type of suit does not exist in the Koran
Mayor Alain Kelyor
At the pool, staff "reminded [the woman] of the rules that apply in all (public) swimming pools which forbid swimming while clothed," pool management official Daniel Guillaume was quoted by AFP as saying.
The woman was a French convert to Islam, and had bought the swimsuit in Dubai so that she would not have to uncover herself to go swimming.
"Quite simply, this is segregation," she said, according to Le Parisien newspaper, which identified her only as Carole.
"I will fight to try to change things. And if I see that the battle is lost, I cannot rule out leaving France."
Emerainville Mayor Alain Kelyor said "all this has nothing to do with Islam", adding that the swimsuit was "not an Islamic swimsuit" and that "that type of suit does not exist in the Koran".
'Prisoners behind netting'
In June the French National Assembly appointed 32 MPs to a six-month fact-finding mission to look at ways of restricting burka use.
In a major policy speech that month, President Nicolas Sarkozy said the burka - a garment covering women from head to toe - reduced them to servitude and undermined their dignity.
"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Mr Sarkozy told a special session of parliament in Versailles.
In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarves in its state schools.

IRAN: French embassy worker released from Tehran jail
French embassy worker Nazak Afshar (photo) has been released from the Tehran prison where she was being held on charges related to post-election protests in Iran, France said on Tuesday. Doubt surrounds the fate of co-defendant Clotilde Reiss.

FRANCE: Youths riot after teen dies while fleeing police
Groups of angry youths torched cars, set rubbish bins on fire and threw rocks at police in the eastern Paris suburb of Bagnolet on Monday evening, a day after an 18-year-old man died in a motorbike crash while fleeing police.

WILDLIFE - FRANCE: Gone for a century, Atlantic salmon stocks return to Seine
After disappearing for nearly a century, Atlantic salmon have returned to the Seine River in Paris, despite the absence of programmes to reintroduce them. A video system installed in the Poses dam above Rouen tallies the travels of France's fish.

11AUG - NEWS HEADS

IRAN: Sarkozy makes release of French lecturer 'top priority'
The release of Clotilde Reiss, a young French lecturer on trial in Iran on charges related to post-election protests, is a "top priority" for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, his office said on Monday. France denies that Reiss was a spy.

FRANCE: Apartment fire kills at least five in Paris suburb
Five people, including a baby, died in a fire in a nine-storey apartment building in the Paris suburb of Sevran on Monday, fire fighters have told AFP.

FRANCE: Man dies in motorbike crash while fleeing police
An 18-year-old man died on Sunday after crashing his motorbike into a concrete barrier in a Parisian suburb, investigators said. The man refused a police request to pull over and began to flee, only to lose control of his bike.


LOCAL NEWS

Millau and its viaduct: on the roof of the world becomes one of Europes top tourist sites

The world’s highest viaduct, masterpiece of aerial elegance designed by British architect Norman Foster, is one of the top tourist attractions in Europe. It’s also an opportunity to explore the surrounding area, from the Gorges du Tarn to the Gorges de la Jonte, via the Causse du Larzac.

It is at the Col d'Engayresque (on the A 75 coming from the north) that you catch a first glimpse of the cable stays of the viaduct, an immense white vessel that crosses the middle of the sky. Soon after this serene vision comes a real visual shock worthy of the Kheops Pyramid or Niagara Falls. Norman Foster’s work of art holds a number of records: higher than the Eiffel Tower, using 36,000 tonnes of metal and 85,000 m3 of concrete for the abutments and pillars, the viaduct is simply breathtaking.
The architect’s stroke of genius was in designing not a bridge in the shape of an arch spanning a river – which is invisible here – but a delicate aerial link between two plateaux.
Today tourists from all over the world come to Millau to stay; like the engineer from the Australian highways department who had come especially to admire the "eighth wonder of the world", as it is called in his country! They make the most of their stay to visit the surrounding area and explore natural wonders such as the Grands Causses (limestone plateaux), Gorges du Tarn and Gorges de la Jonte.

~~~~

10 AUGUST - NEWS HEADS

INFLUENZA A(H1N1): Swine flu hits foreign teens at French summer school
Dozens of foreign teenagers and adults have been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus at the Centre Mediterraneen Linguistique summer school in Cap d’Ail, southern France, authorities have said. Patients have been isolated in one of the school buildings.

IRAN: Paris calls for 'immediate release' of French lecturer on trial
France has demanded the "immediate release" of French lecturer Clotilde Reiss and French embassy employee Nazak Afshar, who are standing trial in Tehran with others detained during protests over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.

ECONOMY: Battle heats up in fight to save jobs in France
French unions have never taken the threat of job cuts sitting down: but with job cuts coming thick and fast, the unions are hitting back with increasingly aggressive tactics. This kind of violence seems far less common in the rest of Europe.

~~~~~~~~


8 AUG NEWS HEADS - from France 24 - the English language French station

ENVIRONMENT: Pipeline spills oil over French natural reserve
Over 3,000 cubic metres of oil spilled over a natural reserve in the French southern region of Bouches-du-Rhône after a leak occurred on a pipeline. Environment minister Chantal Jouanno spoke of an "ecological disaster".

INTERNET: Google in every corner of Paris
Google's interactive map lets you zoom in and out of countries and is already a hit but lack of access means they've not yet covered every knook and crannie. Now they've got a new trick to map even the tightest Parisian corner.

FRANCE: Central bank says BNP Paribas bonuses in line with G20 rules
French bank BNP Paribas' controversial billion euro bonus package complies with the new G20 regulations to limit traders' perks, the head of the French central bank said Friday.



7 Aug NEWS HEADS -

• BONUSES IN BANKING: French PM summons bank leaders over bonuses row
French Prime Minister François Fillon has summoned bank leaders on Friday over banking giant BNP Paribas' contentious plan to pay out one billion euros in bonuses. BNP received a 5.1-billion-euro bailout loan in taxpayers' money last year.

• FRANCE: US firm closes down factory after French workers beat up boss
US electronics firm Molex Inc said on Wednesday it was temporarily closing its factory in southwestern France, citing security concerns after 40 French workers, angry at facing redundancy, allegedly beat up a visiting American executive.

• HUMAN RIGHTS: French prisons see 'one suicide every three days'
The Paris-based International Prison Observatory voiced alarm over suicide rates in French jails, often criticised for their poor living conditions. The rights group says 88 prisoners have killed themselves this year.

• BANKING: French 'rogue trader' boss investigated for fraud
Jean-Pierre Mustier, the former head of the Société Générale division where alleged rogue trader Jerôme Kerviel worked, will be leaving the French bank after financial regulators identified him as a supect in investigations for fraud.

WATER SHORTAGES - hosepipe bans - not in Languedoc Roussilon - yet

Areas affected
~~~~

6 Aug NEWS HEADS

OVERSEAS FRANCE: New Caledonia union and Aircal reach draft agreement amid unrest
The USTKE trade union and Aircal leadership have reached a draft agreement in New Caledonia, after clashes between security forces and protesters flared up again in the French Pacific territory, causing injuries to two policemen and four activists.

HISTORY: First French 'Son of a Boche' granted German citizenship
Sixty-six years after his birth to a French mother and a German officer, Daniel Rouxel has finally won his battle to obtain German citizenship, becoming the first "Son of a Boche" to benefit from a recent agreement between the two countries.

AGRICULTURE:
EU extends deadline for French farmers' subsidy payback
The European Commission said its agriculture chief would give France up until September 29 to decide how to recover some 340 million euros in subsidies granted to fruit and vegetable farmers, which the EU now says were illegal.

BANKING:
BNP Paribas to dole out one billion euros in bonuses
The French daily Liberation reported on Wednesday that BNP Paribas had allocated a billion euros for end of year executive bonuses - a charge the bank did not deny. BNP had previously been approved for a government bailout.


ATLANTIC
Paddlers at halfway mark to Canada
Three French female paddlers reached the halfway mark of their transatlantic trip to Canada, covering 2,346 km with 2,346 km to go. Stephanie Geyer-Barneix, Alexandra Lux, and Flora Manciet, are all surf life-saving champions.


LOCAL NEWS


L’aéroport Béziers Cap d’Agde, partenaire
d’une nouvelle émission radio à destination des anglophones
L’aéroport Béziers Cap d’Agde est partenaire de la nouvelle émission radio dédiée aux anglophones de l’ouest Hérault « What’s on ». Animée par le journaliste anglais Robin Hicks éditeur du site Internet www.heraultwhatson.fr, elle est diffusée en direct tous les
vendredis après-midi et samedis matin sur Radio pays d’Hérault.
Depuis quelques mois déjà, le site Internet www.heraultwhatson.info délivre au public anglophone de la région toutes les bonnes infos à connaître pour profiter pleinement de son séjour ou de sa résidence en Hérault.
Pour aller plus loin, « Herault what’s on » vient de lancer une émission en direct sur Radio pays d’Hérault, en partenariat avec l’aéroport Béziers Cap d’Agde, qui a souhaité soutenir cette
initiative au regard de sa proximité avec la communauté anglophone utilisatrice des liaisons Béziers/Bristol et Béziers/Londres.
Animée par Robin Hicks, ancien chef de la BBC à Bristol, également journaliste, éditeur de presse et relais d’opinion de la communauté anglophone en Languedoc, l’émission sera diffusée tous les vendredis à 18h40 et samedi à 8h15 sur les ondes de Radio pays d’Hérault.
Agenda, événements culturels, spectacles, informations locales… les anglophones pourront découvrir toute la programmation estivale proposés dans le département ainsi qu’une foule d’informations pratiques, les restaurants à connaître ou encore les livres à découvrir.
Avec ce partenariat, la radio associative Radio pays d’Hérault reste fidèle à l’aspect local de sa
diffusion mais élargit avec originalité son audimat.
Le site Internet www.heraultwhatson.info enrichit pour sa part l’offre déjà proposée par les
sites www.angloinfo.com, www.languedocsun.com, www.blablablah.org ou encore
www.cremedelanguedoc.fr, déjà présents en région.
Fréquences Radio pays d’Hérault :
Lodève : 96.7 MHz
Pézenas 89.0 MHz
Clermont l’Hérault 102.9 MHz

~~~

5 AUG NEWS HEADS

French insurer Axa says 1st half net profit fell 39 percent
Los Angeles Times
By AP PARIS (AP) — Axa SA said its net profit fell 39 percent in the first half as the global financial crisis hammered earnings

BBC News
French bank sees profits slump
Societe Generale has reported a slump in profits of more than a half as it was forced to write off bad debts and investments in risky assets.

~~~~


4 Aug NEWS HEADS

AGRICULTURE: French farmers must pay back 500 million euros in EU subsidies
France will demand that fruit and vegetable farmers pay back their EU subsidies, according to French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire. Subsidies dealt to French farmers between 1992-2002 totalled some 500 million euros.

OBITUARY: Francis Jeanson, politically active French philosopher, dies at 87
French philosopher Francis Jeanson, known for his controversial involvement with National Liberation Front militants during the Algerian War of Independence, died aged 87 on Saturday near Bordeaux, his family said.


~~~~

3 Aug NEWS HEADS

SECURITY: 16,000 people evacuated amid huge mine-clearing operation in Brest
A vast operation in search of WWII-era bombs in the western French city of Brest on Sunday forced 16,000 people to leave their homes for the day.

~~~
2 Aug NEWS HEADS

AFGHANISTAN: French soldier killed, two wounded in fighting
One French soldier was killed and two others wounded in a firefight in north-eastern Afghanistan Saturday, according to the French presidential office.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: France launches long-awaited bidding for new mobile network
The bidding process for a fourth mobile-network license in France has been officially launched after long lobbying against it by the three operators already in place. Interested companies have until October 29 to present their case.

INFLUENZA A (H1N1): Most passengers allowed off 'swine flu' cruise ship
Nearly all of the 5,000 people aboard a possibly A (H1N1) flu-infected cruise ship were allowed to disembark in Marseille, officials said Saturday. The ship's owner said 62 people with flu-like symptoms tested negative for A-type flu.

FRANCE: Blast at French bell foundry injures 46
An explosion at a French bell foundry in Normandy has injured 46 people, all of whom were guests invited to watch the casting of a church bell. Most only suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation but one person has serious burns.

~~~
1st Aug News Heads


H1N1 VIRUS: Contradictory reports on 'swine flu' cruiseliner
Contradictory reports emerged as over 5000 people were forbidden from leaving a cruise ship docked in southern France. French authorities said that 60 people onboard were infected with swine flu, a report denied by the ship's owner.

FRANCE: Blast at French bell foundry injures 46
An explosion at a French bell foundry in Normandy has injured 46 people, all of whom were guests invited to watch the casting of a church bell. Most only suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation but one person has serious burns.

AUTO INDUSTRY: French workers drop threat to blow up factory
Employees at the bankrupt New Fabris car parts factory, who had demanded 30,000 euros each in compensation from Renault and Peugeot, have dropped their threat to blow up their plant after agreeing to a revised compensation offer.

AVIATION: Airbus urges airlines to replace speed sensors in wake of AF 447 crash
Airbus is urging airlines to replace most of the "pitot probe" speed sensors on some 200 Airbus A330 and A340 planes in the wake of the crash of an Air France flight en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro on June 1.

~~~~~~~~


31 July News Heads

INFLUENZA A (H1N1): France confirms first death of swine flu victim
French authorities have announced the death of a young girl who had contracted swine flu and also suffered from another serious illness complicated by a severe lung infection. It was the first death in France of a patient suffering from A (H1N1).

~~~

30 JULY NEWS HEADS

French general appointed to NATO's key command position

BRUSSELS -- French General Stephane Abrial has been appointed to the key NATO post of Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, said the alliance on Wednesday.
Allied Command Transformation, responsible for NATO forces' training, is one of NATO's two principal commands, together with Allied Command Operations based in Mons, Belgium.


~~~~~~~~~~

• ENVIRONMENT: French govt panel recommend steep carbon tax for 2010
A report on taxation of carbon-based emissions in France is set to considered by the government. According to leaked details, the report recommends a charge of 32 euros for every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted in 2010, rising to 100 euros in 2030.


• WEB NEWS: Nicolas Sarkozy's hospital visit raises questions on the net
Nicolas Sarkozy quick visit to the hospital has raised questions online. Some wish the French president the best, while others speculate about his health.

~~~~~~~~~

28 July News Heads

FRANCE: Sarkozy health scare was an incident 'without consequence': UMP
French President Nicolas Sarkozy left the Val-de-Grace military hospital on Monday where he spent a night under observation after briefly collapsing while jogging on Sunday. Officials said Sarkozy suffered minor trouble with his vagus nerve.

WILDFIRES: Southern European wildfires abate, but risk remains
Firefighters in France, Italy and Spain have managed to quell the worst of the deadly fires that have ravaged the region, but the high temperatures and strong winds on the forecast could spark another flare-up of wildfires.

~~~


27 July News Heads

UK ELDERLY 4th POOREST IN EU

Elderly people represented almost a quarter of Scotland's poor in 2007/8
The UK has the fourth-highest level of poverty among over 65s in Europe, behind countries like Romania, European Commission figures have shown.
The figures reveal many British pensioners are living on incomes far below the national average.
The charity Age Concern and Help the Aged has called on ministers to act.
But the Department for Work and Pensions said even the poorest pensioners in the UK were better off than those living in other countries.
'Shocking'
A spokesman said: "In 1997 our pensioners' income was well below the European average. Today their income is nearly 10% higher than the EU average."
The European Commission figures come shortly before the Work and Pension Committee's review of government efforts on pension poverty is published on Thursday.
The EU research, which compares relative poverty in the 27 member states, shows nearly one in three UK over-65s were living in poverty in 2007, the same proportion as in Lithuania (30%), the charity said.

It added that in most leading European economies, pensioner poverty levels were either below or slightly above the EU average of 19%.
Brendan Paddy, from the charity Age Concern and Help The Aged, told the BBC: "The findings are quite shocking, particularly because some years ago we were beginning to see poverty amongst older people in the UK begin to drop, but that progress has now very definitely stalled."
He added: "One of the big contributors has been low take-up of means-tested benefits, and one of the other big contributors has been rocketing food and fuel prices.
"The problem is the people who most need those benefits are the ones least likely to claim them. They're not on anybody's radar; not even ours.
"Also they find the forms and process to actually claim the benefit really off-putting.
"In addition to that, there's some people who are just too proud to say, you know, I'm going to actually apply for this, whereas if it was part of their standard pension they'd accept it as their due."
'Unacceptable'
Recent research by the charity showed one in five people aged 60 and over was skipping meals to save money on food, while two-fifths were struggling to afford essential items.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Theresa May said pensioners had become "the innocent victims of Gordon Brown's recession".
"It's unacceptable that 2.5 million are living in official poverty," she said.
"The reality is that too many of the elderly are stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty because of Labour's complicated and bureaucratic system of means-tested benefits.
"Furthermore, Labour's obsession with pushing up council tax year after year has had a devastating impact on elderly people on fixed incomes."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

26 July NEWS ROUND-Up


• FRANCE: Bleriot XI takes flight for centenary of Channel crossing
A restored original of the plane in which Louis Bleriot crossed the Channel 100 years ago on Saturday successfully repeated the French aviator's historic feat in front of several hundred enthusiasts.

~~~

Sarkozy falls ill while jogging
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been taken to hospital after becoming ill while jogging, his office said.
The 54-year-old president began "feeling faint". Aides later told AFP news agency that he was suffering from a "minor" nerve complaint.
"He was immediately seen to by his doctor. He is currently undergoing extra examinations," his office said.
It happened at his weekend retreat near Versailles, outside Paris, and he was taken to a military hospital, AFP said.
Elysee Palace had no further official information.
AFP reported that Mr Sarkozy had suffered a vagal nerve attack, adding that it could involve a brief loss of consciousness and change in the heart rate.
The vagal nerve is a major nerve that runs from the abdomen to the brain and controls many functions.
Mr Sarkozy is regularly seen running and is a keen cyclist.
The Elysee Palace said earlier this month that his last medical examination - on 3 July - showed normal results for cardiovascular and blood tests.
Shortly after his election, his first medical bulletin showed him to be in "good" health.
He campaigned for greater transparency of presidential health bulletins during his presidential campaign, yet a brief hospital stay in late 2007 was not revealed until three months after it happened.
Several French presidents have been accused of glossing over health problems, notably the late Francois Mitterrand, who concealed that he was seriously ill with cancer.


~~~

UK grandmother 'wanted' by France
A British grandmother is being pursued by France for a crime she was convicted of in her absence 20 years ago.
Deborah Dark, 45, from London, was acquitted of a drugs offence in 1989 - but found guilty and sentenced to six years on appeal without being told.
France issued a European Arrest Warrant in 2005 but recent extradition attempts have failed in both the UK and Spain.
UK charity Fair Trials International said the warrant system was creating a "blatant injustice" against her.
'Never forget'
Ms Dark, from Richmond in south-west London, was arrested in France in 1989 in a car containing several kilos of cannabis.
A French court believed her defence that she been set up by an abusive boyfriend and was acquitted.
But she was unaware the prosecution appealed without telling her after she returned to the UK and she was found guilty and sentenced in 1990.
A European Arrest Warrant was issued by the French authorities for Ms Dark to be returned to France to serve her jail term.
Ms Dark told the BBC of the effect that still being officially wanted in France had had on her.
She said: "It's destroyed me, and to see my daughter to go through all that pain again. I just will never forget it.
"I can't leave the country. If I leave the country I will be arrested because I'm still on the European Arrest Warrant."
'Shocking example'
In 2007 she was arrested on a package holiday at a Turkish airport but the authorities were unable to give her a reason.
On her return to the UK the British police could not find any warrants against her.
When Ms Dark travelled to visit her retired father in Spain in 2008 she was arrested and spent one month in custody.
But a Spanish court refused to extradite her on the grounds of unreasonable delay and the significant passage of time.
When she returned to the UK she was arrested by British police at Gatwick airport and released on bail pending an extradition hearing. Magistrates refused extradition in April this year.
Fair Trials International said Ms Dark was effectively being "imprisoned in the UK".
Chief executive Jago Russell said: "Deborah's case is a shocking example of the way a system intended to deliver justice has created a blatant injustice.
"The European Arrest Warrant should have been designed with a time-limit built in but it wasn't.
"The result - a person's life can be turned upside down for an event alleged to have happened 20 years ago."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
24 july NEWS HEAD

French army blamed for forest fire


Fillon, right, promised that the seven legionnaires involved in the incident would be punished [EPA]

The French prime minister has accused Foreign Legionnaires of "serious professional errors" after they fired tracer bullets blamed for a fire that spread across countryside to the southern city of Marseille.

Francois Fillon said on Thursday seven soldiers involved in the incident would be punished and the officer in charge had been suspended.

Police said the blaze a day earlier had been accidentally ignited by the bullets fired at the legionnaires' military camp at Carpiagne, between Marseille and Cassis.

Three firefighters and four police officers suffered light injuries while tackling the fire.

'Incredible stupidity'

Hundreds of people were ordered out of their homes in eastern Marseille as a precaution and a rest home and centre for the handicapped was evacuated.

Jean-Claude Gaudin, Marseille's mayor, said the shooting was a case of "incredible stupidity" at a time when scrub lands were vulnera

Normally shooting tracer bullets is forbidden from May to November in the region because of fire risk.

French police visited the site on Thursday to re-enact the shooting.

A few new blazes ignited on Thursday, as helicopters circled and about 500 firefighters were mobilised in the are
23 July NEWS HEADS

• FRANCE: Army excercise starts wildfires near Marseille suburbs
Military practice shelling has started wildfires, causing some of France's worst house fires in three years on the eastern outskirts of Marseille, threatening dozens of homes but claiming no victims, rescue services said.

• INFLUENZA A (H1N1): School near Paris quarantines 47 teens
A language session held at La Salle Saint-Nicolas Catholic school in Issy-les-Moulineaux, just south-west of Paris, reported 47 cases of influenza A (H1N1) among its students - mostly Spaniards - between the ages of 15 and 18.

• FRANCE: Woman goes on trial for helping a teenage illegal immigrant
A 50-year-old French woman faces trial in the southern town of Foix for taking in and assisting a teenage Afghan illegal immigrant, although French immigration minister maintains that “solidarity is not a crime”.

• RFI - AUTOMOBILES: Citroën says sorry for misdrawing Balkan borders
French carmaker Citroën has apologised for publishing a map which showed an incorrect version of the borders of the Balkan nations of the former Yugoslavia.

• CAMEROON - FRANCE: President Biya to face difficult questions on official visit
Cameroonian leader Paul Biya has arrived in France for a four-day official visit, however, his visit looks certain to be overshadowed by corruption allegations and tough questions on Laurence Vergne.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


HERAULT NEWS - Klaus Erhardt has died after a long fight with cancer. Klaus and Jean have been the inspiration for the Bardou music festival over many years. "Bardou will continue - it is my life and a memorial to Klaus" said Jean Erhardt.
The funeral will be on Friday at 10.30 at Mons la Trivalle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PARIS, July 21 (Reuters) - A law backed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to tackle Internet piracy suffered a new setback on Tuesday after legislators postponed a vote on the bill until September.

France's top constitutional court has already watered down a text approved by parliament in June that would have seen the creation of an authority with the power to cut Internet access to those found guilty of downloading music illegally.

Now legislators from the opposition Socialists and communists, as well as some lawmakers from the ruling UMP party have decided a vote on the text will not take place on Friday.

With parliament due to begin its summer recess next week, approval will now probably be delayed until September.

The music industry, which wants governments and Internet providers to crack down on illegal downloading of copyrighted work, has given its support to the project.

But consumer groups fear intrusive monitoring of online activities and warned that innocent users may be unfairly punished if hackers use their accounts to download files.

The constitutional court ruled any new body could only issue warnings and that any removal of access would have to be decided by a judge.

The Socialists, who antagonised many of their traditional supporters in the arts world by opposing the bill, which they say "doesn't bring a single extra centime to artists".

"We have just scored a point. Doubts that existed about the first law continue concerning this new law," Jean-Marc Ayrault, leader of the Socialists in the lower house said after legislators voted for the delay. (Reporting by Emile Picy; writing by Joseph Tandy; editing by James Mackenzie)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Business boost from l'auto-entrepreneur
By Craig McGinty - www.thisfrenchlife.com
I SUPPOSE it shouldn't come as any surprise, but it would appear that if you make it easy for people to register a small business they will.

The launch of the l'auto-entrepreneur business registration service is being seen as the main reason behind a dramatic rise in start ups, June saw a 5.8 per cent increase on the previous month.

Figures released by the statistics office INSEE show a 76 per cent increase in the start up rate of small businesses over the past three months.

Since the l'auto-entrepreneur service was launched in January, 182,000 businesses have registered, the government initially hoped to reach 200,000 by the end of 2009.

The difficulty of both registering a small business, and the initial costs that had to be paid, put many people off officially registering and led to much 'working on the black'.

The l'auto-entrepreneur system has reduced the amount of paperwork required, but importantly any income tax or social charges are dependent upon turnover, so if a business owner has a poor month then they don't face excessive costs.

Obviously the biggest question now is how many of these small businesses keep going, but with a few of the financial worries taken away many should have a better chance of success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TUESDAY 21 jly News Heads from France 24 - the English Language TV station from Paris

• TOURISM: Parisians stuck in the city get a beach of their own
For the eighth year in a row, Parisian riverfronts will harbour beach attire – complete with palm trees, sand, parasols and deckchairs – from July 20 to August 20. Free concerts and activities complete the summer picture.

• FRANCE: Madonna arrives to meet technicians injured in stage collapse
American pop star Madonna has arrived in the French city of Marseille to meet technicians who were injured when part of her concert stage collapsed, killing two workers, officials have said.


. SARKOZY under fire over claims he paid for opinion polls
By John Lichfield for the Independant Paris
The main French opposition party, the Socialists – delighted to have an issue to distract from their own internal back-stabbing – have accused the President of "scandalous collusion" with parts of the media. The Elysée Palace, dismissing calls for a parliamentary inquiry, has rejected the cries of scandal as far-fetched....

~~~

Monday 20 July News Heads from France 24 - the English Language TV station from Paris


• SOMALIA: PM may let France send commandos to free captives
Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke has said his government may allow France to send a team of commandos to free the two French hostages taken in Mogadishu last week


AND FROM THE TIMES

Airlines will refuse to check in 'swine flu' passengers
Holidaymakers suspected of having the virus will be required to provide doctors' notes saying that they are fit to fly

~~~


Sunday 19


SOMALIA: Kidnapped French agents 'to be tried under Sharia law'

Two French agents held by rebels in Somalia will be tried soon under Islam's Sharia law, an official of the radical Shebab group said, as a Somali minister told FRANCE 24 the pair had been taken out of Mogadishu.

TOUR DE FRANCE: Roadside spectator dies in motorcycle accident

One Tour de France spectator has been killed and two others injured after being hit by a police motorbike on the 14th stage, the French gendarmerie has confirmed. It was the first fatal accident on the Tour since 2002.

~~~

Saturday 18

• JUSTICE: French youths jailed for role in 2007 Paris suburb riots
Ten youths, all aged between 18 to 25, were found guilty of attacking police officers during two nights of rioting in Villiers-le-Bel, a Paris suburb, in 2007. A French court handed them prison sentences of between one and three years on Friday.

• AF 447: Air France crash victims did not die of drowning
Victims of the fatal plane crash last month did not die from drowning, French investigators said after post-mortems on their remains were carried out. AF 447 crashed in the middle of the Atlantic on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1.

• SOMALIA: French hostages split between rival insurgents
Two French security consultants held hostage in Somalia are being held by two different Islamist militant groups. In an interview with FRANCE 24, Minister of Social Affairs Mohammad Ali Ibrahim said the hostages were in good health.

• FRANCE: Madonna concert stage collapse kills two
Two people were killed and at least eight injured after a stage set up for a Madonna concert in Marseille collapsed, forcing the cancellation of a Sunday performance in the French Mediterranean city. The star said she was "devastated" by the news.

• FRANCE: French workers see severance demands met after threats
Workers at a plant in south-western France who had threatened to blow up equipment made by their company, JLG, say they have now obtained satisfactory layoff terms. This is the third such case of threats in France in less than a week.

~~~~
Friday Heads
SOMALIA: French hostages split between rival insurgents
Two French security consultants being held hostage in Somalia have been separated and are being held by two different militant groups, Somali officials say.

TEHRAN: Envoy to hold second meeting with jailed Frenchwoman in Tehran
France's ambassador to Tehran will hold a second meeting with a French woman jailed on charges of spying on Saturday, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says. Clotilde Reiss was detained at Tehran's airport on July 1 en route to Beirut.

INFLUENZA A (H1N1): France to spend one billion euros on flu vaccine
France's health minister Roselyne Bachelot has anounced that the government will spend one billion euros on ninety-four million doses of the vaccine to combat the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

ECONOMY: Official data shows French consumer prices fell in June
French consumer prices fell by 0.5 percent in June, according to official data released Thursday. This marks a deflationary step for the second month running, but shows a monthly rise of 0.1 percent for the past year.

MARSEILLE: Stage collapse kills one, injures several ahead of Madonna concert
One person was killed and at least six injured after a stage set up for a Madonna concert in Marseille collapsed, forcing the cancellation of a Sunday performance in the French Mediterranean city. The star said she was "devastated" by the news.

UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE
A second person has died following the collapse of a stage being constructed for a Madonna concert in France.
Technicians had been setting up the stage at the Velodrome stadium in Marseilles when the partially-built roof fell in, bringing down a crane.


LOCAL NEWS

Lerab Ling, the center Tibetan Buddhist near Lodeve, has just received a new Buddha statue which was placed before the temple.

This sculpture is a copy of the standing Buddha of Saranath,
town in northern India where the Buddha taught for
first time after attaining enlightenment.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see the new statue at
guided tours which take place every Sunday afternoon
until 15 November 2009.


NEWS HEADS = 16 july

• INFLUENZA A (H1N1): France to spend 1 bn euros on vaccine
France's health minister Roselyne Bachelot has anounced it will one billion euros on doses of vaccine to combat the influenza A H1N1 virus. The goal is to carry out vaccinations in the autumn, but delays are feared.

• FRANCE: Blast at Total plant kills two, wounds at least six
An explosion at a Total petrochemical plant in Carling in north-eastern France has killed two people and wounded at least six others. Several people may still be trapped under rubble, officials say.

• FRANCE: Nortel workers end threat to blow up factory ahead of talks
Workers at a French factory owned by bankrupt telecom giant Nortel who threatened to blow up their plant unless they secured satisfactory severance terms have removed the gas cylinders after forcing management into talks.

• PARIS: Lower house approves measure to expand Sunday commerce
France's National Assembly has approved a proposal to authorise more businesses in certain tourist and commercial zones to operate on Sundays. The bill must now go before the Senate for approval.


The bill would allow stores to open Sundays in commercial hubs in Paris, Lille and Marseille, as well as in about 500 tourist areas elsewhere.
The center-right government of President Nicolas Sarkozy hopes that shedding the restrictions will help to stimulate spending, lift earnings and create jobs. One of his campaign slogans in 2007 was to allow French people to work more to earn more.
The lower house approved the law 282 to 238. Mr. Sarkozy’s governing coalition voted broadly in favor, with Socialists and Greens opposed. It will be debated in the Senate next week.
If it passes, it still may have to go before the Constitutional Council because of possible implications for the equality of employees.
The government has given assurances that employees would have the choice of refusing Sunday working hours, and many would receive double-pay and meals.
But unions have fought the change.
“We’re absolutely opposed to this misguided text,” said Joseph Thouvenel, deputy secretary general of the Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens, whose 132,000 members include many in the retail sector.
He said that his members wanted to keep Sunday free for “family, spiritual and collective time.”
He also said that allowing more large discount stores to open on Sunday would contribute to job losses and the “desertification” of city centers.
The French bill seeks to bring order to a tangle of loopholes and exemptions that have emerged since a law was passed in 1906 to establish Sunday as a mandatory day off for workers.
Retailers with exemptions to open include grocers, markets, furniture stores and certain shops that serve tourist areas like the Champs Élysées.
In other areas, like the French capital’s tourist-packed Marais quarter, shops selling jewelry and clothing have benefited from the authorities’ turning a blind eye to their hours.


NEWS HEADS 15 July

• PARIS: Spectacular fireworks display caps Bastille Day festivities
France marked its national day with a military march down the Champs Elysees, led this year by Indian army troops, and celebrations continued into the night with a concert by French rock icon Johnny Hallyday and a massive fireworks display.

• FRANCE: 317 cars burned ahead of Bastille Day
The night ahead of France's national day was marked by widespread vandalism as 317 cars were burned across the country, a slight increase over the same period last year, according to the police.

++

Local man liberated from the Bastille - in 1784 – a M. Masers Latude. He was the most famous prisoner of the ancien regime and served about 40 years some in the Bastille.
Stephen and Robina supplied the information that he came from Fontes or Montagnac. The top of the range wine from the coop in Fontes is called chateau Latude.

Like being slightly famous in Wigan.

Ryanair polls passengers asked "do you want to “stand up” on stool arrangement for a cheaper flight" – see travel news – page 3

~~~~

14 jULY News Heads

• FRANCE: Parades, festivities mark Bastille Day
France celebrates Bastille Day Tuesday with a grand military parade down Paris’s majestic Champs Elysees, joined by a detachment of Indian troops. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the guest of honour this year.

• BASTILLE DAY- RFI: 2009 Bastille Day hotspots
This year's Bastille Day festivities include a 120th birthday celebration for the Eiffel Tower and a free concert on Paris' Champ de Mars from French rocker Johnny Hallyday. RFI guides you to the best party spots for the night of July 14.

ED note – the Bastille break out was a little more pedestrian than school history books suggest - a throng was not released – simply
“4 lunatics, 2 felons and a roué”



• FRANCE: 'Barbarians' gang members face retrial for brutal murder
French officials say 14 members of the "Barbarians" gang who kidnapped, tortured and killed a young Jewish man will be retried. The move follows complaints by Justice Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie over the leniency of their sentences.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEWS HEADS 13 July from News 24

• COMOROS CRASH: Relatives of Yemenia crash victims to fly to Comoros
More than 150 relatives of victims of the Yemenia crash in the Indian Ocean will head from France to the Comoros on a specially chartered flight, the French foreign ministry has said.

• AUTO INDUSTRY: French workers threaten to blow up factory
The 366 employees of the bankrupt New Fabris factory in central-eastern France want to receive 30 000 euro each as a compensation. If no agreement is found by July 31, they threaten to blow up the factory.

• FRANCE: Indian army to be guest of honour on Bastille Day
For the first time, the Indian Army will be the guests of honour at France's traditional Bastille Day parade on July 14. President Nicolas Sarkozy's office expressed the hope of strengthening future ties
between the two nations.

• FRANCE: Jewish groups call for mass protest at 'lenient' Barbarians sentences
Jewish organisations have called for a mass gathering outside the Justice Ministry in Paris to protest what they deem overly lenient court sentences for the so-called "gang of Barbarians" who kidnapped and murdered a Jewish man.

~~~~~~~~~

NEWS HEADS Sunday 12 July

• INFLUENZA A(H1N1): French school camp hit by virus outbreak
A group of 24 teenagers from the Paris region contracted the A(H1N1) virus at a school camp in the Haute-Savoie region in the French Alps, along with three camp leaders, and have been isolated on site. France as a whole has 434 confirmed cases.

• COMOROS CRASH: Comoros urges France to step up black box recovery efforts
In a meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon , Comoros President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi urged France to increase efforts to recover the black boxes of the Yemenia Airbus that crashed off the Indian Ocean's island coast.

~~~~~~~~~~

NEWS HEADS 11 July from France 24
(note - Black day on roads today - expected to be very busy)

FRANCE: 'Barbarians' gang leader gets life in murder case
Youssouf Fofana, the leader of kidnap gang "The Barbarians", has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal kidnap, torture and murder of young Jewish shop worker Ilan Halimi. The court ruled he will have to serve a minimum of 22 years.

AIR FRANCE 447: Investigators end search for flight box signals
The search for signals from flight recorders on the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic ocean last month was to end Friday, investigators have said. A second phase of searches using a different method is supposed to begin next week.

BUSINESS: French lawmakers move ahead with Sunday trading bill
French lawmakers on Friday greenlit a contentious bill that would allow shops to open on Sundays. The law will come up for voting Wednesday before being sent to the Senate.

RFI EXCLUSIVE FRANCE: Third night of rioting after death in custody
Youths in the central French town of Firminy torched shops and cars during the third night of rioting over the death of a young man in police custody.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEWS HEADS 10 july


IRAN: French ambassador meets arrested teacher
Clotilde Reiss, a young French teacher detained in Tehran's Evin prison after she was accused by Iran of spying, was able to briefly speak with ambassador Bernard Poletti, a diplomatic source has told the AFP.

FRANCE: National electricity provider EDF calls for 20% price hike
French electricity provider EDF says it wants to raise tariffs by 20% to make up for debts in excess of 24.5 billion euros, but it may have a hard time persuading the government to approve the hike.

FRANCE: Controversial hearings on banning the ‘head-to-toe veil’ begin
Parliamentary hearings on whether to ban the ‘head-to-toe veil’ have brought to the forefront France’s struggle to strike a balance between accommodating Islam and upholding a tradition of secularism.

FRANCE: Refugees arrive in France under EU scheme
Ninety-two refugees have been welcomed to France on Thursday under a pilot EU relocation scheme, aimed at spreading the burden of immigration around Europe.

TERRORISM: Three Eta suspects charged in French court
Three key members of the Basque separatist group Eta were charged by a French anti-terrorism judge Wednesday with theft, weapons possession and terrorism.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEWS HEADS - 9 July


IRAN: French ambassador 'speaks' with arrested teacher
Clotilde Reiss, a young French teacher detained in Tehran's Evin prison after she was accused by Iran of spying, was able to briefly speak with ambassador Bernard Poletti, a diplomatic source has told the AFP.

INTERNET: French Senate adopts amended version of anti-piracy bill
France's upper house has adopted an amended version of a hotly contested Internet piracy bill. This new version modifies the section on sanctions for offenders, which was struck down by France's Constitutional Council on June 10.

FRANCE: 'Barbarians gang' awaits verdict as trial ends
The trial of 27 people accused of abducting and killing Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Jewish salesman in 2006, ended on Wednesday with yet another provocation from the gang leader Youssof Fofana, who compared himself to a lion.

AVIATION: France calls for global blacklist after Comoros crash
In the aftermath of the June 30 crash of Yemenia Airbus A310, France has called for a world aviation blacklist of companies that fail to meet safety standards, warning the Yemeni carrier that its name is on the line.


~~~~~~

WEDNESDAY NEWS HEADS - 8 JULY

• AVIATION: France calls for global blacklist after Comoros crash
In the aftermath of the June 30 crash of Yemenia Airbus A310, France has called for a world aviation blacklist of companies that fail to meet safety standards, warning the Yemeni carrier that its name is on the line.

• JUSTICE: Sarkozy to release classified documents in Algeria monks case
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to release classified documents for an inquiry into the deaths of seven French monks in Algeria in 1996. One witness told investigators the Algerian Air Force had killed the monks 'by mistake.'

• G8 SUMMIT: Lula calls on G8 to include more countries
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged G8 countries to bring in new partners, such as China, India, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico, into their discussions, in an interview with FRANCE 24.

• IRAN: Paris demands immediate release of French academic
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Tuesday for the immediate release of a young French academic arrested last week in Iran for spying. Friends and relatives claim she is innocent.

• AVIATION: Yemenia threatens to reconsider Airbus order after fatal crash
Yemen's national carrier Yemenia has said it may reconsider an order to buy 10 Airbus A350s, accusing France of being uncooperative following last week's deadly crash off the Comoros islands.

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TUESDAY NEWS HEADS 7 July

• IRAN: France demands the immediate release of a French academic
Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, called for the immediate release of French academic arrested last week in Iran for spying as she prepared to board an aircraft to leave the country and return home.

• JUSTICE: Algerian army accused in massacre of French monks
A retired French general told a judge probing the 1996 killing of seven monks that Algerian army helicopters hunting Islamist rebels had opened fire on a camp and hit the abducted monks by mistake, according to French media reports.

• FRANCE - UK: In pre-G8 talks, Franco-British concord on climate change and Iran
A seemingly united Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy promised cooperation on climate change and the world economy at a Franco-British summit in the French town of Evian on Monday, ahead of the G8 summit on July 8.


RYANAIR wants passengers to STAND UP during flights
For more - go to travel page - click on travel button on the left of screen


LOCAL NEWS

Pezenas new one way system - stay alert as some of the main streets are now one way - watch out - some people haven't read the new signs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MONDAY NEWS HEADS 6 July

• FRANCE: Far right lose critical town hall election

France's far-right National Front party lost a chance Sunday to win its first town council in more than a decade when it came second in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, losing to a candidate backed by mainstream parties from right and left.

MARTYN TURNER take on the Russia/American pact to reduce armaments


Courtesy of the Irish Times
Martyn spends as much time as he can in Pouzolles - we thought you might like to know that!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUNDAY NEWS HEADS 5 july

• FRANCE: Police arrest three suspected ETA members
French police arrested Saturday three suspected members of the outlawed Basque separatist group ETA near the southern city of Pau, close to the Spanish border.
The two men and one women, all carrying a firearm, were picked up for driving a stolen vehicle in the Pau suburb of Idron, police said.

They were identified as Asier Borrero, Itziar Plaza and Iurgi Garitagoitia -- all three of whom were among the most wanted ETA figures still at large, according to Spanish media.

A judicial source described the arrests as "fortuitous", explaining that the suspects had been in a fast-food restaurant when "their suspicious behaviour... caught the attention of a police officer.

"Police carried out checks on their vehicle and found it to be stolen," the source added.

ETA, considered a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States, is blamed for the deaths of 825 people in its 40-year campaign to carve a Basque homeland out of northern Spain and southwestern France.

• EGYPT: Government claims it expelled 20 suspected French Islamists
An Egyptian security official said Saturday that the country had expelled about 20 French Muslims over the last month who were believed to be connected with an attack on Cairo's Kah al-Khalili bazaar in February.

~~

LOCAL NEWS

Maraussan - New Tourist Office opened in Cave Co-Op



Tourist officials for the Region, Departement and the town cut the ribbon on the new office, designed to provide a better welcome. Staff also speak splendid English - after a year in Galway she has a lovely lilt to her voice as well as a liking for Guinness.

The Co-op in Mairaussan has the distinction of being the first wine Co-op in France - created through the vision of Jean Jaures - lots of streets named after him - as he lead the French Socialist party in the early 20th century



Sadly the town has another distinction for on 13th of July 1920 a firework display got out of hand killing 7 young children and a teacher.
As a lasting memory to the dreadful loss fireworks have been banned in the town ever since - so this is probably the only town in Franch which has never - since 1920 - marked the national day with fireworks

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Saturday 4 July News Heads from France 24

• FRANCE: Train derails in south-west France, 13 injured
A passenger train derailed near the south-western French city of Limoges late Friday after ramming into a trailer, injuring 13 people with six suffering serious wounds, according to police officials.

• FRANCE: Cheb Mami gets five years jail in forced abortion case
A French court has sentenced Algerian-born rai singer Cheb Mami, also known as the "Prince of Rai", to five years in jail for attempting to force his ex-girlfriend to have an abortion in Algeria in 2005.

• EUROPEAN UNION: Sarkozy, Swedish PM hold talks on Europe
French President Nicolas Sarkozy (right, pictured with Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner) held talks in Stockholm with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country took over the rotating EU presidency on July 1.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
• COMOROS CRASH: Yemenia suspends flights to and from Marseille
After days of protests at the Marseille airport by angry Comorans following Tuesday’s plane crash off the Comoros islands, Yemenia Airways announced it was suspending flights to and from the Mediterranean port city.


AVIATION: Yemenia suspends flights to and from Marseille
After days of protests at the Marseilles airport by angry Comorans following Tuesday’s crash off the Comoros, Yemenia airlines announced it was suspending flights to and from the Mediterranean port city.

AVIATION: Sarkozy attends memorial for victims of Yemenia crash
French President Nicolas Sarkozy attended an inter-religious ceremony at a Paris mosque Thursday for victims of the doomed Yemenia flight, which crashed off the Comoros Tuesday.

IRAQ: French PM, corporate heads to meet with Iraqi leadership
French Prime Minister François Fillon (pictured) and Finance Minister Christine Lagarde are leading a delegation of French business leaders to Iraq for talks with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani.



FRANCR IMPORTS ELECTRICITY FROM UK

France is being forced to import electricity from Britain to cope with a summer heatwave that has helped to put a third of its nuclear power stations out of action.

With temperatures across much of France surging above 30C this week, EDF’s reactors are generating the lowest level of electricity in six years, forcing the state-owned utility to turn to Britain for additional capacity.

Fourteen of France’s 19 nuclear power stations are located inland and use river water rather than seawater for cooling. When water temperatures rise, EDF is forced to shut down the reactors to prevent their casings from exceeding 50C.

A spokesman for National Grid said that electricity flows from Britain to France during the peak demand yesterday morning were as high as 1,000MW — roughly equivalent to the output of Dungeness nuclear power station on the Kent coast.


AIR FRANCE CRASH - BBC News update

Air France jet 'broke on impact'

Search teams recovered 51 bodies from the crash area
French investigators trying to find out why an Air France plane crashed in the Atlantic say they believe it broke up on contact with water, not in the air.

They also found that the plane's speed sensors had been "a factor but not the cause" of the crash.
All 228 people on the plane were killed when it plunged into the ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on 1 June.
Teams looking for the plane's flight data recorders will continue operations for another 10 days.
Alain Bouillard, of France's BEA accident investigation agency, said the crash had been an extremely difficult one to understand.
"Between the surface of the water and 35,000ft [10,700m], we don't know what happened," Mr Bouillard said. "In the absence of the flight recorders, it is extremely difficult to draw conclusions."

But he said an examination of the recovered wreckage led them to believe the plane probably hit the water "in the direction of flight and with a strong vertical acceleration".
BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds said if the plane had broken up in the air, pieces of the fuselage would have been found twisted in a variety of directions.
Instead they showed signs of compression in one direction, resulting from the plane hitting the water on its belly.
Life jackets found in the wreckage had not been inflated, indicating that the passengers had little warning of a water landing.

Many factors
There has been speculation that the old-style speed sensors may have given the plane's pilots faulty information.
But Mr Bouillard said they had been "a factor but not the cause" of the crash.
In the wake of the crash, Air France accelerated an existing programme to replace speed monitors on its Airbus planes.
Mr Bouillard told reporters that investigators found "neither traces of fire nor traces of explosives."
He said there was also concern about the length of the delay - six hours - between the crew failing to contact air traffic controllers in Dakar, western Africa, as planned and the alarm being raised.
He said his team was "a long way from establishing the causes of the accident" but that the search for the Airbus A330's data recorders would be extended to 10 July.
The French investigation appears to contradict earlier reports attributed to Brazilian pathologists.
They said last month that the injuries sustained by the passengers whose bodies had been found suggested the plane had been in pieces before it hit the sea.
Mr Bouillard said France had not yet been given access to those autopsy reports.
Search teams have recovered 51 bodies from the ocean but said last month that finding any more remains was "impossible".

~~~~

COMOROS: Young survivor of Yemenia plane crash heads to Paris
A day after she was plucked from the sea, 12-year-old Bahia Bakari, the only known survivor of the doomed Yemenia Airlines plane that crashed off the Comoros, is flying back to Paris to join her father after surviving for 10 hours in the ocean.

FRANCE: VAT cut paves way for cheaper restaurant bills
French restaurants are expected to cut prices on meals and soft drinks after the government slashed value added tax from 19.6% to a lowly 5.5%. The move, approved by the European Union, follows years of French lobbying in Brussels.

EXCLUSIVE: 'I wish France had told us' about plane ban, says Comoros minister
The Comoran minister for transport told FRANCE 24 that French authorities had not informed his country that the doomed Airbus passenger jet was banned from French airspace, saying it was 'discrimination' to withhold a list of banned planes.


Wednesday News Heads 30 june from France 24 1 july

• FRANCE: Prosecutor seeks life for gang leader in anti-Semitism case
French prosecutors sought a life sentence for Youssouf Fofana, the leader of a Paris gang known as "The Barbarians" who kidnapped, tortured and murdered a young Jewish man in February 2006. The court's verdict is due on July 11.

• TERRORISM: Al Qaeda vows revenge for France's burqa warning
More than a week after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Islamic burqa was not welcome in France, a message allegedly posted by al Qaeda’s North African branch vowed of revenge against the country, according to a cyber security site.

• ISRAEL: Sarkozy’s alleged comments on Lieberman spark controversy
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement defending his ultranationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman following Israeli media reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Netanyahu to fire Lieberman.

LOCAL - Beziers new park opens by MAM mediateque



Work on knocking down the old "Albert Speer" look Post Office is being delayed by a little bit of French un-civil service but the Mayor told WoW work should start in the late autumn
Beziers is slcwly transforming itself - the developements by the railway station are coming on nicely so that the area looks a lot less run-down than before


• FRANCE: National Front in run-off to take northern French town hall
France's far-right National Front party, led by the controversial Jean-Marie le Pen and seconded by his daughter Marine took 39% of the town council vote Sunday in the town of Henin-Beaumont.

• JUSTICE: Rai singer Cheb Mami arrested at a Paris airport
Franco-Algerian rai star Cheb Mami was arrested on Monday at a Paris airport, after arriving from Algeria. The singer is due in court on Thursday, where he is accused of forcing an ex-companion to attempt an abortion.

~~~~~~~~

MONDAY NEWS HEADS - 29 juin

• FRANCE: Launch of national loan set for start of 2010, Fillon says
The largescale national loan outlined by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for financing domestic projects will be created at the beginning of 2010 and will help finance France's future, Prime Minister François Fillon said on Sunday.

The largescale national loan outlined by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for financing domestic projects will be created at the beginning of 2010, Prime Minister François Fillon announced on Sunday. Fillon emphasised that the loan was not a second recovery package but rather an investment in France's future.
"[The fund] will serve to outline our vision for France, that is to say, a post-financial crisis France," he said after a government meeting at the premier's head office at Matignon.
Regarding further discussions on the specifics of the fund that are set to begin on Wednesday, he pledged that the "great debate" over them would be concluded within the first two weeks of November and followed by the passage of better legislation to govern the nation's finances.
As to the "national priorities" that will benefit from the fund, Fillon said financing would be focused on projects that lend themselves to concrete, "targeted" plans with obvious financial and socioeconomic advantages. He cited sustainable development and ecologically sound ventures as possible examples, along with improvements and modernisations of the university system.
The premier warned, however, that the fund would not act as a "miracle solution" to all of France's budgetary problems.
In an attempt to quell fears that a national loan would simply mask the state’s massive debt, Fillon assured that France will also cut public spending at the same time as the loan is launched.
According to an Opinion Way survey, 56% of the French population is opposed to the idea of a national loan. 82% claim they don’t intend to subscribe to it.

~~~

SUNDAY NEWS HEADS - 28 juin

PARIS: Fillon says there is 'no other solution' than to raise the retirement age
French Prime Minister François Fillon said Saturday that the only way the government can make its retirement payments is to raise the retirement age from today's 60 years. Fillon has made lowering France's deficit a priority of his administration.

PARIS: Hundreds of thousands celebrate Gay Pride in Paris and Berlin
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Paris and Berlin to take part in Gay Pride parades and call for equal rights. US actress and diva Liza Minnelli lent her star power to the event ahead of a performance in the French capital.

MARTINIQUE: Sarkozy offers to hold referendum on greater autonomy
President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered to hold a referendum on greater autonomy for the island of Martinique, one of France's Caribbean territories plagued by unrest earlier this year over commodity shortages and the rising cost of living.

FRENCH FISHERMEN HIT BACK AT STARS BID TO SAVE TUNA

Threat to livelihood sparks anger in Mediterranean port as celebrities campaign over plight of species
Jason Burke in Marseille The Observer, Sunday 28

It has been a long few weeks for captain Jean-Louis Donnarel and the crew of the Provence-Côte d'Azur II. Long, rough and not very profitable. After sailing a total of 6,600 nautical miles - first to Cyprus, then the length of the Egyptian coast, to Malta, around the Balearics and then home - the Provence-Côte d'Azur II returned with 84 tonnes of bluefin tuna, a catch that will barely cover the costs of the voyage.

"We found fish on the last day," Donnarel said last week. "Without that, we would have been finished. Someone has to take a decision. Do they want us to fish or not? If not, they should put us out of our misery."

Donnarel and his crew are at the sharp end of an increasingly bitter row: one that links globally known restaurants, top celebrities, huge international conglomerates, sushi shops and supermarkets across half the world to the livelihoods of a few thousand fishermen.

At stake is the survival of the bluefin tuna, a single specimen of which can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars - a price that has seen stocks decline in some areas by up to 90%.

This month Sienna Miller, Elle Macpherson, Jemima Khan, Sting and others signed a letter to Nobu, a famous upmarket restaurant chain part-owned by Robert De Niro, threatening a boycott of their favourite haunt. Stephen Fry, one of the celebrity campaigners, wrote: "It's astounding lunacy to serve up endangered species for sushi. There's no justification for peddling extinction, yet that is exactly what Nobu is doing in restaurants around the world."

The restaurant has so far refused to take it off the menu, citing its cultural importance in Japan and "enormous demand", but the battle goes on. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Atlantic bluefin will be wiped out in three years unless radical action is taken.

Meanwhile, fishermen such as Donnarel are unimpressed by the celebrity-inspired pressure on their livelihoods. "We have become hooligans, bandits," said Donnarel. "Tuna fishing has become politically incorrect and we are pariahs. Once it was fine to fish; now it isn't."

And they are now being closely watched. When this year's season ends next week, France's fleet of tuna boats will have fished less than its quota of just over 3,000 tonnes. After seriously exceeding limits in previous years, a huge operation involving French navy ships, observers and constant monitoring of a boat's position and catch has meant "total control and total transparency", according to Bertand Wendeling, spokesmen for the 11 tuna boats working out of the French port of Sète.

Even the campaign groups agree that there have been "steps in the right direction", but they also say it may too little. too late.

Tuna fishing is managed by the Madrid-based International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Conservationists claim the body is primarily interested in protecting the fishing industries of its 45 member countries and they also allege that is ignores its own scientists' recommendations, setting quotas twice as high as those believed necessary to allow the bluefin to survive.

The EU has agreed that catches must be cut by 30% by 2010, but conservationists say this will not be enough to prevent the eventual "collapse" of stocks to levels from which recovery will be impossible.

"The real problem is not going to be solved by more controls," François Chartier, a French Greenpeace campaigner, said. "It is only going to be solved by better management. Both the number and the size of the bluefin currently fished remain in serious decline. There's not much time left."

The fishermen, while doubting the scientists' figures, know the boom times are over. For decades, prices for bluefin and other species such as the more common skipjack have risen and EU funds flowed into the industry. That was then.

"It's as if someone gave you a permit to build a house, helped you build it and then told you to knock it down," said Virginie Donnarel, the fisherman's daughter. "These are family businesses that employ scores of people. If they want to close us down, so be it. But it's only right that we are properly compensated."

The environmentalists deny claims that "coastal communities" need to be protected, alleging that many of the crews are recruited in Morocco or Benin and paid a pittance. Donnarel's crew, however, is all French. "Some of these guys can barely read or write. They will need proper retraining and new jobs," he said.

In fact, the big money is largely made by the major conglomerates that buy the Mediterranean tuna for export to the far east. Though the EU may be cracking down, many other fishing countries are not. Turkey, which has a large if inefficient fleet, is asking for a higher quota next year.

The one bright spot for the likes of Donnarel is the skipjack. Unlike the slow-breeding bluefin tuna, skipjack is smaller and spectacularly fecund: the "chicken of the seas" is most likely to be the tuna in your tin or sandwich. But it is a world away from the bluefin.

"As long as people want to eat bluefin, someone will fish it," said Donnarel. "It just probably won't be me."


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SATURDAY NEWS HEADS - 27 June - from France 24 the French News TV in English

MARTINIQUE: Sarkozy offers to hold referendum on greater autonomy
President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered to hold a referendum on greater autonomy for the island of Martinique, one of France's Caribbean territories plagued by unrest earlier this year over commodity shortages and the rising cost of living.

FRENCH CARIBBEAN: Sarkozy visits Guadeloupe to mend ties
After his visit in Martinique, French president Nicolas Sarkozy went to Guadeloupe on Friday. The small French Caribbean island was paralysed for six weeks last winter during a general strike over the spiralling cost of living.

Brazil Ends Search for Air France Wreckage, Victims
Bloomberg - USA
French ships are still searching for the plane's black boxes, according to Brazil's Air Force and Navy. The boxes may provide clues as to what caused the ...

Crisis Dominates Advertising Industry Meeting In Cannes
Ruth Bender CANNES, France (Dow Jones)--This year's meeting of the world's advertising market leaders in the French seaside town of Cannes is subdued as


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FRIDAY NEWS HEADS 26 JUIN - France 24 - the French News TV in English

• FRENCH CARIBBEAN: Sarkozy visits Martinique and Guadeloupe to quell discontent
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is visiting the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, four months after violent protests over rising costs of living. Sarkozy will participate in ongoing negotiations to calm the social strife.

• AIR FRANCE 447: Report on doomed Air France flight set for July 2
The French office in charge of investigating the disappearance of flight AF 447 over the Atlantic Ocean says it will publish an initial report on its findings on July 2.


HERAULT LOCAL - BROADBAND

Helping and supporting tourism with technology

By the end of July around 1,000 kms of fibre optic cables will have been laid in Herault to support faster and stronger broadband. Towards the end of the year the plan is to support 139 business zones and 173 public sites accessable by WiFi.
The 2 year project is designed to link hotels and other public sites with access from 2 – 54 Mbps – depending on distance.

Prices range from around €3,000 for a camping ground with 100 spaces down to €1,000 for hotels with less than 15 rooms.
More information should be available at Tourist offices or the departements tourism body on www.cdt-herault.fr


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THURSDAY NEWS HEADS 25 juin

• JUSTICE: Prosecutors target Total subsidiary in fertilizer blast trial
Prosecutors have requested a maximum fine for a subsidiary of energy giant Total on trial over one of western Europe's worst industrial accidents in recent years. In 2001, an explosion at a Toulouse fertilizer plant killed 31 people.

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Tuesday News Heads

• FRANCE: Sarkozy tackles financial crisis, burqa in landmark speech
French President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed hot potato issues such as the financial crisis and the Islamic burqa during an extraordinary speech to both houses of parliament at the Château de Versailles, the first such address in 150 years.

• MEXICO: Frenchwoman Florence Cassez to serve 60-year sentence in Mexico
Frenchwoman Florence Cassez, sentenced to 60 years of prison in Mexico for kidnapping, will not be repatriated to France, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has announced.

• AIR FRANCE 447: 11 bodies from crash identified, Brazilian officials say
Eleven of the 50 bodies recovered from an Air France plane that plunged into the Atlantic three weeks ago have been identified by fingerprints and dental records, officials say. The bodies were identified as "10 Brazilians and one foreigner."
...

PARIS French police arrest 20 in record jewellery heist case

French police probing a record heist at Harry Winston jewelers in Paris have arrested 20 people and recovered some of the 85 million euros worth of gems and jewellery
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HERAULT LOCAL NEWS



Herault Holiday "OSCARS"

Last night the Herault Tourist board awarded "Oscars" to the best quality hotels, restaurants, campsites and outdoor activities in the departement.

Tourism is crucial to Herault - ranked 4th for tourism in France and an industry which employs 3 times more people than the wine growing industry.

Winners had to score over 85% in a complex set of criteria.
See the winners at www.qualite-herault.fr
WoW can vouch for many of the recomendations - try them for yourself.

The improvements to the camping grounds were singled out this - costing near to €2 million Gignac, Salagou, Vendres Plages, Marseillan Plage and Vic la Gardiole have all had facelifts to improve the welcome, environment and safety of the sites.

Last nights awards had the style and panache of an excellent award ceremony.

WoW though noticed a couple of things - all the speakers were male (many of the winners were female) and no mention was made at all about non French visitors - but hey - you can't be perfect and the scheme underlines commitment and dedication.

Winners and friends enjoying a splendid buffet at Valmagne Abbey



Check out the website www.qualite-herault.fr

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MONDAY HEADLINES 22 juin - BBC News Headlines

SARKOZY speaks out against burka

Mr Sarkozy was speaking at a special session of parliament in Versailles
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out strongly against the wearing of the burka by Muslim women in France.
In a major policy speech, he said the burka - a garment covering women from head to toe - reduced them to servitude and undermined their dignity.
Mr Sarkozy also gave his backing to the establishment of a parliamentary commission to look at whether to ban the wearing of burkas in public.

In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarves in its state schools.
'Not welcome'
"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Mr Sarkozy told a special session of parliament in Versailles.
"That is not the idea that the French republic has of women's dignity.
"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic," the French president said.
But he stressed that France "must not fight the wrong battle", saying that "the Muslim religion must be respected as much as other religions" in the country.
A group of a cross-party lawmakers is already calling for a special inquiry into whether Muslim women who wear the burka is undermining French secularism, the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris says.
The lawmakers also want to examine whether women who wear the veil are doing so voluntarily or are being forced to cover themselves, our correspondent says.

Mr Sarkozy's speech, made possible by a constitutional amendment he introduced last year, was the first that a French president has made to parliament since the 19th century.
Later on Monday, Mr Sarkozy was expected to meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah al-Thani.
In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols from public schools, triggering heated debate in the country and abroad.
France is home to about five million Muslims.
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MONDAY HEADLINES 22 juin - News 24 TV

• AIR FRANCE 447: 11 bodies from crash identified, Brazilian officials say
Eleven of the 50 bodies recovered from an Air France plane that plunged into the Atlantic three weeks ago have been identified by fingerprints and dental records, officials say. The bodies were identified as "10 Brazilians and one foreigner."


• AVIATION: Helicopter crashes into mountain, kills 7 in eastern France
A helicopter crashed into a mountain in the Alpine region of eastern France Saturday, killing the pilot and six staff members of a theme park who were on leave.

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PARIS Even non-religious Muslims to form new groups in France
New Muslim groups are mushrooming in France, reflecting a growing disenchantment with the country's main Islamic organization and an openness to non-practicing Muslims.
The latest group, launched June 12, is a federation of some 40 Muslim associations dubbed Mosaic. It plans to offer a voice for secular Muslims — in the spirit of France's influential Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, or CRIF.."
It is estimated five to six million Muslims practice their faith is difficult to say — the government bans all official statistics based on religion or ethnic origin. But a number of surveys indicate that a solid chunk of Muslims here, possibly the majority, do not go to the mosque regularly or observe Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. France has the largest Islamic population in western Europe.
"We need to end this kind of nationalism. It doesn't serve Islam in France, it just divides people," said Benabdellah Soufari, who heads the dissident Francophone Community of the Muslim Faith, founded a few years ago.

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Friday News Heads - 19 June - from News 24

FRANCE: 'Frozen babies' mother gets eight years in jail
A French woman has been sentenced to eight years in jail for killing three of her newborn babies, burning one corpse and hiding the others in a freezer.

SWITZERLAND: French banker's lover sentenced to eight years for his murder
A Swiss court on Thursday handed down a sentence of eight years imprisonment to Frenchwoman Cecile Brossard, who shot prominent French banker Edouard Stern dead during a latex-clad sado-masochistic sex session four years ago.

FRANCE: Muslim council slams call for burqa inquiry
France's Muslim council has hit out a lawmakers' call for an inquiry into the spread of burqas, Islamic veils that cover women from head to toes, warning not to "stigmatise" the country's five million Muslims.

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THURSDAY NEWS HEADS - 18 JUIN from News 24

• FINANCIAL CRISIS: Michelin slashes 1,093 jobs in France
French tyre manufacturing giant Michelin has announced 1,093 job cuts from 2010 as well as a programme to allow 1,800 voluntary redundancies over the next three years. It will also close a factory in the north of the country.

• AF 447: French investigators urge prudence, patience during crash inquiry
The director of the French body investigating the crash of Air France flight 447 has urged the public to be "prudent and very patient" in awaiting the results of the inquiry. The flight vanished over the Atlantic on June 1 en route from Rio to Paris.

• FRANCE: Prosecutor wants 10 years behind bars for mother in 'frozen baby' trial
Prosecuting attorney Philippe Varin has called for 10 years behind bars for Véronique Courjault, the Frenchwoman on trial in Tours since June 9, charged with murdering three of her infant children.

• FRANCE: Swiss court finds Cécile Brossard guilty in murder of Edouard Stern
A Swiss court has found Cecile Brossard, who shot prominent French banker Edouard Stern dead during a latex-clad sado-masochistic sex session four years ago, guilty of murder. Brossard now faces a maximum of 20 years in jail.


WEDNESDAY NEWS HEADS - 17 JUIN from News 24


• AF 447: Victims' families call for more information
As the AF 447 crash investigation enters its third week, families of the victims are growing impatient to know more details. On Tuesday, searchers found another body, bringing the total to 50, said the Brazilian navy.

• FRANCE: Sarkozy denounces 'fraud' in Iran elections
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has questioned the legitimacy of Iran's election, saying the "extent of the fraud" was "proportional to the violent reaction" there. Tehran has seen massive protests since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner.

• FRANCE: Court urged to shut down Church of Scientology
French prosecutors have asked a court to shut down the Church of Scientology in France and hand its leaders huge fines and suspended jail sentences for using "fraudulent" tactics to recruit followers. Scientology is considered a sect in France.


Boost for English language France Telecom helpline
By Craig McGinty in www.thisfrenchlife.com/
A COUPLE of comments have been left on a story from the archive about contacting the English language helpline from France Telecom.
For quite some time people have been struggling to get through, although others have been successful, but it has now received some additional support staff.
The helpline number 0800 364 775 is available for people throughout France, and is open from Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 8pm.
You are provided with two choices, option one takes you through to people who can help with billing enquiries and sales, while option two offers technical advice on internet access.
If you are having problems with the actual telephone line then there is an online fault reporting service.

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TUESDAY News Heads from France 24 French News Service in English

PARIS AIR SHOW: Recession, rain mar opening day
The Paris Air Show took off with a gloomy start with aviation manufacturers scrambling for big deals. Airbus was the big winner on the first day after winning a big order from Qatar Airways for 24 medium-haul A320 planes.

JUSTICE: Prosecutor seeks dissolution of Scientology in France
A French state prosecutor urged a Paris court to dissolve the country's Scientology branch when it rules on charges of fraud against the organisation. The case centres on complaints filed by members who spent huge sums on Scientology courses.

INFLUENZA A (H1N1): Seven home-grown cases reported in Toulouse
A school near the French city of Toulouse in southwestern France has been closed, after a group of children fell ill with the A (H1N1) virus. The cases appear to be the first in the country that hasn't been brought in from abroad.

LABOUR CONFERENCE: Sarkozy calls for more regulation of world economy
Speaking to a meeting of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, French President Nicolas Sarkozy stressed the need for more regulation of the world's economy if leaders wanted to stem social unrest.

HEALTH: First hands and face transplant patient dies in follow-up surgery
A 30-year-old man who received a simultaneous transplant of his face and both hands in groundbreaking surgery in April has died during a follow-up operation, hospital officials announced on Monday.

AIR FRANCW switches to new plane speed sensors

PARIS (AP) — Air France has replaced the air speed sensors on its entire fleet of Airbus A330 and A340 long-haul aircraft, a pilots' union official said Monday. The company had been under pressure from pilots who feared the devices could be linked to the crash of Flight 447.


MONDAY 15th News Heads

• FRANCE: Paris Air Show marks 100th anniversary under a cloud
The world's biggest air show opens in Paris on Monday amid a tense time for global aviation due to the financial crisis and the crash of Air France flight 44F, an A330 model. Aircraft maker Airbus warned of a possible fall in its orders this year.

• AIR FRANCE 447: Recovered debris suggests jet crashed suddenly
Debris recovered from Air France flight 447 seems to indicate that the plane plunged suddenly into the Atlantic Ocean -- catching passengers and crew by surprise -- and did not explode in the sky, Brazilian experts have said.

• FRANCE: Farmers end blockade after government vows response
French farmers protesting against margins earned by supermarkets on common food products have said they would stop blockading retail warehouses after the government promised a series of measures to address the issue.

• AEROSPACE: Haunted by plane crash, Airbus issues slowdown warning
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it may not reach its sales targets for aircrafts in 2009, ahead of the opening of the Paris Air Show. The puzzling crash of one of its A330 models has cast a cloud over the annual industry event.

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SUNDAY 14th News Heads

• AIR FRANCE 447: Recovered debris suggests jet crashed suddenly
Debris recovered from Air France flight 447 seems to indicate that the plane plunged suddenly into the Atlantic Ocean -- catching passengers and crew by surprise -- and did not explode in the sky, Brazilian experts have said.

• FRANCE: Farmers end blockade after government vows response
French farmers protesting against margins earned by supermarkets on common food products have said they would stop blockading retail warehouses after the government promised a series of measures to address the issue.

• FRANCE: Unions take to the streets for last protest before summer
French unions demonstrated Saturday in protest against the government’s handling of the economic crisis. It will be the fifth such day since the start of the crisis, and the last before the summer holidays.

• SAUDI ARABIA: Princess sets off alarm in Paris over alleged unpaid bills
Maha al-Sudairi, wife of Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, has allegedly left a trail of unpaid bills during a Paris shopping spree. Bailiffs turned up at her hotel room to recover an outstanding bill of €89,000 (US$125,000).


Saturday News heads 13 jne - From France 24 tv

• AIR FRANCE 447: Six new bodies recovered from crash
A French navy ship has retrieved six more bodies from the Atlantic Ocean where an Air France airliner went down nearly two weeks ago, a Brazilian military spokesman said. The find brings to 50 the number of bodies recovered.

• INFLUENZA A (H1N1): France will not raise flu alert level, says health minister
France's Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot says the spread of swine flu across France is too moderate to justify raising the country's alert level, despite the World Health Organisation's decision to declare a global pandemic


PARIS AIR SHOW : Not Much of a Party

Declining air traffic, aircraft production delays, and the Air France crash make for a sullen mood at the 2009 Paris Air Show

The mood is grim as global aerospace leaders gather for the June 15 opening of the Paris Air Show. And the scarcity of new orders is the least of their worries.
With passenger traffic worldwide expected to decline 8% this year, aircraft buyers are canceling or delaying orders, forcing airplane makers and their suppliers to curtail production and furlough workers. The cutbacks affect nearly every sector of the business, from small private planes to corporate and commuter jets, to the big Boeing (BA) and Airbus (EAD.PA) widebodies flown on international routes.
Things probably won't start to improve before 2011, says Randy Tinseth, vice-president for marketing at Boeing's commercial airplane unit. "There are fewer planes flying now than a year ago," Tinseth said at a Paris briefing, calling the situation "the most difficult we've seen in years."
Adding to the gloom are costly production delays on aircraft, including Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and the A400M military transport plane that its European rival Airbus is building. All this, while three major players in French aviation are dealing with tragedy: the still unexplained May 31 crash of an Airbus A330, killing all 228 people aboard, on an Air France (AIRF.PA) flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Airspeed sensors known as pitot tubes, made by French defense electronic group Thales (TCFP.PA), have been identified as a possible factor in the accident.
Cancellations Galore
As the air show opens, Airbus is slightly ahead of Boeing on orders for the year. Since Jan. 1, the European planemaker has booked a net total of 11 orders, after 21 were canceled. Boeing has netted only 7, after 66 cancellations, including 45 cancellations of the forthcoming 787.
The numbers are paltry—but racing to win more business could be risky. Any airlines shopping now—such as United Airlines (UAUA) is reportedly doing—are likely to demand rock-bottom prices. "The game is no longer about orders; it's about backlog management and program execution," says Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with Fairfax (Va.)-based Teal Group.

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FRIDAY NEWS HEADS 12 JUNE

FRANCE: Huge French job losses in first quarter
The continuing economic crisis ensured a further 187,800 French job losses in the first quarter of this year, a figure twice as high as for the whole of 2008, according to French statistics institute INSEE. Unemployment now stands at 8.7 percent.


FRANCE: Saudi princess failed to pay bills, shopkeepers claim
Saudi princess Maha Al Sudairi has been accused of failing to pay her bills in French boutiques. The unhappy French shopkeepers in question have gathered outside the luxury Hotel George V where the princess is staying.


THURSDAY NEWS HEADS 11 JUNE


• FRANCE - SWITZERLAND: French woman says SM murder was a 'crime of passion'
Cécile Brossard said her murder of French banking heir Edouard Stern was a "crime of passion" at the opening of her high-profile trial in Geneva. She admitted shooting him four times after a kinky sex session and an argument over $1 million.

• ART: Picasso drawings worth €8 million stolen in Paris
A sketchbook of drawings by Pablo Picasso was stolen from the Picasso Museum in central Paris. Officials said the sketchbook, worth an estimated €8 million, was found missing on Tuesday morning.

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WEDNESDAY NEWS HEADS 10 JUNE FROM NEWS 24 - French News in English


• FRANCE - BANKING: French Senate approves key banking merger
France's Senate approved a merger between Caisse d'Epargne and Banque Populaire on Tuesday, clearing the way for the creation of France's second-biggest bank. It was passed by the lower house of parliament in May.

• EU French winemakers hail decision to uphold ban on rosé blending
The Commission has dropped its plans to allow rosé wine to be made by blending red and white wines. The decision follows intense lobbying efforts by European wine producers, who felt that mixing the wines would undermine the value of rosé.

• FRANCE: French mother breaks down during grisly 'frozen baby' trial
A Frenchwoman who confessed to a grisly infanticide broke down in tears at the opening of her trial. Veronique Courjault faces life in jail after killing three newborn babies and hiding two corpses in the freezer of her expat home in South Korea.


FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTS - compensation at last

Nearly 40 years after the first of its 210 nuclear tests, France is preparing to compensate people affected by the fallout. The move leaves the UK isolated in its policy of rejecting liability for illnesses suffered by test participants, reports Aidan Lewis.
Early in the morning of 13 February, 1960, several thousand French servicemen gathered in the Algerian Sahara to witness "Gerboise Bleue" or "Blue Desert Rat", an atmospheric nuclear explosion four times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
This was the moment France obtained its nuclear deterrent, to the great joy of the president of the time, Charles de Gaulle.
But the test programme it launched also exposed participants and local populations to potentially lethal radiation.
Both groups claim that they have been plagued by health problems, from aggressive cancers to minor cardio-vascular complaints.
Yet the secrecy surrounding the test programme and the difficulty of scientifically proving a link between radiation and illnesses that often emerged decades later have complicated their struggle for compensation.
Slow progress
Only now, with many of the veterans dead or dying, is the French government drawing up a bill that starts to satisfy their demands.
Hitherto, France and the UK stood side by side in denying general liability for health problems suffered by those present at the tests.
Of the major powers that tested nuclear weapons during the Cold War:
• The US system offers one-off payments or healthcare costs to military and civilian test workers; the government has also made $45m (£28m) available to people affected by testing on the Bikini and Enewetak atolls in the Marshall Islands
• In Russia, the government passed a series of decrees in 2004 that provide healthcare and a small monthly payment to test participants, though there is no blanket compensation scheme; the government of Kazakhstan, home to the former Soviet test site of Semipalatinsk, has been paying compensation to the local population there
• In China, the government is thought to have a secret programme to compensate nuclear test personnel, but it has avoided any public discussion of the issue
• In the UK, the government has maintained that there is no evidence of abnormal levels of illness in test veterans. It has said it compensates where liability is proven, but argued that claims currently being made were brought too late.
The High Court in London ruled on Friday that a group of more than 1,000 veterans has the right to sue the Ministry of Defence for compensation, but the case is likely to take years to reach any conclusion.
France's 'conscience'
The French government long blocked compensation claims by systematically appealing - usually with success - against occasional court victories by veterans.
The new bill would offer money to people present at tests - which continued until 1996 - who have contracted one of 18 types of cancer designated by the UN. This brings France broadly into line with the US.

After presenting the bill to the cabinet late last month, Defence Minister Herve Morin said that if the government had moved sooner, the effect could have been like "sticking a pin in a balloon".
"For a very long time, engaging in a process of compensating the victims of nuclear tests was to risk weakening this colossal effort that France made to give itself a nuclear weapon, and thus to preserve its sovereignty," he said.
But he also acknowledged the "physical and psychological distress" of the veterans, and the need for France to "put its conscience at rest".
Continuing struggle
"For decades they told us that unlike others, the French nuclear tests were clean, and that there were no health consequences for the veterans or the local populations," says Jean-Paul Teissoniere, a lawyer who has represented the veterans.
"Today they are telling us that there are several hundred victims to be compensated - in reality we think there are more - but the act of recognising that the French tests were toxic and caused illnesses is in itself a new phenomenon that we welcome."
The government's plan follows a gradual acceptance in the scientific and medical community that even people who received relatively low doses of radiation could suffer health problems.

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TUESDAY NEWS HEADS 9th JUNE

French Union Urges Refusal of A330s With Old Sensors

June 8 (Bloomberg) -- An Air France union urged pilots to refuse to fly Airbus aircraft fitted with an airspeed sensor implicated in the June 1 crash, which prompted US Airways Group Inc. and Aer Lingus Group Plc to upgrade their planes.
Alter, the Paris-based carrier’s third-largest pilots’ union, said it “deplores” Air France’s decision to continue operating twin-aisle Airbus A330 and A340 models while replacing the older sensors, made by Thales SA, over coming weeks. The labor group said members should agree to fly A330s only when at least two of the three probes have been upgraded.
FULL STORY IN TRAVEL EVENTS & THINGS TO DO

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• AIR FRANCE 447: Tail section, 24 bodies recovered from crash site
Searchers have recovered 24 bodies and a section of the tail fin of the Air France 447 jet that disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean nearly a week ago, while investigators probe whether a defective speedometer caused the tragedy.

• FRANCE: Court fines energy giant GDF Suez over deadly gas blast
A French court has fined energy giant GDF Suez 232,500 euros for manslaughter and causing injury in a gas explosion that killed 18 people in 2004 in the eastern city of Mulhouse. The company's lawyer said it would not appeal.

• CHINA - DIPLOMACY: Beijing condemns Dalai Lama Paris honour
China has condemned authorities in Paris for making Tibet's exiled spiritual leader an honorary citizen, calling the gesture a "grave interference" in Sino-French ties. The news comes at a time of already shaky relations between China and France.


EU Comission has abandoned it weird plan – hated in France – to allow Rose wine to be made by mixing Red and White wines together.
Hailed as a return to common sense by Georges Freche – the President of Languedoc Roussillon Region

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MONDAY NEWS HEADS

• EU ELECTIONS: Sarkozy's rightwing ruling party thrashes Socialists
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party has crushed the Socialists in Sunday's EU elections by winning 28 percent of the vote, estimates show. The Socialists scored 17 percent, three points ahead of the green party.

• EU ELECTIONS: Conservative parties clean up in EU poll
Conservative parties decisively beat Socialists in the EU parliamentary elections which ended Sunday, marred by a new record-low turnout. Significant gains were made by far-right parties across Europe.

• FRANCE: Dalai Lama receives honorary citizenship in Paris
The French capital has granted exiled Tibetan leader honorary citizenship, despite China's opposition. Relations between France and China were already frayed by pro-Tibet protests during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

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SUNDAY NEWS HEADS FROM FRANCE 24 and Google News

President Obama Takes Wife Michelle Out to Dinner in Paris
Bloomberg - USA
The presidential couple, without their two daughters, arrived for supper yesterday at La Fontaine de Mars, a traditional French bistro with red-and-white table cloths

• FRANCE: D-Day changed the course of history, says Obama in Normandy
US President Barack Obama praised WWII veterans who took part in D-Day landings in 1944, saying their struggle for "a slice of beach" had changed the course of history, as leaders gathered for the 65th anniversary of the landings.

• AIR FRANCE 447: Two bodies retrieved, as investigators look into faulty speed sensors
Search crews retrieved the first bodies from Air France flight 447 in the Atlantic, while French investigators trying to establish the cause of the crash said faulty speed readings had been found on the same type of jets.

• FRANCE: Dalai Lama in Paris to receive honorary citizenship
The Dalai Lama has arrived in Paris on an eagerly awaited leg of his European tour. The exiled Tibetan leader will be named an honorary citizen of the French capital, in a move likely to provoke renewed tension between France and China.

RYANAIR – plan to remove loos from planes
Charging £1 for loo use (go before you take off says O’Leary – the flights don’t last more than 1.5 hours) – will mean 2 loos will be taken out of the plane leaving room for 6 more seats.

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• Obama expected in Normandy for D-Day commemorations
US President Barack Obama joins French and British leaders and World War II veterans to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. The eagerly awaited star guest of the commemorations will deliver a speech before 9,000 people.

• AIR FRANCE 447: France opens judicial probe into Air France crash
French investigators say the systems on board Air France flight 447 were giving conflicting readings before it disappeared on Monday in the Atlantic Ocean. France has meanwhile opened a judicial probe into the accident.

• FRANCE: Agreement reached on price of milk
After three weeks of protests, French dairy producers agreed on a deal fixing the price of milk for this year, raising the average price per litre to 2.80 euros. The main French farm union said the agreement was "unsatisfactory but essential".

• UK: Britons found guilty of brutal French student murders
Britons Daniel Sonnex and Nigel Farmer were convicted by a London criminal court of murder, false imprisonment and arson. They had brutally stabbed two French students to death and set fire to their flat to destroy the evidence.

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AIR FRANCE 447: Brazilian official says evidence suggests no explosion
Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said the existence of fuel stains in the water likely ruled out an explosion, undercutting speculation about a bomb attack, as search crews flying over the Atlantic continued to find debris.

AIR FRANCE 447: Relatives of victims to visit Atlantic crash zone
Relatives of the AF 447 victims will be allowed to fly over the crash zone in the Atlantic, Jean-Louis Borloo, France's transport minister, said on Tuesday. He called the search for the wreckage "a race against the clock".

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French players' names in Braille on jerseys
The Associated Press
SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) — France players took the field for Tuesday's friendly against Nigeria with their names written in Braille on the back of their jerseys.
The team is marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of French inventor Louis Braille.
Braille, who was born in 1809 and blinded three years later, invented a system used by the blind for reading and writing which has since been adapted to almost every language.
The French team's initiative is in partnership with the French federation for the blind, and some of the jerseys will be sold at auction.

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D-Day commemoration fiasco

Prince Charles to go to D-Day landings after invitation from President Sarkozy
The Prince of Wales is to attend the 65th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings after an 11th-hour invitation from President Sarkozy of France.

Daily Telgraph By Andrew Pierce
Published: 5:06PM BST 03 Jun 2009
The Daily Telegraph disclosed the change of heart came after the intervention of President Obama and after the Prince of Wales told the Queen he would like to go.
The Prince had become increasingly frustrated that no member of the Royal Family had been invited by the Elysee Palace to attend a series of events in Normandy on Saturday.

Discreet talks began between Clarence House and the Elysee Palace over the weekend and an official invitation was received on Tuesday morning.
It came only hours after President Obama, who will be at the celebrations, had expressed a wish for the Queen to be present. Late on Monday night, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said: "We are working with those involved to see that it happens."
Senior members of the Royal household privately blame Downing Street and the Foreign Office for what has rapidly degenerated into a diplomatic shambles and also triggered criticism from veterans of D-Day that the Royal Family had been excluded.
One senior Whitehall source said: "This should have been sorted out a long time ago. I think President Sarkozy initially wanted it to be principally a Franco-American event. But it is just as important that Britain was represented at the highest level. The Queen, after all, is the only head of state who lived through the war and knows the veterans."
After urgent talks in the last 48 hours it has been agreed that the Prince will attend the main commemoration with President Obama and Gordon Brown. At the weekend the Queen was embarrassed by remarks made by Mr Brown that he had "done his public duty" by accepting an invitation from President Sarkozy.
In an interview on the BBC, Mr Brown said: "If the Queen wanted to attend these events, or if any member of the Royal family wanted to attend these events, I would make that possible." His comments came after Buckingham Palace took the unusual decision last week to issue a statement confirming that neither the Queen, who is head of state and head of the Armed Forces, nor any senior member of the Royal Family will join 800 British veterans paying tribute to comrades who died on the beaches and battlefields of northern France in 1944.
Officials at the Elysee Palace in Paris insisted that the Queen would have been welcome and said it was up to the UK Government to decide who should attend. Downing Street had claimed it was a matter for Buckingham Palace but sources close to the Royal household said protocol dictated that the monarch has to be formally asked to visit a country.
"The Queen cannot just ask for an invitation. One has to be forthcoming," the Royal household source said
The Whitehall source agreed and said: "This has not been our finest diplomatic moment. This had put the Queen in an impossible position."
The Prince of Wales, who met President Sarkozy during the French State visit last year, also had a private dinner with him and his wife at the Elysee Palace in November. The President also attended one of the Prince's rainforest projects during the G20 summit.
The June 6 1944 Normandy landings saw thousands of Allied troops pour on to the beaches of occupied France and marked a strategic turning point in the war against Germany.
For the 60th anniversary of the invasion in 2004, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales all attended commemoration events in France.

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This D-Day fiasco was made at No 10
Ultimately, it is Gordon Brown's fault that the Queen has been slighted

Liz Hunt Daily Telgraph
Published: 7:53PM BST 02 Jun 2009
Comments 4 | Comment on this article
We will never know what the Queen truly thinks about the disaster of diplomacy and protocol now casting a pall over British celebrations to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day. That is not her way. But by God, she has every right to be incandescent about it – and so do we.
With four days to go, Her Majesty was catapulted into an unseemly tug of love, as her Prime Minister and the President of the United States fought to be the fairy godmother who would enable her to go to Normandy after all.

As criticism mounted at the apparent failure of the French to extend her an invitation, Gordon Brown said that if any members of the Royal family found themselves at a loose end on Saturday, and felt like popping across the Channel, he "would ensure that it would happen". It was too little, too late, prompting Barack Obama to seize the initiative. His spokesman claimed that the President was "working with those involved" to get the Queen there. This was an unprecedented intervention, and a generous one – there aren't many votes in it for Mr Obama, but it was no doubt in recognition of the warm reception he and his wife received from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace earlier this year.
But the fact that Obama felt compelled to step in highlights the catastrophic failing of the Queen's own Government, and, most notably, her first minister, to resolve this matter sooner. To the Americans, Her Majesty is just another celebrity, who might welcome another red carpet photo-opportunity alongside their guy. Her role as head of state of both Britain and Canada – countries that provided more than half the forces fighting on June 6, 1944 – would not have registered.
It should, of course, have registered with Mr Brown. The Queen should never have been placed in this position. Prince Charles's presence is a last-minute face-saving fudge initiated by his aides to spare his mother any greater embarrassment.
I'm no fan of Nicolas Sarkozy, who has at times appeared only marginally less ridiculous than Silvio Berlusconi. But to blame him for failing to invite the Queen is wrong. It was the responsibility of her Government to monitor events, and secure an invitation for her if necessary. Until a few weeks ago, the anniversary of D-Day was intended to be a low-key affair, unlike the 40th, 50th and 60th celebrations (to which the Queen was invited). Then Obama let it be known he wished to attend, and Sarkozy obviously wasn't going to miss out.
In Britain, the event was already taking on greater significance, publicly and politically. It had become clear that, with an average age of 84 years and nine months, the veterans would, in many cases, be attending for the last time. At this stage, the Government should have at least considered that the Queen or another senior member of her family might wish to go, and have liaised with the French to facilitate it. Yet it was only when Brown decided to muscle in the Obama/Sarko get-together that it became such a monumental diplomatic disaster, as people demanded to know why the Queen wouldn't be there.
It should have been foreseen. And that it wasn't is a perfect illustration of Brown's utter indifference to the monarch, to the
D-Day veterans, and to the public who now, more than ever, appreciate the lifetime of service the Queen has given this country. Her example is in stark contrast to the antics of the venal jobsworths at Westminster who have so poisoned political life.
French officials, confident that they are absolved from any failure of entente cordiale, are bemused by the turn of events. "The planning for the original D-Day was mostly British, I believe," one official has said. "We can only be grateful that"!

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• AVIATION: French, Brazilian military planes search Atlantic for Airbus crash survivors
French and Brazilian military planes are scouring areas of the Atlantic ocean where an Air France plane may have come down. Airline sources say there is little chance that anyone would have survived. The Airbus A330 was carrying 228 people.




• EMPLOYMENT LAW: New French unemployment benefit law comes into effect
Twenty years after its creation, France's RMI unemployment benefits program is being replaced by the RSA, which will cover an additional 1.8 million people and bring the "working poor" in its fold.

• IMMIGRATION: French NGO aiding illegal immigrants wins court case
The French government suffered a setback on Saturday in a battle with Cimade, an NGO that offers legal advice to immigrants faced with deportation.

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Why the world is shunning French wine for Australian labels

The world's long-time supreme winemaker, France has slipped from first place to third among wine exporters in the past four years, leaving Italy and Spain in the lead. At the same time, wines from the New World are going from strength to strength. The major difference - marketing. Our Observer, a Frenchman studying the business of wine in Australia, explains.
The most obvious difference is the way the New World labels its products"
Benoît Pétry, 24, from Nice, is studying the wine business at Adelaide University, Australia.
While French wines are finding themselves increasingly out of favour with the world, the number of wine-producing countries is increasing (it is expected that world wine production will increase by 4% between 2008-2012). Who would have thought that while wine production in India, China and Argentina is increasing, in France it's declining? These countries are increasing their share in the most important wine markets (e.g., the UK and the US). The New World is gaining shares through big wine companies (like Constellation and Foster's). These companies are successful because they're big enough to be able to invest heavily in marketing, and they provide the distribution sector with a constant supply of wine that sustains a relatively constant taste and quality.
Marketing is the New World's best weapon in challenging the Old World. French producers are not the best when it comes to marketing strategies, and they keep on selling wine like they always have. The most obvious difference is the way the New World labels its products: simple, easy to read and consumer friendly; you do not have to be an expert to know how to read the label. The New World labelling system is not restricted by law like it is in France.
French wine experts place more emphasis on the region where the wine was produced than on the type of grape, as if the terroir were the most important factor when it comes to the taste of wine. Of course, nobody can deny that the terroir is an important factor, but it is the grape variety that really makes the taste of the wine. If you add more Merlot or Cabernet franc to Cabernet Sauvignon (a common mix) and plant it in exactly the same vineyard as a differently proportioned blend, the wine will have a very different taste. The New World, however, has lessened the importance of the terroir notion (climate, soil type, length of exposure to sunlight) and increased the importance of grape variety.
While you won't often find the grape variety on a French bottle (see pic), Australian wineries always display the grape type and not necessarily the region. Consumers love that! First, it's easier to understand; what is in the bottle is no longer a mystery. It is the French government based AOC system, or "controlled term of origin" which regulates how wineries present their product. Each AOC is a region in France which is certified for a certain production (for example, Côte du Rhône, Champagne, Châteauneuf-du-Pape).
Xavier de Eizaguirre, president of the international wine exposition Vinexpo, argued that with about 500 AOCs in total, the system is perceived as too complicated. In the AOC region of Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe for example, growers are allowed to use 12 different types of grape. Only an absolute expert would be able to determine a wine from knowing its AOC.
Wine is indeed a complex product, characterized by different attributes such as region, variety of grape, winemaker, winery and wine style. And that's exactly why a bottle of wine should help the consumer - connoisseur or not - to get all the basic information related to the wine in the bottle in order to help them to buy a bottle of wine that they are more likely to enjoy, and therefore buy more of."

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SATURDAY NEWS - From AFP

QUEEN NOT INVITED

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States waded into the murky waters of an Anglo-French diplomatic ruckus Friday, supporting the presence of Britain's Queen Elizabeth at an upcoming D-Day remembrance event in Normandy.



The White House, jettisoning a long-vaunted US reluctance to enter the squabbles of European courts, said it would like to see the British monarch attend the event on June 6, when President Barack Obama will be present.

"I think that there is no doubt her contribution and her presence would be important," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, telling reporters "we are not in charge of the guests list, I can assure you that."

The D-Day celebrations mark the anniversary of the allied landings in France, then occupied by Nazi Germany, in 1944 that marked a vital turning point in the course of World War II.

Buckingham Palace said it was not invited to the 65th anniversary commemorations, as one London newspaper reported "Palace Fury At D-Day Snub To Queen."

The British royal family has indicated that none of its members will attend the event, absent an invitation.
France has insisted Elizabeth II would be welcome to attend the ceremony, denying reports that she had been overlooked.
Paris said an invitation had been extended to the British government and it was up to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to decide who would attend.

"The Queen of England, as British head of state, is naturally welcome," said French government spokesman Luc Chatel.

"It's not up to France to decide who will represent Britain," he said.
_______________________________________________________________________


Queen centre of blame game

“Yes we did invite the Queen” say the French

“No you didn’t” say the Palace.

It was up to number 10, says Kevin - WoW protocol correspondent.

“We asked the UK to send representatives” say the French – “it is their country we expected them to decide.”

“Queen should be there” say White House spokesman

Just when you thought it could not get any worse for Mr Brown he makes another stunning decision – or fails to make one at all or is setting up an enquiry to recommend a decision or………………...

His spokesman said “he acted entirely within the rules – he denies any wrongdoing”.

Was that a snigger we heard from the top of the Mall?

Mr Brown though did say on the Andrew Marr show this morning that "if the Queen would like to go I will do all in my power to help her"

Dammned fine offer eh?

AA Gill is away

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SATURDAY NEWS - From France 24 TV

ADOPTION :
Zoe's Ark organisation brought to trial in France
A French court source said Friday that the organisation Zoe's Ark was brought to trial Thursday for removing Chadian children for adoption purposes in 2008, falsely passing off the children as Sudanese orphans.

SCHOOLS are to be allowed to search pupils' bags for weapons
School staff will be allowed to search pupils' bags for weapons and special teams will be set up to stop violence in schools where discipline is failing, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced.


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NEWS - Friday From France 24 TV

• HUMAN RIGHTS: Amnesty accuses French police of brutality
Human rights organisation Amnesty International has published its 2009 report, in which it accuses French police of acting in a manner that "does not conform with international norms," and of going unpunished for their brutality.

• FRANCE: French customs take record cocaine haul
French customs have seized a record 684 kilos of cocaine worth 27 million euros during a routine motorway check on a British-registered truck which had crossed from Spain. The truck was stopped on the A9 but was clearly not en-route to the Languedoc Sun Forum.

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NEWS - Thursday – From France 24 TV

• HUMAN RIGHTS: Amnesty accuses French police of brutality
Human rights organisation Amnesty International has published its 2009 report, in which it accuses French police of acting in a manner that "does not conform with international norms," and of going unpunished for their brutality.

• JUSTICE: Former Paris mayor Tiberi given suspended sentence for vote rigging
A court in Paris has handed former Paris mayor Jean Tiberi a suspended one-year prison sentence and fined him €10,000 for vote rigging. Tiberi was accused of adding thousands of fake voters to electoral rolls in 1995 and 1997.

• FRANCE - UK: Paris denies reports of snubbing Queen Elizabeth for D-Day
A French government spokesman has denied reports that Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was not invited to a commemoration of the D-Day landings at Normandy. A Buckingham Palace spokesman had said they had not received an invitation.


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NEWS HEADS ARCHIVES from France 24 - Eng lang TV station

Scientology trial due in France

The Church says it cannot be responsible for individuals
The Church of Scientology is set to go on trial in France, accused of organised fraud.

The case centres on a complaint by a woman who says she was pressured into paying large sums of money after being offered a free personality test.

A lawyer for the church says it will fight the charges and deny that any mental manipulation took place.

France regards the organisation as a sect, and correspondents say it could be banned if it loses the case.

It will be the first time the church has appeared as a defendant in a fraud case in France. Previous court cases have involved individual Scientologists.

The woman at the centre of the case says she was approached by church members in Paris and offered a free personality test, but she ended up spending all her savings on books, medicines and the electronic metre that is part of the paraphernalia of Scientology.
Her lawyers will argue that the church systematically seeks to make money by means of mental pressure and the use of scientifically dubious "cures".
A lawyer for the church, Patrick Maisonneuve, told AFP news agency: "We will contest every charge and prove that there was no mental manipulation."
Scientologists called as witnesses by the defence are expected to argue that they espouse a belief system like any other.
Scientology was founded in the United States in the 1950s by science-fiction writer L Ron Hubbard.
In Germany last year, it was declared unconstitutional by government minister.
However, a Spanish court ruled that the Church of Scientology of Spain should be re-entered into the country's register of officially recognised religions.

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WEEKEND NEWS HEADS from France 24 news servive

LUXEMBOURG - LIECHTENSTEIN: New treaty will adopt OECD rules on tax reporting
Luxembourg and Liechtenstein announced plans on Friday to conclude a treaty in line with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's rules on tax reporting. Both powers are under pressure to revise their laws on banking secrecy

• FRANCE: Report says religious sects have tripled in 15 years
The Miviludes, a government-appointed watchdog for religious sects, has published a damning report highlighting the proliferation of unqualified therapists, some of whom are accused of acting as conmen for religious sects.


• PARIS: Police ‘ambushed’ in Parisian suburb
French police were the targets of an apparent ambush in La Courneve, a suburb north of Paris with a reputation for crime. A witness claims the weapon used was a Kalachnikov rifle.

• FRANCE: Transsexuality will no longer be classified as mental illness
Roselyne Bachelot, French Health Minister has announced through a spokesperson on Saturday that France would no longer classify transsexuality as a mental illness.

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France & Germany oppose Turkey’s membership of EU
Wall Street Journal

The leaders of Germany and France - gearing up for next month's European Parliament elections - on Sunday denounced the idea of expanding the European Union to include Turkey ...
To get more on this you have to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal

• FRANCE: China warns Paris against granting Dalai Lama honorary citizenship
China warned Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë not to make the Dalai Lama,Tibet's spiritual leader, an honorary citizen of the French capital, saying that the move would meet with "the Chinese people's firm opposition"

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CHANNEL TUNNEL - 15 YEARS OLD!
Washington Post



Happy 15th Birthday Chunnel
UNDER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL -- After three years of sweat and toil, Philippe Cozette tunneled into history one wintry day in 1990, using a compressed air drill to power through the last chunk of chalk marl separating undersea tubes extending from the shores of Calais to the white cliffs of Dover.
When the Frenchman reached through the hole to shake hands with his English colleague Robert Graham Fagg on the other side, the two countries were physically linked for the first time since the last Ice Age.
"Welcome to France," Cozette said in English. "Bonjour, mon ami," responded Fagg.
The Channel Tunnel opened four years later on May 6, 1994. The world's longest undersea passageway stands on its 15th anniversary as a dazzling engineering feat that is finally turning a profit following years of crippling losses _ and, while tucked away out of sight, it has become a monument to the possibility of change: After centuries of rivalry and warfare, France and England have become partners in a successful enterprise that has changed the face of Europe.
We don't have the same way of doing things, but little by little we got to understand each other," Cozette said, talking about the French and English work crews.
The French work teams were taught some English, Cozette said, and also given advice about the curious ways of their colleagues from across the Channel.
"We appreciate direct contact," he said. "The English don't. But little by little they learned to come and shake hands which is not at all natural for them. ... There has been a lot of patience and understanding on both sides."
Cozette's story in many ways reflects the ups and downs of the 32-mile (50 kilometer) long Chunnel itself.
He was able to make the transition from construction worker to engine driver when the Chunnel opened, but was laid off along with 900 others in 2005 when the tunnel operator was near financial ruin. He used his severance payment to set himself up as a taxi driver _ and Eurotunnel has hired him to chauffeur VIPs and shareholders to the anniversary festivities.
The Eurotunnel board is expected this afternoon to vote for a small dividend - the first in the companies history.

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CARTE DE SEJOUR - can you still get one?

As you will know, these are no longer a requirement for EU nationals in living in France but in the absence of a national identity card, many Brits in France prefer to carry a Carte de Séjour as an alternative to always carrying a passport. However, it seems that some Préfectures are either reluctant to issue them to EU nationals or flatly refuse to do so.

In this case it might be useful to refer the fonctionnaire to "Article 14" of the "LOI n° 2003-1119 du 26 novembre 2003 relative à la maîtrise de l'immigration, au séjour des étrangers en France et à la nationalité" which states
« Les ressortissants des Etats membres de l'Union européenne, d'un autre Etat partie à l'accord sur l'Espace économique européen ou de la Confédération helvétique qui souhaitent établir en France leur résidence habituelle ne sont pas tenus de détenir un titre de séjour.
« S'ils en font la demande, il leur est délivré, dans des conditions précisées par décret en Conseil d'Etat, un titre de séjour, sous réserve d'absence de menace pour l'ordre public.

Given that both the fact that the Carte de Séjour is no longer a requirement and that they still have to issue them to anyone who asks appear in the same Article, there is no excuse for refusing (unless, of course, they think that there is a menace pour l'ordre public

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Survey says French excel at eating, sleeping
PARIS (AP) — PARIS: The French spend more time sleeping and eating than their counterparts in economically developed countries but Norwegians get top prize for time spent on leisure, a new study by the OECD said.
The Japanese sleep nearly an hour less every night than the French and also spend more time at work and commuting than indulging in fun, according to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development survey.
The French also live up to their reputation for long lunches: They devote nearly double the time to meals than do Americans, Britons or Mexicans.
On average, the French get 8.8 hours of sleep each night, enjoying more rest than Americans and Spaniards and a full hour more than South Koreans who rank last on the list with 7.8 hours of sleep.
When it comes to leisure, Norwegians lead the pack, devoting nearly a quarter of their time to enjoyable activities while Mexicans, at the bottom of the list, spend only 16 per cent of their time unwinding.
Norway also embraces gender equality when it comes to leisure, with women and men both devoting about the same amount of time, contrary to Italy, for instance, where men have more than an hour more leisure than women.
Turkey however ranks as the most sociable nation. Turks spend 35 per cent of their leisure time with friends, more than triple the average of 11 per cent.

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ONE IN THREE RYANAIR PASSENGERS VOTE FOR ‘FAT TAX’

Ryanair Considers how to charge very large passengers

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, has announced it will now consider how to charge a ‘fat tax’ after more than 30,000 passengers voted in favour of charging excess weight fees for very large passengers in an online vote over the past two weeks.

Over 100,000 passengers voted, via www.ryanair.com, to decide which cost reduction idea should win a €1,000 cash prize. Ryanair confirmed the final poll results as follows:

1. 29% - Excess fees for very overweight passengers,
2. 25% - €1 for toilet paper – with O’Leary’s face on it,
3. 24% - €3 to smoke in a converted toilet cubicle,
4. 14% - Annual subscription to access Ryanair.com,
5. 8% - €2 “corkage” fee for passengers who bring their own food onboard.




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Google mapping in France

WoW analysis shows the Google car mapping in Faugeres was THE most watched item in WoW. SO by popular request here is the picture again. Caught in Faugeres, the camera car driver made off in great haste, not wishing to be seen by WoW. But he thought without knowing that the WoW ace photographer, ever vigilant, caught the car barreling away.

France has been a country which has complained bitterly to Google about privacy and as a result all number plates and faces have to be blurred in the French version.

The towns on the route of the last Tour de France were extensively captured - which is why you will find Roujan but not Beziers or Pezenas.



Alex Gregory, WoW's technology editor explains, "in small towns or where, car access is limited bikes or scooters take the photos."

A WoW ransom offered for the first picture of a Google Bike or scooter!

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LOCAL NEWS

VISITOR CENTRE OPENS FOR SAINT GUILHEM LE DESERT AND PONT DIABLE –

At one time this famous 10/11th century bridge spawned an erratic and ugly car park - a gash in the countryside and most people only peered over the roadside for a look at this emblematic bridge.
Not any longer!
An investment of nearly €8 million has transformed the area.
The roadside car parks are fenced off and casual tourism has been halted.
Now you will have to leave your car in a skilfully landscaped and virtually hidden car park and make you way along an attractive path to the bridge and see it in it full glory.

A stunning new visitor centre has been constructed below a plantation of Olives and other local trees. The whole development is the master of deception – hidden from public view and yet welcoming and visible to the visitor.
More than simply the pleasant stroll to the bridge through unspoilt woodland – you will also have to cross a bridge which is made of slate? No. Not cold enough for steel but steel like and slate coloured - this is concrete elevated to high art - a first in Europe we were told.

But this is more than just a centre for visiting the Bridge – for local worthies and planners had become increasingly troubled by the grid lock as up to 700,000 visitors a year throng into St Guilhem - classified by UNESCO in 2005 as a site of Scientific and Picturesque importance. Damaged by the very attractiveness, the village was suffering from its own success and this very popularity was in danger of swamping the areas local roads and parking and taking away some of the sense of timelessness that characterises the town.

So – once you have seen the bridge, sampled the wine and maybe bought some local produce in the visitor centre – it is off to a fleet of shuttle buses
( EURO 4 says the technical details) which means they have low polluting engines.

You will have to pay from € 1 to € 3 for the parking – depends on the season – but that includes a free ride on the shuttles up to the village. Nice for drivers who will be able to take in the majesty and drama of the Herault as it tumbles and foams through the gorge above the bridge. (Note charging will not start until 1st of June – so hurry while stocks last)

Odd notes following a press visit – in 1907 the square outside the church was flooded to a depth of 2 meters!
Also we learned the derivation of “composting” as in tickets – all comes from the validation pilgrims sought on their letters when making the pilgrimage to Compostella – hence composte votre billet!

Cold on the outside perhaps but it is new and it WAS cold!



Warm and welcoming on the inside - press taking notes




It is huge!


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BEZIERS




These workmen are installing bollards to stop nurses from parking on
the pavement outside the central hospital in Beziers.
They are cleaning up at the end of the day.
How long do you think it will be before they realise that they can't go home?

Courtesy of Roger - thanks!
Mind you some WoW readers say it was in Dublin - others London


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ANOTHER PROTEST HITS FRANCE.

Only a highly literary country would consider this a form of political protest, but the French are currently expressing their displeasure with President Nicolas Sarkozy by championing the novel he most detests.
Sarkozy has been very public about reviling “La Princesse de Clèves,” the 17th-century classic by Madame de La Fayette that is widely studied in French classrooms. According to the Telegraph, since becoming president, Sarkozy has “repeatedly criticized the tale of duty versus love at the 16th-century court of Henri II, suggesting that knowledge of it was not useful.”
So now the French, as a means of thumbing their collective noses at their president, are embracing the novel as never before. The Telegraph reports that, “At the Paris book fair this week … badges emblazoned with the slogan ‘I am reading “La Princesse de Clèves” ‘ were a must-have item that sold out within hours” even as “ public readings of the work have proliferated at universities like the Sorbonne … and at theatres.”
It is unknown if enthusiasm for “La Princesse de Clèves” is actually harming Sarkozy in any way, but it is clearly helping French publishers, as sales of the book are noticeably on the rise.

++++++++Gleaned from the Christian Science Monitor+++++++++

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RYANAIR a new charge?



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PS - a response to the article on Obama being disliked by the french "intellectuals"

"I'm a french intellectual and I'm very pround of american electorate who voted for OBAMA.
I'm sure he will bring hope and intelligence now in America.
But Obama is not Jesus Christ, he is not Che Guevara...
He is the new president of USA and he will make the better he can.
Good luck to the new american civilisation."

Sent in by Alexandra - French Intellectual and WoW reader - could the two be linked one wonders!

PPS - if you have ever wondered why clearly shut down restaurants still have OPEN signs - there is a reason.
WoW's legal and planning correspondent (Oxford Degree - don't knock it) says - if a restaurant is in an area zoned "commercial" and is also the house of the owner - the only way the owner can get around the rules which zone is to pretend to be open - otherwise the house/restaurant would have to return to being commercial and hence the owner would have to move out and the premises return to commercial use.
And we all thought they had forgotten to take the sign down!
Thanks Teddy!

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WoW is partnered with ;-

www.languedocliving.com

www.languedocsun.com - the local regional magazine in English

www.creme-de-languedoc.com - comprehensive info - easy to use

www.the-languedoc-page.com

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Estate agent in the Languedoc Herault area

www.realestatelanguedoc.com/uk.shtml

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How to get here by plane

www.bezierscapdagde.com

www.montpellierairport.net

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Other sites designed to help

www.midi-france.inf

www.thisfrenchlife.com

www.languedoc-roussillon.eu.com