Eat Cake? Let Them Shop on Sundays

(NEWSER) - France's Senate next week is expected to overturn a century-old law prohibiting most businesses in the country from opening on Sundays, CNN reports. The 1906 measure was intended to ensure a day of rest for the populace, and parties on the left and the right have been vocal in their opposition. That forced President Sarkozy to water it down a bit to ensure passage. More»

Angry protesters dump hay to action against falling incomes

(NEWSER) - Hay bales were met with tear gas as French farmers protested outside Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential palace early this morning. Police moved in after the farmers dumped hay outside the palace, forcing the roughly 100 protesters into a side street, AP reports. The aggrieved farmers complain that the government isn't doing enough to help them amid falling food prices. More»

Get legal advice and plastic surgery for life's next phase

(NEWSER) - The annual Paris Marriage Fair has spawned a modern offspring—a Divorce Fair. “Divorce has lost its stigma,” says its organizer; nearly 50% of French marriages, including two of Nicolas Sarkozy's, don't last. Booths at the fair offered services from divorce lawyers, tarot card readers, self-esteem coaches, and weight-loss specialists. More»

Law student tapped to run huge, lucrative business district

(NEWSER) - It's not every day that a 23-year-old law student is tapped to manage the largest office park in Europe, but when you are Jean Sarkozy, anything's possible. The son of the French president, who already has a local government post, has the ruling party's official backing to run La Défense, the massive collection of office buildings in west Paris, despite shock and disgust from right and left. Critics have called the move worthy of a "banana republic," but Sarko junior insists: "I am not more legitimate than other candidates but nor am I less legitimate." More»

President and first lady turn down dinner invitation from French hosts

(NEWSER) - The Obamas arrive in Paris tonight, but the president and the first lady have told the Sarkozys that they'll need a little time alone. Barack and Michelle declined a dinner invitation from the French president and wife Carla Bruni, even though they are staying at the American ambassador's residence—right next door to couple's Elysée apartment. More»