France

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Sarkozy Heroics Made-for-TV
Sarkozy Heroics Made-for-TV
Sep 25, 2007 8:39 AM CDT

Sarkozy Heroics Made-for-TV

President's 1993 "Human Bomb" story remade for television

(Newser) - In the hagiography of Nicolas Sarkozy, no story looms larger than the then-mayor's 1993 negotiation with a psychotic who took children hostage at a daycare center. Now, writes the Times of London, French state television is releasing Human Bomb, a docu-fiction of the 46-hour standoff between Sarkozy and the hostage...

Sarko Calls for Tougher Iran Sanctions —Not War

Prez backs away from earlier threats

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has no doubt that Iran "is trying to obtain an atomic bomb," but France seeks tougher United Nations sanctions rather than war, he insisted yesterday. Sarkozy's comments clearly backed away from an earlier statement by his foreign minister that Europe must prepare for war...

Freedom Fries Fattening French
Freedom Fries Fattening French
Sep 20, 2007 5:15 PM CDT

Freedom Fries Fattening French

Celebrated food culture struggles to resist import of American obesity

(Newser) - Freedom Fries be danged, French waistlines are taking a decidedly American curve: As fast food and bigger portions invade, some 42% of the famously foodie nation's population is clocking in as either overweight or obese. But officials say don't let them eat cake, predicting US-level obesity if the trend isn't...

Sarkozy Braces for Union Battle
Sarkozy Braces for Union Battle
Sep 18, 2007 4:02 AM CDT

Sarkozy Braces for Union Battle

Pension cuts could trigger crippling strikes in president's first test of leadership

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy could face the first major obstacle of his four-month reign this week when he tries to slash the pensions of 500,000 workers who enjoy more generous retirement packages than other civil servants. Polls show Sarkozy's plan is supported by 65% of the public, but striking...

French Minister Backs Off Iran War Threat

"Negotiate, negotiate," Kouchner now says after storm of criticism

(Newser) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner yesterday backpedaled on comments he'd made threatening war with Iran if it didn't drop development of its nuclear program. "The worst situation would be war, and to avoid the worst, the French position is very clear: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate," he said after criticism...

French Lefty Makes an Unlikely Hawk
French Lefty
Makes an Unlikely Hawk
Sep 17, 2007 4:52 PM CDT

French Lefty Makes an Unlikely Hawk

Kouchner pleases US with Iran rumblings, but he's no sure thing

(Newser) - The founder of Doctors Without Borders might seem a peculiar mouthpiece for the new law-and-order regime of Nicolas Sarkozy, but Bernard Kouchner actually fits right in with France’s more muscular foreign policy tone. The surprise choice for foreign minister,  Kouchner is an anomaly, a Socialist who supports the...

France Warns of War with Iran
France Warns of War with Iran
Sep 17, 2007 4:24 AM CDT

France Warns of War with Iran

World should 'prepare for the worst," says foreign minister

(Newser) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner yesterday threatened war with Iran to  halt its nuclear weapons program. France favors negotiations and sanctions but the world should prepare for military action if all else fails, he said in an interview on French TV. Iranian nuclear weapons would pose "a real danger...

Mayors Spurn Sarkozy Immigration Crackdown

Reject DNA testing, deportation quotas

(Newser) - French leftists aren't about to help Nicolas Sarkozy make good on the immigration crackdowns he promised during his campaign for president. Eight Paris-area mayors have refused to cooperate with measures that include deportation quotas and mandatory DNA-testing for prospective immigrants. Human rights groups denounced Sarkozy for treating immigrants as "...

Noriega Dodges French Trial in Miami Stir

Dictator's fight against extradition delays release date

(Newser) - Eleventh-hour appeals of his extradition to France kept former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega in his Miami prison cell yesterday, his scheduled release date. The dictator was set to face French money-laundering charges, but his lawyers argued that the Geneva Convention prevents his extradition because Paris doesn't recognize his prisoner-of-war status.

Royal, Now Solo, Comes Back to Politics

Defeated candidate forgives her ex but goes after his job

(Newser) - Defeated for the French presidency and newly single, Ségolène Royal is relaunching her political career with a tell-all in one of the country's mass-market celebrity mags. And not just any celebrity mag: She's on the cover of Paris Match, employer of the other woman in her relationship with...

Rugby World Cup: Forget the Ball and Watch the Men

Brawny-thighed players arrive in France

(Newser) - France has been gripped by rugbymania as fans descend for the 2007 World Cup, which begins today. Bakeries are offering pigskin-shaped loaves, and Galeries Lafayette offers fan specials as the violent sport becomes suddenly chic. But for the Telegraph's Janine di Giovanni, one of the most violent sports offers only...

US Laborers Work Hard for the Money

New UN report says Americans more productive than peers

(Newser) - Labor Day is a well-deserved rest for Americans, as a new UN report shows US laborers work longer, harder, and get more done than their counterparts worldwide. The average US worker produces the most wealth, raking in $63,885 yearly, followed by Irish laborers at $55,986. Only Norway beat...

Zut Alors! Rude French Scaring Off Tourists

Sweeten up, official warns his compatriots

(Newser) - France to the French: Take it easy on foreigners. After the land of vin and fromage fell for the first time in years as the top traveling spot, the tourism bureau has issued guidelines about courtesy, the Guardian reports. “Our greatest handicap,” said a tourist official, “is...

It's Bon Voyage for Noriega
It's Bon Voyage for Noriega
Aug 28, 2007 12:33 PM CDT

It's Bon Voyage for Noriega

Judge OKs France's extradition request for former dictator; he'll serve jail term there

(Newser) - Former dictator of Panama Manuel Noriega will be extradited to France to serve ten more years of jail time. Noriega has done 18 years in a Miami prison, and will be released for good behavior next month. He faces money laundering charges in France, but had asked to return to...

French Prez Warns of 'Bombing Iran' Over Nukes

Sarko calls for more sanctions

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy took a bead on Iran in his first major foreign policy speech yesterday, suggesting that if Iran's nuclear weapons program wasn't halted, bombing could be the only alternative. He called Iran's atomic ambitions "without doubt the most serious crisis that weighs today on the international...

Judge Allows Noriega Extradition
Judge Allows Noriega Extradition
Aug 24, 2007 5:29 PM CDT

Judge Allows Noriega Extradition

Ex-general wants to dodge French charges by returning to Panama

(Newser) - A federal judge today rejected former dictator Manuel Noriega's request to return to Panama following his release from a Miami prison next month, the Miami Herald reports. Noriega sought to avoid extradition to France, where he faces a 10-year sentence for a conviction in abstentia on money laundering charges. Noriega...

Some Sarkozy Lost in Translation
Some Sarkozy Lost in Translation
Aug 22, 2007 8:01 PM CDT

Some Sarkozy Lost in Translation

Photo altered to reduce president's love handles

(Newser) - The French president’s “love handles” got a makeover this week when Paris Match Photoshopped them down to size in pics from his US holiday. An otherwise manly bare-chested shot of Sarkozy canoeing with his son shows his stomach to be distinctly slimmer than in Reuter’s original photo....

France Eyes Diplomatic Role in Iraq
France Eyes Diplomatic
Role in Iraq
Aug 22, 2007 7:50 AM CDT

France Eyes Diplomatic Role in Iraq

New foreign minister may take on peace conference

(Newser) - "Everyone knows the Americans will not be able to get this country out of difficulty alone," the new French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, told a French radio station on his way out of Iraq yesterday. Kouchner 's 3-day visit confirmed that the French see a role for themselves...

Sarkozy: Short, Hyper, and Still Very European

The new Napoleon may signal a world turning away from America

(Newser) - A New Yorker profile compares Nicolas Sarkozy to Napoleon: He's not just short, but he's both more Euro-centric and less of a reactionary than most Americans think. In fact, Adam Gopnik, who dubs the brazen, mercurial Sarko a "human bomb," writes than the nouveau regime may signal "...

French Minister Visits Iraq, Forges US Bond

First visit to war-torn country is 'message of solidarity' with Iraqis

(Newser) - France tipped a symbolic hat to the US today by sending its foreign minister on a visit to Baghdad. Bernard Kouchner is the first French minister to visit Iraq since the US invasion of 2003 and comes at a time when analysts say that US-French relations are warming. Kouchner, who...

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