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You are here: Home » Politics + Society » Archive » December 2007-1
POLITICS AND SOCIETY NEWS AND EVENTS ARCHIVE DECEMBER 2007-1
Archives: Dec. 5-7, 2007
Parents Must Pay for Kids, says French Law
Figaro. Dec. 7, 2007
A French law dictates that “married parents have the obligation to
feed, maintain and educate their children”. Any child, even when over
18, can use this law to force his or her parents to finance them until
they are financially independent. Around 2,000 students take this law
very literally, and drive their parents to ruin. They take their father
or mother to court and demand exorbitant amounts of money.
> More
France Bans Genetically Modified Corn
TorontoStar. Dec. 7, 2007
The French agriculture ministry suspended the commercial use of
genetically modified seeds in the country until early February and
ordered a biotech safety study. A newly set-up committee is charged
with assessing the environmental and health implications of using GMO
corn which has been championed by Monsanto.The future of genetically
modified organisms, or GMOs, has long been the subject of heated debate
in France, Europe's top grain producer.
> More
Thriving French Pot Business
Figaro. Dec, 7, 2007
For the first time, the French government has tried to evaluate what
goes on in the cannabis business. Around 1000 middlemen make 550,000
euros per year. The number of street dealers exceeds 100,000, each one
selling 3.6 kg cannabis on average per year. One in ten boys and one in
sixteen girls aged 17 year consider themselves regular smokers. Over
half a million French smoke cannabis every day. The total market
consists of 1.2 million users, who consume 208 tonnes of cannabis, and
spend 832 million euros on it.
> More
France Softens Smoking Ban
UK Times. Dec. 7, 2007
Die-hard French smokers -- and there are about 10 million of them --
have now been given hope by Roselyne Bachelot, the Health Minister.
Under pressure from the tobacco lobby and catering industry, she has
revised the rules for café and restaurant terraces to allow smoking on
terraces under awnings and open only on one side. This defeats the
intent of the law since most people sitting on the terrace will get a
dose of smoke and the anti-cigarette lobby are annoyed.
> More
France remains pro-spanking
UK Guardian. Dec. 7, 2007
An internet poll by the Paris-based Union of Families in Europe (UFE),
an organisation which defends families' rights in France, shows that
65% of children in France think la fessée - French for a spanking - is
a normal part of their upbringing, with more than half thinking they
deserve it. An overwhelming majority or respondents (more than 95%) of
the 2,000 grandparents, parents, and children polled said they had been
spanked at some point in their lives. There is no legislation against
corporal punishment for children in France.
> More
French Kids are poor readers
BostonCollege. Dec. 7, 2007
A new study paints a bleak picture of French kids’ reading
capabilities. Researchers of the Boston College tested reading
aptitudes of 215,000 children in 40 countries. French kids are among
the worst in the worldwide reading class: ending up at number 27 in the
list of 40 countries, after Russian, Canada, Italy, Hungary, Sweden.
Genrman, the USA, England and New Zealand. French education minister
Xavier Darcos promises to give a higher priority to reading aptitudes.
He was particularly appalled to find out that “even Bulgaria” is ahead
of France.
> More
Sarkozy Toes American Line on Iran
New York Times. Dec. 6, 2007
President Sarkozy said a new U.S. intelligence report saying Iran
stopped its nuclear weapons development in 2003 reinforces
international concerns and should not diminish pressure for new
sanctions. Sarkozy spoke Wednesday night with President Bush about the
report. Bush has already denied the validity of the report of his own
intelligence agencies, to widespread ridicule. Sarkozy seems to echo
the President’s unpopular stance in yet anonther pro-American gesture.
> More
Sarkozy calls on FARC to free hostages
Euronet. Dec. 6, 2007
In an unprecedented move, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called
on Colombian rebels to free their hostages, including franco-Colombian
politician Ingrid Betancourt. She was kidnapped in February 2002 while
campaigning for president. "I have a dream: To see Ingrid among her
family this Christmas," the French president said, in an appeal on the
television station TF1.
> More
French army 'wants Chad payment'
BBC. Dec. 6, 2007
The French army is demanding to be paid to feed the six French charity
workers who have been charged with child kidnapping in Chad, their
lawyer says. Gilbert Collard says the army, which has a base in Chad,
wants 2,000 euros ($2,900; £1,400) a month, per person. He told AFP
news agency the detainees' families could not afford to pay that much
and said the demand was "vulgar" and urged the French authorities to
have a "minimum of decency".
> More
Merkel Slams Sarkozy's 'Club Med' Plans
Dec. 6, 2007
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out strongly against French
President Nicolas Sarkozy's vision of a Mediterranean Union. Merkel
believes the proposed bloc is "very dangerous” and poses a risk to the
EU's core and could release "explosive forces."
> More
Sarkozy’s Russian Love Call Scandal
UK Times. Dec. 6, 2007
President Sarkozy is accused of caving in to realpolitik after
promising to put a human rights stamp on France's traditionally
pragmatic foreign policy. In the last month he has “shaken hands with
Chinese dictators, bowed his head before Putin” and avoided unpleasant
issues in Algeria, the Socialist Party said. Having expressed concern
over Russia's human rights abuses when campaigning for the Élysée, Mr
Sarkozy this week broke ranks with the rest of Europe by congratulating
Mr Putin on his party's election victory. The International Federation
for Human Rights called the phone call “scandalous”. Poland and Germany
have both condemned Putin’s manipualtion of the elections. The EU
presidency, currently held by Portugal, issued a mild rebuke over the
conduct of the Russian election. French philosopher André Glucksmann,
who supported Nicolas Sarkozy in his presidential campaign, declared
his disappointment at how Sarkozy has cozied up to Putin.
> More
France and Algeria sign nuclear deal
YahooNews. Dec. 6, 2007
France and Algeria agreed to cooperate on civilian nuclear technologies
Tuesday, while French oil and gas giant Total SA signed a deal to build
a petrochemical complex in the North African country.
> More
French reparations for Algerian veterans
BBC. Dec. 6, 2007
France is to compensate thousands of Algerian pro-French veterans who
fought against their countrymen to preserve French colonial rule in
Algeria. President Sarkozy said France owed "reparation" to the
fighters, known as harkis, for its "ingratitude". Some 200,000 harkis
fought in Algeria, and between 30,000 and 40,000 were killed in battle
before France retreated and left them to their fate at the hands of the
nationalist FLN. Those who eventually fled to France suffered
discrimination. Those who stayed were punished as traitors. The FLN's
victory in the 1954-1962 conflict ended France's 132-year colonial hold
over Algeria.
> More
Sarkozy Ok's nuclear cooperation with Muslim nations
Associated Press. December 5, 2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday that Western sales of
civilian nuclear technology could foster trust with the Muslim world,
in an apparent signal to Iran. Sarkozy's comments came a day after
France signed a nuclear cooperation accord with Algeria that paves the
way for the eventual construction of a nuclear reactor for civilian use
in this North African nation.
> More
France to sell Libya up to 14 fighter jets
Reuters. Dec. 5, 2007
France could sell between 10 and 14 "Rafale" combat aircraft to Libya
during a state visit to Paris by Muammar Gaddafi, La Tribune newspaper
reported. Gaddafi is due to visit France for five days from Dec. 10,
2007: his first visit in more than 30 years.
> More
Royal promises to return to save France
UK Guardian. December 5, 2007
Ségolène Royal, who has been lying low since her presidential defeat
against Nicolas Sarkozy seven months ago, is back in the limelight with
a book - and a vengeance. In Ma plus belle histoire, c'est vous (My
Most Beautiful Story is You), a 330-page account of her campaign
published in France yesterday, Royal blames the socialist party for her
defeat, describes how she was spurned by her former partner and
socialist party head, François Hollande, and makes it clear she will
run again.
> More
Americans demand “French-Style” health care
Angus Reid Global Monitor. Dec. 5, 2007
Despite right-wing rhetoric to the contrary, most people in the United
States think it is the government’s responsibility to make sure every
citizen is covered by a health care plan, according to a poll by Gallup
released by USA Today. 64 per cent of respondents agree with this idea.
> More
Orange says sold 30,000 iPhones so far in France
Reuters. Dec. 5, 2007
France Telecom (FTE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday
that its Orange division had already sold close to 30,000 iPhones in
France since its launch there last week. The iPhone combines usual
mobile phone devices with the facilities of an iPod music player, an
Internet browser and other multimedia options.
> More
France calls for lifting of arms sales ban on China
Xinhua. Dec. 5. 2007
France renewed its call for lifting the EU arms embargo against China
on Tuesday, saying the punitive measure has long become obsolete and
unable to reflect the current relationship between the European bloc
and China. The recall was made at a joint press conference by the
French Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry on the country's arms
export in 2006, which hit 4.03 billion euros (5.96 billion US dollars),
the fourth largest after the United States, Russia and Britain.
> More
France remains world's No. 4 arms exporter with higher sales in 2006
Xinhua. Dec. 5. 2007
France remains the world's fourth-largest arms exporter after the
United States, Britain and Russia as sales went up by 160 million euros
(235 million U.S. dollars) in 2006, the French Defense Ministry said
Tuesday. French arms exports reached 4.03 billion euros (5.88 billion
dollars) last year.
> More
French fury at high-speed divorce website
UK Telegraph. Dec. 5, 2007
Paris's bar association is up in arms over France's first website
offering high-speed divorce settlements over the Internet. Yves
Repiquet, who heads the Paris bar, has called on all lawyers to refuse
to collaborate with the private divorce.fr website, which offers fast
track divorces for a fixed price of €1,990. The site reportedly has
been receiving 30,000 visits per day and collabroates with 80 lawyers
all over France.
> More
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