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You are here: Home » Politics + Society » Archive » December 2007-6
POLITICS AND SOCIETY NEWS AND EVENTS ARCHIVE DECEMBER 2007-6
Archives: Dec. 25-31, 2007
French debt amounts to 20,000 euros per citizen
NouvelObservateur. Dec. 31, 2007
France ends the year 2007 with a national debt of over 1.2 trillion
euros, or 65.9% of GDP (gross domestic product). The figure is higher
than allowed according to the Maastricht treaty, which puts a ceiling
of 60% to the national debt of each EC country. The current French debt
amounts to 20,000 euros per inhabitant, elderly and infants included.
(HT: Frogsmoke).
> More
France tests new electric plane
UKTimes. Dec. 31, 2007
On December 23, a team of French engineers, has sucessfully flown the
"Electra" the first light aircraft to be powered by electricity. The
kit-built single-seater is driven by a 25 horse-power electric motor
and 47 kilogrammes of lithium-polymer batteries.
> More
Israeli media hails Sarkozy as “one of ours”
Haaretz. Dec. 31, 2007
Israel is thrilled. Sarkozy views the establishment of the Jewish state
as "the central event in the 20th century." He has vowed to help stymie
the establishment of Hamastan in Gaza, and never to compromise Israel's
security. It may or may not be connected to his "Jewish genes," but
Nicolas Sarkozy is perceived as one of ours. He has an Israeli
temperament, too.
> More
The debate over the French café smoking ban
New York Times. Dec. 31, 2007
French author Corinne Maier writes, “The cigarette is part of our
international image, alongside the baguette and the slenderness of
French women.” But smoking is a false stereotype because most French
people don’t smoke, and they support the latest national anti-smoking
ban. Defenders of French smoking pose as rebels, cultural
preservationists, and anti-authoritarian heroes, but they are actually
selfish addicts who have polluted public spaces and hurt non-smokers
for too long. Finally, the state is defending the healthy majority
against death-dealing lobbyists and filthy nicotine junkies.
> More
Canadian bilingualism a flop
National Post. Dec. 30, 2007
Canada will not reach the federal government's stated goal of having
half of its high school graduates capable of speaking both French and
English by the year 2013, according to Bernard Lord, the former New
Brunswick premier who is preparing a report on the state of Canada's
official languages. Currently, only 8-13% of Canadians outside Quebec
are bilingual, despite billions of taxpayer dollars spent to promote
French.
> More
Sarkozy abolishes "the King’s Two Bodies”
Rue89. Dec. 30, 2007
Political studies have defined the paradigm of “the King’s two bodies”
as the necessary distinction between the official role and private life
of state leaders in monarchies and republics. In France, the President
traditionally embodies the image of the state, and comports himself
with a measure of dignity and fomality, observing rituals and
etoquette. French leaders like de Gaulle, Mitterand, and Chirac were
symbolically distant and lofty figures, but Sarkozy has lowered his
office and by extension the entire country to the level of a soap
opera, with opera bouffe Arab shieks camping in the heart of Paris, hot
dates at Disneyland, and jet set holidays on the Nile. He may have
finally unshackled France from its heritage of outdated etiquette and
moral hypocrisy.
> More
French cereal growers double income in 2007
L’Humanité. Dec. 30, 2007
But the income of cereal growers, who are also producer of oleaginous
plants, rose by 98%. In 2007, they benefited from global speculation
while direct payment rights from the 2003 Common Agricultural Policies
(CAP) reform granted the greatest subsidies to the biggest cereal
growers who are settled on the most fertile land.
> More
French Emergency Room Staff on Strike
L’Humanité. Dec. 30, 2007
While French politicians put on a show of being attentive to the
problems of public hospital staff, emergency room doctors were striking
to obtain payment of their overtime hours. The hospitals owed 23
million unpaid overtime hours worth almost a billion euros.
> More
The Top European Business Stories of 2007
Businessweek. Dec. 30, 2007
With the election of pro-business President Sarkozy, the launch of the
Airbus A380 superjumbo jet, the merger of Alcatel-Lucent and the
unlocking of the Apple iPhone, 2007 was an eventful year for business
in France.
> More
Sarkozy Style Guide
20Minutes. Dec. 30, 2007
President Sarkozy has brought BCBG-preppy style and MBA values to
France’s highest office. Who’d of thought the head of state needed
status symbols like Rolex watches and Ray ban aviators “symbole de
l'Amérique … le signe extérieur de la coolitude présidentielle” ? An
amusing photo essay reveasl Sarko’s jeans, gold neck chain, high heels,
and mysterious leather friendship bracelet.
> More
“The Inexorable Suicide of Europe”
Les4verites. Dec. 30, 2007
An analysis from Christian Lambert, a former French ambassador, writing
at Les 4 Vérités, predicts a terrible fate for Europe. He titles his
essay, “The Inexorable Suicide of Europe.” Immigration is the cause of
France’s peril, he says: “350,000 new arrivals enter our country each
year, 70% of them from Africa.”
> More
BHL on Benazir Bhutto
Liberation. Dec. 29, 2007
French public philosopher Bernard Henri Levy reacts to the
assassination of Pakistan’s opposition leader Benazir Bhutto: “It was
a woman, a beautiful woman, that they killed … because she dared to
live her destiny as a woman. They killed the incarnation of hope.”
> More
French suburbs: in praise of diversity
Eurozine. Dec. 29, 2007
Marc Hatzfeld opines that the racial and religious variety of the
French banlieues are a good thing. The famously violent suburbs are
home to a shimmering diversity of cultural and linguistic imports.
Resisting the norms of an over-regulated language is absolutely crucial
to foster linguistic diversity and creative misunderstandings.
> More
French convicts flown out of Chad
BBC. Dec. 28, 2007
Six French aid workers who were sentenced to eight years' hard labour
in Chad on Wednesday for attempting to kidnap 103 children have flown
back to France. Chad's Justice Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke told
reporters on Friday: "I have responded favourably to the transfer
request from France this morning". The transfer was made possible by a
1976 bilateral co-operation accord.
> More
Miss France keeps crown
BBC. Dec. 28, 2007
Valérie Bègue, embroiled in a scandal around “blasphemic” photos, gets
to keep her Miss France title, but she won’t be allowed to participate
in international pageants. Not that it matters: there hasn’t been a
French Miss World in 54 years. (HT Frogsmoke).
> More
France’s Top People of 2007
Journal du Dimanche. Dec. 28, 2007
Journal du Dimanche names France’s 50 most popular personalities. They
include singers Yannick Noah, Charles Aznavour, and Renaud,
ex-footballer Zidane, actress Mimie Mathy, actors Jean Reno and
Jean-Paul Belmondo, and TV announcer Nicolas Hulot.
> More
Critics target Sarkozy, the billionaire’s buddy
UKTimes. Dec. 28, 2007
Ségolène Royal, the defeated Socialist candidate in the presidential
election, led criticism of President Sarkozy as he travelled to Egypt
in a private jet belonging to French industrialist Vincent Bolloré.
Royal said that Sarkozy had “undermined the independence and dignity of
the presidential function” and he should “stop placing himself in the
debt of billionaires.”
> More
French economy faces gloomy future in 2008
XinhuaNews. Dec. 28, 2007
The French economy, buffeted by the rising euro against U.S. dollar and
high oil prices, coupled with problems within the economic system, is
expected to face a tough year in 2008. Many international organizations
and economists believe that the French economy is unlikely to register
marked growth next year.
> More
France to seek Chad staff return
BBC. Dec. 27, 2007
The French government says it will ask the Chadian authorities to
return six French aid workers home following a conviction for attempted
kidnap. The six employees of French charity Zoe's Ark were sentenced to
eight years hard labour, for trying to take more than 100 children out
of the country. Under a 30-year-old agreement between the two nations,
offenders can be returned to their native country to serve their
sentences.
> More
Evangelists "Pray for France"
Source. Dec. 27, 2007
An
evangelical coalition is exhirting the faithful to “Pray for France,”
“home of over 6 million Muslims” as its website specifies.
“PrayforFrance.org was created in order to unite and align English
speakers from around the world with native French prayer initiatives.”
France, though traditionally Roman Catholic and officially a
non-denominational, now has significant Muslim and Jewish populations
which seem to set the political agenda.
> More
Islamofascism vs. Eurofascism
Nation. Dec. 28, 2007
The most potent bigots in Europe are not Muslims living in run-down
housing projects, but white Christians in the corridors of power. The
the primary threat to democracy in Europe is not "Islamofascism" but
plain old fascism whereby mostly white Europeans take to the streets to
terrorize minorities in the name of racial, cultural or religious
superiority.
> More
Defining the European youth experience
Eurozine. Dec. 28, 2007
European urban youth culture no longer blindly follows the US template:
artists and musicians in Europe voice local concerns while
simultaneously connecting to global trends.
> More
Paris is no silicon valley
Businesswire. Dec. 27, 2007
The Le Web Conference in Paris was a mixed success with a lot of
high-level discussion of the implications of the new Web. Nearly 2,000
people attended the conference, and speakers included Europeans like
Janus Friis, co-founder of Kazaa, Skype (EBAY), and Joost, and Philippe
Starck, one of the world's most celebrated designers. Europe's Internet
scene has been lackluster in comparison with global innovation hot
spots like Israel, China, India, and Silicon Valley. The problem is
partly because France does not embace the entepreneurial culture of
risk and reward through stock options.
> More
Sarkozy’s mission: selling France at all costs
Bloomberg. Dec. 27, 2007
During Libyan leader Qaddafi's stay in France, President Sarkozy
explained why he put up with his guest's provocative antics: business.
“I am really engaged in the battle for contracts,'' he said. Sarkozy
has been waging the same battle -- complete with a ``war room'' --
across North Africa, using contract diplomacy to replant the French
flag in a region rich with oil, gas and cash where U.S. and U.K.
companies are increasingly making inroads.
> More
France loves Noah, but he hates Sarkozy
Figaro. Dec. 27, 2007
French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche has named tennis star-singer
Yannick Noah France’s most loved person. In an interview, Noah delcares
himselfs shocked by president Sarozy’s attitude, tone, arrogance,
cynicism, and his exhibition of wealth. Before the elections, Noah made
the bold statement “If Sarkozy’s wins, I’m gone” (Si Sarkoy passe, moi
je me casse).
> More
Chad sentences French kidnapppers to eight years
BBC. Dec. 26, 2007
A court in Chad has sentenced six French aid workers to eight years of
hard labour for trying to take more than 100 children out of the
country. The six employees of French charity Zoe's Ark were arrested in
October and claimed they were evacuating refugee children orphaned by
the conflict in Darfur so they could be cared for by families in
Europe. The court found the French guilty of the "attempted kidnap of
children, breaching their civil rights" and of "absconding without
payment" of bills.
> More
Sarkozy and Bruni vacation in Egypt
AP. Dec. 26, 2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his model-turned-singer
girlfriend, Carla Bruni, spent Christmas in Egypt, spending three days
at the Winter Palace Hotel, visiting the Luxor Temple, the city's
museum and the Karnak Temple. Later the couple inteded to travel to the
Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik. The Times’s Bremner wirtes: “The
president's astonishing zest for self-exhibition is still amusing the
French, according to opinion polls. A majority still believes that his
splashy private life and taste for glitz are not a hindrance to his
job.”
> More
Predictions for France in 2008
Frogsmoke. Dec. 26, 2007
The quirky blog Frogsmoke offers some droll predictions for France in
2008. Here’s a sample, with a few additions: Johnny Hallyday is
appointed Keeper of the Harem by President Sarkozy; French nuclear
giant Areva banks record profits selling fission reactors to Syria and
Egypt, and bomb shelters to Israel; nine in ten French associate work
with stress, up from three in four last year; Ministry of
Communications launches a state-subsidized “French Internet" to counter
the “Anglo-Saxon Internet"; Gerard Depardieu announces retirement,
makes six new films; an American wins the Tour de France, but France
disqualifies him for not liking cheese; Sarkozy’s economic reforms
increase the buying power …. of French billionaires; Google has 99% of
the search market, three new French search engines launched; Sarkozy
trades Corsica to Colonel Ghaddafi for hostages; Ministry of Labor
changes its slogan from "travailler plus pour gagner plus" to “Arbeit
macht Frei”; Mohamed becomes most popular baby boy’s name.
> More
Has the Legion of Honor lost its value?
SperoNews. Dec. 26, 2007
These days it seems like France is giving the Legion of Honor to just
about anybody. The medal is promoted as “France’s highest honor” and
was formerly reserved for acts of patriotism and war heroism. Recently
it has also been pinned on a miscellaneous bunch of famous and
not-so-famous government bureaucrats, businessmen, movie directors (Im
Kwon-taek), fashion designers (Yves Saint-Laurent), journalists (Ben
Bradlee), doctors (Namir Katkhouda), professors (John D. Lyons),
atheletes (Tony Parker), as well as scary rulers like Vladimir Putin
(against the protest of French philosopher André Glucksmann and
Reporters Without Borders).
> More
French power plants are killing the Rhine
Der Speigel. Dec. 25, 2007
Countries like Germany and Switzerland bordering the Rhine river have
invested billions of euros to clean up the waterway to make it safe for
fish like the endangered salmon. But along the Upper Rhine
hydroelectric stations belonging to the French national energy monopoly
Electricité de France (EDF) kill up to 40% of all passing fish, and the
company refuses to build fish ladders, enraging politicians and
environmentalists.
> More
Miss France farce
AFP. Dec. 25, 2007
This year's Miss France contest has descended into a complete French
farce with moral outrage, a bishop defending the girl, a post-colonial
racism row and legal action set to follow. The fuss was triggered by
photos of the scantily-clad Miss France Valerie Begue in a crucifixion
pose in a swimming-pool, and suggestively licking yoghurt.
> More
French luxury goods giant LVMH buys Les Echos
AFP. Dec. 25, 2007
French luxury products group LVMH said on Monday it had bought French
financial newspaper Les Echos from Britain's Pearson, owner of the
Financial Times, and had agreed to sell rival title La Tribune. The
French body responsible for competition and the repression of fraud
DGCCRF, a part of the economy ministry, cleared the way for the deal.
> More
Trichet is FT's Person of the Year
Financial Times. Dec. 25, 2007
Jean-Claude Trichet, the French head of the European Central Bank, has
been named the Financial Times' Person of the Year for his handling of
the subprime crisis.
> More
//end
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