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You are here: Home » Politics + Society » Archive » October 2007-2
POLITICS AND SOCIETY NEWS AND EVENTS ARCHIVE OCTOBER 2007-2
Sarkozy Faces First
Internal Opposition
Time. Oct. 9, 2007
Since
his election on a platform of deep and sweeping reform, French
President Sarkozy has pledged a "rupture" with the past habits and
attitudes that have frozen so many of his country's previous
governments into virtual immobility. But there are now signs that
Sarkozy's pragmatism is being undermined by the all too common
right-left splits within his cabinet. >More
New French immigration museum heats up policy debate
Reuters. Oct 9, 2007
Parisians
can trace the history of immigration to France in a new museum -- the
National Centre on the History of Immigration , which opens this week.
The center mixes statistics, charts and photographs with immigrants'
accounts of their dangerous journeys to France. But many rights groups
and historians say this tribute to diversity seems at odds with
President Nicolas Sarkozy's tough line on immigration. > More
France considers change in broadcasting rules
Reuters. October 9, 2007
The
French Culture Ministry said Tuesday that it was considering a change
in broadcasting rules to facilitate the emergence of bigger domestic
media groups that could compete with global telecommunications and
Internet companies. Working groups will be set up in the coming weeks
to review regulation in four areas: relationships between producers and
broadcasters; advertising rules in the media; anti-concentration rules
in the media; and an overhaul of the public broadcasting sector. > More
French arms deal with Pakistan risks US ire
Asia Times. Oct. 9, 2007
The
news that Pakistan is likely to get French air-to-air missiles (AAMs)
and radar for its JF-17 fighter aircraft has raised some eyebrows in
the US. The reason is that the AAMs and multimission radar may enrich
China's rapidly growing military capabilities, since Pakistan is
developing its fighter plane with Beijing. Thus the European Union arm
systems ban against China may finally be circumvented. > More
French minister breaks ranks over immigration bill
IHT. Oct. 9, 2007
President
Nicolas Sarkozy's eclectic coalition of ministers showed its first
serious crack when the secretary of state for urban affairs threatened
to resign over the government's immigration policy. Fadela Amara, a
daughter of Algerian immigrants and one of a handful of leftists in
Sarkozy's center-right administration, condemned legislation pending in
Parliament that would introduce DNA tests to verify the family links of
immigrants who want to bring relatives to France. > More
Feisty Sarkozy To Meet with Steely Putin
AP. October 9, 2007
French
President Nicolas Sarkozy accuses Russia of "brutality" in exercising
its energy hegemony but the aggressive French leader may be about to
meet his match in the KGB-trained Putin on the occasion of his first
presidential visit to Russia this week. > More
Public Confidence in Sarkozy Falls
Angus Reid Poll. Oct. 9, 2007
Fewer adults in France are satisfied with President Nicolas Sarkozy,
according to a poll by CSA published in Le Parisien. Currently 55 per
cent of respondents have confidence in their president to face the
country’s problems, down six points since August. In May, Sarkozy, a
centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) candidate and former
interior minister, won the presidential run-off with 53.06 per cent of
the vote. > More
Frenchman Wins Physics Nobel Prize
AP. Oct. 9, 2007
Frenchman
Albert Fert was a co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in physics. Fert
and German Peter Gruenberg independently discovered a physical effect
called giant magnetoresistance in 1988 which has led to sensitive tools
for reading the information stored on hard disks. Applications include
the IPod. > More
Europe's Love Affair with Meetic
Der Spiegel. Oct. 8, 2007
The
French-based matchmaking site Meetic.com trumps Match.com on the
Continent and is buying up other online dating services around the
world. Meetic is now Europe's largest online dating site with 525,000
paying subscribers bringing in nearly $74 million in the first half of
2007. > More
Haitians in U.S. Revolution Get Monument
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
In
the Revolutionary War's 1779 siege of Savannah, GA, around 500 Haitian
soldiers fought for the American colonies against England. That
contribution to American independence has been honored with a bronze
monument dedicated on Oct. 8, 2007 in Savannah's Franklin Square.
Ironically the Haitian soldiers, part of a then-French colony, spurred
their own bloody war of independance from France upon their return to
Haiti. > More
Foreign Minister
Kouchner: "I Am Not a Warmonger"
Der Spiegel. Oct. 8, 2007
French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner discusses Franco-German tensions, the
controversy over Iran's nuclear program and his relationship with
President Sarkozy. > More
France unlikely to meet CO2 emissions target: report
Reuters. Oct 8, 2007
France is unlikely to meet its target of a fourfold reduction in
emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050, according to a report by a
government-appointed commission. The report into French energy
perspectives up to 2050 will say the best that can be expected is a
reduction by 2.1 or 2.4 times. > More
Euro finance ministers warn France that budget is not on track to cut debt
AP. October 8, 2007
Euro nations criticized France's budget on Oct. 8, 2007, saying Paris
must cut back spending if it is to eliminate its budget deficit by
2010. President Sarkozy ran into trouble with the other 12 nations that
share the euro this summer when he said he could not stick to a promise
of the previous French government to eliminate the country's budget
deficit within three years. France's 2008 budget is focused on spurring
economic growth through a €272 billion (US$384 billion) spending
package that includes €8.9 billion (US$12.6 billion) of tax cuts. > More
France Talks About Iran Sanctions, but Total Oil and Renault Will Stay
IHT. Oct. 8, 2007
While President Nicolas Sarkozytalks about preventing Iran from getting
the nuclear bomb, some of France's neighbors and many of its own
companies are skeptical of his initiative to impose tougher European
sanctions outside a United Nations mandate. French businesses deeply
invested in Iran, like Total Oil, warn that boycotts will hurt European
business interests rather than Iran. French carmaker Renault has
invested €300 million in a joint venture to produce its low-cost Logan
model in Iran. Capacity is up to 300,000 cars per year, making Iran the
second-largest Logan production site in the world. > More
France Subsidizes
Radio Frequency Identification Technology
EENews. Oct. 8, 2007
French
Minister of State with responsibility for Enterprise and Foreign Trade
Hervé Novelli highlighted the Government's intention to accelerate the
development of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in
France with the creation of a national RFID center with a budget of €2
million ($2.82 million). Critics expressed concern at the possible uses
of RFID technology such as human implant chips used for data storage,
tagging, and tracking. > More
French Nuclear Plants Planned for UK
Reuters. Oct. 8, 2007
The world's biggest nuclear operator, France's EDF, is considering
building four new reactors in Britain if given the go ahead and says it
can have the first of them running by the end of 2017. The UK
government is close to deciding whether to approve a new generation of
reactors to avoid a looming power crisis as ageing power stations are
retired and climate change fears hold back gas and coal plants. > More
Franco-American Love Fest Continues
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hailed the warming of France-US
ties under French President Nicolas Sarkozy. France and Britain share
many commonalities in wanting to enhance ties with the US, said Brown.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also acknowledged the
transformation, describing it as an "excellent relationship." All this
shmoozing comes as a shocking change from the decades of animosity
under former President Chirac's reign. It is still unclear which
government policy -- pro or anti-American -- truly reflects French
popular sentiment. > More
France To Ease TV Ownership Rules
Reuters. Oct 8, 2007
The
French government is planning to ease rules on the ownership of
television stations and production quotas. The government plans to take
advantage of the need to implement a new European Union television
directive to also introduce wider changes to facilitate the emergence
of bigger private TV groups in France. > More
Diana Inquiry Visits Paris
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
Eleven jurors in the British inquest into the death of Princess Diana
visited Paris for 2 days, and were taken to the dark Paris underpass
and viewed the scarred, dented pillar where her Mercedes crashed 10
years ago. The inquest is to determine when, where and how Diana and
her lover Dodi el fayed were killed. Dodi's father, Egyptian-born
billionaire Mohamed al Fayed claims the couple was murdered in a plot
directed by Prince Philip and with the complicity of British and French
secret services. The London-based inquiry will hear from French
witnesses via a video link with the Court of Appeal in Paris. > More
Air France-KLM says traffic rose 5.3 percent in September
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
Air
France-KLM, the world's largest airline by revenue, said today that its
passenger traffic rose 5.3 percent in September, but the load factor,
or the amount of cargo and seat capacity taken up, fell 0.5 percentage
points and the company's stock dipped slightly. > More
EADS Insider Trading Probe Reports This Week
MSNBC. Oct. 8, 2007
French
government inspectors will this week publish the results of an
investigation into the conduct of the finance ministry in advance of
the vexed share dealings in EADS, the aerospace and defence group. The
probe follows the leak last week of a preliminary report by the
Autorité des Marchés Financiers, France's stock market regulator, which
raised the alarm about possible insider dealing in EADS shares on a
"massive scale". > More
France is Pessimistic About Shady Share Dealings at EADS
Economist. Oct. 8, 2007
Will
French investigators get to the bottom of the story of potential
insider trading at EADS, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space
company? Sceptics doubt that the French business titans involved in the
scandal -- some of whom are bosom buddies with the President Sarkozy --
like EADS's co-chief executives at the time, Noël Forgeard and Thomas
Enders, and the two then co-chairmen, Manfred Bischoff and Arnaud
Lagardère, will ever be called to account. The Economist notes a
general feeling in France that bosses take care of each other and
usually get away scott free. > More
French Minister Confirms Review of Tax System
Forbes. Oct. 8, 2007
France's finance ministry is to conduct a complete review of the
country's tax system, the government's economy minister Christine
Lagarde confirmed. The review will look at all major taxes including
VAT, local business tax, income tax and social security contributions.
> More
Europe's Love Affair with Meetic
Der Spiegel. Oct. 8, 2007
The
French-based matchmaking site Meetic.com trumps Match.com on the
Continent and is buying up other online dating services around the
world. Meetic is now Europe's largest online dating site with 525,000
paying subscribers bringing in nearly $74 million in the first half of
2007. > More
Haitians in U.S. Revolution Get Monument
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
In
the Revolutionary War's 1779 siege of Savannah, GA, around 500 Haitian
soldiers fought for the American colonies against England. That
contribution to American independence has been honored with a bronze
monument dedicated on Oct. 8, 2007 in Savannah's Franklin Square.
Ironically the Haitian soldiers, part of a then-French colony, spurred
their own bloody war of independance from France upon their return to
Haiti. >More
Foreign Minister
Kouchner: "I Am Not a Warmonger"
Der Spiegel. Oct. 8, 2007
French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner discusses Franco-German tensions, the
controversy over Iran's nuclear program and his relationship with
President Sarkozy. >More
France unlikely to meet CO2 emissions target: report
Reuters. Oct 8, 2007
France is unlikely to meet its target of a fourfold reduction in
emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050, according to a report by a
government-appointed commission. The report into French energy
perspectives up to 2050 will say the best that can be expected is a
reduction by 2.1 or 2.4 times. >More
Euro finance ministers warn France that budget is not on track to cut debt
AP. October 8, 2007
Euro nations criticized France's budget on Oct. 8, 2007, saying Paris
must cut back spending if it is to eliminate its budget deficit by
2010. President Sarkozy ran into trouble with the other 12 nations that
share the euro this summer when he said he could not stick to a promise
of the previous French government to eliminate the country's budget
deficit within three years. France's 2008 budget is focused on spurring
economic growth through a €272 billion (US$384 billion) spending
package that includes €8.9 billion (US$12.6 billion) of tax cuts. >More
France Talks About Iran Sanctions, but Total Oil and Renault Will Stay
IHT. Oct. 8, 2007
While President Nicolas Sarkozytalks about preventing Iran from getting
the nuclear bomb, some of France's neighbors and many of its own
companies are skeptical of his initiative to impose tougher European
sanctions outside a United Nations mandate. French businesses deeply
invested in Iran, like Total Oil, warn that boycotts will hurt European
business interests rather than Iran. French carmaker Renault has
invested €300 million in a joint venture to produce its low-cost Logan
model in Iran. Capacity is up to 300,000 cars per year, making Iran the
second-largest Logan production site in the world. >More
France Subsidizes
Radio Frequency Identification Technology
EENews. Oct. 8, 2007
French
Minister of State with responsibility for Enterprise and Foreign Trade
Hervé Novelli highlighted the Government's intention to accelerate the
development of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in
France with the creation of a national RFID center with a budget of €2
million ($2.82 million). Critics expressed concern at the possible uses
of RFID technology such as human implant chips used for data storage,
tagging, and tracking. >More
French Nuclear Plants Planned for UK
Reuters. Oct. 8, 2007
The world's biggest nuclear operator, France's EDF, is considering
building four new reactors in Britain if given the go ahead and says it
can have the first of them running by the end of 2017. The UK
government is close to deciding whether to approve a new generation of
reactors to avoid a looming power crisis as ageing power stations are
retired and climate change fears hold back gas and coal plants. >More
Franco-American Love Fest Continues
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hailed the warming of France-US
ties under French President Nicolas Sarkozy. France and Britain share
many commonalities in wanting to enhance ties with the US, said Brown.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also acknowledged the
transformation, describing it as an "excellent relationship." All this
shmoozing comes as a shocking change from the decades of animosity
under former President Chirac's reign. It is still unclear which
government policy -- pro or anti-American -- truly reflects French
popular sentiment. >More
France To Ease TV Ownership Rules
Reuters. Oct 8, 2007
The
French government is planning to ease rules on the ownership of
television stations and production quotas. The government plans to take
advantage of the need to implement a new European Union television
directive to also introduce wider changes to facilitate the emergence
of bigger private TV groups in France. >More
Diana Inquiry Visits Paris
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
Eleven jurors in the British inquest into the death of Princess Diana
visited Paris for 2 days, and were taken to the dark Paris underpass
and viewed the scarred, dented pillar where her Mercedes crashed 10
years ago. The inquest is to determine when, where and how Diana and
her lover Dodi el fayed were killed. Dodi's father, Egyptian-born
billionaire Mohamed al Fayed claims the couple was murdered in a plot
directed by Prince Philip and with the complicity of British and French
secret services. The London-based inquiry will hear from French
witnesses via a video link with the Court of Appeal in Paris. >More
Air France-KLM says traffic rose 5.3 percent in September
AP. Oct. 8, 2007
Air
France-KLM, the world's largest airline by revenue, said today that its
passenger traffic rose 5.3 percent in September, but the load factor,
or the amount of cargo and seat capacity taken up, fell 0.5 percentage
points and the company's stock dipped slightly. >More
EADS Insider Trading Probe Reports This Week
MSNBC. Oct. 8, 2007
French
government inspectors will this week publish the results of an
investigation into the conduct of the finance ministry in advance of
the vexed share dealings in EADS, the aerospace and defence group. The
probe follows the leak last week of a preliminary report by the
Autorité des Marchés Financiers, France's stock market regulator, which
raised the alarm about possible insider dealing in EADS shares on a
"massive scale". >More
France is Pessimistic About Shady Share Dealings at EADS
Economist. Oct. 8, 2007
Will
French investigators get to the bottom of the story of potential
insider trading at EADS, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space
company? Sceptics doubt that the French business titans involved in the
scandal -- some of whom are bosom buddies with the President Sarkozy --
like EADS's co-chief executives at the time, Noël Forgeard and Thomas
Enders, and the two then co-chairmen, Manfred Bischoff and Arnaud
Lagardère, will ever be called to account. The Economist notes a
general feeling in France that bosses take care of each other and
usually get away scott free. >More
French Minister Confirms Review of Tax System
Forbes. Oct. 8, 2007
France's finance ministry is to conduct a complete review of the
country's tax system, the government's economy minister Christine
Lagarde confirmed. The review will look at all major taxes including
VAT, local business tax, income tax and social security contributions.
>More
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