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You are here: Home » Politics + Society » Archive » October 2007-6
POLITICS AND SOCIETY NEWS AND EVENTS ARCHIVE OCTOBER 2007-6
Archives: October 20-22, 2007
Guy Moquet Day Sparks Debate in France
AP. Oct. 22, 2007
A
Resistance fighter who was executed by the Nazis was honored on Oct.
22, 2007 in schools across France, although some teachers defied an
order by President Sarkozy to have his final letter read aloud.
France's main union for secondary school teachers, SNES, urged members
not to participate, saying the conservative Sarkozy was trying to use
the communist martyr's history for his own political gains. > More
Brits Still Find Reasons to Hate the French
Telegraph. Oct. 12, 2007
The
British media enumerate reasons they loathe the French: they're rude,
lazy, impatient, aggressive losers with a Napoleon complex and yappy
dogs which shit on the street. Oh, and they like Jerry Lewis. > More
Sarkozy seeks a "greener" France at policy congress
Reuters. Oct. 21, 2007
Green
politics in France, long the domain of anarchic protests over
genetically modified crops and hamburgers, moves mainstream next week
at a congress billed as one of President Nicolas Sarkozy's showpiece
reform measures. The conference underlines the extent to which
worldwide concerns over global warming and other environmental issues
have reached France, where the fractured green movement traditionally
has been consigned to the political fringes. > More
Sarkozy Divorce is Part of French Trend
Observer. Oct. 21, 2007
Marriage is no longer very popular in France. Last year 59 per cent of
French first-born children were born out of wedlock. Only 268,000
people got married in France in 2006 - the lowest figure since 1990.
There is now more than one divorce for every two marriages. The 152,000
divorces last year marked an increase of 40,000 on 2002. Rising in
popularity are the Pacs (pacte civil de solidarite) introduced in 1999
mainly with gays and lesbians in mind. But now 90% of PACs are
contracted by heterosexuals. > More
Sarkozy Divorce Humanizes the President
Telegraph. Oct. 21, 2007
Far from hiding his divorce, media-savvy Sarko was using it to deflect
attention from union troubles and strikes. The French approved. They
are traditionally distrustful of "incorruptible" politicians who lead a
blameless life. Mitterrand kept the nation in the dark about his
cancer, his many affairs and his illegitimate daughter. Chirac hid
infidelities while also avoiding inquiries about sleaze. France likes
its leaders to share its sins, appetites, and foibles. Doublespeak and
hypocrisy are admired, honesty is punished. > More
Pseudoscientific Bigotry in France
New York Times. Oct. 22, 2007
The
New York Times Editorial page condemns France's "ugly new law that
would introduce DNA testing as a potential basis for excluding
prospective immigrants."
DNA testing has no rightful place in immigration law, opines the Times.
The
Times points out the irony of Sarkozy, himself the son of a Hungarian
immigrants, making his political name with harsh criticism of more
recent immigrants. > More
French Morality and the Presidential Divorce
New York Times. Oct. 22, 2007
In
the wake of President Sarkozy’s divorce, 79 percent of the French
public declare that the affair is of “little or no importance” in the
country’s political life. But is that libertarian, or just cynical?
While some observers applaud France’s respect for privacy, others feel
that an open discussions of morality would help a corrupt and
hypocritical society. > More
Microsoft Concedes in European Antitrust Case
New York Times. Oct. 22, 2007
Microsoft bowed today to pressure from the European Commission and
agreed for the first time to sell some confidential computer code to
rivals at nominal cost, ending a 32-year-old practice of designing
closed systems to bolster its competitive advantage. > More
Sarkozy Still Popular in France
Angus Reid. October 21, 2007
French
president Nicolas Sarkozy maintains a positive rating in France,
according to two recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Ipsos
published in Le Point, 63 per cent of respondents have a favourable
opinion of Sarkozy, and 54 per cent feel the same way about French
prime minister François Fillon. > More
French rugby coach in fraud investigation
AFP. Oct. 20, 2007
French
rugby coach Bernard Laporte, feted as a hero after France beat the All
Blacks in the World Cup quarter-finals, is under investigation over
financial dealings. Laporte, who is due to become a junior sports
minister in the French government has, according to L'Equipe, been
under investigation for a year by the national fraud squad. > More
Apple Yields to French Pressure on iPhone
InternetCom. Oct. 20, 2007
Apple has decided to listen to the French government and customers and
allow iPhone users in that country to run the device on various
cellular networks. Under a deal, the European mobile carrier Orange
will remain the exclusive source for the iPhone in the French market,
but will now offer both a locked version for its French net for about
$560 and an unlocked version for a higher, but undisclosed price. > More
Sarkozy Bristles at Divorce Queries
New York Times. Oct. 20, 2007
President
Nicolas Sarkozy bristled when he was asked about his divorce today
during a meeting of European Union leaders in Lisbon. One day after his
divorce from his wife, Cécilia, a reporter from Le Monde asked Mr.
Sarkozy about his “state of mind.” He rebuffed the reporter for not
being “discreet.” A French poll showed that 92 percent of French had
not changed their opinion of Sarkozy because of the divorce and 79
percent said it was not an important event in French politics. > More > More
Cecilia Sarkozy Admits Infidelity
New York Times. Oct. 20, 2007
In
her first post-divorce interview, Cécilia Sarkozy acknowledged that she
left home two years ago when she fell in love with another man. She
hated public life, and she “tried everything” to avoid divorce, but had
no regrets.
> More
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