By RFI Ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to claim diplomatic immunity when he was arrested over the attempted rape of a hotel maid, police transcripts revealed Thursday. More: http://www.english.rfi.fr/americas/20110617-strauss-kahn-tried-claim-diplomatic-immunity
Germany’s opposition parties have poured scorn on the compromise brokered between Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy on a new Greek bailout package, which calls for the private sector to contribute voluntarily. “The idea of a voluntary contribution from the banks is ridiculous,” said Carsten Schneider, financial spokesman for […]
France’s Energy Minister Eric Besson is urging the European Commission to tackle the knock-on effects of Germany’s decision to abandon nuclear power, fearing energy supplies problems, in a letter seen Friday. “Our national decisions can have a substantial impact on the balance between electricity demand and supply in other European […]
Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy were speaking after Greece’s Prime Minister George Papandreou announced a cabinet reshuffle. The changes include a new finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos. Mr Papandreou wants to impose political stability as Greece awaits approval for the next tranche of bail-out money. More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13809433
Guardian.uk. A court this week heard the first case against women for wearing the niqab – or Islamic face veil – since a ban came into force in April. One of the defendants was banned from entering the courthouse because she was still wearing the niqab. The two women on […]
Bachelot is confident that in future same sex marriages will be allowed. La ministre de la Cohésion sociale, Roselyne Bachelot, a estimé mercredi à propos du mariage homosexuel que «de toute façon, cela se fera», c’est une «question de mois, d’années». Affirmant qu’elle aurait voté la proposition de loi socialiste […]
By RFI Demonstrators are camped out in front of the Greek parliament and workers are on general strike as MPs debate a new austerity package. Credit ratings agency Moody’s is threatening to downgrade three French banks because of their exposure to Greek debt. More: http://www.english.rfi.fr/economy/20110615-anti-austerity-general-strike-hits-greece-french-banks-threatened-downgrade
France24. France’s celebrity gossip journalists have been rubbing their hands together in anticipation this week after Nicolas Sarkozy’s former wife opened up about life with the president, quickly followed by the news that she was planning to publish an autobiographical novel next year. Weekly magazine Voici marvelled that 2012 was […]
By Raed Omari AMMAN – Tafileh MPs and senators on Tuesday issued a statement, demanding an apology from Agence France-Presse (AFP) for publishing “false” news reports that His Majesty King Abdullah’s motorcade was attacked by stone throwers during his visit to their city on Monday. In the statement, the signatories […]
AFP – France’s lower house of parliament Tuesday rejected a bill that would have allowed gays to marry. The house, dominated by the ruling right-wing UMP party, voted by 293 votes to 222 to block the bill, with most left-wing lawmakers backing it and most of the right opposed.”We are […]
By ASIF ISMAIL | GLOBAL INDIA NEWSWIRE The 17th World Sacred Music Festival kicked off June 3 in Fes, the charming Moroccan city of majestic hills and ancient walls, with a dazzling opera based on that eternal love story, Layla and Majnun. Under the artistic direction of the Morocco-reared and […]
The French National Assembly debates same-sex marriage Thursday. The Socialists called for the debate and have promised to legalise gay marriage if they win….. More: http://www.english.rfi.fr/visiting-france/20110609-same-sex-marriage-debated-french-national-assembly
AFP – The French government said on Thursday it would have to pay Taiwan 460 million euros after defence giant Thales lost an appeal over its wrongful payment of commissions on a warship order. Prime Minister Francois Fillon’s office announced that the state would have to cover 72.5 percent […]
By RFI The plaintiff’s lawyer the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case has appealed on French TV for other women to come forward if they complaints against the former International Monetary Fund chief. “If there is any woman out there, whether in France or in Africa, who have been sexually assaulted […]
By RFI The worst of the E coli outbreak is over, German Health Minister Daniel Bahr said on Wednesday ahead of a European meeting on the crisis. But one case has been confirmed in France and 12 other possible ones are reported. The number of new infections from the E […]
Christine Lagarde’s blend of French sophistication and US pedigree (she lived in the US for 25 years), combined with her defence of both free market economics and French social subsidies, have earned her admiration at home and abroad. By FRANCE 24 (text) Dubbed “the Coco Chanel of world finance” […]
RFI France. The first English lessons of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte while he was banished to exile on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena fetched more than 93,000 euros at an auction in France on Sunday, significantly more than their estimated value. More: http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/20110606-napoleons-english-lessons-sold-90000-euros
RFI France. The hotel employees who responded to a call from their trade union shouted “Shame on you!” and told journalists that they and their colleagues were frequently subjected to unwanted sexual advances or worse, from rich and powerful guests. Dressed in maid uniforms with aprons, they are a striking […]
By RFI Monday 06.06.2011 The court session lasted only a few minutes, during which Strauss-Kahn pleaded not guilty, and one of his lawyers, William Taylor, requested six weeks to examine the evidence collected by the prosecution. Judge Michael Obus granted the request and set the date for the next court […]