France

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French Cops Bust 26 in Record Jewel Heist

(Newser) - French cops have busted 26 people linked to the biggest jewelry heist ever in France, reports the Guardian. Police swooped in after learning that foreign buyers were about to contact the team to purchase gems lifted late last year in a brazen daylight armed robbery in Paris. The suspects, both...

Burka Is 'Not Welcome' in France: Sarkozy

Prez says religious covering a sign of female 'subservience'

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy today spoke out strongly against Islamic coverings for women, like the burka, the BBC reports. In a rare speech to parliament, which is considering a ban, the French president said, “we cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting. … The burka...

France Considers Burka Ban
 France Considers Burka Ban 
Jun 20, 2009 11:01 AM CDT

France Considers Burka Ban

(Newser) - France’s parliament is making noises about banning head-to-toe Islamic women’s dress such as the burka and niqab, the Times of London reports. Opponents called the the dress “a moving prison” and a “tomb," and say it's cropping up more in big cities. If the burka...

Sarko Jeered at African Leader's Funeral

French president booed, taunted in Gabon

(Newser) - Crowds in the African nation of Gabon booed Nicolas Sarkozy at the funeral of the country's long-serving strongman president, Omar Bongo. Dozens of onlookers shouted "We don't want you, leave!" at the French leader and his predecessor, Jacques Chirac. France ruled Gabon in the colonial era and...

Superbug Kills Face, Hand Transplant Patient

(Newser) - A French man who received a groundbreaking face and double hand transplant to repair damage from severe burns has died from a massive infection, reports the Independent. The patient, 30, suffered a heart attack during surgery to battle a super bug invasion in his face. Despite the problem, his body...

Woman Who Missed Air France Flight Killed in Car Crash

(Newser) - An Italian woman who cheated fate when she missed her flight on the doomed Air France jet has been killed in a car crash, the London Times reports. Johanna Ganthaler and her husband were late to the Rio airport on May 31 and caught another flight the next day. The...

Bono Charity Rips Italy, France for Stiffing Africa

Anti-poverty group says broken aid promise should cost Italy right to host G8 summit

(Newser) - An anti-poverty group founded by Bono has issued a report harshly condemning France and Italy for reneging on promises to boost aid to Africa, the BBC reports. The report from the organization One called France's performance "disappointing" and Italy's an "utter failure," which has dragged down...

French Court Throws Out Anti-Piracy Law

(Newser) - France’s constitutional council today shot down the country’s newly minted “three strikes” law against Internet piracy, Ars Technica reports. The council said the law, which set up an administrative body to punish pirates, violated basic principles of French law, assigning essentially judicial duties to a non-judicial body,...

Two on Flight 447 Labeled Terror Threats

Investigators find passengers on French list of radical Muslims

(Newser) - Two people on board crashed Air France Flight 447 were on a French list of radical Muslims seen as terror threats, London’s Evening Standard reports. French security officials sent to Brazil discovered the passengers’ status; a security insider called the terror link “highly significant,” though it could...

Sub Joins Search for Air France Black Box

(Newser) - A French nuclear submarine has joined the search for Air France Flight 447’s black boxes, ABC News reports. The sub boasts high-tech sonar equipment, which could help detect the acoustic signals the flight recorders transmit. The sub will work alongside a French research vessel set to arrive Friday, carrying...

Picasso Sketchbook Worth $16M Stolen in Paris

(Newser) - Thieves stole a sketchbook containing 33 Pablo Picasso drawings from the Picasso Museum in Paris, the Daily Mail reports. The security system was somehow disabled and there was no sign of forced entry. The theft occurred sometime last night or early today and resembles the 2007 robbery of the home...

Air France Union Urges Crews Not to Fly Airbus

(Newser) - A French airline-workers union has urged Air France crews to boycott long-haul Airbus jets until new speed sensors are installed, the Times of London reports. “To prevent a repeat” of the Flight 447 disaster, the Alter union said, “we call on flight deck and cabin crew to refuse...

Picasso's 'Magical' Château to Open

Studio, burial ground private up til now

(Newser) - This summer, art fiends can visit Pablo Picasso’s final resting place for the first time—a château where “he devoted himself completely to his art,” the Telegraph reports. Picasso discovered Château de Vauvenargues in the foothills of France’s Mont Sainte-Victoire, a mountain made famous...

Hermes Breeds Crocs to Skin for Handbags

(Newser) - Fashion mainstay Hermes is now maintaining its own crocodile farms in Australia to provide skins for its handbags, Reuters reports. “The world is not full of crocodiles, except the stock exchange!” the French company’s CEO joked, feebly. Hermes’ leather-accessory line, which accounts for 40% of company business,...

15 More Bodies Found at Crash Site

Searches also find large amount of aircraft wreckage

(Newser) - Searchers have recovered 15 more bodies from the Air France 447 crash site in the Atlantic, bringing the total to 17. Brazil's military also collected large amounts of the plane's "structural components," officials tell Reuters. "Hundreds of items are being found and being stored until we know...

Obama Keeps Snubbing Sarko
 Obama Keeps 
 Snubbing Sarko 
OPINION
Jun 7, 2009 1:01 PM CDT

Obama Keeps Snubbing Sarko

European leaders feel burned after visit by popular president

(Newser) - President Obama’s dizzying, 2-day jaunt through Europe left two people smarting in his dust: Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. France’s president and Germany’s chancellor learned that Obama, not one to pal around with European leaders, keeps his distance. “Obama is not out to play buddy-buddy with...

Obama: D-Day Is 'Story of America'

(Newser) - President Obama today paid homage to the men who stormed the beach at Normandy on the 65th anniversary of D-Day, reports the Los Angeles Times. Speaking at Omaha Beach, Obama called the invasion the "story of America" and said it can provide inspiration "for the hardships and struggles...

Obama, Sarko Oppose Nuclear Iran, New Israeli Settlements

(Newser) - Barack Obama and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, stood together today on thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions and furthering a Mideast peace that provides for separate Israeli and Palestinian states. "We want peace. We want dialogue. We want to help them develop. But we do not want military nuclear weapons...

Dairy Teams Seek Greener Cow Burps

Methane production drops after farms adopt new feed

(Newser) - Cow belches have been called a bigger environmental threat than cars and trucks—and now dairy groups are taking steps to keep dangerous burps to a minimum, the New York Times reports. One Vermont farmer has seen his cows’ methane emissions drop 18% after boosting the alfalfa and flaxseed in...

Obamas Pass on Dinner With Sarkozys

President and first lady turn down dinner invitation from French hosts

(Newser) - The Obamas arrive in Paris tonight, but the president and the first lady have told the Sarkozys that they'll need a little time alone. Barack and Michelle declined a dinner invitation from the French president and wife Carla Bruni, even though they are staying at the American ambassador's residence—right...

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