Thousand of High school students on the streets of France

They protest the massive suppression of teaching posts planned for the next school year.
Todays manifestations were violent in some places and the Minister of Education Xavier Darcos
denounced the incitement by extremists to put the students on the streets against the reforms that are necessary in order to increase the efficiency of the school system

Reduction of taxes promised by N.Sarkozy will be difficult to implement

No taxes will be reduced this year as their cost for the public finances are estimated
13 milliards € and the proposal is under heavy attacks by the finance commission of the French National Assembly

Le Monde.fr 24/3/08

Ex-Maire of Paris will be tried for electoral fraud

Jean Tiberi, ex-Maire of Paris and the present Maire of 5th district of Paris will be judged, together with his 9 collaborators, for the electoral fraud committed 11 years ago. The act of accusation states that 7228 persons were fraudulently registered as voting residents in exchange of some municipal benefits such as places in the kindergartens or public housing. Constitutional court was unable to cancel the election all together without the proof that those votes were determinant for the final result of the election.

Reuters, 14.02.08

Three French policeman arrested for antisemitic acts

They were among a group of five individuals who entered Amiens pub with "seig heil" salute and proffered other violent antisemitic and xenophobic statements towards barman and other people present there. The three policemen were immediately suspended from their jobs and arrested for the acts of incitement to racial hate. All five individuals are known to belong to extreme right and neo-nazis groups and also to be close to Le Pen political party.

NouvelObs.com, 10/2/08

Another proposed reform stopped

Attalli's report proposed to increase the number of taxis in Paris and its suburbs to improve the urban circulation. The perturbations caused by strikes and protestations of the taxis and its representative organizations, forced the government to renounce the proposed changes and to promise to negotiate first the compensations for the eventual losses of revenues as a consequence of increased competition

Le Monde.fr 7th of February 2008

Trader of Societe Generale suspected of huge fraud

Jerome Kerviel used his financial "savoir faire" to hide huge losses created by unstable markets of future options, which amounted to 400 millions of €. Panicked Societe Generale reacted by selling all the problematic accounts creating even worse losses of 4.9 milliard of € causing a near bankruptcy for itself.

Finance, 28 of Jan.2008

New series of explosions in Corse

After last week's arson fire at the Corse Assembly two banks and one postal office were seriously damaged by explosions. Four suspects were detained in Ajaccio and under investigation by the antiterrorist section in Paris.

Figaro, 21 of January 2008

Boeing in advance of Airbus for the second consecutive year

In 2007 Airbus sales, 1341 orders for airplanes, are again lower of 1413 reported by Boeing its main competitor

NouvelObs.com 16 of Jan.2008

Manifestation in Paris against the detention centers for illegal immigrants

2 to 3000 people, including many known artists and public figures walked trough Paris to demonstrate their opposition to the conditions of detention and deportation of illegal immigrants maintained at Vincennes and Mesnil Amelot centers demanding their immediate liberation while the government wants to achieve the goal of 25.000 expulsions per year .

Le monde.fr ; 5 th of January, 2008
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José Bové and other altermondialists on hunger strike

to protest French government's inaction to request from the European Union the prohibition of cultivation and sale of GMO (genetically modified organisms) . Segolène Royal expressed her support for José Bové action against the production of transgenic maize as promised by the government

AFP 3rd of January 2008

Health expenses up for all

Each medication or para-medical act will cost 50 cents more for those insured under National Health Insurance. Those who need them most will spend 50€ maximum per year.
Only children and pregnant women are exempted from this new legal measure.
No real opposition was publicly expressed against it.

Libération.fr 1st of January 2008