Monthly Archives: June 2011

From French finance ministry to head of the IMF: Lagarde’s got her work cut out for her

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

Few were surprised when French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was appointed to the head of the International Monetary Fund yesterday. Lagarde beat out Mexico’s Agustin Carsters to replace Dominique Strauss Kahn, who is currently facing attempted rape charges in New York City. … Continue reading →

About these ads
Posted in Economy, Europe, France, Politics, World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nuclear protests at Fessenheim

Posted on June 26, 2011 by

Clearly some people are still feeling raw after the recent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan. Reuters is reporting that about 5,000 protesters showed up at a nuclear power plant in Fessenheim, Alsace, to demand a shutdown and … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sarkozy drops controversial property tax

Posted on June 19, 2011 by

DSK might be headed to the slammer and LePen is nipping at his heels–time for Sarkozy to play some hardball. The French Prime Minister just dropped a planned property tax on second homes, which would have affected an estimated 360,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your mother was a hamster…

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

In quasi-hilarious random news, France is in hot water over failing to protect its hamster population. The New York Times reports that “the Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the European Union’s highest court, ruled Thursday that France had failed to protect … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Europe, France | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Iranian foreign minister blasts French claims

Posted on June 9, 2011 by

After France’s foreign ministry claimed Iran’s further uranium enrichment was a provocation and violation of the international laws this week, the Iranian foreign minister hit back. Predictably, Ali-Akbar Salehi dismissed the country’s claims as untrue, according to Xinhuanet English: “‘This (France’s) … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Politics, World | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

French writer Lévy flexes diplomatic muscles with Israel

Posted on June 5, 2011 by

French writer Bernard Henri Lévy, one of the architects behind France’s superquick recognition of Libya’s rebel authority, claims he has started diplomatic talks between the fledgling National Transitional Council and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The AFP reports that Lévy, who … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Politics, World | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Surprise! Cell phones give you cancer! … possibly.

Posted on June 1, 2011 by

A panel of scientists at the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC, has given the media a new chance to write inflammatory headlines designed to frighten you. Thirty-one scientists from 14 countries identified electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell … Continue reading →

Posted in France | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment