Monthly Archives: August 2011

Taking a good hard look at AFP

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

The European Union’s competition watchdog thinks France might be spending waaaay too much on its newswire, Agence France-Presse. The Associated Press is (rather gleefully) reporting that the European Commission is launching an investigation into whether AFP’s $161 million in annual … Continue reading →

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Posted in Economy, Europe, France | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Economy dominates Socialist conference

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

More shocking news: The Socialists want to raise taxes! The French Socialist Party’s annual conference was characterized by struggles and maneuvering amongst leadership candidates, and of course, the economy. The country recently announced austerity measures that should raise some $17 billion over the next year … Continue reading →

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DSK: Off the hook

Posted on August 23, 2011 by

Can’t really say we didn’t see this coming: after countless rumours, media hysteria and much turmoil, all charges have been dropped against former Socialist Party leader and former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Forbes reports that DSK is finally in the position to … Continue reading →

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Sarkozy to meet with Libya’s possible new leaders

Posted on August 22, 2011 by

The French government was the first to recognize Libya’s rebel National Transitional Council as Gadhafi’s legitimate replacement–now Sarkozy is going one step further. The Wall Street Journal reports that the French President is set to meet with Libya’s rebel forces. “Foreign Affairs Minister … Continue reading →

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Oh! Gerard Depardieu!

Posted on August 17, 2011 by

Shame, shame. In today’s embarassing French celebrity news, famous actor, winemaker and convicted drunk driver Gerard Depardieu held up a flight because… well… he just couldn’t hold it. France 24 reports that the 62-year-old actor just didn’t want to wait … Continue reading →

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To bond, or not to bond? Europe ponders the question.

Posted on August 16, 2011 by

Today is the big day: a European summit scheduled to figure out how to fix Europe’s massive financial crisis. Will the Euro survive? The Wall Street Journal reports that German and French leaders are poo-pooing predictions of a new eurobond, … Continue reading →

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Another scandal for an IMF leader

Posted on August 9, 2011 by

The UMP had their fun with DSK, now it’s time for the Socialist Party to rip on an IMF leader caught up in a scandal. France 24 reports that French Finance Minister and head of the IMF Christine Lagarde is … Continue reading →

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French economy headed downhill with the rest of ‘em

Posted on August 8, 2011 by

In today’s totally unsurprising news, France has joined the U.S. and the rest of the EU in bracing itself to weather yet another economic storm. The Bank of France confirmed today that it forecasts only 0.2 per cent growth in … Continue reading →

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France to Noriega: Byeeee

Posted on August 3, 2011 by

They were friends once…  Before there was Osama bin Laden, there was Manuel Noriega, a one-time American ally who’s been on the outs with the ol’ US of A for over 20 years. France is now set to send deposed … Continue reading →

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