FRANCE: French senate debates allowing foreigners to vote
A French bill that would allow non-EU foreigners to vote in local elections passed its first hurdle Friday when it was adopted by the upper-house Senate. But the bill stands no chance of passing in the lower house, the National Assembly. Read More
FRANCE: Late general’s ashes spark row in France
A decision by France’s Ministry of Defense to include the ashes of famed General Marcel Bigeard in the Invalides monument in Paris has met with fierce opposition from his detractors. Read More
EUROPE: Sarkozy and Merkel seek joint solution to debt crisis
French President Nicolas Sarkozy used his landmark Thursday night speech on the debt crisis to announce a Monday meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which he said would result in a joint plan to “guarantee the future of Europe.” Read More
FRANCE: Strauss-Kahn phone ‘hacked’ hours before arrest in New York
Hours before his arrest on sexual assault charges, former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was warned that his phone had been hacked and that a message sent to his wife had been read by members of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party. Read More
EUROZONE: Germany, France propose reforms to EU treaties
Germany and France proposed changes to EU treaties to improve governance of the eurozone at a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti Thursday. But Angela Merkel stood by her refusal to widen the European Central Bank’s role. Read More
SYRIA: ‘Too late’ for Syria reforms, French FM says
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday raised the spectre of civil war in neighbouring Syria. Meanwhile his French counterpart Alain Juppe, in Ankara for talks, said it was now “too late” for Syria’s regime to reform. Read More
FRANCE: France calls off ‘dirty money’ probe into Chirac
Paris prosecutors said Wednesday they had called off a probe into claims that French former president Jacques Chirac (photo) and other politicians accepted money from African regimes in order to fund political campaigns, citing a lack of evidence. Read More
France: Strauss-Kahn wants to testify in prostitution probe
Embattled former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn requested on Friday to give evidence before a judicial panel investigating an alleged prostitution ring, claiming reports that linked him to it made him the victim of a “media lynching”. Read More
DIPLOMACY: Sarkozy calls Netanyahu ‘a liar’ in remarks to Obama
In overheard remarks to US President Barack Obama at the G20 summit last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar”, according to Israeli media. “I have to deal with him every day,” Obama replied. Read More
FRANCE: Far-right leader Le Pen meets with ambassadors at UN
The leader of France’s far-right National Front party, Marine Le Pen (right), was at United Nations headquarters for lunch on Thursday with several ambassadors, speaking briefly with Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor (left). Read More