France's ex-prime minister Dominique de Villepin has filed a law suit against Nicolas Sarkozy after the president called him and other defendants in a smear trial "guilty".
Villepin accuses Sarkozy of violating his right to presumption of innocence when he said in a television interview last week that the "guilty parties" in the so-called Clearstream affair were on trial.
Under French law, the head of state enjoys immunity from legal action and the suit would in theory only be heard once Sarkozy is out of office.
France's most politically charged trial in years opened last week with Villepin and four other defendants accused of taking part in a plot hatched in 2003-2004 to smear Sarkozy and derail his bid for the French presidency.
Villepin and Sarkozy were then bitter rivals in the struggle for the governing right-wing party's nomination to succeed president Jacques Chirac.
Villepin described the comments as "unacceptable" and argued that Sarkozy had "an obligation to refrain from commenting" on matters before the courts.
Opposition politicians said Sarkozy's remarks made on French television were a "revealing slip of the tongue" that showed he was not impartial in the case involving his arch-rival, Villepin.
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Monday, 21 September 2009
French legislators move towards internet piracy bill.
The French lower house has narrowly approved some of the toughest anti-internet-piracy legislation in the world, a bill that would permit authorities to cut the internet connection of illegal downloaders, impose fines of hundreds of thousands of euros and even jail repeat offenders.
The Hadopi bill, named for the new anti-piracy agency it creates, was backed on Tuesday (15 September) by most members of the governing centre-right UMP group in the National Assembly and resisted by the opposition Socialists, 285 to 225.
This is the third attempt of the French government to pass such a law. The first attempt tripped at the final hurdle when insufficient numbers of deputies from the majority turned up to vote, requiring a resubmission of the bill, which was subsequently struck down by France's Constitutional Court, which ruled that only a judge could impose such penalties as cutting internet access.
The new bill, already approved by the Senate in July, is also known as the 'three-strikes law' for its graduated response to internet piracy: first a suspected downloader is sent a warning email, then a letter in the post and finally would see their connection cut for up to a year if they persist in downloading content without the permission of the copyright owner.
French culture minister Frederic Mitterrand cheered the bill's passage: "Artists will remember that we at last had the courage to break with the laissez-faire approach and protect their rights from people who want to turn the net into their libertarian utopia."
Internet freedom advocates, noting that President Nicholas Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, is a top-selling singer, have slammed the bill as draconian and a sop to the record and movie industries.
Other European countries however have watched the bill's evolution closely, hoping to develop similar legislation. Sweden already has a comparable legal framework and has seen a massive drop in internet piracy.
The European Parliament however has taken a strong stance against such legislation, arguing that cutting people's internet off now is akin to cutting off someone's electricity or water – essentially that internet access is a fundamental right.
The Greens in EU parliament, who welcomed Sweden's sole elected Pirate Party MEP – who campaigns against such internet restrictions – into their political family in the chamber after the June European elections, were quick to denounce the French law.
"We remain opposed to the 'Hadopi' law, even in its modified form, because it still fails to provide for a fair trial and goes against the principle of presuming innocence," said Green co-leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit.
The Hadopi bill, named for the new anti-piracy agency it creates, was backed on Tuesday (15 September) by most members of the governing centre-right UMP group in the National Assembly and resisted by the opposition Socialists, 285 to 225.
This is the third attempt of the French government to pass such a law. The first attempt tripped at the final hurdle when insufficient numbers of deputies from the majority turned up to vote, requiring a resubmission of the bill, which was subsequently struck down by France's Constitutional Court, which ruled that only a judge could impose such penalties as cutting internet access.
The new bill, already approved by the Senate in July, is also known as the 'three-strikes law' for its graduated response to internet piracy: first a suspected downloader is sent a warning email, then a letter in the post and finally would see their connection cut for up to a year if they persist in downloading content without the permission of the copyright owner.
French culture minister Frederic Mitterrand cheered the bill's passage: "Artists will remember that we at last had the courage to break with the laissez-faire approach and protect their rights from people who want to turn the net into their libertarian utopia."
Internet freedom advocates, noting that President Nicholas Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, is a top-selling singer, have slammed the bill as draconian and a sop to the record and movie industries.
Other European countries however have watched the bill's evolution closely, hoping to develop similar legislation. Sweden already has a comparable legal framework and has seen a massive drop in internet piracy.
The European Parliament however has taken a strong stance against such legislation, arguing that cutting people's internet off now is akin to cutting off someone's electricity or water – essentially that internet access is a fundamental right.
The Greens in EU parliament, who welcomed Sweden's sole elected Pirate Party MEP – who campaigns against such internet restrictions – into their political family in the chamber after the June European elections, were quick to denounce the French law.
"We remain opposed to the 'Hadopi' law, even in its modified form, because it still fails to provide for a fair trial and goes against the principle of presuming innocence," said Green co-leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
France's Thierry Henry in 'bust-up' with coach
The French Football Federation was today trying to play down reports of a bust-up between the players and the coach, Raymond Domenech, ahead of Wednesday's crucial World Cup qualifier in Serbia. Les Bleus' hopes of automatic qualification for South Africa 2010 could rest on the outcome in Belgrade with France knowing defeat will mean finishing top in Group Seven is no longer a possibility.
Domenech's side have been the architects of their own downfall with another sub-standard display resulting in a 1-1 draw against Romania at the Stade de France on Saturday. The spirit in the camp has not been helped by revelations this morning of a pre-match row involving Domenech and his players, led by Thierry Henry.
Le Parisien reported Domenech tried to spark a reaction from his players before the Romania game by questioning their hunger. Henry is believed to have responded on behalf of the squad by stating the players were uninspired by training sessions before adding: "I have been in the France team for 12 years and never have I been in this situation. We do not know how to play, where to go, there is no organisation. There is no style, no guidance and no identity."
The French Football Federation (FFF) insists there is "no urgency" to speak about the matter but the incident is sure to create further questions about Domenech's position, which could become untenable anyway should the team not qualify.
Despite the French camp seemingly in disarray, Serbia's defender Nemanja Vidic claims the visitors are still favourites to claim all three points. The Manchester United centre-half told L'Equipe that being four points ahead of France "does not change anything".
"We will play against a very good team," he said. "But the French are under pressure to get a result. After this game we still have to play Romania. Nothing is settled in this group."
Domenech's side have been the architects of their own downfall with another sub-standard display resulting in a 1-1 draw against Romania at the Stade de France on Saturday. The spirit in the camp has not been helped by revelations this morning of a pre-match row involving Domenech and his players, led by Thierry Henry.
Le Parisien reported Domenech tried to spark a reaction from his players before the Romania game by questioning their hunger. Henry is believed to have responded on behalf of the squad by stating the players were uninspired by training sessions before adding: "I have been in the France team for 12 years and never have I been in this situation. We do not know how to play, where to go, there is no organisation. There is no style, no guidance and no identity."
The French Football Federation (FFF) insists there is "no urgency" to speak about the matter but the incident is sure to create further questions about Domenech's position, which could become untenable anyway should the team not qualify.
Despite the French camp seemingly in disarray, Serbia's defender Nemanja Vidic claims the visitors are still favourites to claim all three points. The Manchester United centre-half told L'Equipe that being four points ahead of France "does not change anything".
"We will play against a very good team," he said. "But the French are under pressure to get a result. After this game we still have to play Romania. Nothing is settled in this group."
Monday, 24 August 2009
Want cheaper train tickets in Europe? Learn a little French
One of the best things about Paris is that train travel, both within France and across borders, is relatively cheap…at least if you can speak (or fake) a little French. Searching for tickets in English will yield prices that are significanlty more expensive.
The SNCF travel website is where all the best train deals can be found. If you scroll down to the bottom of the homepage, you'll see a sign for English that will transfer you to the website for "TGV Europe/Rail Europe." This anglophone portal is handy, but you'll pay more for tickets here. Searching this site today for an October fare from Paris to Marseilles, the cheapest round-trip ticket was $158. With an obligatory $13 charge for an e-ticket (which was cheaper than the $18 or $36 shipping options), the total price of the round-trip ticket was $171. Back at the SNCF website, written in French, the cheapest fare was €75 with no additional fees or charges. Converted to dollars, that round-trip ticket was $107—a savings of almost 40 percent!
If you don't speak French and can't find a francophone friend to help you, consider muddling through the SNCF site with the help of Google Translate or Yahoo's Babel Fish. Just paste the address of whatever SNCF page you're looking at into the tranlsation box, and the program will translate every word from French to English. This will require a bit more time and patience than using the English portal, sure, but the savings will be significant.
The SNCF travel website is where all the best train deals can be found. If you scroll down to the bottom of the homepage, you'll see a sign for English that will transfer you to the website for "TGV Europe/Rail Europe." This anglophone portal is handy, but you'll pay more for tickets here. Searching this site today for an October fare from Paris to Marseilles, the cheapest round-trip ticket was $158. With an obligatory $13 charge for an e-ticket (which was cheaper than the $18 or $36 shipping options), the total price of the round-trip ticket was $171. Back at the SNCF website, written in French, the cheapest fare was €75 with no additional fees or charges. Converted to dollars, that round-trip ticket was $107—a savings of almost 40 percent!
If you don't speak French and can't find a francophone friend to help you, consider muddling through the SNCF site with the help of Google Translate or Yahoo's Babel Fish. Just paste the address of whatever SNCF page you're looking at into the tranlsation box, and the program will translate every word from French to English. This will require a bit more time and patience than using the English portal, sure, but the savings will be significant.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
French Eurovision Entry - “Et s’il fallait le faire”
Patricia Kaas will represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, set to be held on 16 May 2009 in Moscow, Russia. The French broadcaster France Télévisions once again used an internal selection as it had in the past to choose the song “Et s’il fallait le faire”, which will be the first single from Kaas’s next album, Kabaret.
Patricia Kaas began singing at just eight years old and has never stopped singing since. Her charm and charisma have made her one of the top 10 French personalities for over 20 years now.
Thanks to her strong presence, personality and voice , Patricia Kaas is one the most popular French singers and an ambassador of the French culture well beyond France’s borders. She has sold over 16 million albums worldwide to date.
She has toured in more than 47 countries, performing in front of millions of people all over Europe and also as far afield as the USA, Middle East, China and all of Asia.
During the European tour of her new Kabaret show, Patricia Kaas will defend the French colours in front of over 160 million viewers when she participates in the 54th Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow in May 2009.
In December 2008, Patricia received two of the most prestigious Russian music prizes for her contribution as a bridge between the two cultures of French and Russian.
Patricia Kaas began singing at just eight years old and has never stopped singing since. Her charm and charisma have made her one of the top 10 French personalities for over 20 years now.
Thanks to her strong presence, personality and voice , Patricia Kaas is one the most popular French singers and an ambassador of the French culture well beyond France’s borders. She has sold over 16 million albums worldwide to date.
She has toured in more than 47 countries, performing in front of millions of people all over Europe and also as far afield as the USA, Middle East, China and all of Asia.
During the European tour of her new Kabaret show, Patricia Kaas will defend the French colours in front of over 160 million viewers when she participates in the 54th Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow in May 2009.
In December 2008, Patricia received two of the most prestigious Russian music prizes for her contribution as a bridge between the two cultures of French and Russian.
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