Today sees the introduction of a new French driving test in certain parts of the country. The test places emphasis on overall competence instead of simply trying to catch people out. There will be marks for understanding the road, controlling the vehicle and consideration for other users. Additional marks will be awarded for economic use of fuel and courtesy. If the candidate makes a serious mistake such as not stopping at a red light, or crossing an unbroken white line, he will still fail. There will also be a part of the test where the candidate will have to drive to a specific point without directions. The test is being introduced in phases across France and will be nationwide by May 3.
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New French driving test
March 9th, 2010Far right election poster upsets Algeria
March 9th, 2010A National Front election poster for the upcoming regional elections has caused offence to Algeria. The poster shows a woman wearing a Muslim veil and standing in front of a map of France that is made out of the Algerian national flag. The map also includes a series of minarets and has the slogan “No to Islamism”. The poster is being used to support Jean-Marie Le Pen’s campaign in PACA.
TB outbreak in French middle school
March 9th, 2010An outbreak of TB has been reported in a college in Clichy-sous-Bois. The BCG vaccination that covers against TB is no longer mandatory, and the Paris region has noticed a slight increase in cases, particularly carried by people that have been born overseas.
Ernst of Hanover gets 200,000 euro fine for violence
March 9th, 2010Prince Ernst August of Hanover, husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, has been fined 200 000 euros for beating up a Kenyan hotelier in 2000. The Prince had earlier been found guilty of this offence and sentenced to a higher fine, but this trial was for his appeal, and on this occasion the judge said that he could not decide between the versions of events presented by the hotelier, and that presented by the Prince and Princess. The royal couple claimed that Ernst August had only hit the hotelier twice and with symbolic slaps, while the hotelier claimed the attack was more sustained and violent. The Prince, who is great-grandson of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II and a distant relative of the British Queen, became angry with the hotelier over the noise and lights from a disco at the hotel. He has previously been fined for breaking the nose of a cameraman, and for urinating against the Turkish pavilion at the World’s Fair in Hanover.
Robert De Niro in Nice
March 8th, 2010The great American film actor Robert De Niro is in Nice to open an exhibition of his father’s art at the Musee Matisse, and also to participate in a question and answer session at the Acropolis on Tuesday evening. The Acropolis event is organised by the Cinematheque de Nice, and has been fully subscribed for many days now.
International Women’s Day - how are women doing in France?
March 8th, 2010On this, the 100th international women’s day, what is the situation for women in our world? In May 2009 the level of unemployment for women in France dropped under the level for men for the first time ever. This is probably an effect of the recession that has impacted sectors like construction and therefore put lots of men out of work. 83% of women between the ages of 25 and 49 are now working. Women are achieving better results in higher education, and now represent the majority of members of the medical and legal professions, and for the more technical roles women are increasingly involved, with 40% of engineers now being women. The national institute for statistics has also noted that some professions remain very gender-biased. For example nearly all secretaries, home helps, and creche assistants are women, and nearly all construction workers are men. The other area where equality has not been achieved is in the top jobs where very few women make it to the board of directors in companies (8%) and also where salaries for women tend to lag behind those of men.
Record Giacometti purchaser revealed to be Lily Safra
March 7th, 2010The Giacometti sculpture that was purchased for a world record 65 MEUR at auction recently was purchased by billionaire “Gilded” Lily Safra. Mrs Safra has been in the headlines recently over the sale of the Villa Leopolda, for which a Russian businessman was obliged to forgo a huge deposit when he withdrew from the sale. Mrs Safra, widow of the murdered banker, is described by Sothebys as the typical top art spender - a citizen of the world with properties in Monaco, Geneva, and New York.
Sarkozy announces massive state aid and intervention to revitalise industry
March 5th, 2010President Sarkozy has announced a massive investment program designed to boost France’s industrial output. M Sarkozy has said that “A country that does not produce anything has nothing to sell”, and he has announced investment of a billion euros. The plans include: state aid for companies that want to relocate to site within France; a consumer savings bank account to offer favorable interest rates and to be fully invested in industry; state ownership of shares in major French companies; major expenditure to restructure French industry into networks; and big aid for companies to become more ecological. Considering M Sarkozy represents a Right of Centre party, this announcement is a very surprising declaration of state intervention and a rejection of the free market.
Mayor of Beausoleil stops Monaco’s Odeon Tower project
March 5th, 2010The Mayor of Beausoleil, Gerard Spinelli, has stopped all work on his side of the boundary for the Odeon Tower project. The tower, a forty-nine story skyscraper that will be almost as high as the massive Tour Montparnasse in Paris, has provoked protests from the people of Beausoleil who are concerned about the shadow it will cast, and the impact on the view. Spinelli was placed under investigation because he was suspected of accepting a bribe of 120,000 euros in return for agreeing not to interfere with the works taking place in Beausoliel. At the time he protested that he was powerless to stop the project, although now he has decreed that all preparatory work taking place on the Beausoleil side of the boundary must stop. The site owners say the project wil go ahead and that this is just an administrative hiccup.
Unemployment approaching 10%
March 4th, 2010French unemployment figures for the final three months of 2009 reached 9.6%, or 2.727 millions.
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