French news dump - L'affaire Clearstream

Et Tu Brutus ?


The news over here is still being dominated by last_weeks_revelations about fraudulent bank accounts, back handers and all the rest of it.

This mornings editions of Le_Monde , Le_Figaro , and The_nouvel_Obs are all leading with the expected changes to the Chirac gouvernment.

Both Le Figaro and Le Monde, open the danse with the statement from Chirac reinforcing his support and confidence in De Villepin who will continue to 'serve the french people until the end of his mission'.

Le monde goes a step further however, in affirming that on saturday, De Villepin and Sarkozy had had a long discussion together about the Clearstream affair.

Also, Le Monde says that on friday, Sarkozy, had been seen by Chirac who had offered him De Villepin's job until the elections in 2007. A hypothesis which until had now has always been ruled out by the Sarkozyistas as a poisoned chalice which could lead to the downfall of their champion on the road to the presidency.

In this weeks edition of L'express, the socialists are calling on Chirac to explain himself in front of the french people with the party leader - François Hollande - threating to call for a vote of no confidence next week if nothing is done : 'this government must change because things cannot continue as they are with De Villepin, Sarkozy and Alliot-Marie all suspecting each other'.

Laurent Fabius - prime minister under Mitterrand - denounced what he called 'a government far removed from the preocupations of the french people .... in any normal democracy any decent government would have already resigned'


* On a side note :

In telephone interviews this week, Socialist party members were asked who would be the best candidate for the elections in 2007.

50% judged Segolene Royal as the best candidiate for their party
14% were for Lionel Jospin
8% for Jack Lang / Bernard Kouchner
7% for Dominique Strauss-Kahn
3% for François Hollande

Is france ready for a woman as president ?


Not every one is a fan of Winnie the Pooh


The other major issue this week has been the re-introduction of bears into the Pyrenees.

In 2004, Cannelle, the last bear originating from the Pyrenees was shot and killed by a hunter.

The government has since decided to try to assure the survival of a species estimated at being around 15 individuals.

Between the summer of 2004 and 2006 the aim has been to repopulate the region by importing bears from Slovenie : 1 male and 4 females.

This has created a fiery confrontation between conservationists (for the re-introduction) and local farmers, livestock breeders and shepherds (against the re-introduction).

The local mayors' office has had molotov cocktails thrown at it, its walls daubed in red paint, there have been clashes between the two sides and the police have been called in to calm things down - all of this is happening in a tiny village of probably no more that 3000 inhabitants.

Yesterday, upto 1300 anti bear demonstrators descended on to a small village in an attempt to block off the surrounding roads and, accompanied by sheep they organised a go slow march - all this to stop one bear being released.

In a development that i find pretty much disgusting, the AFP reoprts that the Association for the protection of wild animals has initiated legal action for 'ill treatment of animals' at the tribunal in Tarbes after a dozen goblets filled with honey and crushed glass were found near the site where a bear was released earlier this week.

"Confronted by the brutality of such methods, the ASAPAS has pressed charges ... for attempting to destroy a protected species, a crime punishable with a fine of 9 000€ and up to six months imprisonment."

" The victimes are the bears, how many other cruel traps are there still, out there, in the nature ?"