Echos from France

[Ellipse]

Internet is now under hight supervision in France

Since February 25 2011, ISP must store all passwords, purchasings and comments put on Internet by their customers for 1 year !

Some French inks :
http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/62243-conservation-donnees-decret-big-brother.htm
http://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/technologies/article/france-le-decret-de-l-incroyable-90080
http://www.voltairenet.org/article168694.html

:(

 

[Ellipse]

The Figaro (one of the tree main French daily newspaper, politically on the right), published an article untitled "Why there's so many pro Putin comments on the Web".

Unless Russian agents do an incredible job, this is an interesting insight of what people think. Here's the article to have a flavour on how they try to justify the phenomena.

FIGAROVOX - How to understand the hundreds of pro-Putin comments on news sites? Answer with Pierre-Henri d'Argenson, specialist in international issues at Sciences Po.

LE FIGARO - is noted in the comments of Figaro (and to a lesser extent, this can also be seen on other news sites), many of our users are favorable or very favorable for Vladimir Putin. How to explain it? Is it a reaction to a certain antipathy in "mainstream" media against Putin? Why?

Pierre-Henri D'ARGENSON. - A part of this reaction is due to the pro-Russian sympathy which is prevalent in France in the Gaullists and sovereignist movement. This current is steeped in the French geopolitical tradition of "reverse alliance" between France and Russia, and expresses a vision of international relations structured by the power and independence of nations, against the federalist and Atlanticist project. But it is a very convenient explanation for those who want to caricature the feeling "pro-Russian". In fact, what is striking in the reactions to the Ukrainian crisis, is not so much the number of testimonies "pro-Russian", but rather the implicit refusal of many people to comply with the order designating the media Putin's Russia as the Evil side. But this is an intellectual revolt, part of a groundswell of rejection of prevailing ideological. Internet makes this revolt by releasing the expression and we will see in the coming years to a more systematic suspicion, by principle, to what will be introduced as mandatory thoughts on a particular subject.

What does you think, this enthusiasm for Putin reveal, about the qualities required of a politician by the Internet users?

There's obviously a fascination with the "manhood" of the character, with his cool mixing of cold-blood and warrior daring, but again the underlying reason is elsewhere. In the collective unconscious, Vladimir Putin suggests some Louis XIV: it is an absolute monarch, authoritarian, but capable of protecting the Russian people against the powerful. The "mainstream" medias do not understand that. When Vladimir Putin imprisoned oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, he recalled Louis XIV by arresting Fouquet. It is arbitrary, but the people find their groove: if the king can reverse the powerful, this is that he can defend the interests of the people ... even if it's not always the case. And what critics of our political system say? That he gave power to the oligarchy, the baronies, multinationals, lobbies, which make and break EU regulations without any popular control, faced with a political class always ready to talk about "democracy" and "human rights" but in reality powerless or acquiescent. The popularity of Putin reveals a deep need, rooted in the people and not the elite, to find leaders who are their advocates, and have it in hand, yet the instruments of control of the destiny of the nation, today diluted in multiple elusive instances.

However a recent poll showed that only 14% of French had a good opinion of Vladimir Putin. How to understand this, when you read the comments on the web? What explains this discrepancy?

One must be careful with polls ... But this shift is not contradictory. In the same survey, Putin is considered 72% as "energetic" and 56% as "good defending the interests of his country." This is what is valued in the comments, not the man Putin, the French do not necessarily like to have him at the head of the state. "Pro-Russian" comments are not the expression of a "party of the foreign". Which is expressed today is a political judgement as it almost always found in history: even if people do not like Putin, they recognize him as a great leader, who will remain in history of Russia. Conversely, very popular political figures in their time can be quickly viewed, with hindsight, to have been great incapable and poor statesmen.

_http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/medias/2014/03/07/31008-20140307ARTFIG00096-pourquoi-il-y-a-tant-de-commentaires-pro-poutine-sur-le-web.php

 

[Tui]

Ellipse, hope you will regularly post news from France.

"Trusting your gut" could possibly explain Putin's popularity: instinctively people trust him as being honest and caring about others (STO) - look at his face in the photo of him below, after his return after being absent for 11 days recently.

Here is a news report, "Truth or lie - trust your instinct, says research" by Helen Briggs (BBC News, 29 March 2014). The research was published in the journal Psychological Science.

Truth or lie - trust your instinct, says research

When it comes to detecting lies, you should trust your instinct, research suggests.

We are better at identifying liars when we rely on initial responses rather than thinking about it, say psychologists.

Generally we are poor at spotting liars - managing only slightly better than flipping a coin.

But our success rate rises when we harness the unconscious mind, according to a report in Psychological Science.

"What interested us about the unconscious mind is that it just might really be the seat of where accurate lie detection lives," said Dr Leanne ten Brinke of the University of California, Berkeley.

"So if our ability to detect lies is not conscious - we simply can't do this when we're thinking hard about it - then maybe it lives somewhere else, and so we thought one possible explanation was the unconscious mind."

Primate suspect
When trying to find out if someone is lying, most people rely on cues like someone averting their gaze or appearing nervous.

However, research suggests this is not accurate - people perform at only about 50% accuracy in traditional lie detection tasks.


Psychologists at the University of California were puzzled by this, as some primates, such as chimps, are able to detect deceit - and evolutionary theory supposes that it maximises survival and reproductive success.

Dr Ten Brinke and colleagues devised experiments to test the ability of the unconscious mind to spot a liar, to see if they could do better than the conscious mind.

They gave 72 students videos to watch of "suspects" in a mock crime. Some of the suspects in the videos had stolen a $100 bill from a bookshelf, whereas others had not, but all were told to pretend they had not stolen the money.

When the participants were asked to say who they thought was lying and who was telling the truth, they were able to detect liars only 43% of the time, and truth-tellers only 48% of the time.

Intuitive sense
Then the researchers used a word association task to test unconscious perception.

The volunteers were asked to look at a picture of the suspect's face and choose which words came to mind from two lists - words such as untruthful and dishonest, or words such as honest and valid.

They performed better, providing evidence that we may have some intuitive sense, outside of conscious awareness, that detects when someone is lying.

This may mean intuitive decisions - such as who to be friends with and who to date - are guided by our unconscious mind telling us someone may be lying, said Dr Ten Brinke.


She added: "It's possible that we make decisions on a daily basis as to who we are going to continue to interact with, so we decide to become friends with some people and not others, to continue dating some people and not others, or to work closely with some and not others.

"Perhaps some of this decision is driven by our intuitive sense that some of these people we choose not to interact with are lying to us."

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-26764866

 

[Ellipse]

The story is from late April.

The husband of a French couple send his military medal to the Russian family of a young man who ordered his own bombing because he was surrounded by Daesch with no way to escape. The French couple had their own military son dead years ago and they hope so to share the pain of the Russian parents and that the act of Russian bravery have some echo on the French press. They felt on the last point but Putin himself wrote them a letter to thanks them. I believed they have been invited to Russian war victory celebration too.
Thanks to them to honour their country.

Here's the interview (in French) of the couple:

http://<iframe width="640" height="...VY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Jacques]

The story is from late April.

The husband of a French couple send his military medal to the Russian family of a young man who ordered his own bombing because he was surrounded by Daesch with no way to escape. The French couple had their own military son dead years ago and they hope so to share the pain of the Russian parents and that the act of Russian bravery have some echo on the French press. They felt on the last point but Putin himself wrote them a letter to thanks them. I believed they have been invited to Russian war victory celebration too.
Thanks to them to honour their country.

Here's the interview (in French) of the couple:

Thanks Ellipse for sharing.

 

[Arwenn]

It's not just the way he carries himself, it's the the honesty and clarity with which Putin speaks. We are so used to being lied to by the vast majority of psychopathic leaders of Western countries. He and his political team are well versed in the art of diplomacy- they put most Western 'diplomats' to shame. We are tired of the empty rhetoric that is espoused by our so called leaders, and the corporate greed driving the endless war machine. Putins actions demonstrate that he would rather Russia be part of an egalitarian international arena, rather than be a global hegemon (something I'm sure the corporate cabal in Washington has nightmares over).
And inspite of the MSMs relentless anti-Russia propaganda, Putin's actions set him apart from the rest. It must gall the Whitehouse no end to see the favourable comments posted on the net about Putin!

 

[Ellipse]

Yesterday it was the celebration of the "General de Gaulle call" at the BBC, on 1940. The call was to say to stand up to French people instead to accept the defeat against the Nazi Germany. Here's the call of 1940:

http://<iframe width="584" height="...5o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Years later, de Gaulle will be at the head of France.

Here's what he said to his Minister Peyrefitte, four days after Kennedy was assassinated: "The police have done the deal, or order to do it, or let it done". "They have seized this communist (Oswald) who was not one and was one at the same time. This was a dead loss and an exalted. This was the man they need [...] We will never know the truth because the truth is too awful, too explosive; it's a state secret. They will do all to hide it. If not, United States won't be no more." (C’était de Gaulle, T.2).

I would not be surprised if de Gaulle soul is related to Putin one.

 

[youlik]

I believed they have been invited to Russian war victory celebration too.

Передавшие награды семье Прохоренко французы встанут в ряды "Бессмертного полка"
Ранним субботним утром пожилую французскую чету из городка Флоренсак привезли на экскурсию в знаменитый дворцово-парковый ансамбль, заложенный при Екатерине II
- У нас каждый день сюрпризы! -с восторгом оглядывают роскошные пейзажи музея-заповедника Царицыно Жан-Клод и Мишлин Маге. Ранним субботним утром пожилую французскую чету из городка Флоренсак, уже побывавшую на Красной площади, привезли на экскурсию в этот знаменитый дворцово-парковый ансамбль, заложенный при Екатерине II.
Простые французские пенсионеры - в прошлом жандарм и сотрудница госпиталя - никак не могут привыкнуть к обрушившимся на них вниманию и славе и каждый раз удивляются, когда к ним подходят прохожие, благодарят и жмут руки.
Напомним, впечатлившись подвигом в Пальмире российского офицера Александра Прохоренко, вызвавшего огонь на себя и окруживших его террористов, Маге решили передать его семье свои фамильные реликвии - доставшиеся от воевавших во Вторую мировую отца и дяди Мишлин Орден Почетного легиона и Военный крест с бронзовой пальмовой ветвью. В итоге на трогательной встрече в Минобороны России родители и брат Александра Прохоренко получили сразу два Ордена Почетного легиона (второй подарил через Маге их соотечественник Даниэль Кутюр).
- Фарфор, который "состязается" с природой. Цветы как живые! Привезен из Франции, а роспись сделана уже в России, - показывает экскурсовод изысканную посуду XVIII века.
- Невероятно! - переглядываются супруги и просят не укорачивать программу и показать им все дворцы и залы.
Спустя час, уставшие и с бурными эмоциями, они присаживаются полюбоваться Золотым залом.
- В молодости я читала "Анну Каренину", "Войну и мир". Россию я себе представляла именно по этим книгам, - признается мне Мишлин Маге.
- То есть в плену привычных стереотипов не были?
- Ну, мы слышали, что у вас после выпивки вроде как принято разбивать бокал. Очень жалко всю увиденную сегодня посуду! - смеются Маге.
- Не бьем-не бьем, а такую тем более. Как думаете, после такого невероятного приключения французов в России вашим СМИ уже не удастся замолчать всю эту историю? Ведь о подвиге Героя России Прохоренко и о вашем решении они не сообщали...
- Вряд ли кто-то об этом напишет. Здесь мы даже не встречались с французским послом - он, видимо, очень занят, ему не до нас. Не думаем, что во Франции будет резонанс.
- Вы недооцениваете наши СМИ. А организаторы вашего приезда нам вообще признались, что здесь ажиотаж вокруг вас такой, как будто Майкл Джексон воскрес.
- Ой-ой! Ну, мы, когда возвращаемся в гостиницу, звоним детям и делимся впечатлениями. Они очень рады за нас и тоже хотят сюда приехать.
- Не боитесь, что по возвращении вас могут попытаться записать в агентов Москвы?
- Нет! Когда Саркози приезжал к Путину, ему ничего потом не сказали, а нам тогда почему могут что-то предъявить? - улыбаются визитеры.
Впереди у них Большой театр и, конечно, Парад Победы, на который их пригласил лично Владимир Путин. По информации "КП", французских гостей посадят на трибуне в первый ряд, и президент с ними поздоровается. Не исключено, что и решит пообщаться. А потом Маге хотят встать с москвичами в ряды "Бессмертного полка" с фотографиями своих родных героев, чьи награды теперь бережно хранит семья "русского Рэмбо".
- Когда тело Александра (хотя мы, как и его родные, зовем его Сашей) погружали в самолет для отправки в родной город, мы думали и о нашем погибшем в Югославии сыне, которого так же везли самолетом. Пока у нас нет контактов семьи Прохоренко, но мы попытаемся их узнать и в дальнейшем переписываться и поддерживать связь, - обещают французы.

Translation
Give a reward to the family Prokhorenko, the French will rise in the ranks of the "Immortal regiment"
Early Saturday morning, an elderly French couple from the town Florensac brought on a tour to the famous Palace and Park ensemble founded by Catherine II
- Every day we have surprises! with delight look around the magnificent scenery of the Museum-reserve Tsaritsyno, Jean-Claude and Micheline Mage. Early Saturday morning, an elderly French couple from the town Florensac who have already visited the red square, was brought on a tour to this famous Palace and Park ensemble founded by Catherine II.
Simple French pensioners - former policeman and an employee of the hospital - I can't get used to destroy them attention and glory and wonder every time when they approach passers-by, thank and shake hands.
Recall, impressed by the feat in Palmyra Russian officer Alexander Prokhorenko, caused the fire and surrounded the terrorists, Mage decided to pass it to your family heirlooms - inherited from those who fought in the Second world war father and uncle Micheline Legion of honor and war cross with bronze palm branch. In the end, a touching meeting in the Ministry of defence parents and brother Alexander Prokhorenko received two Legion of honor (the second gave via Mage their compatriot Daniel Couture).
- Porcelain, which "competes" with nature. Flowers alive! Imported from France, and paintings done in Russia - shows the guide exquisite dishes of XVIII century.
- Incredible! - the couple look at each other and asked not to shorten the program and show them all the palaces and halls.
An hour later, tired and with a storm of emotions, they sit down to admire the Golden hall.
In my youth I read "Anna Karenina," "War and peace". Russia I imagined that these books - tell me Micheline Mage.
- That is in captivity the usual stereotypes were not?
- Well, we've heard that you have after drinking, like it is customary to break the glass. Very sorry for all what I saw today the dishes! - the laughing Magician.
- Not beaten-not beaten, but this especially. Do you think after such an incredible adventure of the French in Russia, your media will not be able to silence the whole story? Because of the heroism of the hero of Russia, Prokhorenko and your decision, they not announced...
- Hardly someone will write about it. Here we haven't even met with the French Ambassador - he was apparently very busy, it is not up to us. I don't think France will be the response.
- You underestimate our media. And the organizers of your arrival we even admitted that the hype around you like Michael Jackson resurrected.
- Oh-Oh! Well, when we returned to the hotel, call their children and share experiences. They are very happy for us and also want to come here.
- Are not you afraid that upon returning you can try to write to the agents of Moscow?
- No! When Sarkozy came to Putin, then he did not say, and why we then have something to show? - smile at visitors.
Ahead of them, the Bolshoi theatre and, of course, the Victory Parade, to which they were invited personally by Vladimir Putin. According to "KP", the French guests will be put on the podium in the first row, and the President with them and say Hello. It is possible that you will decide to communicate. And then the Mage want to get out Muscovites in the ranks of the "Immortal regiment" with photos of their loved characters, whose awards are now cherishes the family of the "Russian Rambo".
When Alexander's body (although we, like his family, his name is Sasha) was loaded into the aircraft for shipment to his hometown, we thought about our dead in Yugoslavia, the son transported by plane. While we have no family contacts Prokhorenko, but we try to learn and continue to correspond and keep in touch - promise to the French.

http://www.kp.ru/daily/26526.7/3543069/

 

[Ellipse]

Thanks for the feedback youlik.

 

[angelburst29]

For months, the Saudi Arabian construction company Saudi Oger, facing mismanagement and teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, has not paid the salaries of its employees. Among them are two hundred French expats who, unable to renew their residence permits, can't get an exit visa, and are therefore stuck in the country.

Hundreds of French Workers Trapped in Saudi Arabia, Paris Remains Silent
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160627/1042041185/french-workers-stuck-saudi-arabia.html

In an article for the online supplement to French newsmagazine Le Nouvel Observateur, Remy Catusse, an architect and urban planner who worked for Saudi Oger for six years, laid out his ordeal, noting that "after six years of loyal service," he found himself "stuck in the Islamic monarchy without work and without money. I'd just been fired, without having received my salary since last September. In all, the company owes me nearly 65,000 euros. We 200 French are in a living hell, amid general indifference."

http://leplus.nouvelobs.com/contribution/1530869-expat-en-arabie-saoudite-ma-vie-et-celle-de-200-francais-est-une-lente-descente-en-enfer.html

Catusse's story speaks of grandiose projects, massive debauchery in projects for the monarchy, and fantastical mismanagement, eventually leading to construction sites stuck without electricity, no heating and no air conditioning. Left without work, the architect contacted a French lawyer defending expats to negotiate the terms of his departure back to France. "But the company remained indifferent, since it operates by Saudi work laws: the French state has no recourse."

Eventually, things went from bad to worse. "When not paid, expatriates in Saudi Arabia find themselves in an ambiguous position: they lose their right to work," Catusse explained.

"In the Saudi system, if a company does not pay its employees in a timely manner, it cannot renew their visas, or 'Iqama', which depend on their work permit…Moreover, without a valid residence, Saudi bank accounts are automatically blocked. It is therefore impossible to renew one's insurance, one's vehicle registration, or simply put money on one's phone. This measure is intended to protect employees in Saudi Arabia, but on the contrary puts them in very dangerous situations. Especially since at Saudi Oger, the human resources system is catastrophic, and unions obviously do not exist."

"From the moment when our Iqama expires, we can no longer apply for an exit visa. Entire families are trapped in Saudi Arabia for months at a time…We are in the midst of Ramadan, it's 45 degrees out, people do not eat between 5 am and 7 pm. Stuck on sites without electricity or water, they remain in their barracks, overheated, with rain pouring on their flea-infested beds."

Catusse was lucky. Receiving a sponsorship from a company owned by a Lebanese friend, the architect explained that he was able to renew his Iqama, giving him the opportunity to leave the country, which he promptly did. Back home he received an unpleasant surprise: the dues deducted from his wages were not paid out in order to be eligible to receive French unemployment benefits.

"Meanwhile," he noted, "200 French expatriates remain stuck in Saudi Arabia, with their families or without them, continuing to work without pay, seeking to return but unable to do so, and waiting in silence" for the government to take some action.

Speaking to Sputnik, French journalist Alain Menargues recalled that while the situation with the French workers was bad, it's even worse for others.

"Yes, there are 320 French workers who are not paid for four, five, six months, but there are also thousands of foreign workers who are not paid [at all]. Things were good for Saudi Oger when it was run by Rafic Hariri. Unfortunately, his son [Saad] has proven unable to manage it as well."

Saad Hariri has political ambitions, Menargues explained, and "wants to [again] become the prime minister of Lebanon…Corruption reigns, and wages are not paid, because he himself cannot get money for the work done [from the government]." Unconcerned with French wage laws, "he enjoys his dual citizenship: Saudi, where Saudi law is applicable, and Lebanese, where Lebanese law applies."

Now, the journalist notes, Hariri has directed his energies on trying to retake control of Lebanon, "and many Lebanese are left wondering how he might manage a country like Lebanon, when he cannot even cope with the management of his own company."

Commenting on the Saudi reaction (or lack of one) to the expats' ordeal, Menargues pointed out that "the Saudi government is very concerned about their image internationally. And if it decides not to pay [someone], it means that it is not interested in doing so."

"By the way, the Saudi government has already issued a decree according to which it will no longer pay the bills for debts levied before July 2016, and it is unknown whether this deadline will be postponed; Saudi Arabia is experiencing a serious financial crisis caused, on the one hand, on the drop in oil prices, and, on the other, by fighting in Yemen and Syria, which has proven very expensive. Saudi Arabia is not very interested in the payment of wages to foreigners, since they are seen in Saudi Arabia as 'unclean'."

As far as the French government is concerned, Menargues recalled that at the moment, "it's doing nothing. When I say that, I mean that appeals have been made, including to the president. French citizens who had not received their pay have sent Francois Hollande a letter a few days ago. We are still waiting for some signal. This is not the first time. Appeals have been made to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the French Ambassador, and to the Consulate…I want to say the following: there must be a mobilization on the part of France: it's necessary to present an ultimatum [to Saudi Arabia]. Can France do so today? Personally, I doubt it," the journalist concluded.

 

[angelburst29]

French President Francois Hollande’s approval rating has hit a new low of 12 percent, less than a year before the nation votes for a new president, a fresh poll revealed.

French President’s Approval Rating at Low 12% Year Before Election
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160629/1042192351/hollande-approval-low.html

The poll, conducted by TNS Sofres for Friday’s Figaro Magazine, shows that confidence in the Socialist president has been shrinking steadily since he first scored the record 55 percent after the 2012 election.

This has been despite his regular attempts to draw attention to modest economic growth and a low profile he has kept in the national row over the labor reforms bill.

Hollande saw his poll rating last soar to a three-year high of 35 percent in January 2015, in the wake of a deadly Islamist attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Amid anti-labor reform protests that have swept across France, the government agreed to meet with the leaders of major unions to seek a resolution for the problem. Matthieu Bowla-Reba of the Union of Railroad Workers explains to Radio Sputnik that a specific strike culture allows French people to successfully fight for their civil rights.

French Workers Battling Hollande Over Labor Reform and Winning
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160630/1042197034/french-workers-hollande-labor-reform.html

Talking to Loud&Clear host Brian Becker, Reba says that ongoing strikes go hand-in-hand with the inconveniences of everyday life for ordinary French people. The railways, as well as most gas stations and airports, have been paralyzed since the beginning of the national strike eleven days ago, preventing people from moving freely across the country. In Paris, the garbage collection was suspended, and the city began to resemble a junkyard in the midst of the high-profile Euro-2016 Football Championship.

Despite all the hardships, French workers fighting for their rights gain support from the rest of the nation.

“The French are ready for inconvenience in order to support workers’ struggle,” he said of the public’s perception of the situation in the country. “Nearly 70% of French are for Hollande to pull back the [Labor reform] law and stop his policies. Some 55% of the population supports the strikers.”

Reba explained that solidarity among the French people is conditioned by a strike culture that formed through a series of general strikes that took place throughout the 20th century. The 1968 national strike that nearly brought down the government, for instance, helped to shape the “collective legislation” and the “collective consciousness.”

As a result of those protests, the public won the right to express solidarity in support of those on strike, something that is outlawed in many countries. In the US, for instance, people can be persecuted for supporting protest movements.

“In France, it’s a part of our culture to come together from all sectors, all parts of our country in the same time in the same place [to go on strike],” he said.

Moreover, France has a network of powerful trade unions that lend comprehensive support for protesters during the strikes. The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), one of the five major confederations of trade unions in France, has raised a million euros in three weeks for the strikers.

Commenting on the Brexit referendum in the UK and its possible implications on the future of France, Reba said that the mass protests in the country are unlikely to result in a similar departure from the European Union. French workers aren’t opposed to the idea of the EU, Reba said.

“We don’t fight against Europeans; we fight for the interests of the workers’ class. They use neoliberal politics in the EU to break up rights of the workers, our way of life and our level of life.”

The French Government is Wednesday (June 29) meeting the leaders of the main unions after the eleventh day of national protest and months of demonstrations over controversial reforms to French labor laws in an attempt to reach a settlement.

French Gov't in Crisis Talks With Unions to Prevent Further Demos, Strikes
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160629/1042164649/france-strikes-demonstrations-labor.html

The central issue in the labor reforms is the unions' refusal agree reforms to allow individual firms more freedom to negotiate working conditions without referring upwards to branch-level agreements. The unions say this will weaken workers' powers, but the French Government say it will give grassroots workers a bigger say in the workplace.

France has been hit with a series of strikes and mass demonstrations since March, bringing chaos to the rail network, the Paris Metro and airlines, as well as road transport, because of industrial action and blockades at fuel refineries and depots.

​Worker's Rights Principally, the protests are against reforms to the highly codified French labor laws — known as the Code du travail — in order to give employers more flexibility.

The labor reforms were largely directed at making companies take on more workers on permanent contracts, rather than temporary ones, to bring down the unemployment rate from ten percent. The proposals would give employers more scope to lay-off workers and cut costs and allow some employees to work far longer than the current 35-hour week.

The reforms were pushed through by Hollande, who invoked a little used piece of the constitution — article 49.3 — to bypass the upper house — the Senate — which is dominated by Republicans, who are against the reforms. The Senate has amended the text, but it now need to go back to the National Assembly.

However, opinion polls show that, while four out of five, disagree with the labor reforms, there is dwindling support for the industrial action — particularly with the eyes of the world on France, which is hosting the current Euro 2016 football tournament.

France 24 reported that only 4.5 percent of employees at state-owned national rail company SNCF were on strike Monday (June 13) — which is significantly smaller than previously.

 

[Ellipse]

Re: Echos from France - Fake news war -

Can be in you country soon. The main newspaper in France, "Le Monde", put online a search engine to check if an Internet site is about fake news or not. There's a Chrome and Firefox extension too.
_http://www.lemonde.fr/verification/

I let you imagine in what category fr.sott.net or sott.net is.
"An unreliable site that hosts conspiracy theories."
"This site regularly disseminates false information or misleading articles. Stay alert and look for other, more reliable sources. If possible, go back to the origin of the information."

"Le Monde" call their engine the "Décodex". In 1545 the Catholic Church published a catalogue: the "Index Librorum Prohibitorum" (1545).

The Index Librorum Prohibitorum (English: List of Prohibited Books) was a list of publications deemed heretical, anti-clerical or lascivious, and therefore banned by the Catholic Church.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_Librorum_Prohibitorum

Some similarity huh?

 

[angelburst29]

An explosion hit a nuclear power plant in northwestern France. Several people have sustained injuries as a result of the blast.

Explosion Hits Nuclear Power Plant in France, Injuries Reported
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702091050499377-explosion-france-npp/

There is no risk of a radioactive release as a result of an explosion at the Flamanville nuclear power plant, local media Ouest France reported.

There have been no serious injuries as a result of the blast, 5 people have been slightly intoxicated.

"According to preliminary data, there may be injured people," the newspaper said.

The explosion occurred in the engine room of the Flamanville NPP at 10:00 local time. Emergencies services have arrived at the site.

According to emergencies services cited by Ouest France, the explosion took place in the "heart" of the nuclear power plant outside the nuclear zone.

The work of the first reactor of the NPP has been suspended.

French officials told Sputnik that short circuit was the reason for the incident. He confirmed earlier reports that several people suffered smoke inhalation.

"The first thing to note is that there is no risk of emission, it is not a radioactive zone. The causes of the incident are being established, but the most likely version is short circuit," the prefecture of the Manche department told Sputnik.

The EDF, the country's largest power generating company and world's largest operation of nuclear power plants, confirmed the explosion later in the day. There were no victims or environmental damage as a result of the blast. The fire at the NPP was under control.

Prefect of La Manche region Jacques Witkowski told Franceinfo news portal that the incident occurred due to a ventilation malfunction, which resulted in fire with smoke.

In reaction to the incident, Socialist Party (PS) presidential candidate Benoit Hamon expressed solidarity with those who had been poisoned.

“Thoughts with those hurt and a target of 50% renewables in 2025. There are no minor nuclear incidents,” Hamon posted on his Twitter account.

An explosion has occurred at a nuclear facility in northern France, causing minor injuries but no risk of nuclear leak.

Explosion at nuclear plant in France, with 'no radiation risk'
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/02/09/509793/France-EDFs-Flamanville-nuclear-plant-explosion

A fire caused the explosion in a "non-nuclear" part of EDF's Flamanville nuclear power plant in northern France on Thursday, causing the shutdown of one of the two pressurized water reactors at the facility.

In a statement, EDF said that the fire had been brought under control by its team there, adding that reactor number 1 had been disconnected from the grid.

Meanwhile, EDF and a local government official said that five people suffered smoke inhalation but there were no serious injuries, adding that there was also no associated nuclear leak.

"It is a technical incident. It is not a nuclear accident," senior local official Jacques Witkowski told AFP.

He said that authorities had ruled out sabotage as cause of the blast, adding that a ventilator had exploded outside the nuclear zone at the plant.

"It's all over. The emergency teams are leaving," he added.

Another senior local official, Olivier Marmion, also said that the blast was a “significant technical event” but “not a nuclear accident.”

The Flamanville facility, located in a commune of the same name, was built in the 1980s and has two 1,300-megawatt reactors. A third reactor is being built at the site, which will be the world's largest when it goes into operation in late 2018.

France relies heavily on nuclear power for electricity production. Nuclear reactors generate about 75 percent of France's electricity supply.

French police have arrested a total of 28 suspects, who were allegedly participating in the fifth night of protests against police brutality in Paris suburbs, local media reported Thursday.

Fifth Night of Paris Protests Against Police Violence Results in 28 Arrests
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702091050499905-france-police-brutality-protests/

The unrest took place in Aulnay-sous-Bois, Tremblay-en-France, Le Blanc-Mesnil, and Villepinte communes of Paris.

According to the BFMTV broadcaster, two protesters were sentenced to imprisonment for a period of six months, and three others received suspended sentences on Wednesday.

The unrest was provoked by the incident that took place last week, when the police detained and violently beat a 22-year-old named Theo, allegedly connected to drug dealing. On Sunday, one of the police officers was charged with rape, and three of his colleagues with deliberate violence.

Angry riots that erupted in a Paris suburb on Monday over the alleged rape of a black youth by police continued into Thursday reviving the contentious issue of police brutality in France's poor suburbs.

Protests in Paris: Will 2005 French Riots Happen Again? (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702091050509736-france-paris-protests/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiJMof92GUw (0:47 min.)

Several nights of clashes broke out after four police officers purportedly forced a 22-year-old man, identified only as Théo, to the ground, beat him up, and then one of the officers allegedly raped him with a baton during an identity check last week in the northern Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois.

The riots later spread to at least five nearby towns with the protesters demanding justice for the police officers involved in the incident.

Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux confirmed late on Sunday that all four officers had been suspended pending an inquiry.

On Wednesday President Francois Hollande visited the victim at a hospital, after which Théo urged the protesters to “end the war and have faith in the justice system.”

"I call to calm my city because I love it very much," Théo said from his hospital bed. "Violence is not the way to support me. Justice will do its job."

Meanwhile, the far-right National Front leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen was quick to jump to the defense of France's security forces.

The February 2 incident raised fears of a repetition of the violent riot that broke out in November 2005.

In an interview with Sputnik France, Luc Poignant, a spokesman for Unité SGP Police – FO trade union, said that most of the young inhabitants of the poor suburbs had jobs and held no grudge against the police.

Many see President Hollande’s decision to visit Théo in hospital as an attempt to end the riots, but Luc Poignant said that Hollande had failed to do the same for two police officers hospitalized with severe burns after being pelted with 'Molotov cocktails' in a Paris suburb in October 2016.

He also complained about the lack of political will on the part of the authorities because police officers and riot gear are not enough to solve the social unrest brewing in the poor neighborhoods of French cities.

Gérard Mauger, a sociologist, said he didn’t expect the current riots to degenerate into the kind of mass-scale violence that erupted in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities in November 2005 when many cars and public buildings were torched by rioters with Arab or otherwise Muslim background.

​He said that, unlike the events of 12 years ago, the media was no longer stoking up public emotions, one of the four police officers involved in the February 2 incident was already charged with rape, while three others were charged with aggravated assault, and that the victim himself had called for calm.

“All this will prevent any further escalation of the conflict. Thank God the police didn’t say they had done nothing wrong, admitted their guilt and the prosecutors accepted that,” Gérard Mauger said.

 

[Ca.]

Paris: Eiffel Tower to be secured by huge bulletproof wall of glass 1-9-17
_http://www.thelocal.fr/20170209/eiffel-tower-to-be-enclosed-by-bullet-proof-wall-of-glass

Plans have been revealed for a new bulletproof glass wall around two sides of the Eiffel Tower, as authorities grapple to protect the city's tourists without ruining their historic monuments.
If you've been past the Eiffel Tower lately you may have noticed that it's surrounded by an unsightly metal fence.

The unattractive structure is a temporary security measure that was introduced before the Euro 2016 football tournament, but which has hung around until now.

But instead of pulling down the barriers, authorities will instead replace it by another wall - made out of glass.

"The terror threat remains high in Paris and the most vulnerable sites, led by the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures," said deputy mayor Jean-Francois Martins, who is in charge of tourism at the Paris City Hall.

The glass walls will prevent individuals or vehicles storming the site visited by six million people each year, he added.

Paris has long feared attacks at tourist sites and has grappled with the need to protect its visitors, not least after a failed terror attack in September at the Notre Dame cathedral and last week's machete attack near the Louvre museum without scaring them or ruining the beauty of its most famous attractions.

Martins said the city would replace the metal grills on the northern and southern sides with glass panels, which will allow Parisians and visitors to enjoy "a very pleasant view" of the monument from the Champs de Mars and the Pont d'Iena.

Video: Russian state media expands in France (Lies and Layers of Fabrication)
FRANCE 24 English 1-13-17
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3q_h21bSv0

 

[angelburst29]

Some potential flooding and massive waves are being predicted for some areas of France.

Some areas on the west coast of France could be hit by potential flooding and massive waves, the national weather agency Meteo France said on Monday issuing an orange alert, the second highest on the agency’s scale.

France's West Coast Could Be Hit By Flooding, Huge Waves – Weather Agency
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702271051085148-coast-flooding-waves-agency/

Mon. 27.02.2017 - It warned those who lived near the coast to protect their property and stay away from the sea.

"In the context of high tides, … the rise of the sea level and strong waves carry a risk of submersion of low or vulnerable areas of the Atlantic coastline," the agency said.

According to the agency, strong wind and waves are due to depression circulating past the British Isles.

There are seven districts on alert, including Chante-Maritime, Finistere, Gironde, Landes, Loire-Atlantique, Pyrenees-Atlantiques and Vendee.

The flooding could take place early on Tuesday, according to the weather agency.