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Biodun@bbcnews.com

Thursday, 28 October 2010

France 24 Newsletter by Biodun Iginla, BBC News, The Economist, France 24
Topic: bbc news, biodun iginla, south k

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Thursday October 28, 2010 08:17 (Paris time)

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WORLD
FRANCE: New strikes, protests follow adoption of pension reform
French unions have called for another day of strikes and protests against pension reform Thursday, a day after the lower house of parliament gave final approval to a controversial bill that raises the legal retirement age from 60 to 62.
GUINEA: Delayed presidential run-off is postponed to Nov. 7
Guinean voters will have to wait another week for the country’s long awaited presidential run-off poll after broadcasters announced that the vote had been postponed for a third time, from Oct 31. to Nov. 7.
TERRORISM: Bin Laden targets France, blasts burqa ban and Afghan war
In an audio tape aired on Al Jazeera television on Wednesday al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden targeted French interests, claiming the country’s burqa ban and the presence of French troops in Afghanistan justified the killing of French nationals.
ARGENTINA: Former president Nestor Kirchner dies aged 60
Former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner (pictured) died of a heart attack on Wednesday, local media reported. Kirchner, 60, was also the husband of Argentina's current President Cristina Kirchner, who was elected in 2007 to succeed him.
INDONESIA: Hundreds dead, scores missing after day of disasters
Rescuers in Indonesia are scrambling to reach survivors after an earthquake triggered a tsunami followed by volcanic eruptions at Mount Merapi on Java. The multiple disasters struck within less than 24 hours, killing more than 300 people.
BUSINESS
UNITED KINGDOM: British growth beats expectations
One week after the British government announced a vast austerity plan, official figures for the third quarter show that the UK's economy has grown twice as much as expected but remains slow at 0.8 percent.
FINANCE: Singapore to take over Australian stock exchange
In a deal worth 8.2 billion dollars, Singapore's stock exchange (SGX) is to take over its Australia's ASX in a merger that will create one of the world's largest and most diversified financial trading hubs.
G20: US urges review of currency regimes to tackle trade surplus
As G20 finance ministers meet for talks in South Korea, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged G20 nations with trade surpluses to review their currency regimes and those with deficits to boost savings and exports for the sake of global growth.
JAPAN: Faulty break mechanism forces massive Honda recall
Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. said it would recall more than 500,000 vehicles worldwide Friday due to a faulty brake fluid cylinder. The move comes just a day after Toyota announced a safety recall of 1.5 million vehicles for a similar fault.
INTERNET: WikiLeaks prepares for 'major announcement'
The whistleblower website WikiLeaks has announced on its Twitter page that a "major announcement" is to be expected on Saturday. Rumour has is that the site will release something concerning the war in Iraq.
SPORTS
RUGBY: Bastareaud excluded from next month’s Rugby internationals
"Mathieu Bastareaud doesn't do enough to be competitive in an event like the World Cup," said France's coach Marc Lievremont (pictured) Wednesday, when announcing that the Stade Français player won't be included in for next month's internationals.
FOOTBALL: Spaniards dominate Ballon d'Or shortlist
This year's Ballon d'Or shortlist is dominated by seven players from Spain's winning World Cup team. No French, English or Italian players made it onto the list.
ON RFI: Why are Ivorian footballers so good?
Côte d'Ivoire produces more than its fair share of the world's top footballers. So many young boys believe they're going to become another Didier Drogba, but few, of course, ever make it to a big European club. But the country produces many world class footballers. At Abijan's Asec football school we find out why.
FOOTBALL: Auxerre stun Paris SG as Arles-Avignon hold Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain squandered a chance to move up the table in France's Ligue 1 as they slumped to a 3-2 home defeat against Auxerre on Sunday. Whilst Marseille moved into second place with a 3-1 win over Lille.
TENNIS: Federer matches Sampras title haul with Swedish success
Switzerland's Roger Federer beat Florian Mayer of Germany in straight sets on Sunday to win the Stockholm Open and level with Pete Sampras on 64 career titles.
CULTURE
CULTURE: FIAC art fair, Gagosian gallery give Paris a boost on world art scene
Top art dealer Larry Gagosian opened a gallery in Paris this week, calling it a sign the French capital is "reclaiming" its role on the world art scene. The opening came just ahead of the launch of the FIAC contemporary art fair (photo) on Thursday.
CULTURE: New Hockney exhibit in Paris uses iPhones, iPad in place of canvas
At British artist David Hockney’s new exhibit in Paris, iPads and iPhones take the place of canvas. Using the "Brushes" application, which allows users to paint with their fingers, Hockney created a series of colourful landscapes and still lifes.
PHOTOGRAPHY: French photographer 'JR' wins coveted TED prize
The US non-profit group TED has awarded 100,000 dollars to the French photography artist known as "JR" for putting a "human face on some of the most critical social issues while redefining how we view, make and display art."
GERMANY: Exhibit of Nazi memorabilia explores Hitler personality cult
A new exhibit that opened in Berlin on Friday features Nazi memorabilia -- from propaganda posters to Christmas tree ornaments -- to explore the personality cult surrounding Adolf Hitler that enabled him to keep a tight grip on the German nation.
SOUTH AFRICA: New Nelson Mandela memoirs give glimpse into prison life
Nelson Mandela never wanted to become South Africa's president and would have preferred a younger person to become the country's first black ruler, according to his memoirs released on Thursday.
SCIENCE
Clichy riots: five years on
In today’s French press review, we focus on the five year anniversary of the riots that took place in the Parisian suburb of Clichy.
The death of two boys chased by the police near a power transformer sparked extreme violence in the region.
Also in the papers: medical assistance on the internet and the worst US campaign adverts, seven days before the mid-terms.
Can Europe Stop Smoking?
Finland has just become the first country in the world to make a law aiming to eradicate smoking entirely. The government has introduced a bill which aims to make Finland smoke-free by 2040. On October 1st, the first measures of the so-called Tobacco Act were introduced, making it harder for people under 18 to smoke, and restricting smoking outdoors. And tougher measures are to come. But can Europe follow the lead?
Insects in the City
While over 200 countries come together in Japan to work out a road map to stop the extinction of species, ENVIRONMENT looks at the bugs and pests that are gaining in strength and taking over towns. Insecticides have gotten less toxic over the years and some species are profiting, but scientists in France may soon be able to trap them using the laws of attraction.
Industrial impacts on our health
An accident at an Alumina factory in Hungary smothers three villages with a toxic sludge, leaving 9 dead and scores of others burned and badly injured. HEALTH meets those burned by the alkaline mud which ate deep into their skin. At Budapest’s hospitals doctors still rely on results from Greenpeace to see what metals or toxic materials are present in the mud.
Police arrest suspects in US healthcare fraud worth $163 million
A network of suspected Armenian gangsters used means such as setting up fake medical clinics to try and cheat the government's medical insurance programme out of $163 million, the largest fraud by a criminal enterprise in the programme’s history.
FRANCE
TERRORISM: Bin Laden targets France, blasts burqa ban and Afghan war
In an audio tape aired on Al Jazeera television on Wednesday al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden targeted French interests, claiming the country’s burqa ban and the presence of French troops in Afghanistan justified the killing of French nationals.
FRANCE: New strikes, protests follow adoption of pension reform
French unions have called for another day of strikes and protests against pension reform Thursday, a day after the lower house of parliament gave final approval to a controversial bill that raises the legal retirement age from 60 to 62.
FRANCE: Flights to be cancelled Thursday amid new pension reform strikes
Renewed strikes against French pension reform planned for Thursday will force the cancellation of 50 percent of flights at Orly airport in Paris and 30 percent at other airports, the civil aviation authority said on Wednesday.
FRANCE: Five years after riots, Paris suburb is a neglected powder keg
The death of two teenagers in 2005 set suburban France ablaze. Five years on, and despite government promises to invest in the run-down estates, little has changed at Clichy-sous-Bois, the focal point of the 2005 riots.
FRANCE: France's interior minister says oil supplies returning to 'normal'
France's Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said Tuesday that oil supplies were gradually returning "to normal", as five of the France's mainland refineries went back to business after going on strike against the government's unpopular reform.
EUROPE
Putin, Medvedev party does "everything it can" to stay in power, Gorbachev says
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (photo) told the BBC on Wednesday that many in Russia still "fear democracy" and said the ruling party of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev does "everything it can" to stay in power.
Frenchman named head of EU's new diplomatic corps
The EU on Monday delegated management of its new global diplomatic corps to Pierre Vimont (pictured), France's ambassador to the US. Vimont, known as the "diplomat's diplomat", will head the European External Action Service as secretary-general.
EU foreign ministers call for progress on ties with Cuba
EU foreign ministers have given the bloc's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton (pictured), a mandate "to explore ways to try and progress" relations with Cuba in the wake of Havana's decision to release several political prisoners after talks with Spain.
EU paves way for Serbia's first step toward candidacy
The EU moved Serbia one step closer to bloc membership on Monday after agreeing to examine Belgrade's bid to join the union, a prerequisite to becoming an official candidate, despite the country's failure to round up former Yugoslavia war criminals.
Three arrested in Naples landfill protest scuffle
Authorities in Naples arrested three men on Monday for assaulting police during a protest against landfills in the area. Thousands of people had gathered to call for the Cava Sari dump to be closed and plans for a second one dropped.
MIDDLE-EAST
IRAQ: Former deputy PM Tariq Aziz sentenced to death by Iraqi court
An Iraqi court handed one of Saddam Hussein's most prominent officials, former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz (pictured), the death penalty on Tuesday for the persecution of Islamic parties, state media reported.
IRAN: Iran begins injecting fuel into nuclear reactor, reports state TV
Iran has began loading fuel into its first nuclear power plant, state television reported on Tuesday, bringing it closer to producing nuclear energy that Iran says is for peaceful means, but that Western powers fear is for nuclear weapons.
IRAQ: Supreme court orders parliament to get down to business
Iraq's highest court ordered the country's parliament to get back to work on Sunday, since sessions stalled after politicians failed to agree on a new government seven months after an inconclusive election.
DEFENCE: WikiLeaks founder says leaked files tell 'truth' about Iraq war
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a press conference in London on Saturday that the publishing of 400,000 classified military documents on the Iraq war was an attempt to reveal the extent of human suffering caused by the conflict.
BAHRAIN: Shiite opposition 'makes gains' in parliamentary elections
Bahrain's Shiite opposition picked up 18 out of 40 parliament seats in Saturday's legislative elections, one more than in the previous polls, with nine seats still up for grabs in a second round of voting next week.
AFRICA
GUINEA: Delayed presidential run-off is postponed to Nov. 7
Guinean voters will have to wait another week for the country’s long awaited presidential run-off poll after broadcasters announced that the vote had been postponed for a third time, from Oct 31. to Nov. 7.
IVORY COAST: Laurent Gbagbo: From candidate to president, and back again
Having gone from underground militant to head of state, Ivorian President, and presidential candidate, Laurent Gbagbo has proved to be tenacious when it comes to gaining power – and holding on to it.
TERRORISM: Bin Laden targets France, blasts burqa ban and Afghan war
In an audio tape aired on Al Jazeera television on Wednesday al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden targeted French interests, claiming the country’s burqa ban and the presence of French troops in Afghanistan justified the killing of French nationals.
IVORY COAST ELECTIONS: Deposed president Henri Konan Bedie’s last campaign
The former head of state, deposed in a coup in 1999, is preparing his last attempt at a comeback in Ivory Coast: Henri Konan Bedie sees himself as the worthy heir to the “father of the nation”, Felix Houphoet-Boigny.
NIGER: Prime minister says French hostages are alive
Mahamadou Danda, Niger's prime minister, told RFI radio on Sunday that all seven hostages, including five French nationals, taken by an al Qaeda affiliate in September are alive and attempts are underway to secure their release.
AMERICAS
Man charged with plotting to bomb US metro stations
A Pakistani-American man was charged on Wednesday in connection with his alleged attempts to aid people he thought were al Qaeda members in a bomb plot targeting US metro stations, law enforcement sources said.
Former president Nestor Kirchner dies aged 60
Former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner (pictured) died of a heart attack on Wednesday, local media reported. Kirchner, 60, was also the husband of Argentina's current President Cristina Kirchner, who was elected in 2007 to succeed him.
California says 'Hasta la vista, Arnie', and don’t come back
The mixed bag of candidates in this year’s midterm elections can learn a lesson from California's outgoing governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger: that being an outsider doesn’t always mean you can successfully reinvent yourself in politics.
A look back at Obama in 2010
Though his name is not on the ballot, next week's midterm elections are widely seen as a referendum on President Barack Obama. France24.com takes a look back at some highlights from his second year thus far.
Cholera to 'settle' in Haiti, health experts say
Health experts have warned that cholera may "settle" in Haiti, joining other endemic diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, as the death toll from a week-old outbreak of the deadly illness approaches 300.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Karzai delays ban on private security firms, calls for review
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday that he will delay a scheduled Dec. 17 ban on private security firms by at least two months to allow a review of the move amid reports that international rebuilding efforts could be jeopardised.
Hundreds dead, scores missing after day of disasters
Rescuers in Indonesia are scrambling to reach survivors after an earthquake triggered a tsunami followed by volcanic eruptions at Mount Merapi on Java. The multiple disasters struck within less than 24 hours, killing more than 300 people.
Volcano eruptions prompt thousands to evacuate
Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted three times on Tuesday, prompting authorities to order 19,000 people to evacuate. A three-month-old infant died of breathing difficulties from atmospheric volcanic ash, becoming the first casualty of the eruptions.
Death toll surpasses 100 in Indonesian tsunami
At least 108 people were killed and more than 500 are missing after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's west coast on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami. A 2004 tsunami off Sumatra killed 168,000 people in Indonesia.
Dutch aid worker, Afghan driver snatched at gunpoint
Armed men kidnapped a Dutch aid worker and his Afghan driver on Monday in the northern Khan Abad district, local officials have reported.