FRANCAIS AVEC MONSIEUR CALDWELL

2008-12-16 14:00:41PARIS(AFP) (AFP) © AFP Cinq bâtons de dynamite sans système de mise à feu ont été découverts mardi matin au magasin Le Printemps, dans le centre de Paris, à l'endroit précis indiqué dans une revendication parvenue le matin même à l'AFP exigeant le retrait des troupes françaises d'Afghanistan d'ici la fin février 2009. Cette lettre de revendication signée du "Front Révolutionnaire Afghan", un groupe jusqu'alors inconnu des services de renseignements français, postée du bureau de Paris-Villette et tamponnée lundi à 18H00, est parvenue entre 08H00 et 09H00 à l'Agence France-Presse. Le président Nicolas Sarkozy a appelé à "la vigilance" et la "fermeté" face au terrorisme, tout en soulignant qu'il fallait être prudent après la découverte des explosifs au Printemps. Allez à http://actu.voila.fr/Article/mmd--francais--journal_internet--une/Explosifs-au-Printemps-une-revendication-exige-le-retrait-francais-d-Afghanist

L'AATF* est heureuse d'annoncer l'organisation de la septième Semaine de Français. Cette fête de tout ce qui est français aura lieu dans les écoles et dans les villes et dans les chapitres de l'AATF à travers les États-Unis du 5-11 novembre 2008. Nous demandons à nos membres et à tout Francophone intéressé de sortir le français de la salle de classe et de montrer au public toutes les bonnes raisons pour apprendre le français. Nous avons choisi des thèmes pour chaque jour de la Semaine du Français Jour 1 - Cuisine Jour 2 - l' Art et l' Artisanat Jour 3 - Activités pour le public Week-end - Sciences, technologie et métiers Jour 6 - Sports, jeux et traditions Jour 7 - Musique et danse * l'AATF - The American Association of Teachers of French

ll est trop tard pour une "surprise d'octobre" dans la campagne présidentielle américaine mais les deux candidats, le démocrate Barack Obama et le républicain John McCain, ne devraient-ils pas se méfier du "dernier week-end" ? Lire la suite l'article Photos/Vidéos liées BARACK OBAMA ET JOHN MCCAIN FACE À L'INCERTITUDE DU "DERNIER WEEK-END" Agrandir la photo Articles liés Ultime week-end de campagne pour Obama et McCain Sarah Palin piégée par des humoristes québécois L'énigme Sarah Palin Plus d'articles sur : USA 2008 : la présidentielle américaine Discussion: USA 2008 : la présidentielle américaine En plusieurs occasions, les derniers jours de la course à la Maison blanche ont réservé des surprises et influé sur l'issue du scrutin, faisant pencher les indécis dans un camp ou dans l'autre. D'ici mardi, le jour du vote, et alors qu' Obama est donné en tête par les sondages, un renversement de tendance paraît peu vraisembl

Après une action contre Ryanair et des plaintes dont la dernière contre Yves Bertrand, ex-patron des RG, Nicolas Sarkozy a saisi jeudi la justice pour cette fois faire retirer de la vente une poupée vaudoue à son effigie. Lire la suite l'article Photos/Vidéos liées Ddes poupées Vaudou à l'effigie de Sarkozy et ... Lire cette vidéo Ddes poupées Vaudou à l'effigie de Sarkozy et ... Lire cette vidéo Agrandir la photo Articles liés Soutien à économie : Sarkozy annonce des mesures "exceptionnelles" Les fonctionnaires qui manifestent ne se rendent pas compte "de la gravité de la crise", juge Nicolas Sarkozy Sarkozy veut faire de la CDC le bras armé de sa politique indstrielle Plus d'articles sur : Nicolas Sarkozy Discussion: Nicolas Sarkozy Cette action intervient au moment où un Mayennais comparaissait jeudi pour "offense au chef de l'Etat" devant le tribunal correctionnel de Laval, pour avoir brandi une affichette "Casse toi, pauv'

Des profs de langue dans notre nouveau laboratoire.

Amélie Mauresmo n'est pas passée loin de l'exploit au 2e tour du tournoi WTA de Moscou ! Après avoir empochée le premier set au tie-break contre la Russe Dinara Safina , tête de série N.2, la Française a concédé les deux suivants sur le score de 6-4, 6-4. Ana Ivanovic est déjà sortie ! Plus d'infos WTA Moscou: Tableau VIDEO: Mauresmo: "Défier Safina" WTA MOSCOU - 2e tour Dominika Cibulkova (SLQ) bat Ana Ivanovic (SER/N.4) 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(7/4).Prochaine adversaire : Zvonareva ou Hantuchova. Ana Ivanovic est toujours en convalescence... psychologique. Sans résultat depuis sa victoire à Roland-Garros , la jeune Serbe, N.5 mondiale, est tombée dès son entrée en lice au 2e tour du tournoi de Moscou face à Dominika Cibulkova en trois manches. Sans nul doute l'une des révélations de l'année, la Slovaque a mis 2h30 pour faire vaciller l'ex-N.1 mondiale pour réaliser sa seconde meilleure performance de la saison, deux mois après avoir battu Jelena Jankovic , a

AFP - il y a 30 minutes WASHINGTON (AFP) - Un vent de panique a soufflé à nouveau mercredi sur les Bourses mondiales qui ont poursuivi leur plongeon entamé lundi, malgré la baisse surprise des taux directeurs des grandes banques centrales et un plan de choc qui revient à une nationalisation partielle des banques britanniques. La dégringolade a été accentuée par les sombres perspectives du Fonds monétaire international (FMI) pour l'économie mondiale, annonçant un coup d'arrêt brutal à la croissance, qui n'atteindrait que 0,1% aux Etats-Unis et 0,2% dans la zone euro l'an prochain. "Reprenez vos esprits", a lancé le président de la Banque centrale européenne (BCE), Jean-Claude Trichet, en direction des marchés financiers. "Le pessimisme excessif est très mauvais conseiller". Dans un geste sans précédent depuis les attentats du 11 septembre 2001, six banques centrales -- la BCE, la Réserve fédérale américaine (Fed) et leurs homologues suédoise, britanni

L'Américain Lance Armstrong a répliqué samedi aux insinuations sur ces sept victoires dans le Tour de France , en estimant que la Grande Boucle n'avait jamais été aussi populaire que sous son règne. "J'ai gagné le Tour sept années consécutives et je n'ai jamais été convaincu de dopage malgré sept ans d'intense surveillance", affirme le Texan dans un communiqué. "Nous avons gagné de manière propre et honnête. En plus, selon les chiffres, il n'y a jamais eu autant d'audience télé, de couverture de médias dans le monde entier, de spectateurs le long de la route, et de parraineurs", ajoute le coureur, dont le retour à la compétition l'année prochaine a jeté l'émoi dans le monde cycliste. Il se demande "où est l'embarras, là-dedans ?", répondant ainsi au nouveau président d'ASO, la société organisatrice du Tour, Jean-Etienne Amaury, qui avait déclaré dans le journal L'Equipe, appartenant au même groupe familial:

Après six semaines à l'Ecole Française à Middlebury College cet été, on est très motivé de continuer avec le thème de l'école. Cette année dans nos cours on ne va pas parler que français. Il n'y a pas d'engagement d'honneur (the Language Pledge) qu'on signe à Middlebury, mais mes élèves vont essayer de ne pas parler anglais pendant les cours de français. Regardez notre blog et vous verrez des photos de Berkshire Hall et notre nouveau laboratoire et vous verrez aussi des articles des élèves. Amusez-vous bien et contribuez, si vous voulez.

Saturday 12 April 2008 from France 24/7 Jacques Chirac underwent surgery Friday to implant a pacemaker. The 75-year old former French president is to return home over the weekend, according to a statement from his office. Former French president Jacques Chirac underwent successful surgery early Friday in Paris to implant a pacemaker, his office said. The 75-year-old former leader was admitted to La Pitie Salpetriere hospital Thursday evening for the procedure that was scheduled several days ago following a routine checkup. Chirac, who handed over to President Nicolas Sarkozy in May last year, is to return home at the weekend, a statement from his office said. After 12 years as president, Chirac set up a foundation devoted to the environment, sustainable development and promoting understanding among cultures. But he has also been placed under investigation for misuse of city funds dating f

Saturday 12 April 2008 By Reuters French military officials captured six pirates who had seized a luxury yacht off the Somali coast. The former hostages, released through the payment of a ransom, are expected back in Paris on Monday. (Report: M. Henbest) PARIS, April 11 (Reuters) - The 30-strong crew of a luxury French yacht seized by Somali pirates a week ago were freed without incident on Friday but French troops later captured half the pirates, French military officials said. France sent a warship and special forces to the region after the pirates seized the three-master in the Gulf of Aden last Friday and troops were standing by as negotiations to free the hostages took place on Friday morning. The pirates had sailed the yacht, the Ponant, to the Somali coast, eventually mooring the vessel at Garaad, near the town of Eyl. French officials said earlier this week they believed t

Tuesday 08 April 2008 By FRANCE 24 with wires Pro-Tibetan protesters succeeded in disrupting the Olympic torch relay in Paris, forcing officials to put the torch on a bus after a day of clashes that saw the flame extinguished three times. (Report : R. Thompsett) It was billed by the Chinese authorities as “the harmonious journey,” but the Paris leg of the 2008 Olympic torch relay Monday did not go according to script, with protests, arrests and scuffles between pro-Tibet demonstrators and security officials disrupting the flame’s passage through the French capital. Three times in the course of its 28-kilometer route through the City of Lights, the Olympic flame was extinguished by security officials and the torch was finally put on a bus for the final leg of the Paris relay. After four hours of a chaotic journey through the streets of Paris, Chinese officials finally called off the relay, with the torch r

Tuesday 08 April 2008 By AFP A French medical mission to aid French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has been rejected by the Colombian guerrilla group FARC. "Our actions are not determined by blackmail or by the media," the FARC said in a press release. Leftist Colombian rebels on Tuesday rejected a French humanitarian mission trying to assist hostages that include ailing French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. France sent a jet with doctors and diplomats on board to Colombia last week in hopes of getting access to Betancourt, 46, who was said to be gravely ill. "For the same reasons given the ICRC (International Red Cross) on January 17, the French medical mission is not appropriate and, moreover, is not the result of an agreement," read a statement from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas, issued through the pro-rebel Bolivar

Monday 07 April 2008 from France 24 International News After scuffles disrupted its tour round London, the Olympic flame arrived in Paris late on Sunday. Torchbearers are set to carry it through the French capital on Monday where campaigners are planning protests over China's human rights record. The Olympic flame arrived at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport late on Sunday, an airport official said, ahead of a high-security tour through the French capital where campaigners are planning protests over China's human rights record. The flame was welcomed China's ambassador to France, M. Kong Quan and former athlete Guy Drut, according to the airport official. The flame was to be transported by a convoy of 40 motorcycles to a hotel in the city that has been surrounded by police. On Monday, police plan to secure a perimeter of some 200 metres (yards) around the torch as it is carried in relay by 80 runners on a 28-kilometre (18-mile) route through Paris from the Eiffel Tow

From France 24/7 and AFP France has made contact with pirates holding a luxury French cruise yacht with around 30 crew off the coast of Somalia, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a radio interview Sunday. "We've made contact and the matter could last a long time," Kouchner told France Inter. "Our contact needs to be fruitful and we have to do everything to avoid bloodshed." He did not rule out the payment of a ransom to secure the release of the crew -- 22 French nationals and around 10 Ukrainians. The French military kept up its surveillance of the hijacked vessel as it was taken toward a pirate lair off northeast Somalia, officials said earlier. Defence Minister Herve Morin said there could be no military intervention unless the safety of the crew could be guaranteed. Any order to launch a military operation "cannot be taken unless there is certainty that this will happen in secure conditions that preserve the integrity of the crew," he

Tuesday, April 1 The Associated Press Colombia's president said Tuesday he had approved a French mission to try to meet with hostages held by leftist rebels, including gravely ill politician Ingrid Betancourt. The mission would be "to protect the deteriorating health of the hostages," President Alvaro Uribe said. Betancourt, who holds both French and Colombian nationality, is being held along with dozens of other hostages by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC. In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he had called Uribe to inform him France was sending a humanitarian mission "without delay to contact the FARC and obtain access to our compatriot," his office said. Uribe said once Colombia's military has the co-ordinates of the location for any meeting between the French delegation and the rebels, it will temporarily suspend military ope

from France 24 International News The former wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to tie the knot for the third time in New York on Sunday. Her new husband-to-be is the wealthy French publicist Richard Attias. (Story: P.-L. Viollat, C. Moore) for the entire story which includes a video, go to http://www.france24.com/en/france

Friday 21 March 2008 By AFP The French economy is likely to suffer a modest slowdown in the first half of the year in the face of a global financial crisis and inflation of around 3.0 percent, the nationmal statistics agency said Friday. The agency, known as INSEE, forecast momentum of 0.4 percent in the first quarter and 0.3 percent in the second. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on Thursday predicted growth of 0.4 percent in the first and second quarters of 2008. INSEE said that to achieve an overall expansion of 2.0 percent this year, the government target, the French economy would have to grow 0.8 percent in the third and fourth quarters. But analysts caution that such a pace might prove unrealistic given the constraints on the world economy and a global credit crunch brought on by a sharp downturn in the US housing market. for

Saturday 22 March 2008 By Caroline Delabroy/ FRANCE 24 The famed revolution of May '68 began with university students but spread far beyond, changing the fundamentals of French society and culture. With the 40th anniversary of the revolts nigh, some ask whether their legacy continues.(Report: J.Jackson) Today, there remain persistent symbols of the demonstrations that took France by storm in May '68. One of these is Daniel Cohn-Bendit, currently president of the European Green Party. In January 1968, he called upon the then Minister for Youth and Sports to inaugurate the swimming pool at the University of Nanterre, in the slums of the Parisian suburbs. The minister objected to the prospect of a pool open to both sexes. “If you’re having sexual needs, go take a cold shower,” said the minister. This anecdote reveals the social climate that motivated thousands of students to take to the streets. The commonly accepted date

March 20 is International Francophony Day, a celebration of the French language. There are some 200 million French speakers throughout the world today. (Report: C.Westerheide) to see the video go to http://www.france24.com/en/20080321-en-nw-pkg-adapt-francophoni400wmv-en-nw-pkg-adapt-francophoni400wmv-&navi=FRANCE

Wednesday 19 March 2008 By Reuters Chantal Sébire, a 52 year old Frenchwoman suffering from an incurable tumour, was found dead Wednesday. She had failed on Monday in her bid to set a legal precedent in France for patients seeking euthanasia. She had failed on Monday in her bid to set a legal precedent in France for patients seeking medical help to end their own lives. A court in the eastern city of Dijon ruled that Chantal Sebire, 52, could not have a doctor help her die because it would breach both the code of medical ethics and the law, under which assisted suicide is a crime. "Ms Sebire's request, which is understandable in human terms, cannot succeed in law," the court said in its ruling. "While Ms. Sebire's physical deterioration deserves compassion, under French law the judge must reject the request." Although active euthanasia is illegal in France, a 200

PARIS (AFP) - France's new first lady Carla Bruni on Wednesday accused a journalist of dishonesty for reporting that President Nicolas Sarkozy had sent his ex-wife a text message asking her to come back to him. In a statement to Le Monde, Bruni also said that Sarkozy had decided to drop a lawsuit against the weekly Le Nouvel Observateur which ran the report, after the journalist apologised to her. Sarkozy last month lodged the complaint against the weekly for reporting he had sent a text message to ex-wife Cecilia eight days before his marriage to Bruni that said: "If you come back, I'll call it all off." Sarkozy last month lodged the complaint against the weekly for reporting he had sent a text message to ex-wife Cecilia eight days before his marriage to Bruni that said: "If you come back, I'll call it all off." "What is dishonest and worrisome in this whole episode is that at no point was this 'information' checked, corroborated or confirm

Tuesday 18 March 2008 French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a minor cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday with six new junior cabinet ministers, including Anne-Marie Idrac. LE PETIT BORNAND, France, March 18 (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a minor cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday but vowed to pursue reform plans after his centre-right UMP party suffered big losses in local elections at the weekend. "What is sure is that I will need to take a certain number of initiatives to continue the changes that are needed for our country," he said at the sidelines of a commemoration for France's World War Two resistance movement. "I was elected to conduct these policies and that's what I am going to do," he said. The comments, shortly before the appointment of six new junior ministers including new secretaries of state for foreign trade and employment, repeated the government

The Associated Press Published: March 17, 2008 PARIS : More than 350 police swept through a housing project south of Paris early Monday, arresting 19 people, including 12 minors, in an operation targeting suspects who attacked police earlier in the month, authorities said. Riot police raided the Grande-Borne project in Grigny at about 6 a.m. Monday, a police official said without elaborating. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity. Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie had called the March 2 attack an "ambush" on officers responding to a call about vandalism. About 30 people, some armed, were waiting for the officers. Three police were hit in face with buckshot while another was hospitalized after being hit in the leg with buckshot and nails, officials said. The interior minister noted her "determination to never leave unpunished aggressions against police officers, particularly when

By Katrin Bennhold of the International Herald Tribune Published: March 16, 2008 PARIS : President Nicolas Sarkozy plans to press ahead with reforms but tone down his flashy image in a bid to restore his popularity with low-income voters after his center-right party suffered a setback in local elections Sunday, officials close to his office said. The opposition Socialist Party and its allies won 49.5 percent of the vote in the final round of elections Sunday, compared with the 47.5 obtained by the president's Union for a Popular Movement and parties affiliated with it, according to a voting-day telephone poll by the CSA institute. Most of the 21 ministers who ran in municipal elections looked set to win and the president's camp also appeared on course to keep control of Marseille, France's second-biggest city, and one of the most closely watched races of the election. But the Socialists took several hotly contested urban fiefs from the right, including Toulouse and Strasbo

The Associated Press Published: March 13, 2008 PARIS : Condemned to death at the guillotine, a sleepless Marie Antoinette scrawled a farewell message to her son and daughter in her prayer book. "My eyes have no more tears to weep for you, my poor children; adieu, adieu!" Was Marie Antoinette really the haughty, scatterbrained spendthrift she is often remembered as? A fascinating new exhibit in Paris uses artifacts and portraits to trace the life of a frivolous girl who became a patroness of the decorative arts and a loving mother. Highlights of "Marie Antoinette," which opens Saturday at the Grand Palais, include the queen's childhood sketches, the refined furniture and porcelain she commissioned and revolutionary pamphlets portraying her as a sex-crazed monster. One of the final exhibits is the prayer book, where she wrote a note begging God's pity and saying goodbye to her c

French voters cast ballots Sunday in local elections that look set to inflict heavy losses to President Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing party as the left vies for control of the top four cities Go to http://www.france24.com/en/20080316-municipal-elections-france-sarkozy-socialists-vote for the complete story.

Reuters, The Associated Press Published: March 13, 2008 PARIS : Opening the Paris Book Fair should have been a low-key cultural event during the state visit to France of President Shimon Peres of Israel. Instead, it was charged with Middle East tensions. Several Arab countries are boycotting the prestigious annual fair, where Peres was speaking Thursday, because it honors Israeli writers. The Nobel Peace laureate's appearance at the book fair comes near the end of his five-day state visit to France - a sign of President Nicolas Sarkozy's effort to rebuild frayed ties with Israel. "I am against the boycott of books," Peres said Wednesday. "Books are written to awaken reflection, to try to make sense of ideas." Sarkozy's spokesman called for calm. "It is not books that we should fear," David Martinon said at a news conference Thursday. The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Or

Friday 14 March 2008 - from France 24 - International News 24/7 EU leaders approved a controversial French proposal for a Mediterranean Union aimed at strengthening cooperation with countries from Morocco to Turkey, the EU's Slovenian presidency said Thursday. "The project received wide support," Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa told reporters after the first day of an EU summit in Brussels. "It is now a question of working on this in different forums. It's now a question of doing what is needed so that this project can see the light of day," he said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised the plan during last year's election campaign, but complaints from Germany saw the grand project watered down. Germany had feared that he would try to use it as a counter to Berlin's growing influence in central Europe as the EU expands, by limiting the club to southern European countries. "Tomorrow morning, the decision will be formally taken to trans

from France 24 - International News French voters went to the polls on March 9 in the first round of local elections. The Socialist Party emerged victorious, while President Sarkozy's UMP Party lost support. The final round of voting takes place on March 16. On March 9 the French voted in the first round of municipal elections, choosing local councillors and mayors in the country's 36,783 municipalities - from the tiniest village to big cities. Since 2001, nationals of the other 26 EU member states can also take part in this election. Exit polls showed the opposition Socialists well-placed to score big gains over Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), in next Sunday's decisive second round of a vote cast as a referendum on his presidency. Nationwide, left-wing parties took some 47.5 percent of the vote, well ahead of the UMP and its allies on 40 percent, according to a CSA survey. Turnout was high, estimated at close to 70 percent. The final round of voting takes

Wed Mar 5, 3:58 PM BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) The mayor of a village in southwest France has threatened residents with severe punishment if they die, because there is no room left in the overcrowded cemetery to bury them. In an ordinance posted in the council offices, Mayor Gerard Lalanne told the 260 residents of the village of Sarpourenx that "all persons not having a plot in the cemetery and wishing to be buried in Sarpourenx are forbidden from dying in the parish." It added: "Offenders will be severely punished." The mayor said he was forced to take drastic action after an administrative court in the nearby town of Pau ruled in January that the acquisition of adjoining private land to extend the cemetery would not be justified. Lalanne, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Wednesday and is standing for election to a seventh term in this month's local elections, said he was sorry that there had not been a positive outcome to the dilemma. "It may be a la