France edition

Is France about to tax smartphones such as these? The Lescure report on May 13th calls for funding French culture by taxing giants like Apple, Google and Amazon. File photo: Phil Campbell

France mulls smartphone tax to fund culture

The notorious French taxman could soon have something else to train his sights on after a government report on Monday suggested taxing smartphone and tablet producers like Apple and Amazon, in order to bolster funding for cultural products. READ () »

File photo: Fredo Alvarez

French student tricked by internet striptease scam

A 21-year-old man in eastern France has been caught – quite literally – with his pants down, after falling for an elaborate online extortion racket and being filmed performing a striptease for his virtual girlfriend. READ () »

The White Cliffs of Dover, where if you might want to turn your mobile phone off or be hit by a hefty bill. Photo: Jlcwalker/flickr

English villagers rely on France to use mobiles

It seems the English are closer to the French than we may think, indeed so close that residents of one English coastal village have to rely on France to get a mobile phone signal, which has left residents and tourists liable for huge bills. READ () »

BREAKING NEWS

France takes on Google over privacy laws

BREAKING: Authorities in France, along with five other European countries, have taken steps to force US internet giant Google to comply with EU privacy rules, France's CNIL data protection agency said on Tuesday. READ () »

Sodwana Bay in South Africa. Photo: Matt Kieffer

French team in new quest to study 'living fossil'

French and South African biologists will dive to deep-sea caves in the Indian Ocean next month in a bid to locate the coelacanth, the "living fossil" fish whose history predates the dinosaurs, France's National Museum of Natural History said on Friday. READ () »

Screengrab of Skype login

Skype to face criminal investigation in France

France's telecommunications monitor Arcep said on Tuesday it had asked prosecutors to launch a probe into Microsoft subsidiary Skype for failing to register as a telecommunications firm, despite several reminders. READ () »

Steven Spielberg at the 85th Academy Awards with his wife Kate Capshaw. Photo Frederic J Brown/AFP

Spielberg to lead Cannes Film Festival jury

Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg will lead this year's Cannes Film Festival jury, the organizers announced on Thursday, just days after he missed out on a third best director Oscar. READ () »

Can French cows produce greener wind? Photo: Jacqui 1686/Flickr

French scheme helps cows make greener wind

A French cattle feed company on Tuesday unveiled a novel form of carbon credits aimed at incentivising farmers to stop cows from emitting climate-changing farts. READ () »

French gendarmes and firemen walk in the Lubrizol factory, where the gas began leaking on Monday. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP

Inquiry launched into causes of 'French stench'

Police in northern France have launched an official probe into the gas leak at a Rouen factory which that caused a stink as far away as Paris and the UK. READ () »

Free mobile network sued for fraud

A French consumer group is suing mobile phone operator Free, accusing it of “fraudulent commercial practices” over the quality of its network. READ () »

Disease proof vines present one of the ways to make France's wine industry more eco friendly. Photo: Remy Gabalda/AFP

France's wine industry facing green future

An Earth-friendly future for French wine could include disease-resistant grapes, solar-powered robots, and lighter packaging, as vintners innovate to slash their environmental footprint. READ () »

Photo: Flickr

French men suffer sperm count decline

The quality of French men's sperm declined between 1989 and 2005, with the average sperm count down b y nearly a third, a new study on Wednesday showed. READ () »

Photo: Sarah Fleming

European agency rejects GMO rat tumours

The European Union's food safety agency rejected on Wednesday a bombshell French report linking genetically modified corn to cancer saying it failed to meet "acceptable scientific standards." READ () »

Photo: Wazouille

Climate change imperils French truffles

Scientists said on Tuesday they had proof that climate change was hitting the Périgord black truffle, a delight of gourmets around the world. READ () »

Photo: Bodoklecksel

Technical hitch triggers nuclear shutdown

A reactor in one of France’s largest nuclear power plants shut down on Monday, triggered by a problem with an emergency circuit for the water supply to steam generators. READ () »

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