News headlines from France

IF you are keen to stay up to date with what's happened in France over the past few days then here is a pick of some of the headlines.

And check out the French news page on the site for updates throughout the week.

Sarkozy drawn into political funding scandal - Telegraph
President Nicolas Sarkozy was drawn into a corruption scandal on Thursday after French prosecutors opened an investigation into the suspected illegal funding of a presidential contender whose campaign he ran.

BBC News - Hartlepool 'ghost ship' fire tackled by crews
The fire is on the former French aircraft carrier Clemenceau, which arrived at the Able UK facility near Hartlepool a year ago.

France24 - Leading Jewish organisation's shift to the right sparks controversy
The head of France’s main Jewish umbrella group, the CRIF, denied on Wednesday that his organisation had veered to the right, but some within CRIF are questioning this after recent controversial events.

Raid on French print works destroys 150,000 newspapers - Expatica France
A 40-strong group broke into the Brodard Graphique site in Coulommiers shortly after midnight and used fire hoses to soak copies of the Direct Matin daily.

The Canadian Press: As ancient cheeses go extinct, French sense threat to a pillar of their identity
While most French people may be content with the mass-produced cheeses of their globalizing world, the disappearance of traditional varieties is seen by some as threatening the very essence of Frenchness.

French prime minister 'shocked' by police custody figures - The Connexion
Prime Minister François Fillon said he was "shocked" yesterday after a report found the number of people being detained by police has risen by two thirds since 1996 to 580,000 last year.

Carlos the Jackal sues over French TV drama - guardian.co.uk
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, once described as 'most dangerous man alive', says biographical image could be violated

French army sides with Mozilla in Microsoft email war - Reuters
A new email client unveiled by Mozilla this week contains code from an unusual source -- the French military, which decided the open source product was more secure than Microsoft's rival Outlook.

Skier's 'miracle' escape after 45 minutes under avalanche snow - guardian.co.uk
It is rare to survive longer than 35 minutes – but Gilles Durand created a life-saving air passage and awaited rescue

How Jim Carrey stole the show on the French news - The Independent
Jim Carrey has extended his reputation as an irrepressible off-screen clown by turning France's most watched television news programme into a comedy show.

Jean Paul Gaultier: Classic french cheek - Telegraph
With his imposing couture salon and phenomenally successful perfumes, Jean Paul Gaultier could almost be mistaken for part of the Paris fashion establishment these days