Unemployment hits 12-year high and more news from France

Chiffres du chômage : une hausse continue depuis... par BFMTV
CATCH up with the news headlines from France, including the continued rise in unemployment with those aged over 50 seeing a 2% increase in December.

French unemployment hits 12-year high in December - France 24
French government figures show the number of jobseekers in France rose by 29,700 in December to reach 2.87 million, the highest level since 1999, in further bad news for President Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of elections in the spring.

Why the French adore Jean Dujardin - The Guardian
He may be charming in The Artist, but the Oscar hopeful is loved in France for his scathing sendups – and his brilliance at moving between the deadpan and madcap.

Sarkozy honours French troops shot in Afghanistan - France 24
French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday honoured the four French troops who were shot dead last week by a man wearing an Afghan army uniform. Their deaths have fuelled speculation that France may seek to accelerate its Afghan withdrawal.

'Time travelling' French presidential candidate ridiculed for Normandy claims - The Telegraph
Hervé Morin, a French presidential candidate and former defence minister, has become a national laughing stock after he claimed he witnessed the Allied landings at Normandy in 1944, which took place 17 years before he was born.

Corpse of bank robber found wedged in air vent - The Telegraph
The corpse of a suspected bank robber who died after becoming wedged in an air vent has been discovered in the French city of Lyon.

Credit Agricole and Societe Generale downgraded by S&P - The Telegraph
Two of France's largest banks have been downgraded by Standard & Poor's as the ratings agency followed up on its earlier downgrade of the country's sovereign rating.