Stories about France from August, 2013
‘Rewire': How to Be a Better Media Consumer
Commentary from around the French-speaking Web on serendipity and cosmopolitanism, two key concepts found in the book 'Rewire' by Global Voices co-founder Ethan Zuckerman.
Madagascar Agency Suspended from Network Tracking Money Laundering
Lambo T. reports [fr] on the website of La Gazette de La Grande Ile that Samifin [mg], the agency in charge of cleaning up the financial sector and combat transnational illegal operations in Madagascar has been suspended from the Egmont Group of financial intelligence units. Egmont is an international network that helps tracks...
Do FEMEN's Topless Protests Advance Women's Rights or Jeopardize Them?
When a man sets himself on fire in protest, no one accuses him of harming the movement he self-immolated for. Why does FEMEN face those accusations?
Tchip: The “Shaking My Head” Meme from Africa
Nadéra Bouazza explains what being “tchippée” [fr] means for french speaking black communities. Tchip is the sound one makes when he/she disapproves of the behavior/action of someone else (roughly similar to the “shaking my head” internet slang). The “Tchip” sound is used across most black communities and has become an internet meme:
News Websites Indicted over Land Grab Report
News Websites Rue89 and Basta Mag are indicted [fr] following charges by French investment and industrial holding group Bolloré over a report in which they implicate Bolloré [fr] in land grab activities [fr] in Africa. The report lists the group's activities in Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Politis, a weekly analysis website, reacted...
Senegalese Literacy Contest Winner Turns Down French Visa in Protest
Bousso Dramé describes the ill treatment she received when obtaining a French visa in a widely circulated open letter.
Italian Appeals Court Upholds Guilty Verdict in Historic Eternit Asbestos Case
An appeals court in Turin, Italy has affirmed Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny, former owner of cement manufacturer Swiss Eternit Group, is responsible for nearly 3,000 asbestos-related deaths.