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Europe | France | Activism

Muslim women defy ban to swim in burkinis at French pool

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Muslim women in France are disobeying the rules at a local swimming pool by wearing burkinis. In a protest inspired by US civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, they bathed in suits covering their entire bodies - apart from the face, hands and feet - in the city of Grenoble on Sunday. The Jean Bron swimming pool is among many in France that ban burkinis. Many people in the country regard the swimsuit as a symbol of political Islam and incompatible with secularism. "Operation burkini" was launched last month by members of the group Citizen Alliance of Grenoble to defend what they say is the
Europe | France | Corruption

IMF CHIEF LAGARDE TO STAND TRIAL IN FRENCH ARBITRATION DEAL

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France's top court has ruled that International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde must stand trial in France over a 2008 arbitration ruling that handed 400 million euros to a politically-connected business magnate. Lagarde, who was French finance minister at the time of the deal in favor of tycoon Bernard Tapie, is accused of negligence in the case. She has denied wrongdoing. A special court ruled in December that Lagarde should stand trial, but she appealed. France's Court of Cassation on Friday rejected the appeal.
Europe | France | Career

DIOR CONFIRMS APPOINTMENT OF FIRST FEMALE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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Dior has confirmed the appointment of Maria Grazia Chiuri as the brand's artistic director,WWD reports. Chiuri, who stepped down from Valentino yesterday after eight years as creative director, becomes the first female and seventh couturier to take the helm at Dior. She succeeds Raf Simons, who previously held the position for three and a half years and exited in October 2015. (Dior's Spring 2016 Couture and Fall 2016 RTW were designed in-house.) "The fact that she's a woman, she has this approach of a woman. The eyes of a woman for Dior, for the woman's side, is important," said Sydney Tole
Europe | France | Economy

France names first female, Brussels insider to head Treasury

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France on Wednesday named Odile Renaud-Basso, a Brussels insider familiar with the internal workings of European institutions, as the new head of the French Treasury. As the highest-ranking civil servant at the finance ministry, the head of the Treasury is one of France's top negotiators in Brussels and other global forums, working behind the scenes on hot issues such as the Greek debt crisis or a potential British exit from the European Union. Renaud-Basso, 50, currently deputy head of state lender Caisse des Depots, will replace Bruno Bezard who leaves on June 20 to join a Franco-Chine
Europe | France | Activism

Muslim Hip-Hop Dancers Break Down Stereotypes While Breaking It Down In Niqab

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The hip-hop group “We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic“ was conceived of by dancer Amirah Sackett in 2011, a moment Sackett referred to as “a really tumultuous time in history as far as Islam is concerned.” Just seven years earlier, France banned students from wearing hijab to school, the headscarves that in Islamic tradition represent modesty and morality. Although much of the Western rhetoric surrounding the hijab, niqab and burka focuses on the importance of freedom and empowerment, Sackett noticed that by forbidding women to wear certain clothing, France wasn’t liberating women, bu
Europe | France | Business

Lanvin Appoints Female Artistic Director

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At last, Lanvin has appointed an official artistic director to head up its womenswear collections, following Alber Elbaz's shocking departure last year from the house. On Friday morning, it was announced that Bouchra Jarrar will assume the role, starting on Monday. But who is Jarrar, and what does her appointment mean? It is firstly, a distinctly unusual appointment not least because she is a woman — the lack of female creative directors at fashion houses is remarkable, but the number gets even slimmer when looking at French ateliers — and is certainly a nod to its founder, Jeanne Lanvi
Europe | France | Politics

FRESH-FACED STAR OF FRANCE’S FAR RIGHT IS CANDIDATE OF STEEL

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She's the youngest French lawmaker and in an election this weekend could become the youngest president of a powerful region. Marion Marechal-Le Pen, 26, is the fresh-faced rising star of the far-right National Front, using a soft touch to deliver hard messages on migrants and Muslims that outdo her tough-talking aunt, party leader Marine Le Pen. The stakes in Sunday's vote for leadership councils in 13 French regions are high. If the two Le Pens win their regions, the anti-immigration National Front will shatter France's current political landscape - and Marine Le Pen will boost her chances
Europe | France | Economy

Outrage over ‘woman’ tax in France

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At first glance, reducing the value-added-tax on certain products from 20 to 5.5 percent is good news for consumers. Not in France, however. The reduced tax can be applied basic items such as water and foodstuffs. But French members of parliament outraged the nation – women more specifically – when they rejected an amendment to the 2016 budget that was going to reduce VAT on tampons and other feminine “first necessity” and “basic” products. Budget Secretary of State Christian Eckert explained the MPs’ rejection by comparing tampons to men’s shaving foam, which gets no tax
Europe | France | Arts

Chantal Akerman, Whose Films Examined Women’s Inner Lives, Dies at 65

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Chantal Akerman, the Belgian director whose ruminative, meticulous observation of women’s inner lives, often using long takes, made her a pioneer in feminist and experimental filmmaking, died here on Monday. She was 65. Ms. Akerman’s latest film, “No Home Movie,” is currently showing at the New York Film Festival, which she had been expected to attend. Her most commercial film, “A Couch in New York,” about an apartment swap between a New York psychologist and a young Parisian woman, starring William Hurt and Juliette Binoche, was released in 1996.  Born in Brussels on June 6,
Europe | France | Health

Why French women stop breastfeeding too early

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The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends to exclusively breastfeed babies in their first 6 months of life with continued partial breastfeeding in the following 18 months. However, a recent study shows that French women are far from following WHO’s recommendations: Most women stop breastfeeding after a month and a half, which corresponds to the end of the maternal leave. Only 18.3 percent of mothers in France are still breastfeeding their babies four months after birth, compared to 50 percent in neighboring countries such as Germany and Italy. Younger, single, unmarried and workin
Europe | France | Politics

Labour appointment puts French women ministers in majority

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France named 37-year-old Myriam El Khomri as its new labour minister on Wednesday, increasing the contingent of women in Prime Minister Manuel Valls' senior team to a majority for the first time. El Khomri, previously a junior minister with responsibility for urban affairs, is seen as close to Valls and President Francois Hollande. El Khomri brings the number of women among Valls' 16-strong team of senior ministers to nine.  
Europe | France | Health

French woman wins disability grant for ‘gadget allergy’

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A French court has awarded a disability grant to a woman claiming to suffer from a debilitating allergy to electromagnetic radiation from everyday gadgets such as cellphones. The applicant, Marine Richard, 39, hailed the ruling as a "breakthrough" for people afflicted by Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS). The condition is not recognised as a medical disorder in most countries, including France, but sufferers insist that exposure to mobile phones, wifi routers, televisions and other gadgets cause them anything from mild discomfort to life-ruining disability.
Europe | France | Business

When Her Daughter Was Diagnosed With A Rare Disease, This Accountant Started A Biotech Company

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Karen Aiach, 43, is the founder and CEO of Lysogene, a biotech company developing gene therapy treatments for rare central nervous system diseases. Remarkably, the French native had no background in science or the pharmaceutical industry, let alone the advanced fields of gene therapy, before starting the business. Aiach was an audit specialist for Arthur Andersen who went on to found her own boutique consultancy in 2001. Then, in 2005 her baby daughter, Ornella, was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome A, a rare neurodegenerative disease that has no cure and can reduce life expectancy to less
Europe | France | Crimes

French swimming champion attacked for being gay

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Mélanie Hénique, a 23-year-old French swimmer, bronze medalist at the 2014 World Championships in Doha and a European champion in mixed medley in 2012, was attacked for being a lesbian. The insult on the famous athlete at home reignited a sensitive debate in the country. Henique, who identifies herself as gay but says that she prefers to keep her private life private, was leaving a restaurant with a couple of female friends when four men insulted them and hit them.

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