InfoAnda - French far right surges, as Sarkozy spurs Islam debate

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

N.Korea won't hit back at S.Korea, open to UN experts | 21 December 2010
Big expectations for RIM at BlackBerry trade show | | 23 April 2010
Mitsubishi UFJ reports net loss for 9 months | 6 February 2009

Mothers-to-be most at risk from inadequate Ugandan health budget | 27 October 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : French far right surges, as Sarkozy spurs Islam debate

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America French far right surges, as Sarkozy spurs Islam debate AFP - 46 minutes ago Send IM Story Print French far right surges, as Sarkozy spurs Islam debate PARIS (AFP) - – A shock poll showed far-right champion Marine Le Pen leading the race for the French presidency on Sunday, as incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy faced claims he is fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment. An opinion poll conducted by Harris Interactive for Le Parisien newspaper put the National Front leader Le Pen's likely support in next year's vote at 23 percent, against 21 percent for the centre-right's Sarkozy. The survey itself must be taken with a pinch of salt. It was conducted online, a method sometimes seen as less accurate than telephone polling, and it presumed that Socialist leader Martine Aubry would be in the race. International Monetary Fund director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has signalled he is preparing to declare himself as a candidate for the Socialist Party's nomination -- and other polls have shown him favourite if he does. In any case, French presidential elections take place over two rounds, so even if Le Pen's score is enough to get into the second round, centrist voters would likely rally to whichever mainstream candidate joined her there. But, reservations aside, the big surge in far-right support since Marine Le Pen took over the party from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen in January shows she could repeat his 2002 feat and knock out the third-placed candidate. That prospect has sent shockwaves through the political establishment, and the left is training its fire not on the 42-year-old far-right challenger, but on Sarkozy -- accusing him of stirring dangerous anti-Muslim opinion. The National Front has always been an anti-immigration party, but under Le Pen junior it has attempted to shed its racist image and concentrate the debate on the place of Islam in French society, picking up votes as it has done so. Marine took a bullish view of the poll results, telling French television she was in the race "to win," saying the 2012 elections would bring a "surprise." "We are facing an aging political class, which has outdated solutions, hackneyed policies. The National Front represents hope for our people," she gushed on iTele channel. The French are "fed up of solutions that aren't. They see that over the past three decades their situation has been worsening, that they are being deprived of their country, their culture, and their hopes for the future." Sarkozy and his UMP have followed suit, taking on the Islam issue in a bid to stop support leaking to the Front and to force the Socialists off topics like unemployment and purchasing power where they have made inroads. The government has passed a law banning the full-face Islamic veil -- worn by only a tiny handful of France's five to six million Muslims -- from public places. The ban is due to come into effect next month. Sarkozy last month declared that "multiculturalism is dead" and said he wanted to see a "French Islam and not an Islam in France", while his party has called for a national debate on religious practice in a secular state. Meanwhile, the president last week reached out to his conservative base, hailing France's "Christian heritage" in a speech in a Catholic pilgrim town. The left, and many Muslim groups, sense a cynical plot. They accuse Sarkozy of stirring up disputes that can only increase tensions in French cities, all in the service of 2012 presidential electoral mathematics. "It's doubtless a plan by Nicolas Sarkozy to boost the National Front in order to find himself in a head-to-head with them in the second round, and disqualify the left," said Socialist parliamentary leader Jean-Marc Ayrault. The left remembers all too well that in 2002, Le Pen senior bumped their man Lionel Jospin out of the running in the first round, only to be roundly trounced in the second by the right's Jacques Chirac. "What's clear is that Nicolas Sarkozy has been playing double or quits for the past few weeks," said Aubry, who should perhaps take some comfort from the fact that the Harris poll had her level-pegging with Sarkozy on 21 percent. But while the Socialists and the UMP slug it out, Le Pen has stolen a march on both of them already. Elected leader of her party in January, she is already openly campaigning for the presidency. No one expects Sarkozy to drop out, but he has yet to declare his candidacy, and his personal approval ratings are catastrophically low. And the Socialists have yet to settle on a candidate. The party will hold a primary in October but the apparent front-runners -- Aubry and Strauss-Kahn -- have yet to confirm that they will stand. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Fighting flares in western Ivory Coast AFP - 49 minutes ago UK-World Summary Reuters - 45 minutes ago Gaddafi launches counter-offensive on Libya rebels Reuters - 45 minutes ago French far right surges, as Sarkozy spurs Islam debate AFP - 46 minutes ago Back on Cairo streets "thugs" attack protesters Reuters - 1 hour 2 minutes ago News Search Top Stories Rio heads into Carnival climax Nationalise Anglo American says S.Africa youth leader HSBC rebuffs talk of London exit Clashes as rebels deny Libyan victory claims Libya: live report More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed World's sixth mass extinction may be underway: study HSBC rebuffs talk of London exit Charity gala starring Putin 'raised no money': doctors Clashes as rebels deny Libyan victory claims Pressure rises as euro debt deadline looms More Most Viewed » More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Monday, 7 March 2011
Libya: live report
Saudi Arabia detains 22 Shi'ites
French far right surges, as Sarkozy spurs Islam debate
WordPress back up after attacks 'from China'
Rio heads into Carnival climax
Karzai tells Petraeus Afghan apology 'not enough'
Nationalise Anglo American says S.Africa youth leader
Sudan central bank governor resigns ahead of secession
Clashes as rebels deny Libyan victory claims
Turkey jails two more journalists over coup plot
Afghan bomb kills 12 civilans
Ivorian rebels claim capture of another town |
South Sudan sets conditions for north debt help
Sudan central bank governor resigns ahead of secession |
Thousands protest against Lebanon's sectarian system |
Back on Cairo streets, thugs attack protesters |
Estonian centre-right coalition heads for poll win |
US man's Cuban subversion trial ends
Mom sheltering child dies as tornado hits La. town
Court defers ruling on Nobel laureate's dismissal
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
"Rango" tops another sluggish weekend for movies
Mideast tourism sector hit by uprisings
African 'Oscar' goes to incest movie from Morocco
Christina's "Ain't No Other Man" sued over ownership issue
Rango tops another sluggish weekend for movies |
White House considers tapping Stragic Petroleum Reserve
Def Leppard has eye on legacy with live album and tour |
Young mother dies protecting her child from tornado's winds
UN gains access as Libya rebels lose ground in clashes
French ex-president to go on trial for corruption
Saudi Arabia detains Shi'ites as clerics ban protests
US-TECH Summary
Israel plans work at contested Jerusalem holy site
India's top court allows 'passive euthanasia'
Not getting enough sleep? Turn off the technology
PM favours rate cut for quake-hit New Zealand
Gaddafi counter-offensives raise civil war fears |
British team leaves Libya after 'difficulties': minister
Knives and petrol bombs return to Cairo streets
Bangladesh resumes Microfinance laureate hearing
Couple overcomes groom's illness with Skype wedding
Prince to have British trade role downgraded: report
Pietersen adds to World Cup injury woes
Casualties take focus from Gates's Afghan trip |
Record numbers cast e-votes in Estonian election
Obama steers clear of 'doctrine' as Arab tumult rages
U.S. military's mini space shuttle lifts off
China richest man says work key to easing poverty
China says U.S. must stop Taiwan arms sales |
Silk protein boosts e-book efficiency: scientists
Sudan central bank governor resigns ahead of secession
Japan's PM hangs on but outlook grim |
As Google matures, startups keep it young
Bahrain prince warns against protest escalation |
Afghan president rejects US apology over killings
Thousands protest against Lebanon's sectarian system
North Korea proposes talks to resolve defection row |
Pressure builds on Hong Kong after anti-budget protests |
Pressure builds on Hong Kong after anti-budget protests
Landslide leaves thousands stranded at Indonesia mine |
Vietnam releases human rights lawyer from prison
Powerful earthquake strikes off Solomon Islands
Japan's PM hangs on but outlook grim
Charlie Sheen's Web show draws more than 100,000 viewers
Seoul shares fall on Samsung Elec, transporters
Bangladesh court hears Nobel laureate's case
"Transformers 2" director says film "was crap"
Not getting enough sleep? Turn off the technology |
Taiwan regulator to decide AIG's Taiwan unit sale in H1
Seoul shares open down; airlines fall, insurers up
NZ new home building consents recovers in Jan
Couple overcomes groom's illness with Skype wedding |
Family photos offer rare look at pre-war Liberia
In Mideast revolts, women emerge as driving force
S. Korean rights group raps forced slimming drive
World's most expensive painting on show in London
Sun is shining on Asian tourism trade
Landslide leaves thousands stranded at Indonesia mine
Director Michael Bay thinks "Transformers 2" was "crap"
Charlie Sheen's Web show draws more than 100,000 viewers
Rio's famed parades crown Carnival party
Sirius XM creates limited-run "Tiger Blood Radio" channel about Charlie Sheen
Kevin Smith: I "feel good" about semi-retirement
Scientist claims fossilized bacteria in meteorite is evidence Earth life's space origins
"Transformers 2" director says film "was crap"
Charlie Sheen's Web show draws more than 100,000 viewers |
Transformers 2 director says film was crap |
Kevin Smith: I feel good about semi-retirement |
Rango tops another sluggish weekend for movies |
Actor Tate Donovan now one of the Good People |
'Spectacular' cyber attack hits French government
World Cup for tweet generation
Libya: live report
French finance ministry under cyber attack
Yemen opposition vows escalation against president |
Moody's downgrade 'completely unjustified': Athens
Oil price spikes to 2.5 year-high on Libya unrest
Ivorian rebels take third town in west |
US defence chief sorry over Afghan child deaths
British prince pilloried over pedophile pal |
N. Korea tells S. Korea to produce defectors
Kuwaiti protests on Tuesday aim to remove PM |
Indonesian govt wipes its hands of Ahmadiyah 'problem'
Zimbabwe frees 38 held in anti-Mugabe protest plot |
Korean poker player wants to boost casino image
Moussa hits campaign trail in Egypt presidency race |
Taiwan nightclub fire kills nine
South Sudan militia clashes kill at least 56: army |
Philippines orders oil firms to boost inventories
China denies police behind foreign reporter beatings
North Korea proposes talks to resolve defection row
Pakistani stocks end lower; rupee firm against dollar
S.Korea considers lifting rare earths stocks -sources
S.Korea govt, c.bank in harmony on price stability
Web startups clamp down on trading of their shares |
Seoul shares fall 1.2 pct as Samsung Elec tumbles
Taiwan regulator to rule on AIG Taiwan unit sale in H1
Pakistan
Cell phone outage affects millions in Pakistan
Microfinance struggles to restore its reputation
Shanghai's House of Barbie closes
French government comes under cyber attack
Asia to be biggest aircraft market by 2029: Airbus
Japan's PM hangs on but outlook grim
Bangladesh court hears Nobel laureate's case
India ally to quit cabinet, coalition safe for now
Overseas women rate S'pore, Hong Kong among top places to live, work
ANALYSIS: Playing it safe with the budget
Woody Allen to shoot next film in Rome this summer
McQueen protege to design royal wedding dress: report
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01