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French press review 3 June 2011

Confusion and contradictions over E coli outbreak, seeking safety from cyberassault, rethinking global drugs policy, jitters on the stockmarkets and will former minister Luc Ferry be forced to reveal all he about his gay paedophile orgy in Morocco claim?

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Le Figaro, Aujourd’hui en France /Le Parisien and La Croix make cover stories out of the deadly bacteria which has killed 18 in Europe and infected thousands of other people across Europe.

Le Figaro underlines that as health officials try to pinpoint the origin of a deadly outbreak Europe remains under tension, as the toll rises The right-wing newspaper notes that German authorities have failed to pinpoint the cause of the disease which broke out in the northern German city of Hamburg last month, sickening more than 2,000 people.

Le Figaro reports Spain is demanding reparations from Germany which has retracted claims that the outbreak was caused by Iberian cucumbers.

The Catholic daily La Croix quotes experts saying that the mysterious bacteria carried by raw vegetables, cause bloody diarrhoea and serious liver damage.  Aujourd’hui en France/Le Parisien notes that there are contradictory accounts by experts as to whether the strain was new, or whether Europe was witnessing the first outbreak. 

Le Monde headlines on the US plans to meet the impending dangers of internet warfare. The coverage follows intrusions in the gmails of top US government officials and after US defence contractor Lockheed Martin said it repelled a major cyberassault a week ago. Le Monde explains that President Barack Obama has ordered the Pentagon to work on a new cyber -security doctrine worthy of the Cold War.era – which ranks hostile acts in cyberspace in the same category as other major threats facing the United States.

Libération joins the debate about the decriminalisation of drug possession and consumption.

Libé’s coverage is in reaction to calls by the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which called for nations to "break the taboo on debate and reform", at a meeting in New York on Thursday.

New UN statistics released at the meeting said consumption of opiates rose 35.5 per cent between 1998 and 2008, cocaine by 27 per cent and cannabis by 8.5 per cent over the same period. Prominent statesmen, sitting on the board, noted that millions of dollars poured into the drugs battle over the past decades has failed to curtail supply or consumption.

Libération voices strong backing for calls by campaign groups recommending heavy fines rather than jail terms for drug dealers and treatment instead of prosecution for drug addicts.

Les Echos voices concerns about the negative outlook of the stockmarkets after two days of consecutive losses. The economic daily reports that the CAC 40 posted falls of up to three per cent over the past 48 hours, and the European equities closed sharply lower Thursday sending jitters through investors 

 
La Tribune also rings alarm bells about the state of the global economy explaining that the markets were dealt a body-blow after Moody's rating agency again downgraded the Greek debt. The newspaper argues that this raises the stakes in rescue negotiations for the troubled eurozone member nation.

Les Echos reports that losses in Asia and on Wall Street, have been compounded by pessimism about the latest US unemployment figures expected to be released this Friday.

France Soir headlines on allegations of child abuse by an ex-government minister made by a prominent philosopher Luc Ferry. Is he telling the truth, wonders the popular evening tabloid. The question comes in the wake of Ferry’s remarks in a television program that several government officials including the then prime minister knew about the crime allegedly committed in Morocco, according to accounts first published by Le Figaro Magazine last week.

France Soir says that preliminary investigations have been launched here in Paris to find out if Luc Ferry should come clean about what he knows about the identity of the minister and whether he could be prosecuted if he decides to keep quiet.

 

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