Canada’s Leader of the ‘Tea Party North’

Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford has pursued a Tea Party like populist agenda.

French not happy about English language proposal

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France’s education minister says everyone in France should learn English, starting at age 3. But as Anita Elash reports from Paris, the idea is provoking resentment. Download MP3

Tracking the assets of Tunisia’s ousted leader

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Anita Elash reports from Paris on the international hunt for the millions of dollars Tunisia’s exiled president and his family are thought to have taken out of the country. Download MP3

“Of Men and Gods” is French blockbuster

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French audiences are flocking to the cinema this holiday season. The big hit is an art house film that explores religion and spirituality. Of “Men and Gods” won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes film festival. It’s since become the most popular French art house film in the last thirty years. More than three million people have seen it. Anita Elash explores why a movie about God is so appealing in a resolutely secular country. Download MP3
Video: Watch a scene from the hit movie

French farmland tapped for oil

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Correspondent Anita Elash reports that the world’s thirst for oil and oil-extracting technologies might transform fertile farm land in east of Paris into an oil field. Download MP3

Picasso ‘treasure trove’

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A retired electrician in southern France who worked for Pablo Picasso says he has hundreds of previously unknown works by the artist. The treasure trove of 271 pieces includes lithographs, cubist paintings, notebooks and a watercolor and is said to be worth about $ 80 million. Anita Elash reports. Download MP3

French soccer star calls for bank protest

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A former French soccer star known for making cryptic pronouncements is calling for a protest against the banks. Eric Cantona wants people around the world to withdraw their money on December 7th, to paralyze the banking system. As Anita Elash reports from Paris, his idea is getting mixed reactions at home. Download MP3

Some of Cantona’s collected wisdom

Honorary Oscar for Godard

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‘French New Wave’ director Jean-Luc Godard is getting an honorary Oscar tomorrow, though some American critics say he shouldn’t. They say Godard is anti-Semitic and so are some of his films.But that is not the way people in France see the 80-year-old director. Anita Elash has more from Paris. Download MP3(Photo courtesy: Wikipedia)
Video: vintage footage from “A bout de Souffle”

Finding jobs for France’s older workers

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It’s likely that the French government’s plan to raise the minimum retirement age to 62 will become law. Labor unions are now saying it’s time to do something to help French people over 50 find work or keep their jobs. Correspondent Anita Elash reports from Paris.Download MP3

Paris terror alert

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Police in Paris evacuated the Eiffel Tower last night after they received a bomb threat. It’s the second time the tower has been emptied in two weeks. France is on a higher than normal state of alert after it got information that a female suicide bomber was planning an attack. Anita Elash reports from Paris. Download MP3
Video: Eiffel Tower evacuated after bomb alert

French cathedral’s gargoyle causes stir

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A Muslim stonemason in France has been immortalized by having his face carved as a gargoyle on the side of a medieval cathedral. However a far-right group in Lyon has said the carving, which includes the inscription ‘God is Great’, is an affront to the Catholic Church. Anita Elash reports. (photo: Philippe Desmazes/AFP/Getty Images) Download MP3

• ‘Muslim’ gargoyle adorns French cathedral

France tackles binge-drinking

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Binge drinking is on the rise in France, and French authorities are looking for ways to rein it in. Correspondent Anita Elash reports from Paris.

Burka debate stirs Canada’s Muslims

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There’s a religious debate taking place in Canada. Some Muslims there say they want the country to set some limits on freedom of religion.The Muslim Canadian Congress is lobbying to ban burkas or any other kind of Islamic face covering. Anita Elash reports from Toronto.

Ethnic jokes a hit

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Anita Elash reports on Russell Peters, the Indian-born Canadian stand-up comic just named one of the ten highest-earning comedians in the world. His humor is not politically correct, often making fun of various ethnic groups.

Update on missing Air France jet

Correspondent Anita Elash reports on the latest in the investigation into the disappearance of an Air France airliner yesterday. 228 people were onboard. Brazil’s Air Force says search planes discovered some debris floating in the Atlantic Ocean today, though it’s not yet clear whether it’s from the missing jet. Listen