Libération reports that a paper factory set up in 1545 is to close its doors for the last time in September, in an indication of just how much the crisis is affecting French industry. Many families had worked in this factory near Avignon in the South East of France for generations. Meanwhile in l’Humanité, there’s a report about a factory in Le Mans where workers staged a ten day strike… in support of their boss! A subsidiary of the French investment bank Natixis is the main shareholder and wanted to sell on the company. The boss of the company had made a proposal for workers to acquire the ailing business. Shareholders fired him as a result over “strategic differences”. It was already rare to see workers strike on behalf of their boss but it’s perhaps rarer still to see that it worked. Mr. Fauconnet was reinstated.

Aujourd’hui en France/ Le Parisien covers Frédéric Mitterand’s first big speech on front of the National Assembly. This is the very high profile nephew of François Mitterand recently named as Culture Minister. UMP MPs said this was the best speech the Parliament has seen since Sarkozy came to power. Mitterand virulently defended artists who have seen their revenues plummet because of illegal downloading. He said that he himself had known tough times and had often relied on the revenues from his own royalties or copyright revenues. The Culture Minister is a former television presenter, documentary producer and writer. The so-called Hadopi Bill he is defending was voted down by the Parliament in the past couple of months and has also been rejected by the Constitutional Council. It would have allowed a government agency to cut off internet access for those who repeatedly download illegally. The Government is determined to push some form of this bill. An adapted text will be voted on by MPs in September.

A book is coming out today about the increase in violent incidents aboard planes. Le Figaro is focusing on the phenomenon. Naomi Campbell, Snoop Dogg and Courtney Love have all been accused of violence in airports or on planes. In 2007, a famous French TV presenter, Jean Luc Delarue, was flying from Paris to Johannesburg when he became extremely agitaited… He attacked members of the Algerian football team who were on board, insulted the cabin crew, tried to light a cigarette and spilt water over his neighbour on purpose! He was eventually restrained by the cabin crew. The article says that these incidents are more likely to happen in business class. Often they occur when alcohol has been refused to a passenger. Airlines are now training stewards on how to restrain violent passengers.