What future for France's investigating judges?

Former Prime minister Dominique de Villepin is set to appear in court for a second time, to answer charges he tried to smear his rival Nicolas Sarkozy. The decision by a public prosecutor to appeal Villepin's acquittal is raising questions of political interference in the case. Also at issue is the role of investigating magistrates. Independent from the government, they long had a reputation for taking on complex cases without fear of political interference.

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By Derek THOMSON / Kate WILLIAMS / Patrick LOVETT

10/02/2012 - FRANCE

Renault's new factory sends French workers into a spin

Renault boss Carlos Ghosn and Morocco's King Mohammed VI opened the carmaker's new factory near Tangiers on Thursday with great ceremony. The plant will have an initial capacity of 170,000 vehicles, expected eventually to reach 400,000. Yet the partly state-owned Renault has faced a storm of criticism over the project, seen by some in France as denying French workers jobs that were rightfully theirs.

09/02/2012 - CHINA

The war on microblogs

The Chinese government is cracking down on the country's most popular microblogs in an effort to prevent any Facebook or Twitter-inspired revolution spreading to China. As of mid-March, users of Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, will be forced to register their microblogs under their real name. But with 250 million Chinese people logged on, it's unlikely the government can clamp down completely.

09/02/2012 - GREECE

Greeks fear austerity overdose

Just how much more belt-tightening can the Greek population bear? As Greece's government prepares a new austerity plan, a condition for receiving a second vital bailout from the European Union, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, protests have become a regular fixture in Athens. Greeks say they're being bled dry.

08/02/2012 - GERMANY

Germany's green growth running out of steam

The German government plans to decommission its nuclear plants by 2022 and to obtain 80% of all energy from renewables by 2050. Today, renewable energy sources already account for nearly a fifth of Germany's electricity, but the construction and transfer of wind energy from offshore farms is not making as much headway as had been expected.

08/02/2012 - NIGERIA

Inter-religious tensions set northern Nigeria on edge

Nigeria is battling a bloody insurgency launched by radical Islamist sect Boko Haram. The group want to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state. In January, a string of attacks in the north of the country killed 185 people. As President Goodluck Jonathan confronts the violence in the town of Kano, tensions continue to simmer.

- Clearstream trial - France - justice

What future for France's investigating judges?

Renault's new factory sends French workers into a spin

The war on microblogs

Greeks fear austerity overdose

Germany's green growth running out of steam

Inter-religious tensions set northern Nigeria on edge

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