Other News

=>Some 780,000 people in France are to-day infected with the Hepatitis C virus, which is nearly 200,000 more than official statistics indicated, according to a study by the Proscop institute, published on Friday in Toulouse.

One of three French persons infected with Hepatitis doesn't know it. Consequently, there are 5,000 new cases of hepatitis ever year, causing the deaths of 4,000 people annually. Nasal and intravenous drug use constitute the principle modes of infection (around 80% of new infections occur in this way).

=>Chirac's approval rating has fallen to 43 percent, the lowest since his reelection two years ago. Incidentally, George Bush's approval rating — some people actually approve of him, it seems — has fallen to 44%.

=>French police physically abused protesters outside the Cannes festival to-day (protests mentioned yesterday on NP). A crowd formed to demand that six other protesters already in detention be released. Two policemen charged the crowd and, in doing so, allegedly employed excessive force.

A cameraman for France 3 suffered cuts and bruises when police threw him to the ground. Eight policemen and three protesters suffered injuries during the troubles. France 3 has announced that it will file a complaint against the police and the deputy commissioner has opened an investigation into the events.

Though he was carrying a camera on his shoulder, the reporter in question, Gwenaël Rihet, was thrown to the ground and handcuffed by the advancing police. As a result, he was hospitalized for 24 hours, required six stitches in the head and was incapacitated for four days.

Seasonal, part-time or freelance entertainment industry workers are protesting cuts to their welfare benefits which are part of penny-pinching measures designed to stave off fiscal disaster.

Protests began with a sit-in that forced the interruption of a film-screening for potential distributors, part of the Cannes festival.

The police have brought in 1,000 men to maintain order during the festival and protest organizers say that the demonstrations have drawn 1,500 participants while the police put that number at 500.

Staff at Quentin Tarantino's hotel, the Carlton, have also gone on strike over pay. (Who could afford to pay them enough to serve that ambulatory piece of turd?).