Insight: Making France work again

ECUEILLE, France (Reuters) - Shirt manufacturer Marc Roudeillac was delighted when 48 of the 49 staff in his factory in central France voted to adapt their strict 35-hour week contracts to meet the up-and-down demand of the fashion trade.Then the labor inspector stepped in and ruled the contracts must not be changed. So Roudeillac began an overtime system with 25 percent hourly bonuses. Again, the...

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Egypt opposition figure says Mursi deepening crisis

CAIRO (Reuters) - A leading member of Egypt's main opposition coalition said on Sunday that President Mohamed Mursi's decision to press ahead with a referendum on a new constitution was "shocking" and would deepen a political crisis. "It is making things a lot worse," Ahmed Said, member of the National Salvation Front coalition and head of the liberal Free Egyptians Party, told Reuters....

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Rare Beijing protest takes aim at high speed rail project

BEIJING (Reuters) - Authorities in Beijing allowed a rare protest to take place on Sunday against a new high speed rail line, with about 300 demonstrators shouting slogans disrupting traffic in a busy eastern suburb.Residents told Reuters they were concerned the new line from Beijing to the northeastern city of Shenyang would run too close to their apartments and local schools, causing excess noise...

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Egypt president scraps decree that sparked protests

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi  has cancelled a decree that gave him sweeping powers and sparked violent unrest but did not delay this month's referendum on a new constitution that was a major demand of his opponents.Islamist supporters of Mursi have insisted the referendum should go ahead on time on December 15, saying it is needed to complete a democratic transition still...

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Ghana awaits new president in test of democracy

ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghanaians waited anxiously on Sunday for results to a leadership election  that was fraught with technical problems, but which officials hope will still burnish the country's reputation as a pillar of African democracy.A leading local news outlet that was compiling results credited incumbent John Dramani Mahama with victory on Sunday, contradicting claims from the party of...

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