Good News/Bad News

France is number one:

LONDON, Sept 11, 2006 (AFP) - Seven French business schools are among the top 10 in Europe, according to a ranking published Monday by the Financial Times.

First is HEC Paris, second is Cems, a network of 17 different European universities including HEC, and third is ESCP-EAP in Paris, according to Britain's leading business daily.

The ranking assesses Masters in Management programs, which most students join after their undergratuate degree, rather than those of Masters of Business Administration which usually requires several years of work experience.

But they suck:

PARIS, Sept 11, 2006 (AFP) - French industrial output fell 1.3 percent in July from the June figure, notably in the automobile industry, official figures showed Monday, a decline economists said highlights the fragility of the French recovery.

The July performance, announced by the national statistics institute INSEE, followed a 0.1 percent slide in June.

.... While overall French momentum is projected by some economists to come 2.5 percent in 2006, after a disappointing 1.2 percent in 2005, "the figures published today reflect the fragility of the current economic climate," said analyst Alexander Law of the research group Xerfi.

For Nicolas Bouzou of Asteres, also a research group, "the problem today is to know if the French economy can continue to pick up with a tired industrial sector".

He said: "It's difficult to believe."