France Tests New ICBM

(Biscarrosse, France) Sacre bleu! France is modernizing its nuclear arsenal with a new missile intended for submarine launch. Deployment is expected around 2010.

From Reuters:

France test-launched a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles for the first time on Thursday, eyewitnesses at the launch site said.

The M51 missile has a range of 6,000 km, 50 percent further than that of the missile currently in service.

Developed by European aerospace giant EADS, the M51 will also be able to carry a heavier load than the M45 it will replace, and be armed with up to six warheads.

The missile was shot out over the Atlantic from a test site south of Bordeaux. The Defense Ministry declined to say whether the test was completely successful. However, when perfected, the new weapon will enhance France's ability to compete in a global thermonuclear war.

In other news, rioting in city suburbs continues like clockwork, resulting in hundreds of burning cars, trucks and busses every night. As an example, police viewed the torching of 277 vehicles in one recent night as "relatively calm."

Being blamed are gangs of youths, identified only as children of immigrants, who have escalated the violence to include deliberately targeting police and other officials for attacks. French authorities are perplexed about how to respond to the violence since they haven't decided whether the rioting is caused by an underclass of domestic criminals or a "fifth column" of seditious foreigners.

I'd suggest they create a new category for the rioters. Without considering their motives, call them "Le thugs" and put them in jail.