'Asbestos charges' dropped against French mayor Aubry French politician Martine Aubry was cleared Friday of manslaughter charges related to work illnesses at an asbestos factory. This is the second time the Socialist heavyweight, now mayor of the northern city of Lille, was named in a case for allegedly failing to mandate adequate protection for asbestos factory workers while she was labour minister. The use and production of asbestos were outlawed in France in 1997. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES