Belgium First to Ban Islamic Veiling
Belgium’s lower house, on the votes of 136 deputies and just two abstentions, has passed a measure banning Islamic veiling in public — the first such decision in Europe. The upper house of the Belgian parliament now has two weeks to introduce any amendments to the measure which was taken despite the earlier collapse of [...]
Cleaning Up Xynthia Proves a Can of Worms
Nearly two months after Storm Xynthia killed 53 and wreaked havoc across swathes of Western France and towns and villages along the Atlantic Coast, the area remains rent by anger and controversy. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Paris announced that certain affected coastal areas would be declared uninhabitable — black zones — and [...]
How a 20 Euro Driving Offence Became a Burqa Cause Célèbre!
A row about alleged polygamy and benefit fraud is fuelling the furore over President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to ban the use of full Muslim veiling in public places in France. The controversial move against the burqa and the niqab, scheduled to become law in early summer, was catapulated onto the front pages of the national [...]
European airspace closures lifting
France announced April 19 that corridors between Paris and airports in southern France would open 0800 Tuesday April 20. Flights between Paris and Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseilles and Nice would enable large numbers of passengers scheduled to travel abroad to re-route on international departures from southern airports. Eurocontrol the trans-national safety organisation, is establishing a no-fly [...]
97th Edition of Tour De France
The Tour De France 2010, the 97th edition, will start on 3rd July at Rotterdam and end on 25th July in Paris. The Tour De France — the world’s greatest cycling race — announced that 22 teams will compete in the race and six teams have received wild card invitations. Every year, hundreds of thousands [...]
Paris Mayor Takes Back Seine banks
Bertrand Delanoë the Socialist Mayor of Paris, plans to “take back the banks” of the River Seine closing them to traffic by summer 2012. Unveiling his plans Delanoë says the pedestrianised zone will help return the capital to its residents. Paris papers quickly filled up with drawings and pictures of how the 40 million euro [...]
Beating Breasts Burning Implants
Beating Breasts and Burning Implants Breast implant workers at the bankrupt Poly Implant Prothèse factory in La Seyne-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean are stocking up on Molotov cocktails and threatening a bonfire of silicone gel-filled implants. The 120 workers laid off want a state guarantee for their severance pay. At end March a Toulon judge ordered [...]
CityJet to be First Low Cost Service to Brive
City Jet, an Irish-registered, Air France KLM group airline will launch a 3 flight-a-week route to London City Airport from June 25, 2010, Brive airport executive Jean-Claude Requier has confirmed. The initial schedule provides for a 95-seater AVRO RJ 85 connection on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The first outward-bound flight departs Fridays at 14.35 arriving [...]
Calling Toulouse Wine Lovers
If you are a wine connoisseur, live near Toulouse and want some of Aurélie Balaran’s Chateau L’Enclos des Roses wine, get moving.
The Rich Get Richer
The number of very wealthy households in France increased between 2004 and 2007, says Insee, the French statistics institute.
Obama Twitter Hacker Caught
A Frenchman who allegedly hacked high-profile Twitter accounts, including that of US President Barack Obama, has been arrested.
EU Carbon Tariff Scheme Hits Buffers?
A Le Monde report suggests plans for an EU carbon tariff scheme may have hit the buffers amid signs that the climate change industry is in disarray.
Paris Homes to Get Geothermal Heating
Using the Earth as a Free Heat Source Paris is going geothermal (at least some parts are), as a 31 million euro scheme is launched to heat 12,000 residential apartments and buildings in the capital’s 19th arrondissement. The project is due to come on stream by 2011, and will provide 54% of the area’s energy [...]
Fraud hits auto-entrepreneur scheme
The runaway success of the auto-entrepreneur scheme has brought signs of growing fraud. A clampdown is coming
Brive Airport to Open
The long-awaited, low-cost Airport at Brive, known as Brive-Vallee de la Dordogne, is officially due to open July 8
200 Million French Speakers
Two-hundred million people now speak French and numbers are rising says Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)
Leftist Singing Star Dies
Left wing French singer, songwriter, composer Jean Ferrat, 79, a life-long Communist Party sympathiser, died March 14 in his mountain village home of Aubenas, in the southern Ardèche.
Who’s (What’s) On Trial Here?
There is growing concern (well, in Western democracies, that is) regarding the trial in Holland, of Dutch Politician, Geert Wilders. Why is he on trial? For insulting Islam. Yes, you read that right, he is on trial in Holland, no not Talibanistan, for insulting Islam… So what did he say? Wilders is a Dutch politician [...]
