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The Connexion News Feeds: News  
The Connexion News Feeds: News

Car unions fear Morocco move - 2012-02-09

Share this story FRENCH car-workers' unions have reacted with fear to the news that Renault is to build a factory in Morocco that will be capable of producing 400,000 cars a year from next year. I...

Flu bug cases near epidemic levels - 2012-02-09

Share this story THE FREEZING weather - which has already seen yesterday's power consumption record smashed - has led to an increase in people suffering flu and it has reached epidemic levels in Il...

Free fined for cheating customers - 2012-02-09

Share this story FREE has been fined €100,000 for cheating customers by reducing internet speeds. The criminal conviction for “deceitful commercial practices” comes at a bad time for the firm, whi...

Air cancellations continue today - 2012-02-09

Share this story AIR workers’ strikes continue today, expected to be the last day of disruption before talks between unions and the government. Air France, the firm most affected, expects to be ru...

Power demand hits new record - 2012-02-08

Share this story FREEZING temperatures across the vast majority of France saw the record peak of electricity consumption smashed last night, hitting 100,500MW at 19.00. The previous peak of 96,710...

Ministers walk out over ‘Nazi’ taunts - 2012-02-08

Share this story PRIME Minister François Fillon and government ministers walked out of the National Assembly after a left-wing MP compared Interior Minister Claude GuÊant to the Nazis. The walk-ou...

Cigarettes up 7.6% this year - 2012-02-08

Share this story THE price of a pack of cigarettes will rise 7.6% on October 1. This will be due to the combined effect of an increase in VAT of 1.6% and a planned hike in the price of tobacco by ...

Court must rule on sex toy row - 2012-02-08

Share this story A PARIS court has to decide today whether sex toys are erotic or pornographic after religious groups challenged the opening of a Love Shop within 200 metres of a school. The law o...

Air strike enters its second day - 2012-02-07

Share this story AIR traffic disruption is worsening as a strike in the sector enters its second day. At Air France, the company most affected, only half of long haul flights are expected to take ...

More below-zero weather ahead - 2012-02-07

Share this story TEMPERATURES in the 39 departments on orange weather alert are not expected to get out of minus temperatures despite bright sun across the majority of the country. MĂŠtĂŠo France sa...

Madonna plays Paris and Nice - 2012-02-07

Share this story MADONNA is to play two dates in France as part of her 2012 world tour with a concert to mark the national day on July 14 at Stade de France, Paris, and then, a month later, at Stad...

Snow and ice hit school buses - 2012-02-06

Share this story SCHOOL transport was cancelled across a large part of the west of France today after a weekend of poor road and weather conditions and 39 departments in the east are still on orang...

Flights cancelled due to air strike - 2012-02-06

Share this story PILOTS, air hostesses and stewards are all being asked by unions to strike for four days, from today. They gave notice of possible strikes until Thursday, though they could be ex...

Residents warned of power cuts - 2012-02-06

Share this story RESIDENTS in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes departments have been warned there is a "very real risk" of power cuts this evening. Both departments have been put on red alert by nation...

Depardieu to play Strauss-Kahn - 2012-02-06

Share this story GERARD Depardieu has been cast as Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a new Hollywood film about last year’s scandal that ruined DSK’s chances of the French presidency. Isabelle Adjani is l...

Contador stripped of Tour victory - 2012-02-06

Share this story SPANISH cyclist Alberto Contador has been stripped of his 2010 Tour de France win for having taken a prohibited drug. He was also banned from racing for two years. The verdict of ...

Moving to France Week - 2012-02-05

Share this story MOVING to France will transform your life but the process is not necessarily straightforward. This week we are holding a 'Moving to France week' to complement the new 2012 edition...

Sub-zero all day for most of France - 2012-02-03

Share this story GLACIAL weather continues to affect much of the eastern part of France with sub-zero temperatures expected all day in much of the country. By 13.00 they could reach 3C on the Rivi...

Price-fix perfume giants fined €40m - 2012-02-03

Share this story LUXURY perfume giants including L'Oréal, Dior, Guerlain, Chanel and shops such as Sephora and Marionnaud have been fined a total of €40 million for running a price-fixing ring. Th...

Mayor in court for slapping boy - 2012-02-03

Share this story A MAYOR is appearing in court today accused of giving a youth a clip on the ear. Maurice Boisart, the mayor of Cousolre in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, had opted for public trial in Avesne...

Dujardin in movie poster scandal - 2012-02-03

Share this story BAD publicity over movie posters deemed to be in poor taste could harm actor Jean Dujardin’s Oscar hopes, French pundits say. Two posters for Les Infidèles - a forthcoming comedy ...

Flour-bomb attack on Hollande - 2012-02-02

Share this story AFTER being covered in flour by a protester, Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande shrugged it off, saying "That's the risks of the job." Hollande was speaking in Par...

Cold spell sets in for the week - 2012-02-02

Share this story TWENTY-ONE departments are on orange alert (“dangerous weather”) in the south and east, as the cold spell sets in. Météo France says we can expect a period of grand froid (extreme...

Scientology fined €600,000 - 2012-02-02

Share this story THE appeal court has upheld a €600,000 fine for fraud on the Scientology cult and a two-year suspended jail sentence for French leader Alain Rosenberg. It confirmed a ruling that ...

Google fined for giving free maps - 2012-02-02

Share this story GOOGLE has been found guilty of “abusing its dominant position” by a Paris court. The firm was sued by a map company Bottin Cartographes, which has lost business due to the web gi...

Motorway tolls rise from today - 2012-02-01

Share this story TAKING the motorway costs an average 2.33% more from today. The increase in autoroute tolls varies according to the regional company that runs your network, from 2% for Escota (Pr...

Freezing weather for week ahead - 2012-02-01

Share this story WRAP UP well for a cold week ahead. That is the warning from MĂŠtĂŠo France as it warns of intense cold which is expected to beat previous records, with temperatures rarely climbing ...

India to buy French fighters - 2012-02-01

Share this story INDIA is opening exclusive negotiations with French defence company Dassault to buy 126 Rafale fighters and, if confirmed, it will be the first export sales of the jet. The deal c...

London mayor woos French banks - 2012-02-01

Share this story LONDON mayor Boris Johnson has invited French bankers to work in the City instead to escape the planned financial transactions tax. President Sarkozy has announced unilaterally th...

SNCF sued as late trains cost job - 2012-01-31

Share this story A YOUNG legal assistant who lost her job because of repeated lateness is suing SNCF for damages saying late trains were to blame. Soazig Parassols, 25, was on probation at the leg...

Teachers walk out over new job tests - 2012-01-31

Share this story TEACHERS have walked out on strike today in protest at changes planned for the rentrĂŠe which will see 14,000 jobs cut and new job evaluation procedures introduced. This is the thi...

Eurotunnel to buy SeaFrance ferries - 2012-01-31

Share this story EUROTUNNEL has announced it plans to buy three of the four ferries owned by SeaFrance, which has gone into liquidation. The French-owned firm’s chairman, Jacques Gounon, has spoke...

South-east at risk of snow - 2012-01-31

Share this story THE whole south-east is at risk of snow today, forecasters say. A snow alert has been announced in an area from the Jura to the Creuse and the Alpes-Maritimes to the HĂŠrault. Elev...

Extra VAT pays for payroll costs cut - 2012-01-30

Share this story PRESIDENT Sarkozy's plan to raise VAT to cut job costs has been attacked as "socially unjust, economically ineffective and, proposed at this time, not very democratic" by a former ...

Heavy snow and ice sparks alert - 2012-01-30

Share this story THE FIRST heavy snowfalls of the winter have prompted MĂŠtĂŠo France to put 23 departments, stretching from Normandy to Aveyron, on orange alert for snow and ice. Heavy snowfalls of...

French national bike plan proposed - 2012-01-27

Share this story TRANSPORT minister Thierry Mariani unveiled plans on Thursday for a 'national cycling scheme' in a bid to encourage the use of bicycles across France. The plan targets short trips...

‘Excessive’ police force criticised - 2012-01-27

Share this story French police are using broad powers to conduct unwarranted and abusive identity checks on black and Arab young men, according to a report by the Human Rights Watch group released ...

Breast implant bosses arrested - 2012-01-26

Share this story POLICE have arrested Jean-Claude Mas, the owner of breast implant manufacturer PIP, for questioning on charges of homicide and involuntary injury. PIP director Claude Couty was al...

TGV tickets to be checked at door - 2012-01-26

Share this story TICKET checks are being tightened on TGV trains to improve security with inspectors greeting passengers at each door of trains on the Paris-Rennes route. SNCF customer relations d...

Free founder grilled by MPs - 2012-01-26

Share this story FREE boss Xavier Niel has had a grilling by MPs over issues surrounding the launch of his new mobile phone service. The National Assembly’s Commission of Economic Affairs asked ab...

Ten nominations for The Artist - 2012-01-25

Share this story FRENCH silent, black and white film The Artist is Oscar-nominated in an extraordinary 10 categories. The film has already won Best Actor at Cannes for Jean Dujardin and three Gol...

Jail for autoroute wrong-way driver - 2012-01-25

Share this story A DRIVER who drove more than 100km the wrong way down the autoroute has been jailed for two months, banned from driving, banned from sitting a new test for five years and had his c...

Banks credit ratings lowered - 2012-01-25

Share this story THREE major French high street banks have had their long-term credit ratings cut by Standard   Poor’s. Placed under surveillance since December 5, the SociĂŠtĂŠ GĂŠnĂŠrale, the B...

Videos target school bullies - 2012-01-24

Share this story SCHOOL bullies are being targeted in a new campaign as figures show that one in 10 children is a victim - leading to poor school results, depression and even suicide. The Educatio...

France hands back Maori heads - 2012-01-24

Share this story TWENTY mummified heads have been handed back from France to New Zealand Maoris. The toï moko – tattooed and mummified heads of warriors – have been recuperated from French museums...

Major rise in jewel raids - 2012-01-24

Share this story RAIDS on jewellery stores have soared in the past five years as the price of gold has rocketed - and it has led one shop to fit anti-theft sprays to identify the raiders. There ha...

Genocide denial law is passed - 2012-01-24

Share this story A BAN on denying that killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide will be enshrined in French law. The Senate adopted by 127 votes to 86 a proposed law alread...

Safety campaign uses shock images - 2012-01-23

Share this story A NEW public service broadcast on road safety uses shocking black and white footage of accidents to present a message that everyone is responsible for helping to cut accidents. Th...

Hollande targets 'world of finance' - 2012-01-23

Share this story PROMISING to be the "president of the end of privileges", François Hollande said he aimed to get France - and Europe - back to work by targeting "the world of finance". Speaking i...

Hackers attack ElysĂŠe website - 2012-01-23

Share this story INTERNET hacking group Anonymous has attacked the ElysĂŠe website in protest at the shutting down of file-sharing site Megaupload. Cyber attacks also targeted websites for the Whit...

‘Minimum service’ plan for airports - 2012-01-23

Share this story THE UMP party is seeking to pass a law intended to lessen disruption to passengers due to air industry strikes. It comes after pilots and stewards gave notice of a strike last Aug...

Nanni Moretti is Cannes president - 2012-01-20

Share this story ITALIAN filmmaker Nanni Moretti will be jury president at this year’s Cannes Festival. Giovanni (“Nanni”) Moretti, 58, is a familiar face on La Croisette, having won the Palme d’O...

Petroplus to sell Normandy plant - 2012-01-20

Share this story WORKERS at the Petroplus refinery at Petit-Couronne, near Rouen, were told this morning that after two weeks of a temporary shutdown the oil plant is to be sold - if the Swiss comp...

Battery hen farms face legal action - 2012-01-20

Share this story FRENCH farmers are to face a European Union crack-down after ignoring a law outlawing battery hen farms. Farmers have had 12 years to comply with the law, which was introduced in ...

Government plans a ‘wedding kit’ - 2012-01-20

Share this story A “WEDDING preparation kit” is to be sent out to mairies, on request, in a bid to get mayors and couples to take marriage more seriously. The government is concerned about the gro...

€430m bid to get jobless into work - 2012-01-19

Share this story URGENT measures to combat worsening unemployment were a key result of a four-hour "crisis summit" as President Sarkozy met unions at the Elysée. Costing €430 million, they include...

French HuffPost job for Sinclair - 2012-01-19

Share this story ANNE Sinclair, latterly best-known as the wife who stood by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is to edit a French version of the Huffington Post. The American founder of the popular online ...

4,300 evacuated in bomb alert - 2012-01-19

Share this story POLICE evacuated 4,300 people from the centre of Marseille as experts worked to remove an unexploded 250kg Second World War bomb. The American bomb was found by building workers o...

Gastro-enteritis epidemic spreads - 2012-01-19

Share this story DOCTORS are urging people to take care over washing their hands as an epidemic of gastro-enteritis spreads. The epidemic, declared at the start of the month, has so far seen about...

French population grows to 65.35m - 2012-01-18

Share this story WHEN France woke up on January 1, 2012 there were 65.35 million people in the country, with more of them living for longer and more of them being over 65 years old. Statistics fr...

Bonnemaison faces three more charges - 2012-01-18

Share this story AN ACCIDENT and emergency doctor suspected of poisoning patients has been charged in connection with three more cases. Nicolas Bonnemaison now faces seven charges in total of “poi...

Total appeals shale gas ban - 2012-01-18

Share this story OIL giant Total has lodged an appeal against the withdrawal of its permit to drill exploratory wells for shale gas in the south of France. The government withdrew drilling permiss...

President meets with union bosses - 2012-01-18

Share this story A ‘SOCIAL’ summit is being held at the Elysée Palace this morning, to find new solutions for businesses and work. President Nicolas Sarkozy is meeting with union bosses and leader...

UPDATE: The Artist back on screens - 2012-01-17

Share this story FRENCH film The Artist is to return to French screens after winning three Golden Globes in Beverly Hills with best picture, musical or comedy, best actor in a musical or comedy for...

Boa causes panic on TGV train - 2012-01-17

Share this story A BOA caused panic in a Paris to Marseilles TGV train after escaping from its cage. The 1.85m, 25kg female slithered between passengers’ feet before taking shelter inside heating ...

Petrol prices hit highest ever - 2012-01-17

Share this story PETROL prices have hit a historic high - with the average for a litre of Unleaded 95 being e1.5563 and Super Unleaded 98 e1.5954. But these average prices conceal individual petro...

Burglaries shot up last year - 2012-01-17

Share this story BURGLARIES are significantly up (though crime in general is slightly down) new Interior Ministry figures show. There were 3,533,256 crimes last year, a drop of 0.34%, said Interio...

Fillon downplays ratings downgrade - 2012-01-16

Share this story THE government has sought to downplay the significance of the loss of France’s AAA status at ratings agency Standard   Poor’s. “Credit ratings agencies are useful indicators,...

Crowds greet giant pandas - 2012-01-16

Share this story TWO giant pandas have been greeted by a crowd of thousands as they arrived at the world-renowned Beauval Zoo in the heart of the chateaux of the Loire. Hours earlier Yuan Zi et Hu...

Driver flashed at 255kph in Alps - 2012-01-16

Share this story A DRIVER has set a new speeding record for the A51 motorway, being flashed at 255kph in the Hautes-Alpes. A motorway patrol flashed the BMW M3 at 15.30 yesterday, with a hand-held...

Friday the 13th woos Loto punters - 2012-01-13

Share this story TWICE the usual number of players will be buying €2 tickets for the Loto and Super Loto today to mark Friday the 13th - unlucky for some, but someone could win the €13m top prize. ...

All still to play for at 100 days - 2012-01-13

Share this story WITH 100 days to go before the presidential election there is still everything to play for, surveys suggest. A month or so ago Socialist leader François Hollande had a clear lead,...

Inflation at 2.5% but meat up 4.4% - 2012-01-13

Share this story SHOP prices have gone up by 2.5% over the past year according to figures from national statistics body Insee - but it also pointed out that the prices of consumables had risen 4.1%...

Critics hail The Artist ‘Best Film’ - 2012-01-13

Share this story THE Artist has scooped the Critic’s Choice award for Best Film. The accolade, presented in Los Angeles, is another feather in the cap of the French-made film, which is tipped for ...

Orange leads way with lower deals - 2012-01-12

Share this story ORANGE has been the first of the large mobile operators to lower its prices in response to the arrival of Free on the market. The firm has lowered the price of its “Sosh” packages...

Journalist killed in Syria blast - 2012-01-12

Share this story FRENCH TV journalist Gilles Jacquier has been killed in an explosion in the Syrian city of Homs when shells fell on news crews reporting on protests against the government of Presi...

Boulangerie bandit strikes again - 2012-01-12

Share this story A ROBBER whose only target is viennoiseries has struck again in Paris’s 19th arrondissement. He stole pastries worth about €10 at around 7.30 in the morning. The man, aged about...

Joly wants Jewish and Muslim holiday - 2012-01-12

Share this story GREEN presidential candidate Eva Joly has called for equal treatment for religions and that Yom Kippur - the Jewish day of atonement - and Eid, the Muslim holiday that ends Ramadan...

Court fight over fireman's beard - 2012-01-11

Share this story A BEARDED firefighter is taking his employers to court for "discrimination, harassment and abuse of power" as they have stopped him going out on alerts, and banned him from wearing...

Fears greet start of winter sales - 2012-01-11

Share this story WINTER sales start today but shopkeepers are preparing for bad news with fewer bargain-hunters than last year spending less money than last year. Even the twice-yearly soldes ritu...

Deluge of visitors crashes Free site - 2012-01-11

Share this story THE launch of Free Mobile saw a rush of traffic towards the firm’s new site – causing it to be out of action until mid-afternoon – and a rush of customers to the firm’s handful of ...

Bride told to take off veil - 2012-01-11

Share this story A COUPLE are seeking €50,000 compensation after the wife was made to take off her Islamic head covering during their wedding ceremony. According to the couple’s lawyer, the deputy...

Cantona for ElysĂŠe in housing protest - 2012-01-10

Share this story FOOTBALL star Eric Cantona has launched a bid for the presidency to get the problems of the homeless on to the election agenda. Cantona, who caused a media storm last year by call...

One in four voters still to decide - 2012-01-10

Share this story ONE IN four people have not yet decided who they are going to vote for in the presidential election - with the first round just 100 days away. Emmanuel Rivière of polling group TN...

Carla in scandal over Aids cash - 2012-01-10

Share this story THE First Lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is at the centre of a scandal over alleged improper uses of funds for fighting Aids. The magazine Marianne has caused a storm with articles on...

‘Unlimited’ mobile service for €19.99 - 2012-01-10

Share this story FREE boss Xavier Niel promised “nothing will be as it was before” as he launched an “unlimited” mobile phone package for €19.99 with calls included to 40 countries. The package, w...

Success for French team – and a Brit - 2012-01-09

Share this story A NEW world record for a non-stop circumnavigation of the world by sailing boat has been set by a crew led by Frenchman LoĂŻck Peyron. The 14-man crew, all French apart from Briton...

France will 'go it alone' on tax plan - 2012-01-09

Share this story FRANCE is set to go-it-alone with its plan for a financial transaction tax in a move that has drawn fire from employers and financial institutions. Although President Sarkozy is v...

Good luck strikes again in Normandy - 2012-01-09

Share this story CALVADOS has proved lucky again as a Euro Millions player scooped €36 million. The lucky winner, who shared a jackpot of €73 million with a player from Spain, validated their tick...

SeaFrance goes into liquidation - 2012-01-09

Share this story LATE bids to save cross-Channel ferry firm SeaFrance have been rejected out of hand at a Paris commercial tribunal which decided that the company should be officially liquidated. ...

Eurotunnel joins SeaFrance fight - 2012-01-08

Share this story A LATE bid to save cross-Channel ferry firm SeaFrance has come from a leading competitor, with Eurotunnel's chief executive saying it could buy the firm's ferries and lease them ba...

Speed cameras bring in €630m - 2012-01-06

Share this story SPEED camera fines generated €630 million in 2011, the latest figures show. The announcement was made by Interior Minister Claude Guéant, who also gave road accident figures and r...

Major avalanche alert in Alps - 2012-01-06

Share this story SKIERS and climbers have been warned of "very high" avalanche risks in the Alps after snowstorms forced the closure of the Mont-Blanc tunnel and cut power to thousands of homes. A...

Will you be king for the day? - 2012-01-06

Share this story TODAY is La Fête des Rois (the Kings’ Festival) – time to buy your galette des rois to mark Epiphany. Though France is a largely secular country these days, the tradition of marki...

Sarkozy, Le Pen honour Joan of Arc - 2012-01-06

Share this story JOAN OF ARC has joined the presidential race on her 600th birthday as both President Sarkozy and Front National leader Marine Le Pen bid to mark the anniversary - and lay claim to ...

Paralysed skier's €1m court win - 2012-01-06

Share this story A SKIER who was left quadraplegic after sliding on ice and crashing into rocks has won damages of one million euros against Font-Romeu ski station in the PyrĂŠnĂŠes Orientales. The ...

Union says Sarkozy plan is too risky - 2012-01-05

Share this story UNION lawyers for workers at troubled ferry firm SeaFrance have poured cold water on President Sarkozy's proposal to fund a buy-out with redundancy payments. They said it was "not...

Orange package ‘too restrictive’ - 2012-01-05

Share this story A CONSUMER body is accusing Orange of unfair practices over “Open”, its “quadruple-play” package, to which a million people have signed up. UFC-Que Choisir says it has made an off...

Gastro-enteritis epidemic declared - 2012-01-05

Share this story OUTBREAKS of gastro-enteritis across France have been classed as an epidemic by medical watchdog Sentinelle and people have been reminded to wash their hands frequently. Country-w...

Fears over men’s implants - 2012-01-05

Share this story THE same risky methods used to make the controversial ‘PIP’ breast implants were also used for products for men, it has emerged. French experts have advised women to have the impl...