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Live in France, work in Britain and help out Eurotunnel

Eurotunnel is planning to run commuter trains from France and its own freight trains to and from mainland Europe to offset the fall in revenues brought on by a savage price war on cross-Channel routes.

The Channel tunnel operator, which saw income from passengers fall 11% last year in the face of a 20% drop in prices, is also planning a further shake-up of rail services before the end of its guaranteed income from train operators in late 2006.

France's top leaders vie for popularity

Most countries make do with just one head of government. But in France these days, there appear to be three.

The titular head, of course, is Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the country’s rumpled and amiable prime minister, whose popularity ratings took a battering over the past year. Then there is President Jacques Chirac, the canny 71-year-old survivor of France’s turbulent political currents, who is taking an increasing interest in the day-to-day running of the state.

But prominently center stage stands presidential wannabe Nicolas Sarkozy, the country’s cocky, popular interior minister, who has made no secret about his ambitions to take over Chirac’s job in the 2007 elections.

France's get-tough approach to tobacco fails to light up EU

France urged its EU partners Tuesday to stub out “tobacco tourism” by smokers shopping around for the best cigarette prices, warning that this was costing tax revenues and undermining health campaigns.

But French proposals to raise the minimum excise duty charged by EU member states for a packet of cigarettes received a lukewarm response at a meeting of EU finance ministers, and are likely to stay on the backburner for some time.

Power workers start wave of protests in France

PARIS, Jan 20 (Reuters) – French power workers downed tools on Tuesday and commuters feared chaos from a looming rail strike at the start of a week of protests intended to put pressure on the government over pay, conditions and reforms.

Workers at Electricite de France [EDF.UL] staged protests across the country and planned to lower power output in a 24-hour strike against privatisation of state utilities. Blackouts were not expected in French homes.