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French singer Sacha Distel dies

Distel, best known for a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, started out in music as a professional jazz guitarist at the age of 16.

He went on to become a household name across the world during a career which peaked with his cover version of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.

He died on Thursday in Rayol-Canadel in the region of Var, the AFP news agency reported.

Distel scored his first hit with Scoubidou in 1958 and went on to record more than 200 songs.

He worked alongside some of the music greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones.

France shakes up tradition to rescue wine sales

Facing increasing competition from New World wines, French wine-makers have been struggling to survive as their share of world sales has plummeted.

Following crisis talks between vintners and the agriculture minister, Hervé Gaymard, yesterday, the French government announced a raft of new measures to help rescue the nation’s beleaguered wine industry.

The government also said it would double funds to promote French wine abroad and would permit new forms of wine-making technology used in wine production elsewhere but banned in France, such as the use of wood chips to add flavour.

Armstrong Wins Tour de France Stage 17, Extends Lead

July 22 (Bloomberg) — Lance Armstrong won the 17th stage of the Tour de France, his third straight success, to extend his lead with three days left in cycling’s biggest event.

Armstrong, seeking a record sixth victory in the 101-year- old race, edged Andreas Kloden, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso in a sprint finish. He clocked 6 hours, 11 minutes and 52 seconds for the 204.5-kilometer (128-mile) trip over five mountains, an average speed of 33 kilometers per hour.

The Texan crossed the finish-line one second ahead of Ullrich and Basso and, with a 20-second win bonus, stretched his overall lead to 4 minutes and nine seconds over second-place Basso. Kloden is more than five minutes off the lead, with 1997 winner Ullrich eight minutes behind Armstrong.

Armstrong says Wednesday is key day in Tour de France

FOR THE FIRST TIME: The Tour de France, in its 91st edition, features an individual time trial that will move up the winding face of the famous L’Alpe d’Huez. Cyclists will battle the clock while climbing 3,707 feet. There will be no teammates to pull them along.