News

France hits new peak for births

THE number of births in France is on the increase and hit 828,400 in 2008 ? up 1.2% from 2007.

National statistics body Insee said there had been 796,000 infants born in metropolitan France and 32,4…

All Paris job centres closed

ALL job centres in the Paris area have closed to prepare for a flood of job seekers in September.

Around 250 Pôle emploi offices have shut their doors today to process a backlog of cases.

Pôle emp…

French fishing zone for Med

FRANCE is planning an exclusive French fishing zone up to 70 nautical miles off the Mediterranean coast.

Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the measure was necessary to ?protect French fish…

Tourist sleeps in hôtel de ville

A BRITISH tourist spent a night locked inside a town hall after she mistook the hôtel de ville for a hotel.

The woman, aged in her thirties, who has not been named, was travelling alone in Alsace an…

President enters bank bonus row

THE president is expected to demand tighter limits on traders? bonuses when he meets bank leaders tomorrow.

It is expected Sarkozy will call for limits such as setting ceilings or spreading bonuses …

Roller-coaster fall woman dies

A MOTHER has been killed after being thrown from a roller-coaster at an amusement park near Beauvais.

The 35-year-old woman, from Aisne, had been with her partner at the Saint-Paul park with their tw…

Strikers threaten to pollute Seine

STRIKING workers at a transport company in Normandy have threatened to pour 8,000 litres of toxic chemicals into the River Seine if their redundancy demands are not met.

About 60 lorry drivers at the…

PM promises to clean up seaweed

THE FRENCH government will pay for cleaning up Breton beaches clogged with toxic seaweed, PM François Fillon has promised.

The phenomenon, known as la marée verte (green tide), has been getting wor…

Med beach closed after shark alert

BATHERS were ordered out of the sea near Perpignan yesterday afternoon after two sharks were spotted in the water.

Two swimmers raised the alarm at about 3pm when they saw two fins in the water about…

Paris Plages close after huge success

THE hugely successful Paris Plages closes tonight after an exceptionally busy season which allowed many Parisiens to enjoy the beach without leaving the city.

As temperatures hit 38C yesterday there …