Latest News: France
Flying high
The giant Airbus A380 is due to make its first commercial flight in October with Singapore Airlines. The aircraft is some two years behind schedule but the charity inaugural flight from Singapore to Sydney is keenly anticipated by the airline. Seats are being sold on eBay starting at $3.80 for an economy fare.
Grape expectations
One in three wines given appellation d’origine contrôlée or AOC-controlled status is not worthy of the label according to a recent consumer group inquiry. The system is based on the idea that different soils and microclimates (known as terroir) produce unique wines and are classified accordingly. The accusation is that slack controls and the pressure of higher yiel
Weathering the storm
It isn’t just the UK that has suffered an unseasonable summer; France endured its worst summer for 30 years. In spite of this washout, visitors to the country were the highest in five years according to figures released by the capital’s Île-de-France tourist office. Britons made up the bulk of tourists followed by Germans and then Spaniards. The Rugby World Cup is expected to boost out-of-season numbers.
Airway to heaven
Pilgrims can now travel for less thanks to a Vatican-linked initiative with an Italian airline. The inaugural flight from Rome to Lourdes in France took place in August and the airline is planning to expand to include other places of religious pilgrimage such as Santiago de Compostela in Spain in December. The current security regulations however have put a stop to pilgrims bringing back holy water.
Energy merger
The world’s fourth biggest energy company came into being with the merger of Franco-Belgium energy group Suez and the French state-owned Gaz de France. President Nicolas Sarkozy intervened in the talks and the merger is due to be finalised by the middle of next year. The deal is said to be worth some £47 billion and the decision has brought an end to 18 months of charged negotiations.
PM obituaries
Two of France’s prime ministers died within a week of each other last month. Raymond Barre, prime minister from 1976 to 1981 served under president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and was one of the foremost French economists of his time. Pierre Messmer died at the age of 91 having served a two-year tenure as prime minister under President Georges Pompidou. Messmer’s political career began in the 1960s and he became prime minister in 1972.
Languages lose out
The number of British students taking French at GCSE dropped by 8 per cent this year according to official figures released last month. The decrease is continuing a trend following the government’s decision to make modern languages optional in 2004; up until this point, it was compulsory for students to study at least one language. School teachers say that pupils view modern languages as more difficult than other subjects at this level.