This French Life

News stops: Composer Henri Dutilleux dies, foreign embassies strengthened, a Franglais row

A LOOK over some of the headlines from France.

France to spend millions on embassy security after attack
France is to spend 20 million euros ($26 million) on boosting security at its diplomatic missions in Africa and the Middle East after a car bomb attack last month on its embassy in Libya, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

French composer Henri Dutilleux dies at 97
French composer Henri Dutilleux died Wednesday in Paris at the age of 97, his family announced. Over the course of his prolific career, he won international renown for his mostly instrumental works, which ranged from violin concertos to symphonies.

Our pet chimpanzee ruined my life, claims stepdaughter of French singer
The stepdaughter of the late French singer Léo Ferré claims the family's pet chimpanzee ruined her childhood as it installed a reign of terror at the family chateau, a new autobiography claims.

Franglais row: Is the English language conquering France?
The French parliament is debating a new road map for French universities, which includes the proposal of allowing courses to be taught in English. For some, this amounts to a betrayal of the national language and, more specifically, of a particular way at looking at the world - for others it's just accepting the inevitable.

Venner suicide at Notre-Dame 'political' - Le Pen
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has said a suicide on Tuesday in Notre-Dame Cathedral was "political", in a remark condemned by the ruling party.

What does Microsoft have to say about 'tech support' scam calls?

The phone rings and there’s a voice on the line telling you they’re aware you’re having computer problems, but not to worry – they’re with Microsoft, and they’re here to help. It’s a complete lie, and the opening gambit of an all-too-successful scam.

via conversation.which.co.uk

I HAVE had to pass on tips and warnings to a number of people here in France about these so-called tech support calls from Microsoft.

Consumer association Which? offers a detailed look at the scam and what to look out for so that you can put the telephone down on these thieves.

Man shoots himself dead in Notre Dame de Paris

A man has shot himself dead inside the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in the French capital, police say.

An initial investigation found that the man had killed himself in front of the main altar shortly after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

Local media reports said he was a 78-year-old writer and essayist.

via www.bbc.co.uk

Website of Dominique Venner, right-wing author, who killed himself in Notre-Dame Cathedral dominiquevenner.fr

— Craig_McGinty (@thisfrenchlife) May 21, 2013

Frenchman and his bike reach 263km/h, possibly

NOW don't blink because you might miss it, but take a look at François Gissy who rode his home-made rocket-powered bicycle to 263km/h on a disused runway.

Whilst not a confirmed world record, the sight of a hydrogen peroxide powered bike heading off down a former military runway near Mulhouse is sure to leave you shaking your head with wonder.

Check bathing water quality in France

THE European Environment Agency (EEA) has released detailed findings on the quality of EU bathing water, with 93% of sites meeting the minimum standards.

In France, 87.1 % of the coastal bathing waters met the mandatory water quality in 2012, an increase of 1.4 % compared to the previous year.

While for inland bathing water 87.1% of locations met the mandatory water quality standards for 2012, a decrease of 5.7% compared to the previous year.

A total of 34 bathing waters (2.6 %) were non-compliant with the mandatory value for Escherichia coli compared to 23 in 2011, which is an increase of 0.8 %.

The EEA collects samples before the start of the holiday season and monthly during the summer, from May to September.

Laboratory tests are carried out which look for certain types of bacteria that could indicate the presence of pollution, primarily from sewerage or livestock waste.

The EEA data is extensive, covering more than 22,000 sites, but a table is available online that enables you to drill down to individual locations.

News stops: More English at uni, jewellery theft hunt, British father in court

A LOOK over some of the headlines from France.

Uproar in France over move for more English at universities
A proposal to introduce more courses in English and other foreign languages at French universities is set to be debated in parliament from Wednesday amid concerns it will undermine the country's soul and identity.

Police hunting three suspects in Cannes jewellery heist
French police said Tuesday they were hunting three men suspected of being behind the spectacular theft last week of a million euros ($1.4 million) worth of jewellery at the Cannes Film Festival.

British father in court over Lyon child killings
A 47-year-old divorced British man living in France has been arrested on suspicion of killing his two children.

Disgraced French ex-minister Cahuzac drops re-election bid
France’s former budget minister Jerome Cahuzac, who resigned after he was found to be hiding money in an undeclared Swiss bank account, will not seek re-election to his former parliamentary seat, French daily Depeche du Midi reported Sunday.

British skier falls to his death in French Alps
A British skier has fallen to his death while tackling an off-piste glacier in the French Alps.

Your photos just got more room to breath on Flickr

I HAVE often mentioned photo website, Flickr, and if you use it to host some of your favourite snaps of France it has just got a little bit better.

Owner of the site, Yahoo!, has made available to every member one terabyte of online storage for free — enough to store more than 500,000 images at a resolution common to most smartphones.

There has also been a move towards showcasing the actual photographs and toning down the text and white space that featured in the past version.

There is very much a 'touch' feel to the new site, designed for the rising popularity of iPads and other tablets and with this in mind Flickr also launched a new Android app to follow the December unveiling of a new iPhone app.

New cabin bag guarantee on easyJet flights

Our customers have told us they want to keep their cabin bag with them – and not have to put it in the hold on busy flights where overhead locker space is limited.

And now you can. Our new cabin bag guarantee means you can make sure your bag travels with you in the cabin, even on the busiest flights.

To take advantage of the guarantee, simply bring ONE slightly smaller bag no bigger than 50 x40 x 20cm including handles and wheels and we’ll guarantee it will travel with you either in the overhead locker or, if necessary, under the seat in front of you.

via www.easyjet.com

France legalises same-sex marriage

France became the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage Saturday after President Francois Hollande signed the measure into law following months of bitter political debate.

Hollande acted a day after the Constitutional Council threw out a legal challenge by the right-wing opposition, which had been the last obstacle to passing the bill into law. The legislation also legalises gay adoption.

via www.france24.com

François Hollande sets out major European initiative

At a key press conference, the President takes stock of France’s achievements in the past year and sets out a four-point initiative for overcoming the European recession.

via www.ambafrance-uk.org