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A COUPLE of new summer routes to France from London Stansted, operated by Ryanair, have been announced.
Operating from the end of March, flights to Perpignan and Toulon will be on offer for holiday makers heading to the south of France.
Also note that from 6 March, 2012 all Ryanair flights to/from Manchester Airport will operate to/from Terminal 3.
Queen hornets will start producing workers very soon to build the large football shaped nests, often found in trees close to a source of water.
And whilst an impressive looking structure the Asian hornets within can decimate a bee colony by invading the hive and picking off victims.
Asian hornets are distinguished by yellow tipped legs, with a dark brown or black thorax, and they usually measure around 25mm in length.
They are believed to have arrived in France via a container ship in 2004 with the first nests spotted near Agen the following year, and from there the Asian hornets continued to spread through Aquitaine.
Cases have been recorded of people being stung by a swarm of Asian hornets but it is still rare and they are not more potent than similar species.
Although their spread across France as far as Paris and Brittany will increase the risk of an attack and people with bee allergies are advised to take great caution.
Nests are a fairly common sight here in the south of the Dordogne, with one method used to destroy them being the local hunters taking pot-shots at the structures.
But regional officials are keen to take more effective action and many Mairies here in the south west of France have designated a person to be the first point of contact should local residents spot an Asian hornet nest.
Have you spotted the presence of Asian hornets near you? Please feel free to pass on any observations or tips via the comment form below.
Although the festival is based in Paris, there are many events and talks taking place across France and you can begin your search by region with a handy map.
Now in its 14th year, this year's theme is enfance, or childhood, beautifully captured in the official Printemps des Poètes poster.
There is an air of change, of cleansing and moving forward that only the spring can bring as ideas and thoughts take shape, waiting to be grasped.
Speaking on the TF1 television programme, Parole de candidat, François Hollande said whilst he recognised talent and hard work, the excessive salaries earned by those heading up the CAC-40 of leading French businesses were the target for the new tax rate.
He criticised the tactic of awarding stock options, and said it was not correct that such remuneration techniques were taxed more favourably than regular wages.
The ruling UMP party attacked the proposal, claiming François Hollande made up his tax plans with each passing week, and described the idea as 'fiscal confiscation'.
Related: François Hollande delivers his manifesto for France
Remi Ochlik, 28, who has been killed in Homs alongside the veteran war reporter Marie Colvin, was an award-winning French photojournalist, considered one of the biggest talents of a new generation of photographer-reporters.
Last month he won a World Press Photo award for Battle for Libya, his series from the Libyan uprising.
Born in Lorraine in the east of France, Ochlik had always wanted to be a war photographer. He made his name aged 20, while still at photography college in Paris, when he went to Haiti in 2004 to document the riots and bloody conflict surrounding the fall of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
A LOOK over some of the news stories from France.
France Telecom plans dividend cut after sales fall
France Telecom plans to slash its payout to shareholders this year after a weak performance in 2011.
France's housing crisis
As Nicolas Sarkozy enters the presidential election race we take a look at the issues likely to dominate the campaign. The recent cold snap highlighted the acuteness of France's housing shortage.
'Mademoiselle' banned on official French forms
French feminists have scored a major victory in their fight to have the term "mademoiselle" outlawed as sexist after the prime minister's office issued a decree banning it in official forms.
France coach crash driver 'admits he may have dozed off'
The driver of a coach involved in a fatal motorway crash has admitted that he may have "dozed off" at the wheel, according to a French prosecutor.
November 11 is Remembrance Day
Armistice Day on November 11 is to become the national day of remembrance for all France's war dead, and not just the First World War, MPs have decided.
CONDOR Ferries has announced that sailings up to Monday 27 February will be relocated from Weymouth to Poole, while initial investigations get under way at Weymouth Port.
Earlier this week mutual concerns were raised by Condor Ferries and Weymouth & Portland
Borough Council regarding the structural integrity of part of the ferry berth in Weymouth Port.
Condor Ferries continues to contact passengers affected by the change of port and where necessary is helping them to change their travel plans, as well as making sure that up-to-date information is available on its website www.condorferries.co.uk.
Update: Condor Ferries moves Weymouth service to Poole for summer
British Airways will be operating two new French routes from London City Airport, to Angers in the Loire Valley and Quimper in Brittany, starting in May.
Unfortunately petrol prices are flirting with the €1.60 a litre barrier, and domestic fuel is around the €1 a litre level.
With demand around the world for oil appearing relentless, it seems many will have to change driving habits as well as look at alternative methods of heating.
But if you want to keep an eye on petrol prices don't forget the official Prix des Carburants en France website.
The site is run by the French government and collects data from thousands of filling stations across the country.
You can start your search via département, commune or postcode, with the results displaying the name of petrol stations and supermarkets closest to your chosen location and the individual prices per litre.
If you register an account with the site you can track prices over time at different stations local to you.
And if you want to make sure you are not paying over the odds for heating fuel then the rather bare bones, prix de vente moyens des carburants, du fioul domestique et des fiouls lourds en France website will help out.
