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.

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.

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.

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

News stops: A 'gloomy' Hollande, farms struggle, Trierweiler in Mali

HERE is a quick pick of news headlines from France.

Documentary depicts 'lost' François Hollande as he faces EU pressure
François Hollande is depicted as an increasingly gloomy figure who is losing control over his ministers and who is henpecked by Valerie Trierweiler, his partner, in a new fly-on-the-wall film documentary showing life inside his administration.

French recession: Farms feeling the pinch
A year after French President Francois Hollande was elected, promising growth and jobs, the economy has slipped back into recession. As the BBC's Christian Fraser reports, economic problems are affecting rural workers as much as those in the city.

France's first lady arrives in Mali
France's first lady Valerie Trierweiler arrived in Mali late Wednesday for a tour of the war-torn nation described as "part of a mission for children and women".

'Fagin of Paris' sentenced to seven years
A modern-day Fagin behind the biggest child pickpocketing ring seen in Paris has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Campaign funding scandal engulfs Sarkozy ally
France’s former interior minister Claude Guéant has found himself mired in scandal after becoming the focus of an investigation into allegations that Nicolas Sarkozy received illegal campaign financing during his 2007 run for the presidency

France slips into its third recession in four years

THE French economy has slipped into its third recession in four years after INSEE reported that the economy shrank by 0.2% in the first three months of 2013.

This follows a 0.2% contraction at the end of last year.

This is the third French recession in four years #news

— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) May 15, 2013

INSEE goes on to say that manufacturing output was at a "standstill", while household expenditure was "sluggish".

GDP figures for the past year:

2012/Q2: -0.2
2012/Q3: 0.1
2012/Q4: -0.2
2013/Q1: -0.2
Overall 2012: 0.0

France has lost its taste for Europe, says Pew report

THE Washington-based Pew Research Center has said that France has lost its taste for European integration in a report titled The New Sick Man of Europe: the European Union.

The Pew report said: "No European country is becoming more dispirited and disillusioned faster than France. In just the past year, the public mood has soured dramatically across the board."

The struggling economy in France is a cause of concern for 91% of French people, an increase from 81% a year ago.

Not surprisingly Francois Hollande is seen as doing a poor job on the economy by two-thirds of French people surveyed, and 77% believe that economic integration has made things worse for France.

Positive assessment of the economy in France have fallen by more than half since before the crisis and is now comparable to that in the south. The French share similar worries about inflation and unemployment with the Spanish, the Italians and the Greeks at levels of concern not held by the Germans. Only the Greeks and Italians have less belief in the benefits of economic union than do the French. The French now have less faith in the European Union as an institution than do the Italians or the Spanish. And the French, like their southern European compatriots, have lost confidence in their elected leader.

via www.pewglobal.org

News stops: PSG fans riot, internet gadget tax, wolf on camera

A LOOK at recent headlines from France.

Fan violence mars PSG title celebrations
Celebrations to mark Paris Saint-Germain's first French football league title in 19 years have been marred by clashes between fans and riot police.

François Hollande considers tax on smartphones and laptops
French president mulls tax on iPhones and other internet devices as way of protecting France's 'cultural exception'.

Wolf caught on 'speed camera' in France
An extraordinary picture of a wolf, taken by an automatic camera during the night, is important evidence for the people of Cellier-du-Luc in the Ardèche region in southeastern France, who have long suspected at least one wolf roams in the area.

WHO calls on France to stay calm amid SARS-like virus scare
The World Health Organisation on Monday called on people in France, where two confirmed cases of the new SARS-like virus were recorded at the weekend, to stay calm and not overburden hospitals for fear of the deadly virus to allow for proper treatment of those actually infected.

News stops: Marseille gang shooting, MP campaign on slavery, Fillon sets sights on 2017

SOME of the news headlines from France.

17-year-old gunned down in latest Marseille gang killing
A 17-year-old has been riddled with bullets in the latest deadly shooting linked with rampant gang violence in France's southern port city of Marseille, police said.

French MP pushes Europe to recognise slavery as crime against humanity
A French member of the European Parliament has called on Europe to recognise slavery as a crime against humanity, and to hold a memorial day for victims of European colonisation.

Ex-PM Fillon heads for Sarkozy presidential feud
Former French prime minister François Fillon has once again exposed bitter divisions within the country's main opposition UMP party after announcing he would run in the 2017 presidential race 'whatever happens'.

Cash machine attacked with explosives

A CASH machine was attacked in the town of Commelle-Vernay, found in the Loire department of central France, by robbers using explosives.

News service leprogres.fr reports that it is not yet known how much cash was taken, but a stolen car was also found nearby.

The cash machine, which is located close to the roadside, forms part of a small commercial centre and is not far from residential property.