This French Life

Chirac passes job law

FRENCH President Jacques Chirac has passed employment legislation which will bring in new work contracts for young people.

But he will shorten to one year, from two, the period in which youths can be fired and employers will have to give a reason for dismissing them.

Protestors have been calling for the new employment rules to be torn up completely, so it appears unlikely that demonstrations will be brought to a halt.

Full text of Jacques Chirac speech.

Festivals across France

WITH spring finally here your thoughts may be drifting off to music festivals and events taking place around France.

So if you are a night owl looking for a place to visit, or a vintage car fan with a keen eye for a classic, there is plenty on as the evenings get warmer.

The changing work place in France

AS the battle over the future direction of France takes place in Paris, I thought it worth looking at one of the key reasons for the problems, unemployment figures, in other parts of the country.

Like many European countries France is seeing the importance of heavy industry and agriculture diminish, being replaced by the service sector.

Flights to Biarritz and Carcassonne

SHANNON Airport, in the west of Ireland, is to get two new routes to France later this year.

Ryanair is to begin three flights a week to Biarritz and Carcassonne from October, providing a direct link to the south west of France.

Tickets will start from €4.99 excluding taxes and charges.

Low spot for France in IQ test

A STUDY of the IQ of European nations puts Germany in first place, Britain in eighth and France in 15th position.

According to Richard Lynn of the University of Ulster, Britons have an average IQ of 100. The French scored 94 and top of the table were the Germans, with an IQ of 107.

Embassies warn on travel in France

A WARNING has been issued by the US government to its citizens about travelling in France whilst current protests take place.

In an official notice the US embassy warns that ‘demonstrations, sometimes involving violence, have occurred and continue to occur in Paris and other large cities in France’.

Single driving licence for EU

EU ministers have agreed to the creation of European driving licences that are set to come into operation by 2012.

Each licence will be in the form of a credit card with a regularly updated photo and possibly a microchip to prevent fraud.

France rejects market economy

MANY public sector workers throughout France are on strike today in protest at the government’s attempts to force through unpopular youth contracts.

But beneath this opposition lies a general mistrust of the way the world’s economy is changing to a more market driven, Anglo-Saxon way.

Last chance to complete survey

IF you are a Brit looking to live in France then you only have a couple of weeks to complete a short survey looking into the reasons why people want to make a move.

Marie-Martine Gervais, researcher and doctor of economic science at the University Montesquieu Bordeaux IV, will be closing the survey at the beginning of April.

Latest Carnival of France

SAY hello to the latest Carnival of France that offers you a window on the internet through websites with a French touch.

Today I thought I might point you to some of the bigger news sites that have started opening up their pages to readers by allowing comments to be posted on the end of articles.