This French Life

UK's high-speed rail plans could see new links to Paris

THE UK government has outlined plans for a second high-speed rail service that could see a journey time from Leeds and Manchester to Paris of around four hours.

The transport secretary, Philip Hammond, has launched a consultation on the plans for high-speed rail services in the UK, with an initial phase set to connect Birmingham to London.

The government is proposing a 'Y' shaped network linking London, the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds, with stations in South Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Waste water and sewage treatment in France

LIKE everywhere in Europe, used waste water cannot be discharged in France without appropriate treatment either via a private waste water treatment system or a municipal waste water plant, writes Keith Lacey.

There are two main types of water treatment plants:

- Assainissement Non Collectif (ANC) that are all privately owned waste water treatment plants whatever the size, from an individual house septic tank or a 200 bedroom hotel waste water treatment plant.

- Assainissement Collectif which are all municipal waste water treatment plants no matter the size.

Airline ticket price transparency agreement

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has today welcomed steps taken by most airlines to ensure their websites display airfares in a clear way including all compulsory taxes, fees and charges up front. This ensures consumers understand the price of flights they intend to book and are able to make informed decisions about which airline to fly with.

via www.caa.co.uk

The Tuilières hydroelectric dam and fish lift

Updated 29/10/2016

FOR something the size of a hydroelectric plant, the Tuilières dam in the Dordogne keeps its visitor centre pretty well hidden.

The dam and adjoining fish ladder, or more accurately fish lift, are found on the D660 between Lalinde and Bergerac and after stopping in a small car park, you walk over a bridge across the canal and then you will see a number of information panels near the main power hall.

The Semi-Marathon de Paris sprints into town

IF you are visiting Paris next weekend you better keep an eye open for speedy athletes zipping by as the Semi-Marathon de Paris sprints into town.

Things to do in France in March

CATCH up with some of the forthcoming events taking place in March across France, you can make a note in your diary and click on through to the websites of the host museums and galleries to find out more.

And if you know of any others local to you please feel free to add them via the comment section.

Carnaval de Granville, Normandy
The 137th Carnival held in the city of Granville honours the local fishermen as they depart to sea. the festivities welcome 34 satirical parade floats, 120,000 revellers and thousands of pieces of confetti in celebration of the first great traditional demonstration in western France. From March 4 to 8, 2011.

News round up: Kidnapped monkeys back at Lyon zoo

Une leçon de musique du claveciniste Scott Ross envoyé par rue89.

IF you have had a busy week here is a quick round up of some of the headlines from France.

Business network in Brittany launches

BUSINESS owners in Brittany may want to check out a networking club which has recently started in the region.

Synergienet wants to bring together businesses to help promote their work between themselves and the public.

The network hopes to attract both English and French speaking businesses, with a meeting set to take place on Friday March 18, in Loudeac.

Indice des prix - Journal du Net Economie

Indice des prix

En janvier 2011, l'indice des prix à la consommation progresse de 0,3% sur un mois et de 1,8% sur un an.

Publié le 23/02/2011

via www.journaldunet.com

Which? to tackle ‘rip-off’ card surcharges

A CAMPAIGN has been launched by consumer watchdog, Which?, to start a super-complaint against the surcharges that many companies impose when customers pay with a debit or credit card.

Low cost airlines are one of the industries highlighted by Which? with some charging a fee per passenger, per leg of the journey, in spite of the fact that they only have to process one transaction.

Which? intends to ask the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to investigate card surcharges, which are often sprung on the customer at the point of payment and can be far in excess of what it costs the retailer to process the transaction.

Consumers can support the campaign at www.which.co.uk/ripoff and a report will be submitted along with the super-complaint to the OFT at the end of March.