This French Life

Censored content site launched by Reporters sans Frontières

REPORTERS sans Frontières has launched a website called WeFightCensorship (WeFC) on which it will post content that has been censored or banned or has given rise to reprisals against its creator.

This website’s aim is to make censorship obsolete. It is an unprecedented initiative that will enable Reporters Without Borders to complement all of its other activities in defence of freedom of information, which include advocacy, lobbying and assistance.

Content submitted by journalists or netizens who have been the victims of censorship – articles, videos, sound files, photos and so on ­– will be considered for publication on the WeFightCensorship site.

The content selected by the WeFC editorial committee will be accompanied by a description of the context and creator.

It may also be accompanied by copies of documents relating to the proceedings under which it was banned or other documents that might help the public to understand its importance.

There will be French and English-language versions of the site. Documents from all over the world will be published in their original language (including Chinese, Persian and Vietnamese) and in translation.

The site is designed to be easily duplicated and mirror versions will be created in order to thwart attempts to filter or block it. Internet users will be asked to circulate the censored content in order to give it as much visibility as possible.

via Reporters sans Frontières

Numbers enjoying daily glass of wine on slide

THE number of French people who enjoy a glass of wine each day has fallen to less than one in five, a study has found.

Research for the Vinitech exhibition found that in 2010 just 17% of people drank wine on a daily basis, down from 21% five years earlier.

The number of occasional drinkers, those who enjoy a glass once or twice a week, rose from 41% to 45%. While those who never touched a drop of wine stayed stable at 38%.

Overall there has been a dramatic decrease in the amount of wine drunk in France, with figures from 2010 showing on average 46.6 litres of wine were consumed per person, which compares to a figure of 104 litres in 1975.

Is this the end of alcohol breathalyser rule?

INTERIOR minister Manuel Valls is to look further into the requirement for drivers to have an alcohol breathalyser in their vehicle.

Speaking on Europe 1 radio he said that he would ask the Conseil National de la Sécurité Routière to look at the proposal again and see just how effective a step it would be.

The requirement to have an alcohol breathalyser in your car in France has already been pushed back to March 1, 2013.

And whilst questions remain over the supply of the kits, many are wondering if the rule will be quietly dropped.

Update: Alcohol breathalyser law suspended

Warmer weather threatens Périgord truffles

INCREASINGLY warm and dry summers pose a threat to the Périgord black truffle, claim scientists who have studied declining harvests.

A team from the Swiss Federal Research Institute said that in Périgord and in Spain's Aragon region the amount harvested fell at around the same pace from 1970 to 2006, and this trend was in line with an overall decline in summer rainfall.

When they looked at harvests in northern Italy's Piedmont and Umbria they were also on decline, but not as badly as in France and Spain, and this correlated with relatively higher levels of summer rain in those regions.

The scientists believe questions hang over the future of the Périgord black truffle.

"Considering a variety of climate models, the researches predict incessant Mediterranean summer drying until the end of the 21st century, associated with a continuation of fading Spanish, French and Italian truffle harvests," they said.

Related: Get set for Lalbenque truffle market

New home sales and building starts tumble

OFFICIAL figures from the Ministère de l'Ecologie, du Développement durable et de l'Energie, show that the number of new build property sales in France fell nearly 25% in the third quarter of 2012.

There was also a fall of 21% in the number of house building starts and a 6.9% fall in building permits for the same third quarter, pointing to 2013 being an equally difficult year for property builders.

Uncertainty and doubts on employment prospects and the European economy are one of the reasons behind the fall, with industry representatives saying the figures point to a period just as bad as the sub-prime crisis of 2008.

These figures back up those released earlier this month from industry association, the Fédération des promoteurs immobiliers, which pointed to a fall of 30% in the number of new build sales by its members.

France Passion lets you discover hidden France

WITH winter just around the corner, may be you are thinking about what to do next year come spring when you have a chance to explore France.

If you are the owner of a motorhome or campervan, or are able to hire one, then the France Passion initiative enables holidaymakers to stay on farms and vineyards for free for a maximum of 24 hours.

You have to buy a guidebook in advance for €29 to track down where the more than 1,700 properties who take part in the scheme are based.

But after that you are not obliged to pay anything more, just tidy up after yourself and if you really must buy a local bottle of wine, maybe a block of cheese or fresh fruit or veg.

Because that is what lies at the heart of the initiative, the chance to discover the produce of the farms you stay at as well as more about the people who have made it.

British people moving to France falls more than 50%

THE number of British people moving to France long-term has more than halved from the heady days of 2004 to 2005.

Research published by the Home Office shows that at the peak the number emigrating to France from the UK was around 45,000 a year.

However, for 2010 the figures show there to be less than 20,000, putting the numbers leaving the UK to cross the Channel at a level last seen around the year 2000.

When British people do head to France they intend to stay, in the majority of cases, for more than four years, similar to the time scale of those heading to Spain.

The report goes on to say that a quarter of a million British citizens left the UK to live in France and Spain for an extended period, if not permanently, over the last decade.

Interestingly the report looks at the impact of exchange rates on the number of people leaving the UK, although it does warn that the findings in this case are based on a small sample size.

But from 2000 to 2010 the figures suggest that sustained falls in British emigration have occured since 2007, which have been mirrored by the depreciation of the pound against the Australian dollar, the Euro and the US dollar.

News stops: Teargas used to clear airport protest camp

HERE is a look over some of the news headlines from France.

French protesters destroy imported GM soya
A group of environmental activists destroyed a cargo of genetically modified soya in the French port of Lorient on Friday, hoping to highlight the presence of GM products in the food chain.

French police teargas airport site squatters ahead of new demo
French police fired teargas as they tried to clear squatters from the site of a proposed airport near the western city of Nantes. Protesters threw bottles, stones and firecrackers at about 500 police on the day before a planned turnout of thousands to protest at the project.

French MPs caught out playing online poker on their tablets to stave off boredom during debates
French MPs have been caught playing online poker and chess and buying wine and clothes on their electronic tablets in the National Assembly, sparking calls for the new Socialist speaker to scramble wireless signals in the chamber for the sake of democracy.

Moving Sale: A Château on the Cheap?
Facing the prospect of hefty tax hikes, some wealthy French homeowners are racing to put their properties on the market—which can mean discounts for foreigners on a Provençal estate or Parisian pied-à-terre.

Looking beyond the French headlines with the BBC

TWO journalists at the BBC have taken a step away from the day-to-day political and economic headlines in France, to look at some more off the beaten track stories.

Kirsty Lang and Lucy Ash offer up a series of cultural snapshots, called On The French Fringe, that looks at subjects such as feminism, the appeal of cartoon books and how a street theatre company brought Nantes back to life.

Discover the Cordouan lighthouse online

Fil'gouv

TAKE a virtual tour around the Cordouan lighthouse, found at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, without having to cross the stormy seas.

Le phare de Cordouan website lets you scroll around the lighthouse, first lit in 1611, from both inside and out and in a click or two you can learn much about its history.

The lighthouse is still in active service and measures 68m high.