This French Life

Discovering Celtic connections with walks around Brittany

Taking in the view from the highest point in Brittany, Roc'h Ruz, by Wendy Mewes.

THE Celtic ties run deep through Brittany, so much so that historian Wendy Mewes wonders if it was her own roots that brought her to the region.

For Wendy those ties only strengthened when she drove off the ferry at Roscoff and now after writing walking guides and teaching English-speakers about Breton history, she finds herself entwined in the rich tapestry of the area.

Residents of Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire happiest with where they live

RESIDENTS of Aquitaine and the Pays de la Loire are the most satisfied with where they live, according to a study by BVA for regional newspapers.

Overall, 82% of French people are happy with life in the region where they live, however the four most popular areas are Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire (93%), then Brittany and Alsace (91%).

Unfortunately residents of Haute-Normandie (74% are happy), Champagne-Ardenne (73%), l’Ile-de-France (70%) and in last place Picardie (66%) are the four regions with the unhappiest residents.

BVA say that France is split in two with residents of Alsace, the west of the country and south happier than average, while those who live in the north and the centre are the least satisfied.

Préfecture de Police warn of gold jewellery thefts

A Paris, des patrouilles anti-vol de collier en or Vidéo jt_tf1_weekend sélectionnée dans Actualité

BE aware and take precautions when visiting larger towns and cities, is the warning from the Préfecture de Police in Paris after an increase in street robberies.

In particular gold jewellery is being targeted by thieves, but the police warn that with warmer weather on the way people should be aware of what valuables they have on show.

On the Préfecture de Police website there is detailed English language advice available for visitors to Paris, and clearly it is applicable to other towns and cities in France.

But even in the quiet corners of the French countryside there is the risk of 'smash and grab' style thefts, so be aware of how you carry valuables such as mobile phones and just what you have on display in the back of your car.

France faces one of the highest tax-to-GDP ratios in EU

FRANCE has come out poorly in a measure of the tax-to-GDP ratio of European countries, with its residents experiencing one of the steepest increases.

The ratio is a measure of the sum of taxes and social contributions as a percentage of GDP, and official Eurostat figures show that in the EU it stood at 38.8% in 2011, with France seeing a rate of 43.9%.

And between 2010 and 2011, France had one of the largest increases in tax-to-GDP ratios from 42.5% to 43.9%, with other sharp increases seen in Portugal (from 31.5% to 33.2%) and Romania (from 26.7% to 28.2%).

Overall France was fourth in the measure of tax-to-GDP behind Denmark (47.7%), Sweden (44.3%) and Belgium (44.1%).

French corporations faced the highest tax rates in the EU, standing at 36.1%, with an average across the EU of 23.5%, with individual countries such as Ireland having a rate of 12.5%.

With the cost of running a company in France hampering employment prospects and growth, it seems François Hollande's government faces a difficult task to change the perception that France is an expensive place to do business.

Related: Gallois outlines his report on boosting French economy

News stops: Hollande's pro-business move, defence cuts, Mali latest

CATCH up with some of the recent news stories from France.

France to cut 24,000 defence posts by 2019
France is to cut 24,000 defence posts by 2019 in a move the government says will preserve the country's military clout but detractors say risks reducing its defence apparatus to "the nuclear bomb plus gendarmes".

Northern Mali still unstable despite French intervention
Inhabitants of Timbuktu live in fear of attacks by bandits and suicide bombers.

Sixth French soldier killed in Mali, Elysée Palace says
A French soldier has died in combat in northern Mali, the presidency announced on Monday. He is the sixth soldier to have been killed since France launched military operations in January.

French President announces 10 pro-business measures to redefine French business as we know it
Yesterday, at the closing of the Assises de L’entrepreneuriat, François Hollande gave a closing speech that wrapped up a series of 9 talks (“Les Assises”) which discussed entrepreneurship in France – its problems, its potential, etc. During the closing words, Hollande gave a look into the future for the entrepreneurs, the “pigeons” who attended the event – a look at a France that is pro-business, pro-startup, and professional.

International Cycling Union to cooperate fully with French anti-doping body at Tour de France
The International Cycling Union has agreed to fully cooperate with the French anti-doping body at this year's Tour de France.

Detectives appeal for help from the public to trace a vehicle following French Alps murders

Detectives appeal for help from the public to trace a vehicle following French Alps murders: surrey.police.uk/news/witness-a…

— Surrey Police (@SurreyPolice) April 29, 2013

Detectives are appealing for the public's help in tracing a vehicle seen close the spot where four people were murdered in Annecy, in the French Alps in September last year.

Officers are keen to speak to the owner of a right-hand drive 4x4 vehicle, possibly a grey, black or dark coloured BMW X5, which was being driven on the Combre d'Ire Road, Chevaline at around 3.20pm on September 5.

Shortly after, the bodies of the four victims were found shot dead in a lay-by on the road.

They were later identified as Saad Al-Hilli and his wife Ikbal who lived in Claygate, Surrey, her mother Suhaila al-Allaf who lived in Sweden and French cyclist Sylvain Mollier. The Al-Hilli's two daughters survived the incident, one having been shot in the shoulder.

via www.surrey.police.uk

Fly killer and garden insecticides having an effect on health

THE French population experiences some of the highest levels of pesticide concentrations in their daily lives.

A study by L'Institut national de veille sanitaire (INVS) found that exposure levels to pyrethroids, found in insect repellents and plant treatments for potagers, were higher than Germany, Canada and the United States.

Around 400 people were used in the study and INVS go on to say that exposure to lubricant PCBs, and insecticides such as DTT, are low due to them being banned, although some background presence of the chemicals remain.

Dark Ages for French metal working

TANG tang tang, tang tang tang, tang ting. Georges Erdos is at the forge heat-treating a piece of metal. Tang, tang, tang, walloping it with a mallet, writes Carol Miers.

But leave the nostalgia to others, as Georges Erdos is an angry man, not a peaceful artisan, frustrated more than satisfied.

"I used to love this," Georges says. "Now making a knife from a forge is finished. For myself, there is maybe five or six years. Afterwards people who want things, a château railing or a gate, well there won't be anyone to do it. It is dead."

In the 90s knife-making and metalwork gave him great pleasure, because you have it all, the forge, the heritage of the blacksmith, the chemistry of carbon and steel, the way of making knives.

Reims blast and building collapse in France kills three

At least three people have died after an explosion partly destroyed a block of flats in the northern French city of Reims, officials say.

Mayor Adeline Hazan told BFM TV that the explosion at the four-storey building was probably caused by a gas leak.

Police said another 14 people were injured, including a number of children.

via www.bbc.co.uk

Sarkozy gave around $40,000 of gifts to president Obama

SO in just one year what did president Obama receive from the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, by way of official gifts?

Well how about a Hermes golf bag, valued at $7,750, a pair of Baccarat crystal table lamps on silver pedestals, value $5,500, or a Louis Vuitton business bag embossed with 'B.O.', valued at $2,310.

These are just some of the gifts the US president received in 2011 from Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni and have come to light after the required publication of gifts that all federal employees in the United States must produce.