Monthly Archives: October 2006

The BBC writes: In 1996, the German and French post offices had been more or less on a par. Eight years later, the turnover of the German post office was double that of France’s; its profits were eight times bigger, … Continue reading →

The “foreign invasion” seems to be unstoppable: The French real-estate sector attracted EUR 6 billion in investment by non-residents last year, with Europeans, and Britons in particular, the biggest buyers. The amount is three times higher than in the pre-2000 … Continue reading →

In 2004, 46.4% of all babies born in France did not have married parents. Thirty years earlier that number was just 8.5%. In six out of ten cases, babies were recognised by both parents, in most cases even before the … Continue reading →

Sophia Banay of Forbes magazine gives us a guided tour to the Most expensive restaurants in the world: What’s the recipe for dining at one of the world’s most expensive restaurants? Months on a waiting list and Herculean wallet strength. … Continue reading →

Is doesn’t happen often that the French have to cave in, but this time they had no choice: The French wine-growing area of Alsace officially surrendered to Hungary the label “Tokay” which has been used for several hundred years to … Continue reading →

Today, two famous French bloggers completely lost their credibility and independance. Both Loic le Meur and pointblog posted exactly the same feature (see image above), dedicated to a new service offered by French travel agency Voyages-sncf.com. The service, Ecocomparateur, lets … Continue reading →

If you plan to win next year’s Nobel Prize for Literature, you may want to have a look at the Tameri Guide for Writers, a site dedicated to writers, instructors, and students. Here’s one of the tips they give: When … Continue reading →

In case you thought all French love good food, here are some stunning figures. Worldwide, McDonalds owns 30.000 restaurants in 121 countries. One thousand (that’s one in 30) of those restaurants are in France. Each day, these French outlets serve … Continue reading →

One of the greatest eye-catchers at the recent Mondial de l’automobile in Paris was the Venturi Eclectic, the world’s first solar-powered vehicle, which can be directly recharged with a personal wind turbine. It may look like a prototype vehicle, but … Continue reading →

Johanna Dray is breathtakingly beautiful, with shoulder-length black hair and big, dark eyes. When she stands up, however, she reveals what has kept her out of most major fashion magazines and catwalks in Europe, including this month’s Paris fashion shows: … Continue reading →

From the country where Louis Vutton bags are made more cheaply than anywhere else: Mr Zhang Yucheng, who made his fortune building posh villas on the edge of Beijing, has finally built a place for himself. For as little as … Continue reading →

Jeryl Brunner of Forbes Traveller writes about “10 hotels made famous in film“. The range includes the hotels where Hitchcock shot his “Vertigo” and Sofia Coppola’s filmed her “Lost In Translation”. There’s one French hotel in the list: Hotel Saint … Continue reading →

According to The Guardian, French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie is being lined up by Chirac supporters to challenge the Socialist Segolene Royal in the presidential election. She spent last week pressing the flesh, giving interviews to carefully chosen journalists and … Continue reading →

After France announced it is to ban smoking in all public places from next February, the BBC’s Emma Jane Kirby tries to imagine the country’s citizens without their customary cigarettes. “Visit any cafe in any big university town in France … Continue reading →

Breathing Earth shows in ‘real-time’ people being born, dying and the amount of carbon being emitted using the most up-to-date data available. You can also find facts about each country by hovering over them. France Population: 61,044,684 1000 Tonnes of … Continue reading →