Friday 30 October 2009

France migrant policy criticised (BBC News)

Emma Jane Kirby
BBC News, Paris

France's system of detaining and deporting unaccompanied migrant children flown into Paris has been criticised in a damning new report.

The French government says children arriving at the capital's leading airport have not yet entered France.

This denies the children the right to appeal against their deportation, says the US-based group Human Rights Watch.

The report includes testimony from children who say they were strip-searched, handcuffed and intimidated.

French authorities say they are trying to improve conditions for immigrant children.

No proper safeguards?

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), in 2008 French airport police deported one third of the 1,000 unaccompanied migrant children who arrived at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, detaining them in a transit zone in the same facilities as adults.

The organisation claims France's refusal to accept that the unaccompanied children have arrived on French soil on reaching the airport denies them the rights granted to other migrant children - such as appealing against their deportation.

In its 60-page report, HRW expresses concern that there are not proper safeguards in place to check that children will be looked after once they have been deported to another destination.

The report concedes that the French government does try to provide a guardian for each unaccompanied minor who arrives at the airport, but adds that those guardians have little power.

The French government says the airport transit zone is a way to protect children from dangers such as trafficking gangs.

And we thought the UK immigration policy was a disaster??

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Thursday 29 October 2009

Courchevel is top of the pops

Telegraph reports that Courchevel is the best ski resort for glamour. The resort of Courchevel located in Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France is made up of four villages named after the altitude at which they are located (1350, 1550, 1650 and 1850m) and is part of the enormous Trois Vallées ski area, which boasts more than 370 miles of pistes.

The mountain has well-groomed pistes for novices and intermediates, fun areas for children, a supervised terrain park and an avalanche training camp. And, if you manage to exhaust Courchevel's 100 miles of local pistes, there's still plenty to explore above Méribel and Val Thorens.

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Wednesday 28 October 2009

France says "non" to Scientology

The French arm of the Church of Scientology was yesterday convicted of fraud and fined nearly 600,000 euros Tuesday, but the judges fell short of banning the church. They said a change in the law prevented such an action for fraud.

The church, however, plans to appeal.

The verdict was among the most important in several years to involve the group, which has federal tax-exempt status in the United States but no legal protection in France. It is considered a sect in France and says it has 45,000 followers there, out of 12 million worldwide.

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Tuesday 27 October 2009

First Time Home Buyers Stimulus - Don't Pass Up This Opportunity! Posted By : Mark Walters

If you are thinking about buying a new house then you learn about the first time home buyers stimulus package on offer from the government. In this article you can learn about this package and its benefits. http://bit.ly/oGXv

Sarkozy Pledges Tax Cuts in France, Says Growth Is Returning (Bloomberg)

Sarkozy Pledges Tax Cuts in France, Says Growth Is Returning

By Francois De Beaupuy

Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed plans of Germany’s new government to cut taxes and vowed to do the same in France. “There will be tax cuts,” he said in a speech in Paris, citing the cut in the business tax included in the 2010 budget. “It’s through tax cuts that we will give the French jobs and growth,” he said, adding “growth will come back. It’s coming back.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Francois De Beaupuy in Paris at fdebeaupuy@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 26, 2009 11:30 EDT

Tax cuts puts disposable income in your pocket - good for the French Property market!

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Monday 26 October 2009

Brits die in French Car Crash

Two British women died in a head-on car crash that also killed a mother and baby in the Midi-Pyrenees France.

Wendy Prentice died instantly and her friend Wendy Beveridge died on the way to hospital after the crash in Beaumarches near Toulouse.

Mrs Prentice lived near the scene of the accident whilst Mrs Beveridge was visiting from Scotland. Both women were in their 70s.

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Saturday 24 October 2009

French Property of the Week: Saint Chinian

Spacious winegrowers home in Saint Chinian with 2 terraces, and views!

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Village with all shops, services, restaurants, cafes, just 10 minutes from Saint Chinian and 25 minutes from Beziers, on the river Orb.

Bright, airy and voluminous winegrowers' home offering 2 roof terraces, spacious 53 m² 2-car garage, and 180 m² living space including 3 bedrooms and 2 large living areas. The home is renovated and habitable immediately, and is close to all shops and services. Pretty open views, private exteriors, large rooms, a very pleasant home.

How much? Just 199,500 euros

Saint Chinian Details (a Languedoc-Roussillon property))

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Friday 23 October 2009

Wine in France - it's all Greek to me

According to a Cambridge Study, France's passion for wine may have originated from the Ancient Greeks.

Prof Paul Cartledge says the original makers of Côtes-du-Rhône descended from Greek explorers who settled in southern France about 2500 years ago.

So much for the theory that it was the Romans who were responsible for bringing viticulture to France.

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Thursday 22 October 2009

Kate Mosse's Winter Tale

Kate Mosse has taken a break from completing the Trilogy about the Languedoc (so far Labyrinth, and Sepulchre).

Her third book, The Winter Ghosts, is based in the 1920s relating the story of one broken man and concentrates on just 24 hours of his life.

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It tells of Freddie Watson, a man who lives in the shadow of his older brother, George, who was killed in the First World War. He falls ill and then when recuoerating visits France. On his journey he me meets Fabrissa - he pours out his tale to her ....

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Wednesday 21 October 2009

French Property Price Update((French Property Market,FNAIM))

House prices in France rose 3.9% quarter-on-quarter in Q2, 2009 according to the National Association of Real Estate Agents in France (FNAIM.) These quarterly price increases are the highest since Q2 in 2004.

Do bear in mind though compared to a year earlier, the average price of dwellings in France was down 6.6%.

Despite the UK recession, in the South of France, the British are still the largest buyers of French property accounting for around 50% of all foreign buyers according to data from Perval 2009 Notaires statistics.

There are still plenty of reduced price bargains in France.

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2 barns for renovation reduced to 49,000 euros in Lower Normandy

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Tuesday 20 October 2009

Buying a Condo: Working with Condo Associations Posted By : Ben Nicolas

Whether youre looking to scale down your living space or just looking for an inexpensive option for breaking into the housing market, a condominium can be a good opportunity for smaller, less expensive housing. But many people dont realise that a condo is not like buying a small house, even if the square footage is comparable; a condominium is really a lot more like trying to find a reasonable fit in a big pre-existing puzzle. http://bit.ly/4FQOCv

New Larousse Gastronomique (Hardcover)

The new edition of the Larousse Gastronomique has hit the shelves - and at 1,206 pages, it is bigger than ever!

Larousse Gastronomique, the world's classic culinary reference book, is known for its authoritative and comprehensive collection of recipes. Here it is brought up to date for 2009 in an attractive edition containing over 900 new colour and black and white photographs. All chapters have been read and edited by field specialists, and 85 biographies of chefs have been added. Entries have also been regrouped for increased accessibility.

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BUY TODAY

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Monday 19 October 2009

Vive la France! Father of My Children and The Girl on the Train ...

The Father of my Children

The Father of my Children

Vive La France! The BFI 53rd London Film Festival is flying the flag for its neighbours residing across the pond this year, with a continental mix of evocative and stylish films, including the poignant and compelling Father of My Children.

Showcased as part of the event’s Galas & Special screenings, alongside a host of heavyweight offerings including Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Men Who Stare at Goats, is Father of My Children.  Director Mia Hansen-Love’s emotive follow up to her 2007 feature Everything Is Forgiven, is a bittersweet tale of struggling to make life, love and a career work in present day Paris.

Gregoire (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing) is the high flying owner of a film company, who has a privileged life at home with a loving wife and three children. However, when his company falls into debt, Gregoire begins to lose his way, forcing his family to pick up the pieces. With a shocking twist half way through, Hansen-Love’s ability to grip her audiences at all the right moments and avoid any predictable outcomes, makes this film a significant attribute to this year’s festival.

The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train

Hot on the heels of Hansen-Love and headed up under the aptly titled French Revolutions – a strand of the festival devoted to French films – comes a string of features from acclaimed directors such as, Claire Denis, Catherine Corsini and Andre Techine.

Andre Techine’s The Girl on the Train is a firm favourite at LOVEFiLM HQ, for its brazen and confident depiction of modern day life in the Parisian suburbs. Actress Emilie Dequenne, who plays Jeanne, brings a splash of red, white and blue to this stark morality tale. After meeting the outspoken Franck (Nicolas Duvauchelle) Jeanne’s world is sent into a spiral and she soon finds herself at the centre of an anti-Semitism scandal. Holding each story strand together perfectly stands actor Michel Blanc, whose even and gentle performance as Jewish lawyer Samuel Bleistein softens the edge of this socio-political drama. With a love story at the helm, hindered by shame and deceit – we beg the question, what more could you possibly ask for?

We’ve got our pulse on the French films at this year’s event, so stay tuned for more ooh la-la moments with the LOVEFiLM editorial team.


One of the surprises of spending holidays in France is the English language cinemas in the big towns!

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Sunday 18 October 2009

Zut Alors! France has enough undeclared Plutonium to nuke the World

French authorities have discovered enough undeclared plutonium to make five nuclear bombs at a nuclear facility in S France!

Not surprisingly Iran has seized on the West's (and in particular) France's double standards.

"Those three countries in fact have violated for the last 40 years NPT articles," Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh (Iran's ambassador to the  IAEA ) said in an interview with Press TV in September.

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Saturday 17 October 2009

New Migrant Camp in France - same old problems

New Migrant Camp in France is situated at Steenvoorde, next door to a motorway service station filled with lorries heading towards Channel ports at Calais and Dunkirk.

Same old - problem: migrants try to get onboard lorries headed to England.

As usual France says it can do nothing. All of the 276 migrants who were arrested in the Jungle have been released, and not a single people trafficker was caught.  


Remind me again under EU Law, the country where the migrants arrive should deal with the migrant.

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Friday 16 October 2009

French Property of the Week: Two bedroom cottage with small barn

Set in a very peaceful hamlet this charming French cottage style property has a lot going for it, with a garden behind the house and the loft which can extend the accommodation as well as the attached barn. At this price it offers great potential.

There is a small front courtyard-garden with space for table and chairs. As you enter the house you come straight into the living room (25m2) with beams and open fireplace, behind this is the fully fitted kitchen (20m2) and under stairs wc. More details >> Magnac Laval Cottage at just 65,000 euros


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Thursday 15 October 2009

On yer bike with Tour de France 2020

Tour de France route for 2010 - featuring the Midi-Pyrenees this year!

Saturday 3 July Rotterdam > Rotterdam
Sunday 4 July Rotterdam > Bruxelles
Monday 5 July Bruxelles > Spa
Tuesday 6 July Wanze > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut
Wednesday 7 July Cambrai > Reims
Thursday 8 July Épernay > Montargis
Friday 9 July Montargis > Gueugnon
Saturday 10 July Tournus > Station des Rousses
Sunday 11 July Station des Rousses > Morzine-Avoriaz
Monday 12 July Morzine-Avoriaz
Tuesday 13 July Morzine-Avoriaz > Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Wednesday 14 July Chambéry > Gap
Thursday 15 July Sisteron > Bourg-lès-Valence
Friday 16 July Bourg-de-Péage > Mende
Saturday 17 July Rodez > Revel
Sunday 18 July Revel > Ax-3 Domaines
Monday 19 July Pamiers > Bagnères-de-Luchon
Tuesday 20 July Bagnères-de-Luchon > Pau
Wednesday 21 July Pau
Thursday 22 July Pau > Col du Tourmalet
Friday 23 July Salies-de-Béarn > Bordeaux
Saturday 24 July Bordeaux > Pauillac
Sunday 25 July Longjumeau > Paris Champs-Élysées

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Wednesday 14 October 2009

Head in the Clouds over Cloud Computing

Though most French people say "le week-end" and "un surfer" and accept new common English terms they have come a cropper with "cloud computing" - that well known IT phrase!.

Apparently before a word such as "cloud computing" receives a certified French equivalent, it needs to be approved by three organizations and get a government minister's seal of approval, according to rules laid out by the state's General Delegation for the French Language and the Languages of France. Bureauracy gone mad??

However, the "team" came up with "informatique en nuage," which literally means "computing in cloud." Even I know this is bizarre.

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Tuesday 13 October 2009

2010 Tour de France in the Pyrenees

The Pyrenees, crossed by Tour de France riders for the first time 100 years ago, will take center stage in next year's route.

"It is no secret that the Tour de France will celebrate the Pyrenees 100 years after the riders climbed their mountain passes for the first time," Tour director Christian Prudhomme told Reuters ahead of the 2010 race presentation.

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Bidding on a Deal: Some Considerations for Buying a Home Posted By : Tommy Pennington

There are currently many home buyers looking to take advantage of the glut of foreclosures and short sales on the market. Some of the better priced homes are getting snatched up quickly; these fast transactions are making some home buyers make hasty bids on properties which they may come to regret. There are few ways to help you go about buying a home that you wont regret though. http://bit.ly/1pkpdC

Monday 12 October 2009

Carlo Bruni reveals all to her shrink

Carlo Bruni reveals all to her shrink (no shrink is not an euphemism for Sarko). During a forthcoming French documentary, "Bruni will bare her soul to the French people. .... For the first time ever, a serving first lady will speak on television about the reasons which drove her to seek therapy eight years ago."

Has she known him that long? Bruni is never out of the headlines. Do you see any parallels with Jordan?

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Saturday 10 October 2009

Vintage Year for Bordeaux

The 2009 Bordeaux vintage is set to be the best of the 21st century - thanks to perfect weather conditions – and perhaps one of the best on record, according to local wine experts reports the Telegraph.

"Nature has been extremely generous, it is sumptuous," said Denis Dubourdieu, director of the Bordeaux Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences and a renowned winemaker.

Do you need another reason to be stocking up on the 2009 vintage or perhaps book a Dordogne Holiday or Gironde areas of France.

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Friday 9 October 2009

Pineau des Charentes is sure to please

Just came this wonderful memory of France. We were introduced to Pineau by our French neighbours M et Me Lambert in Merignac in Poitou-Charentes. Try it - here is extract to whet the juices....

"One of the most celebrated French vins de licqueur is conquering new markets every year. Perfect at the start or end of a meal, it is also featured in a fair number of gourmet recipes. Made of grape must and cognac, Pineau des Charentes is sure to please…

According to local legend, Pineau des Charentes is a product of the vineyard – and of chance. The year was 1589, which marked King Henri IV’s ascension to the throne. During the harvest, a winegrower from the Charente region accidentally spilled grape must into a barrel contain-ing Cognac brandy, which he then decided to put back into the estate’s wine storehouse. A few years down the road, the harvest was abundant, and the winegrower in need of more barrels. Upon opening the cask containing the cognac and grape must, he was astonished to discover a delicious concoction, sweet and heady. And so, Pineau des Charentes was born!" Complete article

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Going Green in France

French government announced, reports inhabitat.com, it would dedicate €1.5 billion to creating a network of battery-charging stations for electric vehicles. The plan came as part of a much larger initiative that aims to move France towards a cleaner transportation system involving electric vehicles.

In addition to using tax money to create a network of battery-charging stations where drivers can juice their EVs, the plan also requires all parking lots to contain battery charging stations by 2015. All new apartment buildings with lots must also include charging stations by 2012.

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Thursday 8 October 2009

France's Favourite Dishes (Food not Carla)

Clotilde Dusoulier's of Chocolate & Zucchini (blog) fame has published "I Know How to Cook".

Anyhow, here are France's top  3 Favourite Dishes (how long before Carla publishes a cooking book???):

1. Cassoulet
2. Pork loin provençale
3. Carbonade with herbs

If you cannot wait, the recipes are here!

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Wednesday 7 October 2009

Mind Your Step in France

Amateur French fossil hunters have unearthed the largest dinosaur footprints in the world, belonging to a cousin of the diplodocus. The site at Plagne is one of the biggest of its kind in the world. Plagne is in the Jura plateau, just SE of the city of Lyon.

The prints are very big, reaching 1.20 to 1.50 metres (3.9 to 4.9 feet) across, which corresponds to animals exceeding 30 or 40 tonnes in weight and measuring more than 25 metres (81 feet) in length.

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Tuesday 6 October 2009

French Property of the Week: Sourdeval, Lower Normandy

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Detached 3 bed stone house set on a rural plot of approx. 2000m2 close to the town of Sourdeval. The house is in good decorative condition and is set at the end of its own private drive, one house from the end of a cul-de-sac lane with good views. The house is of an unusual layout and makes the most of the views across the countryside especially from the 1st floor. There is a glazed extension to the front of the house which acts an entrance to the house and accommodates the stairs to the 1st floor.

Price at 120,000 euros seems excellent value. Lower Normandy is one of our most popular regions of France. For more details about the Sourdeval Property << click here for more details and photos.

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Monday 5 October 2009

Haute Cuisine and McDonalds

France land of Haute Cuisine, style, and panache and McDonalds!

Now the Louvre - home to some of the world's art masterpieces - has a McDonalds. How time changes in France.

Did you know Paris has as many McDonald's restaurants as London, with only one third of the population. France generates revenues for McDonald's second only to America.

I wonder if Monal Lisa has her enigmatic smile?

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Sunday 4 October 2009

Frenchless in France

One of my favourite blogs about Life in France is Linda Mathieu's "Frenchless in France". Always full of great observations about the French and especially the Parisians. Lovely photos and plenty to keep you intererested.

Today we have a review of "Paris Quiz". Enjoy this blog

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Saturday 3 October 2009

Chemical Castration France? Watch out Roman

France is considering forcing some sex offenders to undergo chemical castration, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Friday, days after a brutal murder by a recently released prisoner.

Perhaps Roman Polanski will agree to be deported to the US afterall!

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Friday 2 October 2009

Welcome to 1st for French Property ...

We hope we can help you find a home in France - drop us a line if you can help us improve our site.

French Property Ramblings is our Blog - anecdotes, market reports, and buying tips. To sample life living in France check out our France Facts About Blog.

For daily tweets follow us on 1st4FrenchProp

in reference to: 1st for French Property offer properties and houses for sale in France (view on Google Sidewiki)

Who would like views like this?

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What would you pay for a view like this (Champagne-Ardenne, France) ? Say, less than 30,000 euros. How about if we throw in a house as well?

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Terraced farmhouse along the road of the village. Stone building in good condition except the roof above the barn, in average condition. The roof above the dwelling part is ok. Everything is connected. Two rooms downstairs with original features ( exposed beams, stone fireplace.. ) plus Garage and barn.

We are not joking; More: French Farmhouse details

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Thursday 1 October 2009

Pyrenees trekking

Pyrenees trekking

Sep 30 2009

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PUT your best foot forward this autumn and enjoy a trekking holiday in the Pyrenean Foothills – taking in the magical, medieval Cathar Castles between Tuchan and Quillan.

This six-night holiday, available until the end of October, is for the independent walker.

The twin share price of £619 per person includes half-board accommodation, luggage transfers between overnights, plus detailed route notes and maps. UK travel is not included. 01580 214010, www.bellefrance.co.uk

Visited here - the landscapes are spectacular. Highly recommended.

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