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Johnny Summerton's Articles

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France ~ There ~ s Nothing Like Good Neighbours ~ elderly And if the case of the recent discovery of the body of a 70-year-old man in his apartment in the town of Aix-les-Bains in southeastern France is anything to go by, he had anything but "good neighbours" While there's nothing too unusual perhaps in the report of an elderly person's death going unnoticed, especially when he or she lives alone, there must be more than a little cause for concern in cases such as this one France ~ How Could Parents Forget ~ ~ parents child It's a question that has preoccupied many here in France over the past month, and sadly made the headlines far too often It's also one to which it's difficult to provide an answer France ~ French Parliament Delivers on Sarkozy ~ s Promise ~ Sarkozy It's never easy following through on an electoral pledge, and if any politician knows how difficult it is, then it must be the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy So far he has failed miserably on last year's major presidential campaign promise to increase the purchasing power of the average man and woman on the street here in France and kick-start the sluggish economy he inherited France ~ Sarkozy Set For a Constitutional Showdown ~ Sarkozy Hardly the sexiest headline by any stretch of the imagination But there again when it comes to institutional reform and changes to the constitution, the subject matter is hardly guaranteed to instill much enthusiasm France ~ Sarkozys Astonishing Olympic Announcement ~ Sarkozy So it's official The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, will be attending the opening of the Olympic games in Beijing, After a "productive" 30-minute meeting with the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, Sarkozy's office officially released the news on Wednesday that it had already leaked to the French media last Friday Poppy ~ Poppys Plight ~ dog She first came to our attention after we had visited a local show at the village hall organised by a nearby refuge for abandoned dogs and cats At the ripe old age of eight Poppy, we were told, had been "rescued" from owners who had over time collected more than 30 dogs, many the result of interbreeding, and who understandably had found themselves no longer able to cope France ~ Sarkozys G8 Ennui ~ Sarkozy He was bored, the poor man You could see it in his eyes and his body language France ~ Betancourts Unsung Hero ~ Betancourt Since the dramatic rescue last week of 15 hostages held by Colombia's leftist rebel movement the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, much of this country's attention - if not the world's - has been focused on Ingrid Betancourt Finally though one of France's leading national daily newspapers, Le Figaro, has caught up with reports that have appeared elsewhere around the globe France ~ Sarkozys Union ~ Bashing Barb ~ Sarkozy Sometimes a politician can believe his or her own spin just a little too much that it leaves many onlookers gasping in disbelief and checking their ears to make sure they've heard correctly Such has been the case here in France since Saturday when the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, came up with what surely has to be the most unlikely interpretation of recent events in this country One Womans French Foly Right upfront it has to be said that this is far from being a hard-hitting news piece And what's more it'll probably only have a limited appeal bearing in mind that among the roll call of names are those that will only be familiar to the French, or French ex-patriots, Francophiles, Francophones and France-watchers France ~ Trash TVs Secret Story ~ television You can tell summer has arrived here in France because the signs are all around us First up there are the obvious ones - such as the weather and the dress code France ~ Twice an Orphan ~ Barmy Bureaucracy or Welfare of the Child You Judge ~ immigration Last weekend here in France an 11-year-old boy, Joris, found himself effectively orphaned for the second time He was taken into care after his father, 34-year-old Aboubakar Coulibaly, was deported back to his native Côte d'Ivoire France ~ Public Prosecutor Recommends Dropping Jean Sarkozy Charges ~ Jean Sarkozy The mysterious if somewhat exhausting case of the hit-and-run scooter and the role of the French president's son, Jean Sarkozy, could be nearing its conclusion A Paris prosecutor has recommended dropping charges against him, but a final decision won't be handed down until September France ~ Ad Campaign to Promote Sarkozys Election Promise ~ Sarkozy The French government has launched a media blitz in an attempt to convince people that it really is winning the battle to increase purchasing power In the coming weeks the French will be treated to over 1,600 TV commercials as well as Internet advertising and full page spreads in the national and regional daily newspapers Sarkozy Starts Visit to Israel The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, begins a three-day visit to Israel on Sunday in what the press back home is reporting as further proof of an improvement in relations between the two countries It'll be only the third time a French president has visited Israel, and Sarkozy is likely to have a far more conciliatory tone than his predecessors France ~ Sarkozy Muscles in on EU Reform ~ Sarkozy It's just under a fortnight until France takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union and already the rest of Europe is getting a taste of what it can expect At a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, Sarkozy said the Union would not be able to go ahead with any further expansion without ratification of the Lisbon treaty France ~ French Press Call For Domenechs Head After France Exit Euro 2008 ~ Euro 2008 In the time honoured tradition of the good old sporting cliché it’s time to break open the thesaurus, cry over the spilled milk and join the rest of the country in mourning France’s humiliating exit from Euro 2008 On the morning after the night before, the French newspaper headlines are inevitably screaming for the head of the national team’s coach, Raymond Domenech France ~ Spring ~ cleaning in the Summer at the Local Brocante ~ Brocante It was an opportunity that was too good to pass up - a chance for a jolly good clear out of all the junk that had been gathering dust in the attic forever with the added bonus thrown in of making a few cents into the bargain There’s a tradition here in France every summer for villages and towns up and down the country to throw open their doors so-to-speak and welcome the world to their brocante, or vide grenier France ~ Boonen Banned From Tour De France ~ cycling Belgium’s former world cycling champion, Tom Boonen, has been forced out of this year’s Tour de France The rider was barred after it was revealed that he had tested positive for cocaine use outside of competition in May France ~ France Faces Fine Over Lack of Hamster Love ~ EU Weird but true, France is being threatened with a €17 million penalty if it doesn’t clean up its act and come up with a strategy to save the European hamster, one of the continent’s most threatened species Last week the European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-member European Union, gave France a two-month deadline or else it would have to cough up the whopping fine for failing to comply with the Habitats Directive (yes we’re in Eurobabbleland here) to prevent the rodent’s extinction France ~ A Bore Draw When Two Times Zero Equals One ~ soccer The French have rather an appropriate expression for a football game that ends in a draw - “match nul” And that just about sums up the general sentiment after France’s opening 0-0 non-thriller against Romania at Euro 2008 France ~ Ferrari to Return as PPDA is Given the Boot ~ television One of France’s top news anchors, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, will bid farewell to viewers this summer and be replaced by the darling of the French media, Laurence Ferrari PPDA as he is more affectionately known has been a familiar face on prime time news for more than three decades Carla Bruni ~ Sarkozy Speaks Out It’s just what France (and the world) has been waiting for - the real story behind the marriage of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and his third wife Carla And that’s exactly what it’s going to get on Thursday - apparently - with the release of a new book “La Véritable Histoire de Carla et Nicolas” France ~ Dati Does U ~ Turn on Virginity Annulment Marriage ~ Rachida Dati The French justice minister, Rachida Dati, has once again shown that she has a less than a firm grasp of her job by doing a complete volte face in a case that has been making the headlines here in France over the past week On Monday Dati asked the public prosecutors office to appeal a court ruling, which had annulled a marriage because the wife had lied about being a virgin France ~ Lyon ~ Theres No ldquosrdquo In French ~ Lyon It’s about 450kms from Paris to Lyon (or Lyons if your prefer in English) but forget about the four-and-a-half hour drive and instead save money, time and the environment by taking the high-speed TGV train service After all, the journey time is just under two hours France ~ Martine Aubry ~ The Lady In Waiting ~ politics She might have been absent from national politics for the past eight years, but now a one-time leading light of the Socialist party, Martine Aubry, appears to be back in favour Aubry is being touted - not least by herself - as a figure behind which activists could unite in the tussle for the leadership of the party due in November France ~ France039s 039Virgin Obsessed039 Serial Killer Gets Life ~ justice After a high profile trial lasting two months, a court in northeastern France on Wednesday found Michel Fourniret, the country’s most notorious serial killer in decades, guilty on seven counts of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment His wife, Monique Olivier, was also sentenced to 28 years behind bars for complicity France ~ A Nouvel Skyscraper For Paris ~ Jean Nouvel The French capital is to get just what it needs to set it apart from the rest of the globe’s major cities - a new 300-metre skyscraper set to challenge the world-famous Eiffel tower’s domination of the city’s skyline France’s very own Jean Nouvel fought off competition from four other world class architects to be awarded the commission to construct the new Signal tower France ~ A Taxing Day As Sarkozy Goes Walkabout Among The Fruit And Veg ~ Sarkozy What a start to the day for the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy He was up and about before dawned cracked rubbing shoulders and pressing flesh with the hoi polloi at Rungis, France’s largest wholesale food and flower market just south of Paris France ~ French Triumph At Cannes But Flop At Eurovision ~ Cannes For the first time in 21 years a French film has scooped top honours for best movie at the Cannes film festival “Entre les murs” (The Class) directed by Laurent Cantet won the coveted Palme d’Or on a unanimous decision by the jury France ~ Sarkozy Outs Himself As Cline Dion Fan ~ Sarkozy Thankfully nobody broke into song but emotions were running high on Thursday as the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, bestowed this country’s highest honour, the Légion d'honneur, on the Canadian chanteuse Céline Dion The ceremony took place at the president’s official residence, the Elysée palace; the day after Dion had opened a series of sold-out concerts in the French capital - the first time she has performed in Paris since 1999 France ~ The First Lady Sings ~ Carla Bruni ~ Sarkozy For some it will be a date to note in their diaries and one on which they will undoubtedly rush out in anticipation to the record stores For others it will quite possibly be time to clap their hands over their ears in an attempt to protect their hearing France ~ The Knives Are Out ~ politics The big guns within the Socialist party here in France are warming up for battle ahead of an election to choose a new leader even though that’s still over six months away Segolene Royal officially announced her intention to stand last Friday St Barth ~ A Foodie In St Barth ~ Eden Rock ~ Travel Eating out is never exactly a chore in mainland France, and the visitor is in for just as much of a culinary delight on the French Caribbean island of St Barth There are over 50 restaurants mentioned in the excellent guide Saint-Barth Tables France ~ The Holiday That Was Then Wasnt And Now Is ~ politics This is the rather muddled tale of the public holiday that disappeared from the French calendar four years ago when it became a quasi-working day But lo and behold, and hallelujah, everything’s back to normal at last and lundi Pentecôte, or Whit Monday, is once again a day off France ~ Sarkozy Sees Sense On Blair Presidency ~ politics It has not been made official yet but it’s already doing the rounds of the media both here in France and across the channel in Britain The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is apparently not going to back former British prime minister, Tony Blair, as a candidate to become the first president of the European Union Travel ~ Hallelujah For The Remote Control Zap ~ US It must be hard work being a television addict in the US Not only are there far too many channels to choose from, but you can turn on the box just about any time of the day or night and be guaranteed to find something that’ll keep you watching - even if you don’t really want to No Guns No Drugs And Not A Terrorist It can be a bit of a gruff experience trying to enter the United States as a tourist, and there’s one thing certain on arrival at New York’s JFK airport - a surly welcome awaits the visitor And unless you’ve been lucky enough to make it off the ‘plane at double-quick speed, the chances are the first sight of the good old US of A will be from the back of a mighty queue agonisingly snaking its way back from passport control France ~ Sophie039s Voice ~ Eurostar It should have been clear from the very outset after Sophie, our train manager welcomed us all aboard the London-bound Eurostar from Paris that this was not going to be a regular, uneventful trip There was something just a little too sing-songy in her tannoyed “bienvenue”, wishing us a pleasant journey and volunteering to answer any questions we might have had, to augur any thing other than premonitory misgivings France ~ Second Class Service At First Class Prices ~ Eurostar Traveling first class on the Eurostar from Paris to London (or vice versa) isn’t really anywhere close to the romantic vision of a more genteel bygone era It certainly isn’t luxury by any stretch of the imagination and is in fact much more oriented to the business traveller eager to cut down journey time and cram in a couple of hours work on the computer - or God help us all - shouting into the mobile ‘phone

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