Connexion Back Issues

British buyers are on way back, say currency traders * Ad boards targeted in new eco law * 11 hotels become first five-stars ever in France * Supermarket price checks by officials * Internet law to return after court ruling blow * 75 mins Paris to Le Havre by 2020? * French and Swiss banks end secrecy * EasyJet wedding plans rejected * Ryanair launches new text service * France third for EU bathing waters * Car sales industry back on track * e2.5billion to fight crime * Banned pesticides found in urine * Eco-loans scheme hailed a success * Drivers caught in crack down - UK expats are finding themselves challenged on the roads on both sides of the Channel. Here we look at the law * Eagle eyes Channel flight challenge * First Anglo care home will open doors soon * Swindler’s victims to sue bank * Six brasseries, bars and cafes closing every day * Restaurants sceptical that VAT cuts will help * Brit ready to take the Tour * Free swim lessons for under-12s * Online share-a-nanny scheme can halve your childcare costs * School bag search is ‘impractical’ * Up to 80% off price of holidays for families * Canvas and piano wire – 100 years of Channel flight * How can I buy a safe pool alarm? * The best way to buy with friends * Going abroad with pets * Protect your home while you’re away * Helpline for road accident victims * Retirement top ups for séniors * Help for parents of disabled kids * e500 bonus for  those losing jobs * New helpline set up by La Poste * Plea to help find son missing for 20 years * Help a child improve their speech * Learn to speak like a flic * Trademark fee cut by 40% for EU * New website lists eco-friendly firms * French cities fail finance image test * 11% of sick leave ‘unjustified’ * Support to grow your business idea * Can I get back tax paid in the UK? * Working between countries - what you should know * RIP banking secrecy * Your mortgage questions answered * EDF offer 4.5% return * Combined bank student card on offer * Charity donations up despite downturn * Slightly less tax inspections last year * Keeping watch on your baby - Mothers-to-be can expect healthcare ‘second to none’ * Reimbursement shake-up on cards * Shock images for cigarette packs * France praised over antibiotics * Disabled woman, 86, must return to UK - UK continues to deny benefits to disabled expats and carers despite 2007 court ruling * Meet France’s best butcher: Mr Beef * What are the best grape varieties to grow? * Even to rent out gites you need diagnostics * Summer is here, it’s time to get ready for rain * ‘Now is the time to buy’ - FNAIM – the Fédération Nationale de l’Immobilier – represents half of all French estate agents. Its president, René Pallincourt, talks exclusively to Connexion about the property market * Safety in numbers: Protection offered to buyers and sellers * ‘Noisy cow bells’ end in court action * I turned down Bardot’s offer to play poker in her hotel suite * e6 million facelift for Proust’s favourite hotel * Marcel Marceau - the man behind the mime * Launderette specially for dogs

Isolated villagers build own broadband * Uproar over school security plans * Thousands are losing licences * Campaigners welcome new civil partner law * ‘Difficult’ driving test made easier * Dissected body exhibition banned * Personal debt law proposed * Billion euro job boost for youth * Barrier-free tolls test on motorway * 65% let down by Sarkozy policies * No degrees for Uni protesters * Sunday trading to be debated again * Ryanair to charge £5 to check-in * Europe cuts cost of text charges * France leads EU economic recovery says minister * UK police blitz on foreign-plate cars * Pupils get free physio care to cure bad backs * D-Day: 65 years of remembrance * Dame Vera Lynn recalls the day she heard the news * Junk mail soars but you can stop it * Tribunal hope as UK continues to deny disabled benefits - UK rejection criteria excludes most of those trying to have carer’s and disability allowance restored * Calanques to be new national park * Free French lesson rules may change * Polls say Left will lose EU grip * Protests over racetrack in ‘garden of France’ * Health law has been ‘emptied of content’ * Companies lend workers to buck financial crises * People are not sleeping enough * Boss offers jobs at €69/month * Hadopi internet law attacked * New look for TGV loos * 15 year fraud case ‘too long’ says judge * Minister for business bins France’s rule book - Hervé Novelli who launched the auto-entrepreneur, France’s simplest business scheme, talks exclusively to The Connexion * Training and loans proposed as President praises autoentrepreneurs * Renaissance at da Vinci’s French home * Nice eyes big names for revival - After Toulon’s recent purchase of Jonny Wilkinson, Nice rugby club owner multi-millionaire Paul White says he’s also on the hunt for more stars * A weekend of France in bloom * Artists tell their stories as music hits the streets * Surround expat children in France with English - Confidence in native language helps with learning a second, says US professor leading study on young children * British beer in Normandy * ‘We beat Microsoft’ - French start-up wins name rights court battle against software giant * New union launched for auto-entrepreneurs * Wealth tax exemption confusion as June 15 deadline approaches * ‘Dummy’ postcode for online self-assessment * Summer sales start this month * Crackdown on multiple Livret A’s * Basic mobile offer for just €10 * Investing in assurance vie * Mortgage questions answered * Communes publish accounts on government website * Railcard cuts fares for low-income families * Q&A Connexion’s 2009 tax guide * Why do we write on the forms that we are exempt from charges? * Cohabitees, exchange rates and premium bonds * We live in France, don’t want to visit UK, cross to Spain occasionally, so - Do we need a passport? * Energy mediator can help resolve disputes * Get an income tax credit for a stairlift * Old cars steer clear of new petrol type * State help for lower income families * Tighter rules on home-schooling * Site helps families with young children * What to do first when someone dies * Keep an eye on price of your new glasses * Carnet is not just for babies * Schools switch off wifi as precaution * Drug costs fall in switch to generics * Watchdog targets doctors - Medics accused of keeping quiet on links to drug firms * CEAM - EU health card only lasts one year * Have your wicket way with cricket clubs in France * Classic rally celebrates Morgan near Le Mans * Legends dwell in historic cafes * Ensure you’re insured * UK demands travel info before flights * EasyJet confident despite losses * French power wins Eurotunnel award * I won €10,000 thanks to French TV * Combined solar unit runs itself * Interest-free eco-loans cover many extra works * Top court reverses planning rules * Key towns buck price drop trend * Overseas owners are sitting tight * Eviction notice period shortened * New advertising rules for builders * Mulberry tree tips * Housing law sees tightening of rules on deferred sales * What can I do about my noisy neighbour? * Pool rules in depth * Restaurants must drop prices to get VAT break next month * Less workers keen to do overtime * Falling milk prices spark farmer fury * Buy a cow to make money * French head for UK stock exchange * Suicides rise at France Telecom * 35,000 job cuts for civil service

Patients haggle medical fees - Clearer charges help some save thousands of euros through negotiation * Parties unite in plea for expat MP * Easy business status ‘unfair’ say groups - Complications threaten the auto-entrepreneur scheme, while jobseekers get new lower start-up tariffs * Cross border EU health law moves closer * Income tax down for least well-off but local taxes rise * Complaint centre for La Poste * Lift ban on jobs for foreigners * Internet law gets another hearing * Cameras for red light jumpers * France EU’s top asylum country * Staff happy at work, says poll * Police use social networking sites * New fast ferry for Channel from May 29 - Europe’s biggest diesel catamaran will ply Dover-Boulogne for LD Lines * UK tax break on second homes * Restaurants must drop menu prices * New Montpellier Luton route in July * Smoking icons’ cigs censored in ad campaign * UK menu calorie plan is no way to live, say chefs * Mobile ‘roaming’ charges reduced * Italian trains to challenge TGV * Soil survey reveals pesticide dangers * Phone firms told to cut web bills * Balaclavas can mean e1,500 fine * ‘Save our villages from protected status’ * Smoke detector law scrapped * Reform for online gambling laws * Mixed sale dates ‘confuse shoppers’ * City homes resist crash - However some popular expat areas could see drops of 20% during 2009 * Shake up for French culture abroad * French debate sparks pleas for expat MP * Combining war graves causes communes row * Antoine de Caunes - life after Eurotrash * See red in ancient Rome - Hundreds of thousands to watch corrida bullfight at Roman arena in Nîmes * Sewing the seeds of tennis victory * Everyone needs good neighbours - Joining in the Fête des voisins can help you integrate, says event’s founder * Fête du pain is a pleasure - Mid May is fête du pain but how well do you know French bread? * Private schools top unofficial league tables * Virtual academy will help learners across all ages * HEC cancels fees for grant students * Reforms to go ahead at ENA * The changing face of France’s bird population * Threatened birds of France * I’m a French farmer - hear me out * Nantes - London flights are back * Paris Beauvais airport to shut * Hotel prices drop in the south * Eurotunnel signs UK border deal * Pau flights switch to Lourdes in July * Auto/train: the greener way to take your own car on holiday * ‘Oldest and ugliest’ chalet maid learns tips of trade * Networking is key to finding a job - 50% of vacancies are found through friends and family * Assurance vie: For UK and French residents * Compare your banks * Your mortgage questions answered * How does France decide if I am fiscally resident? * Avoid queues, print your own stamps * Use the cesu to pay for a handyman, cleaner or nanny * New car number plates changes * Look out for new electricity deals * Conciliateurs resolve private disputes without going to court * Medical payments under fire - Sums taken out of health reimbursements are ‘a tax on illness’ say senators * Financial help with top-up insurance * Why am I asked to pay for the CMU? * I need a care home for my father * Get checked-out by an allergologue * Cnam has ‘saved billions’ in frauds * €170m refit of oldest children’s hospital * What does an MEP do? * Socialists propose ‘US-style’ primaries * Step-parents bill postponed * Writing French numbers on cheques - know the rules * Beware of tax credit scams * Room for gites to grow * You must pluck plum blossom off your young trees * Interest-free loans to renovate septic tanks * Landlord anger at eviction rule

Local taxes set to rise sharply - Communes lose income as stamp duty revenue falls with housing market slump * Annecy chosen for Winter Olympic bid * Eating out to cost less as VAT drops * Will Poitou-Charentes disappear and the Normandies unite? * Step closer to law change for civil partners * MPs oppose gay parent law reform * MPs crack down on binge drinking * Mixed signals on warning triangles * No prison for under 13s * Scams rocket in rural areas * ‘Incoherent’ UK rules ck benefits claims - ‘Lottery’ for expats reclaiming disability allowance after ruling * Gas price to drop 11.3% in April * Teenagers to get careers hotline * CCTV to triple to 60,000 cameras * Volunteers are needed to help struggling Brits * Aspa - a mortgage right is almost never required * Declare change of name online * Help to improve life in the suburbs * Wine-maker offers tastings over internet * Book reveals role of freemasons in government * Orne council starts English blog * I’d like to interview Sarkozy -he’s surprisingly liberal - Sir David Frost talks to Connexion as the acclaimed Frost/Nixon film launches in France * Explore the off-piste calm * Discover France’s finest theme parks * Income tax forms- Your step-by-step guide * How you are assessed by the French authorities * The Quotient Familial * Nantes eyes new London service * E-tickets scheme for TGV travellers * Offers for short Channel trips * Regional airports to work together * Air France trials fingerprint access * Cheap breaks in France for over sixties * Social charge refund for employers in small businesses * Protect your home from business loss as a sole trader * Free software for auto-entrepreneurs * Let’s get to work - Is the auto-entrepreneur sole-trader scheme, launched this year, as simple and easy to start as it claims? Connexion speaks to those who have signed up about their experiences * What hurt share values in the ‘lost decade’ * Mortgage questions answered * Gains are still possible, even in this climate * Uncertain about our ‘mortgage broker’ who billed for €2,000 * Organ donors: the rules * France’s criminal courts; where stealing is not a crime * No shortcuts to cheap passports * Learning to drive ‘faster and easier’ * Cost of stamps for EU letters goes up * Leading cancer centre to open on disaster site * Pharmacies made easy * Free doctor visits for young people * Disability claims needed for study * Where can I find a copy of the tarif de convention? * Helping singles to meet new people * Businesses unite to promote * Social networking on the internet * Adapt in France closes doors * Raising bilingual children: the ten things you should know * New furnished rental rules * Property industry hits 30-year low * Deposit interest scheme dropped * Bridging loans and capital gains relief stretched to help as sellers struggle * End of April deadline for prime à la cuve fuel benefit * Wind turbines: commonsense power source * Does your insurance cover outdoor areas? - Swimming pools, aerials and sheds may need special packages * ‘Poplar’ cherry is ideal for a small garden * Eco-loans ready in April * Big ideas for Paris’ future * Montpellier receives prestigious tourism award * Call to abolish speeding penalty * Help for parents to find childcare

Income tax cuts for lowest band - Britons hit by low pound and economy among two million to benefit * 20 years of celebs in rubber - Les Guignols celebrate two decades of satires * Auto-entrepreneur loophole fixed - Agency row banned translators, writers and programmers * Minister: Hospitals not a business * New nuclear plant in Normandy * 5.5m workers choose overtime * Storm damage to cost €1.4 billion * Internet squad for customs officers * ‘GM maize not a danger’- report * TV show reveals radioactive risk * La Rochelle launches solar powered boat link * Only 1 in 4 feel religion important * UK compiling travel database * Maternity leave under review * Threat to tree-lined roads * Woman sacked for email abuse * Motorway tolls to go up 1.89% * New airport set to open next year * Call for parent power to bring back the four-and-half day school week * Paid leave to care for dying relatives * Download stamps at home online * EU wants mutual rights for pacs and civil partnerships * Eagle and paraglider to mark 100 years of Channel flight * Plans to aid illegal immigrants * Bid to host Euro 2016 * Look out for boars on roads in March * Presenting France’s face of Formula 1 * Embracing mixed France * Officials ‘loose’ 307,000 national works of art * €100m for hundreds of historic renovations * Culture Ministry celebrates 50 years * UK rugby stars proud of their French club - Top names from Wales, England and Ireland sign up to Limousin club Brive * Take a walk on the white side * Other ideas for off-piste fun * French alternatives to top UK foods * Fees and grants for French university * We crossed the whole of France, in a yacht * Ideas to discover scenic waterways * Emblematic beret is back in fashion * Trailblazing Minitel in slow decline * Auto-entrepreneur: Q&A * My first year - Packet curry is hot stuff * Redundancy: the start not the end * CRP: Eight-month deal with extra benefits and help finding new work * Compensation obligations * Risk varies with time and performance * Notes on spending cash * Record drop in euro zone output * Unemployment to rise by 282,000 * Total sets new profit record * Your mortgage questions answered * What is the best way to receive my UK pension in France? * We have E121s, so why do we pay tax? * Passport renewal: getting it right * Extra France Télécom services * Protection for the elderly * Courts: discerning men in black * Get money off when you buy a new car * Offensive adverts - how to complain * Site helps youths to understand ‘l’éco’ * Get help when a child is in danger * Your money is safer in certain sectors * Ask the taxman first, before he asks you * Incentives not penalties will improve GPs’ rural services * Positive change: You keep incapacity cover once you receive state pension * Declare pregnancy early for best treatment * Campaign warns of hearing danger * GPs to get bonus for best practice * Health tariffs must be displayed * Disability petition couple issue ultimatum to DWP * French rally to help writer stage play in English * Dordogne couple’s 18-year fight to save stray dogs * UK skier holds Olympic dream * 320km desert trek beckons * BBC overseas service * Book UK trip on St George’s Day * Help teenagers settle in school * Paris and Angers English book sale * Welcome to the village of Go Away * Celebration for world’s French-speakers * ‘Les body exciting’ - more Anglo horrors * Find the cheapest petrol in the area * More people using car-sharing sites * New routes from Poitier Airport * Buy second-hand train tickets * Smoke alarms to be a must for all * House prices may drop 14% in 2009 * Tax credit changes for eco homes * Survey predicts a brighter future * Beware the pitfalls of heat pumps * You can halve bills with good planning * Gardening: Where to buy a polytunnel? * Selling via an estate agent: know your rights * Interest-free loans for home purchase doubled * Property taxes ‘will rise sharply’ * Work ban could be lifted for non EU professionals * Councils to get speeding money

New business status a hit - 2,000 auto-entrepreneurs launch online every day * Media ‘Brit exodus’ stories wrong, say those on the ground * UK stalls on disabled benefits for expats * Insurance deadline for storms extended * Two new channel ferry services start this month * Health costs rise if unregistered * You can apply to university online * Price of stamps to rise in March * Aspa - mairies wrong to deny benefit * Advice and information for small businesses * Charity can help maybe * Use a huissier to recover debts * Claim compensation of up to e60 a day for unpaid wages * France rebranding campaign to make tourists spend more * Restaurants may cut TVA * Law forces banks to detail annual charges * Air France price cuts * Chunnel services back to normal * 63 million people live in France * Smacking: ‘Let parents decide’ * ‘Three star’ fast food * Asterix to live on after Uderzo * Village allowed to ban GM * Equitable Life decision is a betrayal, says French group * France’s biggest university goes solo * Working on a Bond movie was such fun * Ex-competitor knows Dakar dangers * Make the most of ski season * New advantages for large families * Funding reform threat to religious schooling *  Moving to the mountains - earning a living in the snow can be tough * Bookings down 40% at £1million venture * Rise in length of layoff terms * 2009 sees return of the State * Feb 28 for taxe d’apprentissage * Employees get commute cover * The new auto-entrepreneur business status - your questions * Hobby horses turn to business * Qrops, plain sailing in misunderstood waters * Pocket money down with spending power * Action group seeks Isle of Man depositors * Number of counterfeit euro notes rising * See how your commune compares for local taxes * Your mortgage questions answered * My pension, his children *  Average tax currency conversion rates * Friends’ hire car had no yellow vest * My gym qualification is not recognised * We cannot afford to pay by cesu * Unsure about driving licence renewal swap * Can buyer pay for my land in pounds? * Making a claim after a flood * Water leaks from neighbouring properties * Top lawyer creates parking fines site * Rise in certain benefit payments * British police offer tips on French crime * New short test to drive a moped * New formalities for travel to the USA * Tax on spirits rises to deter drink abuse * Service provides parking alternative * Cpam still refusing access to the CMU * Will my medicines be reimbursed? * How do I get a tetanus booster? * Help for diabetes sufferers * What is diabetes? * More medical prices available online * Top-up insurance costs to rise again * GP switched from UK to France * Presidents embark on global popularity contest via Facebook * New UK- France easyJet flights * Taxi and bus lane links Paris to CDG * Plummeting air fares help fliers * SNCF puts TGV tickets up 3.5% * Ryanair resume flights after subsidy dispute * New ship for Brittany Ferries * ‘Chargeback’ plan secures Flex ticket refunds from SpeedFerries * Making the most of solar power * Check for termite infestations * Protect yourself from non-paying tenants * Interest-free eco loans launch in April * Prices ‘to drop 10% in 2009’ * Free papers for 18-year-olds and €600m to save French press

Help for euro-hit pensioners - UK pensioners in France eligible for benefits as low pound puts them under the poverty line * Houses, loans, dogs, shops, work - all change * Ski resorts buck world financial downturn * Lycée reform delayed a year * Mass strike due for January 29 * Fines for not displaying parking tickets are illegal * Prices of new cars tumble * Race diversity drive launched - Extra tuition for scholarship candidates - many from immigrant backgrounds * Euthanasia should not be allowed, says MPs’ commission * Shops could open 10 Sundays a year * No drop in number of smokers despite ban * Funeral prices to be standardised after rises of 35% in 10 years * Ryanair Toulon flights in doubt * L’Oréal billionairess must prove sanity as she gives $1bn to artist * France forecast to enter recession in early 2009 * Level crossing speed checks a first in Europe * Google launches cinema listings * Google launches cinema listings * Senators push civil partner bill * Horror ‘art’ house must be cleaned up * How equity release works * ‘If Royal had won the party would have become her election machine’ * Bergerac Airport: The engine of the Dordogne * Buggs: Brit boost to car hire sector * An easier way to start your business * Stroll down Paris’ Cinema Street * Just don’t call it ‘French mustard’ * 2008 Review * Houses for sale across France * Portage: Employing you to work for yourself * Hedging your bets with bonds * Special offers as Livret A accounts open to all this month * Your mortgage questions answered * Pension lump sum; keep it in UK * Resident here, assessed here, taxed here * What changes lie ahead for France in 2009? * State healthcare not optional * Top-up fees rise 25% - do we need it? * Can apple-picking entitle us to care? * No more paper statements * New road health booklets launched * Reimbursements for specialists cut * New protection for the vulnerable * ‘Give us our British benefits back’ * Cat group doubles number of rescues * Cancer charity extends network further south * English AA groups tackling alcoholism * Tuning in to life in Brittany with new weekly radio show * Education minister awarded the ‘rug’  * US and France: What’s next? * Lock up offenders from 12 * The news is not just for adults * Minimum service court action ends * Parents compare notes online * Gardening queries * Heating with logs and wood pellets * New rules free up loan insurance * Evicting a non-paying tenant takes 8 weeks in UK, three years in France * Builders must not charge for work not previously agreed upon * Do I have to pay taxe d’habitation on a house I rent out? * Fight the rich expat pension myth * Aspa - help but only if you have contributed to a French pension

Pound’s record low * Aubry wins Socialist leader recount * March deadline to swap to simpler business regime * Notaires’ free advice day, Dec 6 * Cap set on niche fiscale savings * Right to work until 70 introduced * PM unveils world’s most powerful cancer weapon * Cameras to catch red light jumpers * Jobless could double in 2009 * Number plates to keep department * Record number of licences lost * ‘Casse-toi pauvre con’ returns * Senate passes pilot amendment * Drink law threatens wine tasting * Sunday opening may be trialled in big cities * School bans fruit break in obesity crackdown * Funeral costs should be lower * Clive James: I regret not moving to Paris * ‘Lazy boy’ grew to own 35 vineyards * René Cassin: 60 years since Declaration of Human Rights * Meet Mr Chocolate * Preparing cross-border healthcare * Funds to reduce cost of mutuelle * Do I need top up cover on an E121? * Free check-ups for priority patients * European schooling evolving * Jardins d’éveil could teach two-years-olds * Booster lessons help British children * Students must evaluate their university lecturers * Will your Christmas be UK or French style? * Balancing countries, traditions and families * Holiday letting nightmares * December 31 deadline for Taxe d’habitation exemption * Ways to shield your business from the economic downturn * EU secures equal rights for temp workers * Selling on eBay? New status makes it legal * 40% of business creators began while unemployed * Pension contribution period rises again * Six month deadline to contest rupture * Changes in sickness benefit timings * Wide powers for new fraud squad * Interest cut on Livret A in Feb * Cost of living 13% higher in Paris * Low market can protect savings from inflation and interest cuts * Your mortgage questions answered * Has the law been changed for age allowances? * Are we putting annuities in the right tax box? * What point do we take for calculating share losses? * Banks fined for not advising on risks * Missing money must be totally refunded * Do I have to close shutters? * Garage swapped UK lights for... UK lights * Why is paraffin more expensive in France? * How can I report abuse of an animal? * How can I find a counsellor in France? * What to expect in court * Time-limits for legal action tightened up * Income support bonus now e220 * Public service lines now cheaper * Greenhouse gas labelling in shops * You are never obliged to leave a restaurant tip * Internet shopping: Know your rights * Helping hands in hard times * Industry fights to keep low 5.5% VAT renovation rate * Push to double geothermal heating * Change to 20% social housing rule blocked * How do I get the lower rate of VAT? * Underfloor heating: what the Romans did for us * Save money on removals * OAP house-sitters can ward off burglaries * Protect yourself with conditions suspensives * Wiring check; the new diagnostic for 2009 * Ceilings increased to get zero interest loan * Find out if sale price has been reduced * Check out airport ‘noise plans’ * New pre-emptive buy rights for communes

Ryanair pulls out of Toulon in grant row - is your route safe? * Call for ‘hunting day of rest’ * 2009 budget bust before it begins * Annual €12m boost for organic * CCTV in Paris to quadruple * Matches may end if anthem jeered * Speeding foreign cars to be fined at home * Common speeding and licence myths * Shock pics for cigarette packets * Broadband access for all by 2012 * €16 billion for trains to go further, faster * New UK pension top up law could benefit 555,000 women * Sunday trading laws to be reviewed this year * 55% use relaxed working laws * New ferry on Dover Boulogne route * 30,600 jobs to go in civil service * Air cars ready for launch in 2009 * France in EU row over internet piracy laws * New rules planned for civil partners - minister * Fat people are not ‘a scourge’ * ‘Healthy’ French diet hit by rise of the ready meal * French banks to increase lending to boost activity Ideas to make your money go further * Give a home to a ‘dog of war’ * €5.3m refurb of Marie Antoinette’s hideaway * Why we must always remember * Honour for US Navy forces * Help needed for war graves photo project * WWI Verdun battlefields in Unesco heritage status bid * E-form holders at risk of high bills if CPAMs fail to backdate * Free dental treatment for children at six, nine and 15 * Tips to decipher health jargon * How to reduce medicine costs * Do I need to carry an organ donor card? * I have been refused entry to the CMU * Who can help with spinal injuries? * British influx boosts rural schools * Changes for top college * The ins and outs of the country’s media - read all about it * Our strange pastimes helped us make new French friends* Passion for skiing, France and chalets * Save 40% on taxe professionnelle bills * Start up courses in English prove popular * New investment free of taxe professionelle * Phone line to help disabled at work * Equal salaries for men and women * Book balancing still target despite crisis * Free your UK pension * Luxembourg: ahead in the guarantee game * Taxe d’habitation: Second home-owners must pay too * Gas hikes go to shareholders * Helpline costs still too high * We’re not married - Can we get a joint mortgage? * Law limits parental rights to use children’s money * Looking for a buy-to-let arrangement for a gite * Is money earned outside France still taxable here? * What are the ‘tax forms’ I needs for my villa sale? * Whoops; our sums don’t add up for health and tax * Must I pay VAT when I sell my home? * Neighbour’s noisy dog disturbs me * How noisy are air heat pump systems? * How will my assets be taxed after I die * How the court system works * Changes to highway code * How to fill out a car accident form * Free advice from avocats * Cycling accidents: who is to blame? * Good deals on trains in France and UK * High-definition TV is now available free * Embassy is asking expats to register * Check the most and least safe airlines * Internet users get longer to pay fines * Tu kiffes la zik?: Understanding French youngsters when they don’t talk proper-‘like * Changing laws on naming children * British Legion going strong in France * Support the poppy appeal * Heating home by wood saves up to 70% on oil * Find out actual sale prices of homes across France * Helping to find your perfect home * Selling fees are always negotiable * Massive healthcare shake-up in 2009 * Free state French lessons ‘popular’ * French F1 Grand Prix cancelled * SMS fraud service in operation

Free French classes for EU expats - Legal challenge allows EU nationals to attend 200 hours of lessons * Prestigious AOC label vanishing from cheese * Price lists to rank supermarkets - ‘Trolley charts’ will help shoppers compare prices * Union criticises plan for extra English lessons * Hairdressers sign eco-charter * UK police target drivers in Calais * Shop prices up 6.6% since Jan * Spending power fears halt green revolution * Row over new tax to fund income support - Cap on tax-free schemes also promised * Air France could run first AGVs * Doctors to give written quotes * France to get five-star hotels * Dog is ‘witness’ in murder inquiry * Flu jab procedure gets simpler * Legal fight over UK gay couples’ tax rights * Controversial police database is rehauled * Crackdown on health fraud to help budget * Voluntary charity work could replace service militaire * Urgent checks on SNCF cables * Disease attacks chestnut trees * France ‘defies demand to save Lascaux’ * No amnesty for union bribes * 44C summer days by end of century * English forum on farming in France * Cut queues and entry fees at museums * Discover 217 types of arts and crafts * Tap water running ahead as bottle battle continues * Picassos go on display around Paris * ‘Young UMP members are revolutionaries’ * Wine company returns to days of sail * Wine exports drop 8.7% this year * Watered-down law hits free range eggs * How to contest a CPAM decision * Own internet at flagship hospital * Can househusbands get cartes vitales? * Who can help with OAP home costs? * Can I claim a carer’s allowance here? * Lycée in the spotlight for latest reforms * How the lycée works * New student loan now available * Collège pupils ‘bored by school’ * More use of web at secondary level * Healthier schools this rentrée * WWF: Securing the future for wildlife in France * Tuna tagged to chart overfishing * Wolves regain territory from Alps to Pyrenees, to Franche-Comté * Some of the country’s most endangered species * Trials of sketching out an artistic living * Knowledge, reforms and innovation may counter downturn - Know new laws aimed to help * A conseiller juridique can advise businesses * My first year - Time to branch out across France * Employment in the private sector rising * Qualification regime overly complicated * Government to buy into last shipyard * IFA tax to go for small firms in 2009 * Credit crunch: How safe is your bank? * More banks to offer tax-free Livret As * Ministers highlight benefits of Loi Tepa * Your mortgage questions answered * Can we change UK bank without a UK address? * Foreign assets will get five year relief from Wealth Tax * What are the best ways for short-term savings? * Interest rate rises for Livret Jeunes * Take care if carrying large sums of cash * Can I heat my boiler by solar power? * Hague Convention contract challenged * How do I get a blue badge renewed? * Can I get a check done on tractor? * Does anyone help to neuter stray cats? * I’m not satisfied with fees notaire charged * UK adoption law hinders stepchildren inheritance * Agency fights discrimination * Stricter rules on dangerous dogs * Claim your UK winter fuel payment * Make sure you scrap a car legally * Confused about Sarkozy’s reforms? * How to refuse an inheritance * Make sure you have a car safety kit? * Call to take licence disputes out of court * What are the gun laws in France? * Heroes tax aims to stem US financial emigration * Gender-confusion? Look at the ending *  Learning English is important * From custard to condoms - uses of anglais(e) in French * Living in a ‘risk zone’could affect planning * Property sales plunge by 25% * Fuel allowance rises to euro 200 * Still looking for details on equity release? * Solar thermodynamic, the best of both worlds * Consider renting in France to beat low value of pound * Deadline Oct 15 to pay taxe foncière * Refunds to be given for ‘unreliable’ pool alarm * New incentives for energy-efficiency * Change in law for air pump tax rebates angers consumer groups * Measures to boost broadband in flats * Improved options for mortgages ahead * Agencies to advertise energy-efficiency * Residents have to declare their wells * Scientists up and away in flying forest study * Kitsch in Versailles an ‘affront’ * Future of La Poste to be debated as protests rise * Army barracks to house students * Plans for cheaper texts from abroad