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<title><![CDATA[The Connexion News Feeds: News]]></title>
<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com</link>
<copyright>2010 CNX</copyright>
<language>English</language>
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		<title><![CDATA[Limousin cheapest rents in France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/renting-flat-france-cheapest-place-limousin-average-rents-property-market-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE LIMOUSIN has been named the cheapest region in France to rent a home.The Observatoire Clameur, a specialist in the French property rental market, found the average rent in the region is 8.30 pe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rentrée today - strike next week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rentree-back-to-school-children-pupils-teachers-strike-closures-next-week-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWELVE million children go back to school this morning after the summer break - until next week, when teachers go on strike.Unions representing France's 850,000 teachers are to stage their first str...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Beware of 'tax  refund' emails]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Scam-phishing-dgfip-ufc-que-choisir-bank-caf-mcafee-email-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONSUMER group UFC-Que Choisir is warning against scam e-mails purporting to be from bodies such as tax or family allowance authorities.Internet users in particular are being warned to watch out for...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Use extra VAT cash for net blackspots]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Broadband-VAT-triple-play-blackspot-Regions-Iliad-Bouygues-billions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS to increase the VAT on internet-telephone and television packages have sparked calls to use the extra cash to improve internet access in regions with poor networks.The Association des Régions ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sign up to get our weekly newsletter]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/our-weekly-email-newsletter-signup-form-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE CONNEXION publishes a weekly newsletter - delivered free every Friday lunchtime.It is packed with the latest news, practical tips about life in France, What's On events for the weekend and other...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Gas prices frozen for rest of year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gdf-gas-price-freeze-no-increase-october-energy-bills-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S biggest gas supplier, GDF-Suez, has agreed not to raise prices for the rest of the year.Gas bills have soared by almost 15 per cent since the new year, up 10 per cent in April and 4.7 per c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Supermarkets set for wine bargains]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Foire-aux-Vins-supermarkets-bargain-vintage-cheap-sale-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKET giants Carrefour and Casino open this year's Foire aux Vins next Tuesday (Sept 7) with a combined selection of 1,500 wines at eye-popping prices ranging from 1.25 to 445.Online, the ba...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French not to be  trusted with art]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Telegraph-20-Minutes-art-Apsley-Josephine-Oxley-French-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH cannot be trusted to look after valuable works of art, The Telegraph has claimed.The paper, basing itself on a remark made by a curator at the first Duke of Wellingtons London home Aps...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-09-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Superman' dies in Paris balcony fall]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/superman-dies-balcony-fall-Paris-spider-man-Alain-Robert-arrested-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAN dressed as Superman has died after falling from a fourth-floor balcony in Paris.The incident happened around 5.00 on Monday in boulevard de Rochechouart in the ninth arrondissement, during a p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Forest fires hit south of France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/south-france-forest-fires-marseille-toulon-montpellier-cassis-la-ciotat-firefighters-train-delays-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIREFIGHTERS have worked through the night to try to control a series of forest fires in the south of France, near Montpellier and Marseille.The biggest, around Montaud and Saint-Bauzille-de-Montmel...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Abuse fear forces airline child move]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Air-France-unaccompanied-minors-children-sitting-alone-child-abuse-British-Airways-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR FRANCE has moved to protect children travelling alone by putting them in a block of seats by themselves, rather than having them sitting alongside strangers.The move comes after complaints, main...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Scammers send 'Hadopi' emails]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Hadopi-scammers-email-fake-fine-fraud-Eric-Walter-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FAKE emails purporting to be from anti-internet piracy body Hadopi and demanding recipients pay them fines are being sent out by crooks.Hadopi itself has not even sent its first warning email, tho...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Caen port strike: ferries rerouted]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/caen-ferry-port-strike-portsmouth-caen-closed-diverted-le-havre-brittany-ferries-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FERRY services between Portsmouth and Caen are cancelled today because of a strike by port workers.The walkout means the passenger and cargo terminal at Ouistreham is closed all day.A Brittany Fer...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More oral English for lycée pupils]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seconde-lycee-chatel-holiday-courses-oral-english-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALL pupils in the first year of lycée, the seconde, will be offered free holiday courses in oral English this school year.Education minister Luc Chatel made the pledge as he was visiting a group doi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New inquiry over Woerth tax role]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eric-woerth-stoning-comment-bettencourt-loreal-heiress-prosecutor-cour-cassation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LABOUR minister Eric Woerth is being investigated by a senior prosecutor over his connections with L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt and favouritism claims in a land deal.General prosecutor for th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[September issue is on sale now]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/september-issue-on-sale-now-the-connexion-newspaper-english-speakers-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SEPTEMBER edition of Connexion is on sale now in newsagents across France.News:Is discrimination not being tackled in schools?Protest over Saint-Tropez beach closuresWhat Europe thinks of the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Orange builds own iPad to pip Apple]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Orange-Apple-iPad-Google-Android-250-euro-Christmas-3G-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DESPITE being the second-biggest seller of iPhones in the world, Orange is taking on Apple with plans to launch its own 250 version of the iPad tablet before Christmas.The French mobile giant is sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Jet flypast scares chickens to death]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/low-flying-fighter-planes-kill-chickens-law-suit-french-defence-ministry-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FARMER in Brittany is suing the French defence ministry claiming a low-altitude fly past by their planes scared 5,000 of his chickens to death.Etienne Le Méhauté, who owns a chicken farm with 68,0...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Train firm sells  its old seats]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Thalys-seat-bin-train-ebay-sale-auction-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CROSS-BORDER train company Thalys is auctioning off the contents of its trains from seats to bins.The online  eBay sale , is designed to draw attention to the renovation of its stock and is, accordi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[U-turn on student benefit cutbacks]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/student-housing-benefit-tax-breaks-parents-university-france-cutbacks-abandoned-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has abandoned plans to cut back on student housing benefits and tax breaks for parents, after the move was condemned by unions.The cutbacks, announced last month, would have forced pa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Brive-Manchester flights in 2011]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/jet2-summer-air-link-brive-dordogne-manchester-uk-flights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW air route from Brive to Manchester is to launch next summer - the second UK air link for France's newest airport.Budget airline Jet2 will operate two return flights a week from May 21 to Septe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[3,600 complaints over gas bills]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gdf-suez-france-gas-complaints-over-billing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 3,600 customers have lodged complaints with France's energy watchdog over the billing practices of GDF-Suez.The focus of most complaints is the company's policy of over-estimating the amou...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Income support for young workers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rsa-income-support-france-youth-under-25-applications-work-welfare-unemployment-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[UNDER-25s in low-paid jobs will be allowed to apply for income support for the first time next week.The government is extending the revenu de solidarité active (RSA) to include young workers. Until ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[EU says no change in broadband bills]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Broadband-prices-unchanged-France-EU-VAT-ruling-consumers-ISPs-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONSUMERS should not have to pay any more because of VAT changes on all-inclusive internet, phone and TV packages, the EU says. The commission has told France to change its VAT regime which allows t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[State backs new GM vine trial]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/GM-vines-genetically-modified-Colmar-Alsace-Pecresse-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A CROP of genetically modified vines in Alsace which were destroyed by eco-activists will be replanted with full government support.Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire and Research Minister Valérie ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Chirac to settle Paris jobs claim]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/jacques-chirac-ump-nicolas-sarkozy-paris-city-council-fake-jobs-claim-mairie-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER French president Jacques Chirac and the governing UMP party have reportedly offered to pay 2.2m in damages to Paris city council to settle a corruption claim dating back more than 15 years.J...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Muslims upset over Sarko Ramadan hoax]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/President-Sarkozy-Muslim-Ramadan-internet-hoax-coffee-croissants-CNN-attack-faith-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozy has been the subject of an internet hoax saying French Muslims should still enjoy their morning coffee and croissant during Ramadan  which was carried as a true story by several Ara...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tragic rise in pet abandonments]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Animal-abandonment-Brigitte-Bardot-pets-summer-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[IT HAS been a "catastrophic summer" for abandoned animals, says TV channel TF1.The number of abandoned pets has never been so high: up 25% on last year. Animal shelters are overwhelmed and associati...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New rail station creche launches]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-railway-station-creche-commuter-parents-children-working-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has opened its first railway creche, allowing parents to leave children at their local station on the way to work.The service in the Loire commuter town of Roanne, north-east of Lyon, has b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ferry firm drops Boulogne route]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Dover-Boulogne-ferry-firm-halts-service-passengers-LD-Lines-September-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FERRY company LD Lines is ending its Dover-Boulogne passenger service after failing to get the traffic expected when it launched the route less than two years ago.Its ferries Norman Bridge and Norma...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Race row supporter quits UMP party]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Amine-Benalia-Brouch-quits-UMP-Sarkozy-race-politics-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A UMP supporter who unwittingly rose to prominence after a race row has quit the party, blaming Nicolas Sarkozy's divisive policies on national identity.Amine Benalia-Brouch, whose meeting with the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pope tells French to respect gypsies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/pope-tells-france-follow-jesus-rethink-repatriation-gypsies-romania-hortefeux-sarkozy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE POPE has joined criticism of Frances repatriation of gypsies, saying Jesus acted to bring together "men from every nation and every language".Speaking in French to pilgrims at his summer reside...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Trains disrupted by Dijon closure]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rail-services-cancelled-disruption-rerouted-dijon-replacement-buses-beaune-sncf-train-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RAIL services through the east of France are disrupted for the next two days because the main line through Dijon has been closed for construction work.Track operator Reseau Ferré de France has decid...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lycée textbooks six weeks late]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lycee-students-school-textbooks-delayed-late-six-weeks-curriculum-reform-printers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HALF a million schoolchildren will start lycée next week without textbooks because of a printing delay.Fifteen-year-olds starting seconde - the first year of lycée - have been told they may have to ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Crocodile alert closes beaches]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Crocodile-alert-closes-beaches-swim-red-flag-Boulogne-Voix-du-Nord-Riviera-shark-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BEACHES were closed after reports that a crocodile had been seen in the water at Boulogne-sur-Mer.The warning, which came just days after a shark alert on beaches on the Riviera, came in a letter dr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lawyer fakes entire court case]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/solicitor-fake-sexual-assault-case-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LAWYER has admitted faking the pursuit of a two-year sexual assault case, forging documents and judgments and attending non-existent hearings on behalf of a couple in the south of France.The fraud...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Security breach at the Elysée]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Elysee-Renault-Clio-mentally-ill-president-car-intruder-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MENTALLY-ILL homeless man was allowed to drive through security checks at the Elysée Palace by placing a blue flashing light on his dashboard.The 36-year-old approached the main gates of the presi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Gypsies being flown home]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gypsies-xenophobia-Romania-Hortefeux-charter-planes-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AS FRANCE prepares to send three charter planes to eastern Europe expelling gypsies, the governments sudden crackdown on this racial group is causing concern.Today a chartered plane is expected to ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cheap fruit and veg on sale today]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cheap-fruit-vegetables-market-today-paris-farmers-sell-direct-public-food-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FARMERS are to sell 40 tonnes of fresh fruit and veg direct to the public today, to protest against phenomenal supermarket profit margins and the low prices they are paid for their produce.Produce...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Children get first holiday in Paris]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Children-youngsters-first-holiday-Paris-tourist-Secours-Populaire-Vacances-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NEARLY 40,000 children who do not get away on holiday have arrived in Paris from all over France and Europe for a special day of activities.A large picnic has been organised on the Champ-de-Mars at ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[18-game ban ends Anelka's career]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Anelka-ban-ends-France-international-football-career-Chelsea-Evra-Ribery-Toulalan-Abidal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE and Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has been banned for 18 games after the World Cup fiasco that saw the international teams humiliating exit after scoring only one goal.Anelka, team captain ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[School supplies slightly up]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/School-supplies-rentree-back-to-school-cost-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE cost of equipping a child to start secondary school is slightly up this year at 175.33, according to the association Familles de France.The body, which carries out a study before the rentrée (r...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Estrosi backs down on mayor comments]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/christian-estrosi-fines-for-mayors-fight-crime-lax-controversy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAYOR of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has had to clarify comments he made in an interview in which he appeared to suggest fining lax mayors.The suggestion, made in the Journal du Dimanche last wee...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France.fr returns after launch bug]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-website-back-online-relaunched-after-bug-server-problems-launch-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW official website providing information about France in five languages including English is finally back online, a month after it crashed on launch.France.fr went live with much fanfare on July...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Shark scare shuts Riviera beaches]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Shark-Riviera-beach-closed-scare-fin-Cagnes-Nice-dolphin-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THREE Riviera beaches were closed in a shark scare after swimmers said they had seen a fin less than 100metres from the shore.Lifeguards went out to check in their inflatable and spotted a two-metre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Activists destroy GM vines]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/GM-vines-genetically-modified-eco-activists-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FIELD of genetically-modified vines has been destroyed by eco-activists in Colmar, Alsace.The trial of the GM plants had restarted in May after the vines were damaged by an activist following a co...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France football bans vuvuzelas]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-football-bans-vuvuzela-horn-premier-league-ligue-1-matches-spectators-safety-noise-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOOTBALL fans in France are to be banned from bringing vuvuzela horns to top-league matches from this season.French football body the Ligue de Football Professionnel has banned the noisy instruments...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet accused again on disabled]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Easyjet-accused-discrimination-on-disabled-paraplegic-refused-flights-France-Halde-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO paraplegics are taking low-cost airline Easyjet to the Halde anti-discrimination body after being barred from flights in France because they were travelling alone.One, a 60-year-old woman, was s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[UN slams French prejudice]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/UN-criticism-racism-prejudice-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE UNITED Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has criticised the French government for a lack of political will' in tackling mounting acts of racism.The timing of a repor...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[OAP jailed for shooting gypsies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/protests-OAP-jailed-for-shooting-gypsy-intruders-Front-National-Le-Pen-Beziers-UMP-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRIENDS, neighbours and politicians have reacted with fury after a 73-year-old was kept in jail for firing his rifle at two gypsies he found on his property.Retired market gardener René Galinier is ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[80% of new jobs are temporary]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/temp-workers-interim-employment-growth-short-term-contracts-pole-emploi-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH employers are starting to recruit again, but almost all of the contracts available are temporary, new figures reveal.The number of temp workers has grown by 24.8% in a year to 600,000 accordi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Milk farmers to meet dairies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Milk-prices-farmers-unions-dairies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ANGRY milk producers are expected to meet big dairy firms today in a bid to restart negotiations over the prices paid for their milk.They accuse some of the firms of stealing from them by not payi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Height and weight rule axed for cops]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-allows-short-fat-police-officers-height-weight-rules-scrapped-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HEIGHT and weight requirements for police officers and other uniformed services have been scrapped.Until yesterday officers in France needed to be at least 1.60m tall, not obese and have decent eloc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Plain cigarette packets considered]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/plain-cigarette-packets-smoking-draft-law-logos-colours-banned-shock-images-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CIGARETTE manufacturers and tobacconists have reacted with anger to a proposed law that would ban logos and other branding from packets sold in France.An MP in Nicolas Sarkozys governing UMP party ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy 'hooligan' headline outrage]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-hooligan-row-marianne-magazine-france-voyou-de-la-republique-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE POLITICAL right is outraged after current affairs magazine Marianne published a sinister-looking photo of President Sarkozy on its cover with a headline describing him as a "hooligan".The cover,...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Deal for Dordogne fraud victims]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Dordogne-victims-in-two-million-euro-fraud-settlement-with-Societe-Generale-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOCIETE Générale is thought to have reached a deal over a 2 million claim by victims of conman Graham Templeton.The banks press office says it is still in negotiations but it is thought to have ag...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sunday trading law marks one year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sunday-trading-opening-france-shopping-one-year-limited-effect-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RELAXED Sunday trading laws have had a limited effect one year after they first came into practice.The changes were originally planned to give more flexibility to shops and boost the economy, but op...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Bid to improve Paris taxi image]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-taxi-drivers-worst-in-world-rude-costs-new-english-exam-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARIS cabbies are to sit tougher entry exams and a new compulsory English test after the citys taxi service was voted one of the worst in the world.An online poll of 1,900 travellers by hotels.com ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Too few pickers for grape harvest]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Shortage-grape-harvest-too-few-pickers-vendange-beaujolais-champagne-vineyard-wine-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[VINEYARDS and Pôle Emploi employment offices say they are thousands of workers short of the numbers needed to cope with next months vendange grape harvest.There will be few French heading to join t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Connexion's new contact details]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/connexion-office-closed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONNEXION is back from its summer break, and we have new contact details.For advertising and subscriptions:Call us freephone from France on 0800 91 77 56Or at 4p/min in the UK on 0844 256 9881Fo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Foreign tourists return to France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tourism-summer-france-foreign-holidays-weak-euro-hotels-campsites-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOREIGN tourists have come back to France this summer after a disappointing 2009, early figures have revealed.According to tourism research body Protourisme, the weak euro has boosted the number of ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Electricity prices to rise Aug 15]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/electricity-prices-to-rise-august-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ELECTRICITY prices will rise from August 15 by an average of 3.4%The price rises apply to government-fixed tariffs.The tarifs bleus (householders) will rise 3%, the tarifs bleus pros (professionals...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-08-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cash-strapped city ends Euro 2016 bid]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Strasbourg-Euro-2016-blow-abandon-finance-stadium-Meinau-Racing-Club-Ries-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STRASBOURG has pulled out of its bid to host games in the Euro 2016 football championships as it cannot afford to renovate the Meinau stadium.Mayor Roland Ries said they had to withdraw as the town...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Worst jams of year this weekend ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Worst-traffic-jams-summer-rush -view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THIS weekend will be the worst for travelling in France, according to road monitor Bison Futé.The annual migration of juillettistes (July holidaymakers heading home) and aoûtiens (August travellers ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ryanair launches new Paris routes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Ryanair-new-routes-Morocco-Italy-low-cost-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RYANAIR will be running five new services from Paris Beauvais from November.The new destinations are in Morocco and Italy: Fez (three flights a week), Marrakech (four a week), Nador (two a week), Ta...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[August issue hits newsagents now]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/August-edition-out-now-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE AUGUST edition of Connexion is out in newsagents now. Here are just some of the things inside:Property: Planning permission - How to lose 5 million when renovating a chateau.Take the plunge: ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Crackdown on gypsy camps for 3 months]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Illegal-Gypsy-camps-to-close-Brice-Hortefeux-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAJORITY of illegal gypsy camps in France will be closed within three months, the interior minister has announced.Following a special meeting with President Sarkozy, Interior Minister Brice Hort...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Funding deal for Iter sun project]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/funding-deal-for-Iter-project-south-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN EXTRA 1.4bn euros has been granted towards the Iter reactor project in the south of France.The project, based in Cadarache near Manosque, will seek to replicate nuclear fusion, the process behind...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Man diagnosed with rat infection]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Swimming-ban-rat-disease-Weil-Sarlat-Dordogne-river-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SWIMMING has been banned in the Céou river near Sarlat in Dordogne after a man was diagnosed with Weils disease, which is caused by rats.The man, the manager of a campsite at Bouzic, caught the dis...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Watchdog says no to iPhone 4]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/iphone-antenna-fault-stop-consumer-recommendation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONSUMER watchdog UFC-Que Choisir has declined to recommend the new iPhone 4 to readers of its magazine.The association, the equivalent of the UK's Which? group, said that despite good performance i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Water restrictions in 32 departments]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Water-restrictions-hosepipe-ban-departments-prefecture-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WATER restrictions are now in force in 32 French departments.The west of France is especially concerned, from the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the south-west to all of the Poitou-Charentes and...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Speed radar signs will be 2km ahead]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/speed-camera-signs-France-change-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE first batch of new speed radar warning signs, which will be placed up to 2km ahead of the actual cameras, will go up next month.The new signs, which carry the words pour votre sécurité, contrôl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Websites accused over police abuse]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Brice-Hortefeux-defamation-charges-websites-Grenoble-assassins-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERIOR minister Brice Hortefeux has filed a complaint against two internet sites, accusing them of vitriolic attacks on the police by calling them assassins.The two sites juralibertaire.over-blo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Race bias claim at holiday venues]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/undercover-operation-exposes-racism-prejudice-Antibes-Cagnes-racism-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN UNDERCOVER operation by an anti-racism group has exposed racism at some bars and clubs on campsites in the south of France.SOS Racisme found two campsites and three clubs in the Alpes-Maritimes, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No more bears for Pyrenees]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Bears-Pyrenees-Chantal-Jouanno-Ecology-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS to reintroduce more bears into the Pyrenees will be abandoned, says Ecology Minister Chantal Jouanno.Following news that two new cubs were born last winter, the minister is hoping the bear pop...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Marseille forest  fire extinguished]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Bouches-du-Rhone-Marseille-forest-fire-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FOREST fire which burned 900 hectares of land in the Bouches-du-Rhône has been extinguished.Investigators believe it was started when a stolen 4x4 was set on fire in a forest bordering the Etang d...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tax checks raise half billion less]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Tax-checks-investigations-money-recuperated-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHECKS by the authorities on income tax declarations brought in half a billion euros less than last year an official report shows.The amount recuperated, 14.7bn, is down from 15.2bn in 2008 and 1...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF 'risked lives as air-con broken']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Bruno-Kern-SNCF-air-conditioning-train-Belfort-40C-sun-heatwave-danger-lives-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has been accused of putting travellers lives in danger by running trains without air-conditioning in heatwave conditions.Deputy mayor of Belfort and lawyer Bruno Kern has lodged a complain...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Motorway drivers in concrete attack]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/motorway-drivers-unharmed-concrete-blocks-a4-cars-damaged-attack-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS on a motorway in the north of Paris have had a lucky escape after a saboteur threw blocks of concrete at them from a bridge.The incident happened at about 5.00 on Thursday morning blocked th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France.fr down until late August]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-official-flagship-website-down-until-late-august-crash-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S flagship website, which crashed within hours of launching last week, will remain unavailable until at least the end of August.The government says it is switching to a more reliable web host...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[MPs face fines for absenteeism]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-mps-face-fines-for-absenteeism-missed-meetings-accountability-parliament-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST 100 French MPs are facing fines totalling a quarter of a million euros for failing to turn up to meetings in parliament, new research has claimed.Political accountability group Regards Citoye...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Civil partner wins tax refund ruling]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/refund-for-civil-partner-inheritance-tax-bill-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRENCH court has ordered the tax authorities to pay back inheritance tax paid by a British man after his civil partner died.Jerry Lea has so far paid instalments of £31,800 on a £98,000 bill after...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Eurostar set to buy new trains]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eurostar-new-trains-german-siemens-alstom-replacement-2012-london-olympics-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EUROSTAR is in talks with German manufacturer Siemens to renew its fleet of cross-Channel trains from 2012, according to reports.Le Figaro says the train operator wants to replace some of its ageing...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy traveller speech sparks row]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/travellers-nicolas-sarkozy-scapegoat-human-rights-groups-war-on-crime-riot-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HUMAN rights groups have accused Nicolas Sarkozy of stigmatising travellers after he announced a clearout of France's illegal campsites following a riot at the weekend.The president has called a mee...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Growing numbers paying wealth tax]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/wealth-tax-isf-declarations-growing-numbers-declaration-rich-economic-crisis-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of people required to pay wealth tax in France has grown by about 4% this year, despite the economic crisis.Provisional figures from the budget ministry show 562,000 people made a wealth ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air traffic strike affecting flights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/airline-plane-flights-to-from-france-delayed-cancelled-air-traffic-controllers-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOLIDAYMAKERS planning to fly to or from France are facing delays and cancellations today because of a strike by air traffic controllers.Five unions representing civil aviation workers are on strike...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pensions debate leaks on Twitter]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/state-pensions-retirement-reform-debate-secret-mps-twitter-leak-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOCIALIST MPs have taken to Twitter to provide a blow-by-blow commentary of secret parliamentary discussions on a controversial pensions reform law.The new legislation, which would potentially see t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Students condemn 'illegal' uni fees]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-university-first-year-student-registration-fees-union-report-excessive-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST a third of universities are charging excessive fees to first-year students due to start this autumn, France's national student union has claimed.National body Unef has named 28 universities t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Old-age insurance to meet care costs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/over-50s-france-compulsory-insurance-dependency-old-age-care-home-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[OVER-50s living in France could be required to take out compulsory insurance to help pay for their future care needs, a parliamentary report has recommended.The National Assembly's social affairs co...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[List of smoke-free terrasses planned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bars-cafes-restaurants-no-smoking-outside-terrasses-online-list-website-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW website is due to launch in the autumn listing all of the cafes and restaurants in France that no longer allow smoking on their terrasse.Anti-smoking group Droits des Non-Fumeurs (DNF) is plan...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris Plages back for another year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-plages-festival-sand-banks-river-seine-bassin-la-villette-beach-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE BANK of the River Seine in Paris has been transformed into a beach once again for the ninth annual Plages festival, which opens today.Construction firm and event sponsor Lafarge has spent five d...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Heatwave loan for Paris residents]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-heatwave-loans-air-conditioning-home-help-credit-municipal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RESIDENTS in Paris are being offered a special loan to help pay for air-conditioning during a heatwave.The new scheme, run by the Crédit Muncipal de Paris, can also be used to pay for home help for ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fake ministry site promises Haiti aid]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fake-website-haiti-aid-france-foreign-ministry-independence-debt-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH foreign ministry is considering legal action against a campaign group that set up a copycat website announcing a multi-billion-euro aid package for Haiti.Diplomatiegov.fr used the same de...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Taxi protest hits Paris CDG airport]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-charles-de-gaulle-airport-taxi-drivers-protest-access-disruptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAVELLERS using Paris Charles de Gaulle airport today should allow extra time for their journey because of a protest by taxi drivers.Several hundred drivers are planning to bring disruption to Fran...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Chateaux, forests and dunes for sale]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/for-sale-chateaux-forests-sand-dunes-farms-hopitaux-de-paris-property-land-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO chateaux, a sports stadium and a group of sand dunes have been put up for sale by Paris's hospital authorities to help plug a funding shortfall.Hôpitaux de Paris is trying to find buyers for hun...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Food makers agree to use less salt]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-food-manufacturers-brands-agree-salt-level-cut-recipe-changes-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NINETEEN of France's biggest food manufacturers have signed a deal with the government promising to cut the amount of salt they use in products.Brands including Findus, McCain and Fleury-Michon are ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[60,000 new creche places by 2016]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/creche-places-france-60000-extra-capacity-municipal-childcare-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN EXTRA 60,000 creche places are to be created around France between now and 2016 to help cope with growing demand.The Caisse Nationale d'Allocations Familiales has announced the 330m plan to incr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Villagers sing for right to broadband]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/village-rural-france-pop-song-video-campaign-broadband-internet-access-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROUP of rural residents in Franche-Comté angered by the lack of broadband internet access in their village have released a pop song and video to raise awareness of their campaign.The villagers in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-16</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Car arson figures to be kept secret]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/arson-attacks-france-burning-cars-bastille-day-new-years-eve-figures-banned-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE have been ordered to stop publishing the number of arson attacks on cars every Bastille Day and New Year's Eve in an attempt to limit the French public holiday tradition.According to Le Figar...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-16</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu jab campaign 'failed']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-vaccination-campaign-failure-france-parliamentary-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S swine flu vaccination scheme was a "failure", with millions of doses having to be thrown away or cancelled, an official parliamentary investigation has concluded.A new report by MPs and sen...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Storms disrupt fête nationale]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/violent-storms-france-bastille-national-day-rain-wind-one-dead-homes-electricity-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONE man has died and thousands of homes left without electricity in violent storms in the north-east of France that disrupted the fête nationale celebrations.Winds of up to 146kph were reported in t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Air France signs Flybe sharing deal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flybe-air-france-sharing-deal-flights-uk-france-airport-links-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR passengers in France will be able to mix and match between Flybe and Air France routes under a new sharing deal due to launch in the autumn.The two airlines have agreed to begin marketing each o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[France website crashes on launch]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/France-website-information-in-English-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW official website providing information about France in five languages including English has launched - and promptly crashed.France.fr went live this morning to coincide with the fête nationale...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-14</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Burqa ban moves one step closer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/national-assembly-france-mps-burqa-veil-ban-law-passed-majority-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE has moved one step closer to banning women from wearing the burqa in public, after the draft law was passed by a large majority of MPs.The National Assembly adopted the text at first reading ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-14</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Bank card fraud continues to grow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-bank-card-fraud-online-transactions-growing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of fraud cases involving French bank cards has risen for the second year running, with online fraud on French sites up almost a quarter, new figures reveal.The Observatoire de la Sécurité...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-14</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Bank in court over 'misleading' ads]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/caisse-epargne-criminal-charges-misleading-advertising-investment-double-money-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRENCH bank that promised to double investors' money in just six years has become the first in the country to face criminal charges for misleading advertising.The Caisse d'Epargne's Doubl'ô accoun...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No tax rises, no pensions U-turn]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-tax-rises-bouclier-fiscal-wealth-tax-pensions-reform-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy has promised a tax freeze for all households and warned that France risked losing wealthy people to other countries if it taxed them more.In a live TV interview last night, he also d...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-13</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Livret A rate rise confirmed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/livret-a-interest-rates-increase-august-confirmed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S most popular tax-free savings account, the Livret A, will pay out 1.75% interest from next month after a year of record low rates.The rise from the current 1.25% brings an end to the worst ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-13</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[New rules on canteen food]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-canteen-food-new-law-legal-limits-fried-food-fruit-vegetables-salt-sugar-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SCHOOL canteens are to be required by law to serve less fried food and more fruit and veg by the end of this year.The new agricultural and fishing reform law, passed yesterday, sets a limit of one f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-13</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy faces TV grilling tonight]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-president-tv-interview-tonight-party-donations-pensions-reform-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy is to make a rare pre-summer holiday primetime TV appearance tonight to answer questions about party donations and his pensions reform plan.The president will face an hour-long grill...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-12</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Storm warning for 41 departments]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/storm-alert-warning-centre-north-east-france-paris-meteo-france-weather-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[VIOLENT storms are forecast today in 41 departments in the centre and east of France, including Paris.Heavy rain and strong winds that arrived from the Atlantic coast last night will reach the capit...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-12</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[71% say France is 'in decline']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-in-decline-survey-public-opinion-quality-of-life-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEVEN out of ten French people consider their country to be "in decline", a new survey has revealed.The Ifop poll of 958 adults by the Journal du Dimanche found 71% considered France was getting wor...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No repeat of 2003 heatwave - yet]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/heatwave-france-paris-alsace-lyon-not-same-scale-as-2003-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[METEO France has extended its heatwave alert to Paris and Alsace and has warned that temperatures nationwide will remain higher than seasonal average for most of this weekend.However the weather for...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-09</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Eurostar delayed after line closure]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eurostar-delays-cancellations-line-closure-fire-tunnel-ebbsfleet-london-paris-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EUROSTAR services are running with delays this morning following a technical problem that stopped trains for more than three hours yesterday evening.The UK's high-speed line was closed after a drive...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-09</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Legal ruling for gay parents]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gay-couples-adopt-child-parent-rights-legal-first-court-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE's supreme court has made a first step towards legally recognising the parental rights of gay couples.The Cour de Cassation has ruled that a French woman whose American partner gave birth to a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-09</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Visa applications slow and unclear]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/visa-france-live-work-stay-application-process-embassies-consulates-immigration-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GROWING numbers of non-EU nationals are finding it impossible to get a visa to live and work in France, a new report has claimed.Immigration support charity Cimade said the "Kafkaesque" application ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-08</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Heatwave alert in Lyon and Rhône]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/heatwave-alert-lyon-rhone-valley-france-high-temperatures-summer-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE RHÔNE department has been officially placed on heatwave alert from midday today.Météo France has issued an "orange" warning for the area around Lyon until tomorrow morning at the earliest.Temp...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-08</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[SNCF considering 'low-cost' model]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-trains-france-low-cost-tickets-prices-tgv-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF is considering the introduction of a new low-cost ticketing model for all of its long-distance TGV services from 2012.According to Les Echos, the French rail operator wants to offer more fl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-08</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Positive signs for road death figures]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/road-deaths-accidents-down-in-june-safety-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of people killed on French roads last month has fallen by almost 20% in a year, new figures reveal.The June data, ahead of the peak summer travel season, shows 328 deaths on the road netw...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-08</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[World Cup blamed for cinema flop]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fete-du-cinema-attendance-figures-down-world-cup-hot-weather-blamed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOT weather and the World Cup have been blamed for poor attendance figures at this year's Fête du Cinéma.Figures released by the Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français show a 30% decline in ticke...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-07</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Bac pass rates down on 2009]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/baccalaureat-exam-pass-rate-down-this-year-early-figures-students-tests-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of students passing the baccalauréat has fallen this year, early figures suggest.The pass rate for the general bac exams was 74.6%, down 3.6 points on last year.The full set of results ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-07</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Cuts to benefits  in new budget ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/social-benefits-student-housing-disability-home-help-cut-income-support-rsa-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FINANCIAL incentives for hiring home help, aid for the disabled and student housing benefits are to be reduced in a new round of government spending cuts.Budget Minister François Baroin has announce...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-07</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Children made to crawl for lunch]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-canteen-chef-made-children-crawl-for-lunch-picnic-children-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROUP of parents are calling for a school chef to be sacked after he made pupils crawl on the ground to get their lunch.The canteen worker, who has not been named, is alleged to have "humiliated" ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-07</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Politicians are 'mostly corrupt']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-politicians-mostly-corrupt-survey-ministers-excessive-spending-resignation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than six out of ten French people believe their country's politicians are "mostly corrupt", a new poll has revealed.The Viavoice survey for Libération found 64% did not trust the political clas...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-06</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[A&E worst in waiting time test]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/public-service-waiting-times-revealed-hospital-wards-letter-replies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAJORITY of accident and emergency patients have to wait at least two hours to be treated, a new report on the efficiency of French public services has revealed.The study found only 45% of Urgen...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-06</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Online bac exam results delayed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/baccalaureat-results-online-delay-strike-school-it-workers-students-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BACCALAUREAT students are facing a nerve-wracking wait for their results to be published online this morning due to a strike by school IT staff.About 80% of workers responsible for publishing the re...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-06</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Teachers to strike on September 6-7]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/secondary-school-teachers-strike-france-september-rentree-college-lycee-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SECONDARY school teachers have announced plans to walk out on a two-day strike in September - just days after the start of the new academic year.The biggest teaching union, Snes-FSU, says it members...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-06</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Small hospitals to stop operations]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hospitals-closure-france-operating-theatres-maternity-wards-health-ministry-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 50 hospitals around France could have their operating theatres and maternity wards closed because they do not treat enough patients.According to the Journal du Dimanche, the Health Ministr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-05</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Trains restored after power cut]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/trains-paris-austerlitz-south-west-france-spain-lightning-strike-power-cut-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN services on one of the key routes out of Paris have returned to normal today after a power cut left 40,000 passengers stranded over the weekend.Routes out of the Gare d'Austerlitz were complet...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-05</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Cigarette price cut 'a scandal']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/smoking-cigarette-prices-cut-tobacco-health-ministry-anger-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TAXES on cigarettes could be increased further to retaliate against a price cut by manufacturers that comes into effect today.British American Tobacco has announced it is dropping the price of a pac...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-05</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[SNCF cracks down on fare-dodgers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-fare-ticket-dodgers-fake-addresses-fines-database-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has launched a new campaign to target the million fare-dodgers each year who refuse to pay their fine.The rail operator is looking at new ways of handing out fines and automatically checkin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-05</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Post offices slow and inefficient]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/postal-system-la-poste-france-post-offices-slow-inefficient-delivery-times-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE POSTAL system in France is still too slow and inefficient despite billions of euros of public investment, a report by auditors has concluded.The Cour des Comptes said the way La Poste was organi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-02</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Ségolène Royal says no to 2012]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/segolene-royal-martine-aubry-dominique-strauss-kahn-socialist-presidential-election-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER presidential candidate Ségolène Royal has said she will not run against Martine Aubry or Dominique Strauss-Kahn if they decide to seek nomination for the 2012 presidential campaign.In an inte...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-02</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Restaurants' VAT cut here to stay]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/restaurants-vat-cut-tax-break-prices-jobs-government-no-change-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has refused to scrap a controversial tax break for restaurants described by one consumer group as a "proven failure".The VAT rate cut from 19.6% to 5.5%, which came into force a year ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-02</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Summer getaway starting today]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/summer-holidays-roads-train-planes-busy-motorway-delays-travel-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS are being advised to postpone setting off on holiday from big cities until Sunday if possible to avoid the worst of the traffic jams on the first weekend of the summer break.The school holid...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-02</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Free comes top for customer service ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/free-internet-service-provider-france-customer-service-technical-problems-research-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FREE has come top in an official league table of French internet service providers providing the best customer service.Telecoms regulator Arcep has published figures for the first time comparing eac...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-01</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Small earthquake on Vendée border]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/earthquake-vendee-deux-sevres-emergency-calls-no-injuries-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 has hit parts of the Vendée and Deux-Sèvres - the region's fifth in a decade.The quake was felt by residents within a 40-50km radius of Fontenay-le-Comte, on th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-01</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Loneliness affects one in ten people]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/solitude-report-fondation-de-france-loneliness-one-in-ten-people-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONE in ten people in France lives in solitude and a quarter have only the most basic links to family or friends, a new report has revealed.The Fondation de France estimates that four million adults ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Price changes in  force for July 1]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/price-changes-gas-mobile-roaming-stamps-public-transport-today-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[JULY 1 brings with it a series of changes to prices - some up, some down - ahead of the school summer holidays which begin tomorrow.Public transportSNCF train fares go up by an average of 2.5% this...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-07-01</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Sarko told to stop football meddling]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-government-football-interference-meddling-world-cup-fifa-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE has been warned it could be banned from international football tournaments because of government interference in the game.World football body Fifa has sent what it says is a "clear and clean ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-30</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['Exam cheating is widespread']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cheating-exams-french-education-schools-universities-widespread-research-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than two-thirds of students admit they cheat in exams, a new poll has revealed.The study by two French academics, Pascal Guibert and Christophe Michaut, claims to be the first major research in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-30</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Call to scrap free overseas schooling]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/international-overseas-french-lycees-fees-charging-free-scheme-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FREE schooling for French lycée pupils studying abroad could be axed to save money.A parliamentary committee has recommended that France's network of 240 overseas lycées go back to charging fees, sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-30</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Victims' anger as conman is freed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/graham-templeton-freed-jail-conman-dordogne-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROUP of British expats in the Dordogne who lost 2m to a conman say they are still fighting to get their money back and are angry that the fraudster has been released from jail early.A year after...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-30</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Occupation police records go online]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-digitise-police-records-archives-nazi-occupation-vichy-regime-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EVERY police document from France's time under Nazi occupation is to be digitised and published online.Thousands of cardboard boxes of documents currently stored in a basement in the Musée de la Pol...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-29</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy targets excessive spending]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/spending-cuts-french-state-government-budget-nicolas-sarkozy-ministers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH government is to cut back its spending on official cars and ministerial accommodation under new austerity measures announced by Nicolas Sarkozy.The president has written to Prime Minister...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Summer sales start June 30]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/summer-sales-soldes-france-five-weeks-june-30-august-7-exceptions-shopping-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SUMMER sales begin in most parts of France tomorrow - June 30 - despite complaints from several retailers that an earlier state date was needed this year.Items in many shops will be heavily disc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Seine current to make electricity]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-water-turbines-river-seine-renewable-energy-produce-electricity-currents-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARIS city council has announced plans to install water turbines in the Seine to make electricity.Four sites have been identified for the experiment along the central stretch of the river, with each...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Course changes raise textbook row]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cost-textbooks-lycee-students-to-rise-dispute-funding-regional-councils-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DISPUTE over who should pay for secondary school textbooks could add at least 100 to the cost of going back to school for many families this year.Parents whose children are due to start lycée thi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-28</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[3 cinema deal all this week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fete-du-cinema-cheap-films-tickets-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than four million cut-price cinema tickets are up for grabs all this week in the summer Fête du Cinéma.The scheme allows film fans to buy one ticket and receive a passport offering entry to any...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hadopi warnings due in September]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hadopi-online-web-piracy-illegal-downloading-warning-emails-ready-september-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WEB anti-piracy body Hadopi has confirmed it is finally ready to begin work, with the first warning emails to illegal downloaders due in September.The official decrees that are necessary for Hadopi ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Train fares rise for summer break]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rail-travel-france-tickets-fares-prices-increase-corail-ter-sncf-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN fares are to rise by an average of 2.5% from Thursday, hitting passengers ahead of next weekend's big summer holiday getaway.The price hike applies to Corail and Intercités long-distance servi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hacker avoids jail for Twitter attack]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/twitter-accounts-hack-french-hacker-croll-avoids-jail-barack-obama-britney-spears-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRENCH hacker who broke into social networking site Twitter - including the accounts of Barack Obama and Britney Spears - has avoided time in jail.François Cousteix, known as Hacker Croll, used th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tougher flood laws planned for 2011]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flood-zones-maps-building-construction-banned-var-floods-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW map outlining the parts of France where construction is banned because of a flood risk will be published in the new year, it has been announced.The Ecology Ministry is working on redrawing the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Student grants unfair and slow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/student-grants-university-funding-france-unfair-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GROWING numbers of students are being denied grants to study at university, according to an official report.France's education ombudsman, Monique Sassier, says in her annual report that the current ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Teachers, trains and buses strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/june-24-strike-schools-teachers-trains-buses-public-transport-sncf-ratp-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than half of primary school teachers are on strike today - the biggest industrial action of this academic year, according to unions.The biggest teaching union, SNUipp-FSU, said 52.5% of its mem...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy cancels summer party]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-summer-garden-party-cancelled-economic-crisis-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy has cancelled this year's summer garden party at the Elysée palace because of the economic crisis.According to Le Parisien, the traditional Bastille Day celebration on July 14 will n...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Baby milk bottle chemical banned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bisphenol-a-chemical-baby-milk-bottles-illegal-banned-cancer-diabetes-risk-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A CHEMICAL frequently used in plastic packaging is to be banned from baby milk bottles from next year.French MPs have voted unanimously in favour of the ban on the manufacture and sale of baby bottl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Doctors warn of chickenpox spread]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/chickenpox-illness-increase-france-doctors-warning-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHICKENPOX is on the rise in many parts of France, doctors have warned.GPs' network Sentinelles-Inserm said it had seen a strong growth in the number of cases of the highly contagious illness since ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[July edition out now: what's inside]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/connexion-july-edition-out-now-dita-von-teese-summer-holidays-pays-de-la-loire-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE JULY issue of The Connexion is out now, packed with 68 pages of news, interviews and practical information about life in France.The big interview: Dita von Teese follows her fantasy to strip at ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Gas cut-offs soar as prices grow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gas-disconnections-cut-off-prices-up-gdf-edf-electricity-price-rise-inevitable-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of homes having their gas supply disconnected because of a failure to pay has multiplied by 30 in just two years.GDF estimates that 300,000 homes will be cut off this year - it has alread...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Probe into France World Cup failure]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-world-cup-defeat-full-investigation-sports-minister-south-africa-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FULL investigation is to be launched into France's disastrous World Cup performance, after the team crashed out of the tournament last night.Les Bleus drew one match and lost two, coming bottom of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cycle helmet law proposed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bike-helmets-france-cyclists-law-fluorescent-jackets-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CYCLISTS in France could be fined for not wearing a helmet and fluorescent jacket under a proposed new law.Corsica MP Sauveur Gandolfi-Scheit has submitted a draft law to parliament which has been s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Protection against nuisance callers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/spam-voicemail-nuisance-mobile-calls-marketing-text-messages-blacklist-campaign-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW service has been unveiled to protect mobile phone users against unwanted voicemail messages and marketing phone calls.From early 2011, consumers will be able to add their number to an official...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Radars to guard level crossings]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/level-crossings-danger-cameras-automatic-fine-lose-licence-points-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CAMERAS are to be installed at 100 of France's most dangerous level-crossings by 2012 to automatically fine drivers who ignore warnings.The special radars will record the details of any vehicles tha...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France fêtes music tonight]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fete-de-la-musique-free-concerts-france-programme-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of free concerts take place this evening as France celebrates its 29th annual Fête de la Musique.From the big Paris squares to rural salles des fêtes, some 18,000 events are planned. This ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[UK booze cruise shops quit Calais]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/booze-cruise-calais-tesco-sainsburys-closing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TESCO and Sainsbury's have both announced plans to pull out of France, closing their stores in Calais catering for "booze cruise" visitors from the UK.The euro's relative strength against the pound ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French team on brink of collapse]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-world-cup-football-team-conflict-strike-emergency-meeting-dispute-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN EMERGENCY meeting has been called in South Africa today to try to resolve a conflict within the French national football team.Politicians have publicly condemned the team after they walked out on...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air France joins June 24 strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/june-24-strike-air-france-flights-cancelled-disruption-latest-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR FRANCE pilots and cabin crew are to take part in this Thursdays national industry-wide strike to defend their right to retire at 60.Five unions representing the French airlines workers have gi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Birth of a new airport for Brive]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/brive-vallee-dordogne-airport-opens-paris-flights-cityjet-london-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCES newest airport has opened at Brive-Vallée de la Dordogne, where the Lot, Corrèze and Dordogne departments meet.The airport opened on June 15 with  flights to Paris. The first of three CityJ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[General de Gaulle gets an iPhone app]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/general-charles-de-gaulle-resistance-call-bbc-london-iphone-app-70th-anniversary-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE 70th anniversary of General de Gaulle's call to the French Resistance is being celebrated in a modern way today - with the launch of an iPhone application.The Fondation Charles de Gaulle has unv...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Dad stereotypes abound in TV ads]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tv-ads-fathers-stereotypes-france-sexist-report-sociologist-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TELEVISION ads in France are reinforcing sexist stereotypes about fathers, according to a study published ahead of Father's Day this weekend.The research by sociologist Eric Macé for professional eq...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Insurance help for Var flood victims]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Var-flash-floods-home-damage-insurance-claims-deadline-extended-fast-payouts-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INSURERS have extended the deadline for homeowners in the Var to declare damage from this week's deadly floods - and have promised to speed up the payout process.GEMA - which represents most of the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Leclerc axes food price match deal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/leclerc-price-match-promo-deal-scrapped-rivals-comparison-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HYPERMARKET giant Leclerc is scrapping a promotional deal that promised to match its local rivals' prices.The "Garantie promo" scheme refunded the price difference to loyalty card holders if Leclerc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[25 dead in Var flooding disaster]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/var-floods-dead-missing-rescue-operation-heavy-rain-airport-closed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Thursday 10pm update: The death toll from the Var flooding has grown to 25, with several people still reported missing and 80,000 homes without electricity.The heavy rainfall, which began on Tuesday...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[June 24 strike plan takes shape]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/strike-june-24-confirmed-unions-pension-reforms-sncf-train-services-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRADE unions have confirmed a full industry-wide strike for June 24 to protest against the government's plan to increase the retirement age to 62.The day of industrial action was announced at the be...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris muggers fake heart attacks]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-mugging-trend-fake-heart-attacks-collapse-street-good-samaritans-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GOOD samaritans have become the target of a new mugging trend in Paris, police have warned.A number of thefts have been reported in recent weeks involving victims who rush to help a passer-by who ha...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Baby food discount for lowest earners]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/danone-baby-food-discount-vouchers-low-income-families-pilot-scheme-trial-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LOW-income families are to be offered vouchers for discount baby food under a new initiative being tested out in three parts of France.The project is being supported by food manufacturer Danone, the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[State bailout for loss-making trains]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/train-routes-france-subsidy-loss-making-long-distance-corail-night-trains-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOME of France's loss-making long-distance train routes could be subsidised by the French state to ensure their survival.The SNCF is in talks with the government about the cash injection for Corail ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Minister's World Cup bill revealed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sports-secretary-hotel-bill-world-cup-rama-yade-expenses-revealed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRENCH politician who criticised the national football team's choice of luxury hotel for the World Cup had planned to stay in an even more expensive one herself, it has been revealed.Sports Secret...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Firms lack English language skills]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/english-language-skills-in-french-businesses-research-league-table-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MANY of France's biggest companies are not doing enough to equip their staff with English-language skills, according to new research.The study, published in Les Echos, found executives in 120 top Fr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet sued for refusing disabled]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easyjet-disabled-passenger-refused-boarding-legal-action-halde-discrimination-body-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S anti-discrimination body, the Halde, has begun legal action against Easyjet for refusing a disabled passenger who was travelling alone.Marie-Patricia Hoarau, from Fréjus in the Var, who has...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[South-east storms expected today]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/weather-alert-south-east-france-storm-rain-winds-precautions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ELEVEN departments in the south-east corner of France are on storm alert today, with persistent heavy rain and strong winds expected.The Météo France warning applies to all of the Paca region, plus ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Charity donations up despite crisis]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/charity-donations-individual-increase-poverty-groups-medical-research-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH people are continuing to donate generously to charities despite the economic crisis, with donations up 5.5% last year, new figures reveal.Charities body France Générosités said medical resear...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Racist' internet apéros banned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/facebook-party-anti-muslim-racist-campaigners-goutte-dor-wine-saucisson-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ANTI-RACISM campaigners have succeeded in getting a Paris "wine and saucisson" party banned because it is deliberately provocative to Muslims.The June 18 event was organised through Facebook like ot...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France supports adopting Belgium]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/southern-belgium-wallonia-become-part-of-france-survey-support-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAJORITY of French people are in favour of the southern half of Belgium becoming part of France if the country is split up, a new poll has revealed.The Ifop poll for France Soir found growing po...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Union deal avoids SeaFrance strikes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seafrance-rescue-package-job-cuts-strikes-avoided-summer-holidays-ferry-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEAFRANCE looks to have avoided the threat of strike action over the summer holiday despite announcing a massive job cuts programme that will see almost half of workers leave.The CFDT union, which r...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Prison threat for  Sarkozy TV leak]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-leaked-tv-clip-legal-action-journalist-receiving-stolen-goods-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A JOURNALIST who published a leaked video of Nicolas Sarkozy giving a lesson in manners to a TV technician has been charged with receiving stolen goods.Augustin Scalbert, who works for news website ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Flood hits Paris phones and net]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/homes-businesses-telephone-internet-access-cut-off-paris-flooding-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT 30,000 homes and businesses in the centre of Paris are facing a week without telephone or internet access due to flooding.Heavy rainfall on Friday night has caused severe damage to a telephone...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-14</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Register your gite with mairie now]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gite-holiday-home-lets-register-mairie-town-hall-compulsory-tourism-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOLIDAY home-owners in France face a fine of up to 450 if they do not register their property with the local mairie by the end of this month.The new requirement applies to anyone who runs a gite or...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France considers bull-fighting ban]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bull-cock-fighting-france-animal-welfare-draft-proposed-law-parliament-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BULL and cockfighting could be banned in France under a draft law that has been submitted to the French parliament.Two MPs - Socialist Geneviève Gaillard and UMP politician Muriel Marland-Militello ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French Big Brother seeks peace deal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/israel-palestine-conflict-middle-east-peace-french-reality-tv-show-challenge-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROUP of young Israelis and Palestinians are to share a house together in a new French reality TV show that aims to show that a resolution can be found to the conflict in the Middle East.Les Accor...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[1,700 government buildings for sale]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/buy-a-government-building-1700-for-sale-property-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has announced it is looking to sell off some 1,700 properties it owns throughout France to help cut the country's debts.A chateau overlooking Lac Léman in the Haute-Savoie, a former h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['Tiger mosquito' disease concerns]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tiger-mosquitoes-france-tropical-diseases-provence-riviera-region-prevention-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RESIDENTS on the south-east coast are being advised to take preventative action to stop mosquitoes this summer, after a small number of tropical "tiger mosquitoes" were discovered in Marseille.The c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Restaurant VAT cut should be scrapped]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/vat-restaurant-reduced-rate-tax-break-should-be-scrapped-survey-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST two thirds of French people want restaurants to lose the right to charge a specially discounted VAT rate, a new survey has revealed.The BVA poll for La Tribune and BFM radio found 61% of peop...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Benefit cheats may lose nationality]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/benefit-fraud-social-security-lose-french-nationality-law-change-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOREIGN residents in France who acquire French nationality could have it taken away from them if they commit benefit fraud.Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux says he is considering a change to the Co...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Nine departments on storm alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Storm-alert-heavy-rainfall-nine-departments-meteo-france-dordogne-lot-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[METEO France has issued an orange weather alert this morning for nine departments in the south-west and north-east of France.Storms and heavy rainfall are expected in the Dordogne, Lot and Corrèze, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[99% of new energy meters don't work]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/electricity-meters-new-intelligent-device-edf-trial-not-working-problems-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TRIAL into a new type of electricity meter that will be compulsory in most homes within ten years has hit a problem - 99.9% of them do not work.The European Union requires 35 million households in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Medics' protest blocks Paris roads]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-traffic-arc-de-triomphe-anaesthetists-protest-disruption-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROUP of anaesthetists brought traffic in the centre of Paris to a standstill for two hours with a protest at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe.Up to 3,000 medics took part in the demonstration on t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet may have to change name]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easyjet-change-name-stelios-legal-dispute-budget-airline-licensing-deal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EASYJET could be forced to change its name in a legal dispute with its founder and rebel shareholder, Stelios Haji-Ioannou.Stelios, who charges a token fee of £1 a year to use the Easyjet brand, cla...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Shock drink-drive campaign video]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/drink-driving-young-people-video-clip-campaign-road-safety-shock-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW shock campaign to warn young people about the dangers of drink-driving has been unveiled.The five-minute video clip, which is only available online, features real firefighters and aims to give...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris blocks more Sunday shopping]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/printemps-galeries-lafayette-department-stores-shopping-paris-sundays-closed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARIS city council has rejected an application from the big department stores on the Grands Boulevards to open every Sunday.The Galeries Lafayette and Printemps wanted to be classed as a tourist zon...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Forgotten child car alarm planned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/forgotten-children-car-alarm-death-young-girl-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CAR manufacturers are to look at fitting alarms to remind parents that they have a child with them, after the death of a young girl who was accidentally left for four hours in her mother's car.Famil...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Public back guns for local police]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/municipal-local-armed-police-guns-public-survey-firearms-support-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than half of people in France support the idea of giving firearms to all municipal police officers, a new survey has revealed.The poll of 711 people by Le Parisien found 56% of respondents agre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF warns of train fare rise]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-fares-ticket-prices-increase-2011-electricity-energy-bills-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN fares in France could rise next summer to help meet the cost of a proposed hike in electricity prices, the SNCF has warned.The rail operator says a new law being discussed in parliament this w...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Minister told off for World Cup dig]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-football-team-hotel-south-africa-flashy-sports-secretary-rama-yade-criticised-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S Sports Secretary has been accused of failing to get behind the national football team after she criticised their choice of hotel for the World Cup as too "flashy".Rama Yade said in a radio ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Free eye tests  at opticians]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/free-eye-tests-from-opticians-journee-vision-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SIX thousand opticians around France are offering free eye tests from June 7-12.The Journées de la Vision are aimed at getting more people to check their sight - around 10% of people who should wear...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Postal workers are 'exhausted' ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/postal-workers-la-poste-postmen-physically-mentally-exhausted-health-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POSTAL workers in France are "physically and psychologically exhausted", a new report has warned.A group of doctors responsible for looking after La Poste's 300,000 staff says a growing number of em...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['No risk of power cuts this summer']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/power-cuts-france-electricity-supply-shortages-summer-demand-edf-energy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOUSEHOLDS in France will not be hit by any enforced power cuts this summer, electricity network operator RTE has claimed.The company says the national grid has enough capacity to cope with demand u...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Poker delay for web gambling law]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/online-gambling-law-sport-horse-bets-web-poker-delayed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW French law regulating online gambling has hit a last-minute delay - following a complaint from Malta.Online sport and horse racing bets will be opened up to new, legal competition as planned f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Minister convicted of racist slur]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Interior-minister-Brice-Hortefeux-fine-750-euro-for-racism-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERIOR minister Brice Hortefeux has said he will appeal against a conviction for making racist remarks to an Arab youth during a political summit last autumn.A video clip of Mr Hortefeuxs quip to...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[EU probes expat health cover ban]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/expat-early-retirement-state-healthcare-ban-cmu-european-commission-rules-investigation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LAW which bans non-French early retirees from joining the state health system is being investigated by the European Commission.The Commission is in talks with France to see if the policy is agains...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Banks blasted for fee smokescreens ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/banking-charges-fees-france-complicated-expensive-consumer-group-investigation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BANKING charges in France are becoming more complicated and more expensive, an investigation by a consumer group has revealed.UFC-Que Choisir said there was a need for urgent reform of the fees char...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Car sales decline as bonus is cut]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-car-sales-france-buying-prime-casse-scrap-bonus-scheme-decline-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW car sales in France have begun falling as the government gradually phases out its popular scrap bonus scheme.The prime à la casse - a contribution towards the cost of a new car when scrapping a ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nantes tests out digital radio]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/digital-radio-france-nantes-experiment-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NANTES has become the first French town to launch an experiment into digital radio - more than six months behind schedule.A dozen stations in the Loire-Atlantique capital are broadcasting digitally ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Class sizes set to rise - leaked memo]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-france-class-sizes-increase-more-rural-closures-efficiency-measures-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CLASS sizes would increase and more small rural schools are facing closure under new efficiency measures being drawn up by the Education Ministry.Education Minister Luc Chatel has written to local e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Parking fines should double']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/parking-fines-double-deterrent-new-website-avoid-traffic-wardens-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARKING fines in France should almost double from 11 to 20 to act as a better deterrent, an MP has recommended.Val-de-Marne MP Gilles Carrez will submit the proposal to parliament this morning to ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More students heading abroad]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-students-heading-abroad-studying-foreign-university-grants-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE has overtaken Germany for having the highest number of students heading abroad for university, but thousands of grants to help cover the costs are going unclaimed.The number of French people ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[National strike plan for June 24]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/national-strike-industrial-action-france-june-24-pensions-reform-unions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ANOTHER national industry-wide day of industrial action is being planned for later this month.Six of France's biggest trade unions have jointly agreed on a June 24 protest for workers across several...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Angoulême-London flights cancelled]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cityline-swiss-flights-angouleme-london-gatwick-postponed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE LAUNCH of a new air link from Angoulême to London has been postponed at the last minute, with all summer flights on the route cancelled.Cityline Swiss was due to start running three return fligh...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GM wine trial - playing with fire?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-genetically-modified-wine-playing-with-fire-environmentalists-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ENVIRONMENTALISTS have attacked a state decision to allow trials of genetically modified vines in Alsace.The experiment could harm the image of Alsacian wine and risks causing environmental damage, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Radical regional shake-up scrapped]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/radical-regional-shake-up-boundaries-scrapped-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS to redraw Frances regional boundaries that would have unified Normandy and carved up Poitou-Charentes and Picardy between their neighbours have been scrapped.The idea was part of a law to sim...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fraud victims turn down 85% offer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/graham-templeton-fraud-victims-turn-down-compensation-offer-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[VICTIMS of Dordogne conman Graham Templeton have rejected an increased offer of compensation from bank Société Générale over their claim for 2million.The bank, which allowed Templeton to pay cheque...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[School mobile phone ban passed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-bans-mobile-phones-primary-schools-colleges-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A ban on the use of mobile phones by pupils in primary school and collège (start of secondary school) has been passed as part of a raft of environmental measures.Other measures in the law, now passe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Jockey looks to 2nd Chantilly win ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/jockey-olivier-peslier-hopes-for-second-chantilly-win-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[JOCKEY Olivier Peslier, 37, is hoping for a second win in the French Derby this month.Peslier last won the Prix du Jockey Club, which is run every June on the prestigious Chantilly racecourse, on Pe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Midi-Pyrénées is a digital pioneer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/midi-pyrenees-schools-digital-pioneers-interactive-sites-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SCHOOLS in the Midi-Pyrénées region are leading the way in the digitalisation of French schools.By the end of next year 272 secondary schools in the region will use interactive websites which allow ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tiring school term to be overhauled]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tiring-school-terms-overhauled-holiday-dates-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAJOR shake-up of the school calendar could result from a national debate to be held this month.Education Minister Luc Chatel has called for a complete review of the system which has been accused ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Schools failing poorer children]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-failing-children-poorer-backgrounds-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE is the western democracy where social background has the biggest impact on success at school.Research by state auditor the Cour des Comptes found that only 18% of children from the least well...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Blind reading aid wins top prize]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/device-that-helps-blind-read-wins-invention-of-year-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A HAND-HELD device allowing blind people to read has won a prize for the best invention of the year at an annual inventors forum. The Concours Lépine, a contest named after a Paris police chief who...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[What happened to our votes?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/general-election-uk-postal-votes-what-happened-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EXPATS have added their voices to those of voters in Britain unable to cast ballots due to poor organisation in some constituencies during the General Election.Reader Nicholas Inman said: When a si...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New law to ban insulting Tricolor]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-law-ban-insulting-french-tricolore-flag-fine-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INSULTING the Tricolore could soon become punishable by a maximum 3,000 fine and a compulsory citizenship course.Justice Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie has called for a change in the law following a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Three-year freeze on public spend]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-government-spending-freeze-three-years-debt-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GOVERNMENT spending is to be frozen for three years to cut public debt.France has pledged not to raise spending in 2011, 2012 or 2013 above that of 2010, however much inflation goes up. The aim is...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[If France wins Cup you win a TV]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-world-cup-tv-giveaway-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONFIDENCE in France's football team has hit such a low that two stores are offering free televisions to customers if les bleus win the World Cup.Just 4% believe that France will win the tournament ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Buzzard attacks cycling pair]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/buzzard-attacks-cyclists-dordogne-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Cyclists in the Dordogne have being advised to wear helmets after a buzzard attacked a father and son as they cycled along a country road near Périgueux.The bird  which has a wingspan of about a me...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France Télécom trailing rivals]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-telecom-trailing-rivals-broadband-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE Télécom is lagging behind rivals in capturing new clients for broadband.The former state-owned telecoms giant, which had a telecoms monopoly until 1998, now picks up just 14% of new broadband...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[School smoking rising again]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/children-smoking-schools-france-rising-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SMOKING is on the rise among teens, reports anti-smoking body Paris Sans Tabac.The association says the number of collège age youths (12-15) who smoke daily doubled between 2007 and 2010.In school...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Apéro organisers must pay for help]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/facebook-drinks-parties-apero-geants-pay-for-medics-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LARGE outdoor drinks parties in towns and cities around France  a sweeping trend that claimed a life last month  will not be banned, says the government.More than 60 apéros géants have been organi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[One in four lifts fails safety rule]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/quarter-of-lifts-france-fail-safety-rules-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A QUARTER of lifts do not meet safety standards, according to the Fédération des Ascenseurs (Lift Federation).The lifts must be properly equipped by 2011, the date set by law in 2003. Owners have ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[High-tech scheme for Lyon metro]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/high-tech-scheme-lyon-metro-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ TRAVELLERS on the Lyon underground will be able to get real-time transport information on their mobiles via Bluetooth from September.Sound or text messages will give updates about issues like waiti...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-06-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris transport prices up in July]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-public-transport-fares-tickets-cost-price-increase-metro-bus-tram-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[USING public transport in Paris is to become more expensive from July 1, with price rises of up to 6.7% on some tickets.The increases are due to be passed by the Ile-de-France region at a meeting th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Deadline day for income tax]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/income-tax-france-deadline-today-paper-returns-online-filing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TODAY is the deadline for filing your 2009 paper tax return in France - but if you are registered to file online you have some extra time.Completed forms must be posted by midnight.If you live in ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France gets boost from Euro 2016]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/euro-2016-host-country-france-new-stadiums-new-jobs-economic-boost-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOUR French cities are to get new state-of-the-art stadiums and eight others will have their existing facilities improved after France was confirmed as the host of the Euro 2016 football tournament....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Channel swim for man without limbs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/quadruple-amputee-philippe-croizon-french-man-english-channel-swimming-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRENCH man who lost all of his limbs following an electric shock is training to become the first quadruple amputee to swim across the English Channel this autumn.Philippe Croizon, from Châtellerau...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Poll finds racial prejudice growing]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/racist-prejudice-stereotypes-homophobia-france-survey-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RACIST and xenophobic prejudices are becoming more prevalent in France, a new study has warned.The poll commissioned by SOS Racisme and the Union of Jewish Students in France found almost half of th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-31</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[June edition out now: what's inside]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/june-edition-connexion-english-language-newspaper-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE June issue of The Connexion is out now, packed with 68 pages of news, interviews and practical information about life in France.What's more, if you live in Normandy or the Dordogne, you'll find ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GDF could raise gas bills by 5%]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gdf-gas-prices-rise-july-five-percent-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOUSEHOLD gas bills could rise by almost 5% in July - just three months after a 10% price hike.According to Le Figaro, energy experts are expecting GDF to ask for the increase of between 4% and 5% t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France's cleanest beaches revealed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/frances-cleanest-blue-flag-beaches-coastline-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWENTY-ONE beaches around France have been awarded a blue flag for the first time this summer, bringing the total along the French coastline to 341.The prize is awarded to local authorities that can...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Backlash over MP's blog anonymity ban]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bloggers-anonymity-law-france-reveal-name-address-backlash-anger-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A PROPOSED law in France forcing bloggers to ditch their anonymity and publish their full name and contact details has provoked a backlash among web users.Moselle MP Jean-Louis Masson has submitted ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Investigation into unfair legal fees]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/legal-action-lawyers-fees-investigation-companies-individuals-unfair-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S constitutional court is to launch an investigation into lawyers' fees following a complaint that the current system gives companies an unfair cost advantage over individuals.Lawyers argue t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nationwide strike has limited effect]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/strike-france-may-27-school-teachers-train-transport-disruption-closures-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOUR in ten teachers will be taking part in Thursday's national industry-wide day of strike action, according to estimates from the biggest teaching union, Snuipp.Six unions are calling on members t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Municipal police Taser ban lifted]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/municipal-police-taser-stun-gun-ban-lifted-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MUNICIPAL police have been allowed to start using Taser electronic stun guns again, following a nine-month ban.A new decree published in the Journal Officiel this morning sets out strict training re...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF promises clearer pricing]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-ticket-prices-clearer-family-tgv-carriages-online-ticketing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has pledged to publish a full explanation of all the different types of ticket it offers - and how the prices are calculated - for the first time.The initiative is one of a series of new me...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Free test for skin cancer today]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/free-screening-skin-cancer-test-today-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FREE skin cancer screening is available at 300 points around France today for national skin cancer awareness day.The test does not require an appointment and takes between five and 10 minutes.Th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SeaFrance problems won't stop ferries]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seafrance-passenger-ferry-bookings-cross-channel-safe-bankruptcy-protection-debts-losses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEAFRANCE says it will continue operating a normal ferry service throughout the summer and bookings are safe, despite entering bankruptcy protection.The loss-making cross-Channel ferry provider has ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Patients condemn high dentist costs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/dentist-costs-fees-expensive-healthcare-specialists-survey-medicines-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DENTISTS in France charge patients far too much for treatment, according to the results of a new poll.A survey by top-up health insurer Pasteur Mutualité, published in Le Parisien, found 88% of peop...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French motorways 'safest in Europe']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/motorway-road-safety-report-france-europe-driving-conditions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOTORWAYS in France are among the safest in Europe - but many dual carriageways and local roads are not up to scratch, according to a new report.The study by the European Road Assessment Programme g...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More women dying from lung cancer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lung-cancer-women-smoking-high-numbers-growing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of women dying from lung cancer from smoking is rising sharply in France, while the number of cases in men has halved in a decade.New research by official health watchdog the Institut de ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Schools experiment with six-day week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-timetable-experiment-six-day-week-lessons-morning-sport-afternoon-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHILDREN at 100 secondary schools in France are to test out a new timetable from September, with lessons in the morning and sport and cultural activities in the afternoon.The experiment will see the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Row over use of 'solidarity' funds]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/solidarity-day-france-charity-fundraiser-use-investigation-elderly-people-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST 2bn raised from France's national "day of solidarity" has not made it to the charities that were supposed to benefit, according to an MP investigating how the annual fundraiser works.Sociali...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Thousands waiting for plane refunds]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ash-cloud-flights-plane-disruption-compensation-refund-ombudsman-complaints-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 10,000 people have complained to France's air travel ombudsman about airlines failing to provide a refund for the ash cloud disruption - and only 12 cases have been settled so far.Mediator...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Broken alarm aids 100m art thief]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-museum-art-theft-100-million-euros-alarm-broken-security-lapses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARIS city council has admitted that a robber managed to make off with 100m of prized art from a museum because a broken burglar alarm had not been fixed.The break-in has prompted questions to be a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ryanair considers quitting Marseille]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ryanair-marseille-flights-base-could-close-employment-law-dispute-legal-action-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RYANAIR has threatened to close its Marseille base, reduce its routes to the city and move all of its jobs out of France if it is prosecuted for employing French staff on Irish work contracts.The bu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tram passenger  forgets 35,000]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/woman-leaves-35000-euros-cash-in-plastic-bag-on-tram-bordeaux-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BORDEAUX woman who accidentally left 35,000 in a plastic bag on a tram has been cautioned for wasting police time.The 57-year-old pretended she had been mugged by four Bulgarian passengers and sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris-London hit by BA crew strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-london-flights-british-airways-cancellations-disruptions-cabin-crew-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITISH Airways flights to and from France are facing disruption from Monday until June 9 as a strike by cabin crew is back on.The airline was granted a high court injunction preventing the walkout ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[End in sight for low savings rate]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/livret-a-savings-interest-rate-could-rise-august-after-record-low-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTEREST rates on France's most popular tax-free savings account look set to rise in August for the first time in two years.According to Les Echos, growing inflation means it is likely that the Livr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[IT bug stops SNCF selling tickets]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/computer-bug-sncf-train-tickets-bank-holiday-weekend-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RAIL travellers trying to get away for the bank holiday weekend have been unable to buy tickets this afternoon due to a technical problem.The SNCFs central reservation system stopped working earlie...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[36-hour train strike next week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-rail-services-disruption-strike-may-28-delays-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN drivers and conductors will today confirm plans for a 36-hour strike starting at 20.00 on May 26.Four unions representing railway staff - the CGT, Unsa, Sud-rail and CFDT - will lodge a formal...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air France defends its safety record]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-france-safety-record-investigation-book-record-losses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR France has defended its safety record in response to a new book that describes the company as a "second-division" airline.La Face Cachée d'Air France, by investigative journalist Fabrice Amedeo,...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Camping enjoys youth renaissance]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/camping-france-visitor-numbers-increase-new-young-trendy-image-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CAMPSITES in France are enjoying a renaissance in the economic crisis, with growing visitors and a new, younger clientele.The number of people going camping grew by 7% last year and is forecast to i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Google StreetView in privacy probe]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/google-street-view-france-data-protection-privacy-camera-cars-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WEB giant Google is being investigated by the French data protection authorities after admitting that its StreetView service accidentally collected details of some people's internet use in the streets...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF sues over track protests]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-track-protest-gare-montparnasse-paris-demonstration-delays-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF is taking legal action after a protest by medical workers on the tracks outside the Gare Montparnasse in Paris delayed up to 100,000 passengers yesterday afternoon.According to the rail ope...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Record year for French cinemas]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cinema-france-attendance-figures-best-performance-in-27-years-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CINEMAS in France have defied the economic crisis by recording their highest attendance levels in 27 years.More than 200 million tickets were sold in 2009, according to new figures from the Centre N...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France allows GM wine trial]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/genetically-modified-gm-wine-alsace-trial-vineyard-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WINE producer in Alsace has been given permission to begin France's first full trial into genetically-modified vines.Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire has announced the experiment which will see...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Police complaints  up 50% in a year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/police-behaviour-france-complaints-grow-custody-homophobic-racist-remarks-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of people lodging formal complaints about police behaviour has grown by 50% in a year, official new figures show.Police complaints watchdog CNDS said 228 people sought its help in 2009 re...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Shops to cut fruit and veg profits]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/supermarkets-agree-profit-margin-cut-fruit-vegetables-producers-deal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKETS have agreed to cut their profit margins on fruit and veg to help producers make ends meet.The new deal, which was signed at the Elysée palace yesterday, will see big food outlets bring ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Bikes can ignore one-way rules]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cyclists-one-way-streets-france-wrong-direction-new-rules-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CYCLING the wrong way up a one-way street is to be made legal in France from July 1 - but with certain restrictions.The new rules will only apply to roads in a 30kph zone, and individual town halls ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rivals refuse to talk to Free ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobile-phone-network-free-france-negotiations-orange-sfr-bouygues-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERNET service provider Free has hit problems in its plans to launch France's fourth mobile phone network.The company's three existing rivals - SFR, Orange and Bouygues Telecom - are reportedly re...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tap water toxins too high - report]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tap-mains-water-safety-quality-investigation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOUSEHOLD water supplies are to be subject to more thorough safety checks after a TV documentary claimed millions of people are drinking tap water containing high levels of toxins.An eight-month inv...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French schools under performing]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/education-standards-school-france-cour-des-comptes-inequality-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GAP between the best and worst-performing school pupils is getting bigger, according to an official new report comparing French education standards with other developed countries.The State's off...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ash delaying planes again]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ash-cloud-flights-france-paris-london-uk-disruptions-delays-ba-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[7pm update: The high court in London has granted an injunction preventing the BA strike from going ahead.AIRLINE passengers travelling between France and the UK over the coming days are facing disru...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pressure grows for 500 note ban]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/500-euro-note-ban-uk-banks-bureaux-de-change-money-laundering-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BANKS and bureaux de change in the UK have been banned from giving out 500 notes to customers with immediate effect - putting further pressure on Europe to scrap the note entirely.Anyone trying to ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[3 years for Robin Hood bank robber]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Musulin-gets-three-years-for-French-11-million-euro-Robin-Hood-bank-robbery-but-prosecution-appeals-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BULLION van robber Tony Musulin has been jailed for three years after being found guilty of stealing 11.6million.Musulin, who had been called the French Robin Hood, told the court he had hijacked h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Red alert for bank holiday traffic]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Bank-holiday-traffic-in-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RED alerts have been issued for traffic over the coming days by road monitoring group Bison Futé.Many people are expected to use tomorrows bank holiday as the start of a long weekend. (A habit know...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Few holiday makers know sea dangers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/holidaymakers-beach-dangers-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FEW holidaymakers are aware of the dangers posed by the sea according to statistics from a lifeguard agency.A survey carried out for the  Société nationale des sauveteurs en mer (SNSM) found that wh...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Chirac Frances   top politician]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Jacques-Chirac-favourite-politician-of-French-public-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER President Jacques Chirac is Frances most popular politician according to a recent poll.Chirac, 77, came top of a list with 75% of people giving a good opinion of him. The latest poll puts hi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lights out on roads to save CO2]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Paris-motorways-switch-off-lights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOTORWAYS around Paris will have their lights turned off in the coming days to save on costs and reduce CO2 emissions.It is only the second time that a French authority has turned off the street lig...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[A380 to fly London Paris shuttle runs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/A380-flies-London-Paris-Air-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE world's largest passenger jet is to start daily shuttle runs between London and Paris this summer.Air France will be using the A380 on flights between Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle from June 12...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ash cloud stops some flights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flights-cancellations-Iceland-volcano-ash-cloud-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH airspace will remain open despite a new cloud of volcanic ash disrupting flights in Europe, Frances civil aviation authority has announced.Over the weekend more than 70 flights were cancelle...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Police in Facebook party-pooper bid]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Paris-police-join-internet-site-to-monitor-illegal-Eiffel-Tower-Facebook-drinks-party-aperos-geants-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARIS police have signed up to internet site Facebook to try to stop the rash of illegal instant parties apéro-géants that have sprung up across the country.One, planned for May 23 under the Eiffel ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Slow progress for disabled access]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/disabled-access-disability-discrimination-law-public-buildings-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DISABLED people are still unable to access the majority of public buildings in France, five years after a law on accessibility was passed.According to research by the Association pour Adultes et Jeu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Getting divorced to become easier]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/divorce-proceedings-france-getting-divorced-made-easier-legal-fees-court-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ENDING a marriage by mutual consent is to be made easier under a new law being drawn up by the Justice Ministry.The draft legislation will put a cap on lawyers' fees in the most straight-forward cas...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris taxis keep airport monopoly]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-taxis-keep-monopoly-charles-de-gaulle-taxi-rank-airport-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MPs have backed down on plans to open up the taxi ranks at France's busiest airport to competition.The proposed change at Charles de Gaulle airport has been deleted from the Grenelle 2 law going thr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Local tax rules need reforming]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/local-residential-taxes-france-habitation-fonciere-unfair-amounts-reform-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LOCAL residential taxes paid by households in France are inconsistent, unfair and unsuitable for today's economic climate, according to an official report.The Conseil des Prélèvements Obligatoires -...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[May 27 strike over pension reform]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nationwide-strike-france-may-27-unions-pension-retirement-reform-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE of the biggest trade unions in France have called a national day of industry-wide strike action on May 27.The planned protest will come two months after a similar walkout on March 23 which hit ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Euro falls, French want franc back]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/euro-pound-sterling-exchange-rate-falls-low-greece-debt-survey-french-franc-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NEARLY 40% of French people say it is time to ditch the euro and go back to using the franc, according to a new survey.The poll result is published as the euro hits its lowest level against the poun...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy prepares his party for 2012]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-third-anniversary-french-president-2012-reelection-campaign-hint-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy today marks his third anniversary as French president, and is reported to have given a strong hint to his party colleagues that he is considering standing for re-election in 2012.Sar...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Primary school is failing children]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/primary-school-report-failing-children-lack-basic-skills-thinktank-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOUR out of ten children are leaving primary school without basic spelling and numeracy skills, a new report has warned.The Institut Montaigne, a leading French think-tank, said up to 300,000 childr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Refund deal signed as ash cloud back]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/scotland-ireland-flights-delayed-cancelled-airports-closed-volcanic-ash-latest-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOME flights from France to Scotland and Northern Ireland are cancelled today and others to England may be affected later following a second burst of ash from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajoekull....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Freak weather hits south of France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/weather-alert-south-of-france-snow-wind-high-tides-damage-cote-d-azur-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[METEO France has issued an avalanche alert in the Pyrenees this morning, as large parts of the south of France count the cost of damage from freak winter weather.Winds of up to 120kph hit the Midi-P...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Baker fined 650 for noisy rounds]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/baker-fined-excessive-use-car-horn-morning-delivery-legal-complaint-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NOISY baker in the Val d'Oise has been ordered to pay 650 for "excessive use" of his car horn while making home deliveries - ending a lengthy legal battle.A couple in Nesles-la-Vallée began legal...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Music CD sales increasing again]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cd-music-sales-growing-first-quarter-record-industry-digital-downloading-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MUSIC sales in France have started rising again after three consecutive years of decline, new figures have revealed.According to music industry trade boy Snep, sales climbed 8% in the first three mo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Women's trouser ban faces axe]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/women-wearing-trousers-banned-france-obscure-law-overturned-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A CAMPAIGN has been launched to scrap an obscure 210-year-old law that still makes it technically illegal for women in France to wear trousers.The law, which dates from November 1799, requires "any ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Another delay in Hadopi launch]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hadopi-internet-piracy-body-france-further-delays-warning-emails-online-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WEB users who illegally download and share music and films will not be targeted by France's new anti-piracy body for another couple of months at least.Hadopi general secretary Eric Walter said the f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tickets-restaurant could be taxed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tickets-restaurant-meal-vouchers-tax-proposal-trade-unions-workers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[UNIONS have condemned a proposal by the government to start taxing the lunchtime meal vouchers that many French companies give out to their employees.Until now, tickets-restaurant have been complete...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Soc Gen trader's 'scapegoat' claim]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/jerome-kerviel-societe-generale-trader-trial-colleagues-witnesses-testify-bank-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FORMER bank trader accused of losing billions of euros in unauthorised deals has urged his ex-colleagues at Société Générale to come forward and give evidence in his defence.Jérôme Kerviel has pub...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New driving test goes nationwide]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-driving-test-theory-practical-exam-learning-to-drive-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW driving test that aims to make getting a licence quicker and cheaper has come into force across France this morning.The simpler procedure was introduced in four test regions in March and has n...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lower turnout for  May Day marches]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/may-day-workers-demonstrations-france-turnout-protest-pensions-reform-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of people taking part in this year's May 1 demonstrations around France fell by more than half compared with last year's record turnout.About 195,000 workers took to the streets on the fê...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Social network for Paris metro users]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/submate-social-networking-website-paris-metro-commuters-make-friends-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW website has launched allowing passengers on the Paris metro to make friends with their fellow commuters and make the daily trip more sociable.Submate.com has launched in public test mode ahead...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Brits still top property buyers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Brits-still-top-foreign-property-buyers-in-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITONS remain the biggest foreign buyers of French property  but other nations are catching up.A study by the Notaires de France on non-new-build property sold in 2009 shows Britons bought around ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Miss France split over saucy pics]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/miss-france-split-over-saucy-pics-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MISS France Committee president Geneviève de Fontenay plans to start her own contest to rival Miss France - claiming the current producers have degraded the pageants values.Ms de Fontenay, who orga...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Brive opens with UK flights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/brive-vallee-dordogne-opens-airport-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRIVE-Vallée de la Dordogne airport opens next month - three years after the original planned opening date. It will run CityJet flights to London City Airport three times a week as of  June 25 and w...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Vegetarians come out of the closet]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/marching-vegetarians-come-out-of-the-closet-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WHEN Frances vegetarian society, Association Végétarienne de France (AVF), sent out a press release stating Nicolas Sarkozy had gone végétalien (vegan) it turned out to be an April Fool. However, w...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[6,000 turbines - but where?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/wind-turbines-planned-in-france-but-where-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE ANARCHIC development of wind turbines in France has to be stopped, a report to MPs claims.France has pledged to put up an extra 6,000 turbines in addition to its 2,600 existing ones to meet re...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France's green bill is 'dead']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/green-bill-france-dead-say-campaigners-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GREEN campaigners have walked away from the governments latest environmental bill pronouncing it dead.They say the original ideas of the Grenelle de lEnvironnement  a highly publicised green summ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Poison caterpillar on the move]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/poison-caterpillar-processionary-on-the-move-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PROCESSIONARY caterpillers, found in much of France, are out in their single-file formations.Look but do not touch as the hairs can cause serious skin irritation and damage to the eyes. If a dog eat...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Stores bypass loss-leader ban]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/stores-bypass-loss-leader-ban-loyalty-cards-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKET competition is reaching fierce new levels  and is set to get stronger this summer. It comes as shops test new ways of discounting products to bypass strict trading laws. Frances ban ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[September deadline for pension reform]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/september-deadline-for-pension-overhaul-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAJORITY of French people and unions object to the speed with which retirement reforms are being pushed through by the government. Six out of ten people polled for Les Echos newspaper said there...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Disability days: fight for access]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/disability-days-fight-for-disabled-access-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE is organising the first of a series of national Disability Days as part of its commitment to opening up access for the handicapped.The plans call for two weeks of Journées Territoriales de l...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cars driven away  from the Seine]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cars-seine-paris-moved-traffic-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CARS will be banned from a large part of the banks of the Seine in Paris in a plan by Mayor Bertrand Delanoë to create a greener, more social atmosphere in the heart of the city.His e40million proje...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mayor sued for floodwall failure]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mayor-sued-for-floodwall-failure-storm-xynthia-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAYOR of the seaside village of Aiguillon-sur-Mer is being sued by a resident for failing to heed warnings of dangers such as the floods from Tempête Xynthia which overwhelmed the commune earlier ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Freemasons admit first woman]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/freemasons-france-first-woman-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONTINENTAL Europes oldest masonic order, the Grand Orient de France, has finally admitted women to membership, 277 years after it was founded.The move, which comes after decades of campaigning, al...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF reputation  hit by strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-rail-strike-damage-image-reputation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LONG-running strike by train drivers and conductors has seriously harmed the image of French public transport, a consumer group has warned.The walkout began on April 7 and affected services across...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Balloon record for adventurer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/first-man-france-cross-north-pole-hot-air-balloon-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A 63-YEAR-OLD doctor-turned-explorer from the south-west of France has become the first man to successfully cross the North Pole alone in a hot-air balloon.Jean-Louis Etienne set off from the northe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No charges over work bomb threats]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-workers-charged-over-bomb-threats-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WORKERS who threatened to blow up their factory have not been charged over the threats.At Sodimatex in Crepy-en-Valoise workers laid wooden pallets around a gas tank and threatened to blow up the bu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Family benefit cut for unruly pupils]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/family-benefits-cut-for-unruly-pupils-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONFLICT training for teachers, community service for unruly pupils and cutting benefits for truants families are measures planned after a school safety summit.The summit followed rising concern ov...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Wealth gap widens faster]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/wealth-gap-france-getting-wider-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE number of wealthy people in France increased rapidly in the f irst decade of 2000, according to figures from national statistics body Insee.The number of households earning more than 500,000 we...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Scandal reignites paid sex debate]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/scandal-reignites-prostitution-debate-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A PROSTITUTION scandal involving three French football team players has reignited a debate on legalising brothels.Sidney Govou, Karim Benzema and Franck Ribéry were among people questioned by police...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ash cloud helps ferry firms]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ash-cloud-helps-ferry-firms-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHANNEL ferry and rail firms saw an unprecedented boost to demand when flights were cancelled due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland.A Brittany Ferries spokesman said they carried 35,286 passengers...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-05-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[350km of jams as school break ends]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/weekend-travel-motorway-delays-traffic-jams-france-spring-school-holidays-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEVERAL hundred kilometres of traffic jams are expected on the French road network this weekend as the last of the spring school holidays come to an end.Families in Zone C - the Ile-de-France and so...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Children's cough medicines banned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cough-medicines-babies-young-children-withdrawn-from-sale-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PHARMARCISTS in France have been ordered to stop selling 20 different types of cough medicine for children over safety fears.Health safety body Afssaps said it was taking the precautionary measure f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lily vendors face tough competition]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lily-of-the-valley-may-day-france-flower-sales-tradition-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TRADITIONAL sprig of lily of the valley on May 1 will cost 5% more than last year as producers fight to bring in revenue despite falling demand.Stands selling muguet will spring up all over France...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Burqa fine could be up to 15,000]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/burqa-law-france-ban-violence-threat-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MEN who order their wives to wear a burqa in public could be fined up to 15,000 under a new law being drawn up the French government.Le Figaro has seen a draft copy of the law on the full Islamic d...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[iPad unavailable in mobile shops]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/apple-ipad-france-on-sale-may-buy-fnac-darty-not-mobile-shops-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EARLY adopters who want to get their hands on Apple's new iPad when it launches in France at the end of May will not be able to buy one from a mobile phone shop.Apple has announced that the new touc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Benefit fraud much worse than thought]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/caf-benefit-fraud-allocations-familiales-confidential-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of people committing benefit fraud in France is 20 times greater than initial estimates and the cost to the system is 10 times bigger, according to a new report.The first major study of i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[CRS police refuse halal canteen food]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/halal-meat-staff-canteen-crs-police-protest-islam-union-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S biggest police union has attempted to distance itself from a protest by some of its members over the use of halal food in a staff canteen.A group of CRS officers in Rouen have written a tra...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[What's inside our May edition]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/the-connexion-may-edition-newspaper-subscribe-french-news-in-english-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAY issue of The Connexion is out now, packed with 68 pages of news, interviews and practical information about life in France. Here's a peek at what's inside.Big interviewsOur man in Paris, B...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French income tax 2010 helpguide out]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/connexion-help-filling-french-tax-form-2010-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONNEXION'S 2010 helpguide to filling in your French income tax declaration is now available.You can download the guide for 5 from the helpguide section of our website.The guide gives step-by-ste...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[100,000 bill for six years in coma]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/six-years-coma-hospital-france-100000-euro-bill-son-legal-action-nancy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAN whose mother died after six years in a coma following a medical error has received a bill from the hospital for her time in care - for almost 100,000.The 72-year-old woman died in January 200...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French job market is 'stabilising']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/unemployment-figures-france-jobs-market-households-survey-pessimistic-economy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[UNEMPLOYMENT in France has fallen slightly for the first time in 10 months - but a new survey has found people are more pessimistic about the future of the economy than ever before.The number of peo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France starts building again]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/building-permits-planning-permission-france-new-houses-construction-rise-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A RISE in the number of building permits granted in France for the first time in the two and a half years is the "first sign of a recovery" in the housing market, the government says.Almost 93,000 p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[EU could force up broadband bills]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/broadband-internet-tv-phone-triple-play-package-france-prices-up-vat-europe-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE COST of an all-inclusive broadband, TV and phone package could rise after the European Commission ruled that the tax charged on subscriptions in France is too low.Brussels has criticised the Fre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mediator for air payout complaints]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ash-cloud-air-travel-complaints-plane-refund-compensation-france-ombudsman-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN OFFICIAL ombudsman is to be appointed to deal with air passengers' complaints following last week's volcanic ash disruption.Tourism and Commerce Secretary Hervé Novelli has announced the setting ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Farmers to halt Paris traffic]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/farmers-protest-paris-traffic-disruptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of farmers are planning to bring traffic in Paris to a standstill today in a major protest over living conditions and falling incomes.About 1,200 tractors are expected to join the processi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Use your finger to pay for shopping]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-fingerprint-payment-biometric-scanners-accord-bank-auchan-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SHOPPERS in France could soon be able to use their finger to pay for everyday shopping, in a move that aims to tackle fraud and speed up supermarket queues.High-street bank Accord has been given per...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Xynthia tourism' angers residents]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tourists-storm-xynthia-flooding-disaster-zones-anger-local-residents-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMEOWNERS in towns ravaged by the Storm Xynthia flooding have condemned tourists who have begun visiting the disaster zone out of curiosity.Residents in La Faute-sur-Mer and L'Aiguillion-sur-Mer sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Violent passengers prompt bus strikes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/passenger-violence-public-transport-bus-tram-strikes-nice-orleans-montpellier-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BUS and tram services in a number of towns around France are returning to normal today after a series of strikes over violent attacks by passengers.Drivers in Nice walked out on Saturday night and m...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[One million euros for volcano chaos]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/volcano-trapped-French-airline-chaos-Ryanair-flight-compensation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONE million euros has been set aside to compensate French citizens still trapped abroad after a volcanic eruption shut European airspace."As this is an exceptional situation, I have released one mil...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Train services back to normal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-strike-called-off-french-rail-services-return-to-normal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN drivers and conductors across France have returned to work this morning following a 14-day strike.Union members in the Rhône-Alpes and Midi-Pyrénées were among the last to call off the industr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Doubts over burqa ban enforcement]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/burqa-ban-public-law-reaction-human-rights-police-racism-campaigners-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH government has decided to press ahead with plans to ban the burqa in public places, which anti-racism campaigners say is unconstitutional and unenforceable.A total ban in public had been ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ryanair refuses to pay compensation]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ryanair-compensation-hotels-food-flight-delays-airline-rights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RYANAIR passengers who were stranded at airports because of the volcanic ash cloud will not have their hotel or food bills repaid if they amount to more than the original ticket price, the budget airl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Everyone home within 48 hours']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/getting-home-air-disruptions-cancellations-volcanic-ash-france-return-normal-airports-open-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has pledged to get every French resident stranded overseas back home within 48 hours, as air traffic starts returning to normal.Every airport in France is open again this morning and ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fnac under fire over tricolore pic]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fnac-photo-competition-politically-incorrect-tricolore-flag-toilet-paper-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HIGH-STREET shopping giant Fnac has angered politicians by giving a prize to a photo of a man using the French tricolore flag as toilet paper.The "politically incorrect" photo competition was organi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-21</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Benefits cut for truant families]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/child-benefit-france-lost-if-pupil-truant-from-school-new-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARENTS whose children repeatedly skip school face tougher sanctions including an automatic cut to their benefits under a new law.Nicolas Sarkozy has announced the plans to toughen up an existing la...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Airports reopening but delays persist]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-uk-travel-air-airports-closed-open-ash-cloud-disruptions-delays-getting-home-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIRPORTS are gradually starting to reopen today, but airlines say it will be several days yet before services can return to normal.Ecology and Transport Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the return of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fewer police on the beat]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/police-numbers-france-decline-gendarmes-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of beat police officers in France has halved in the past decade, a new report reveals.The study by criminologists Alain Bauer and Christophe Soullez, seen by Le Figaro, found sick leave, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[2.8% local tax rise in towns]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/local-residential-taxes-france-increase-habitation-fonciere-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FAMILIES living in one of the top 40 French towns and cities will pay on an average an extra 2.8% on their residential tax bill this year, according to new estimates.A survey of the biggest town and...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-20</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Cigarette shock pics confirmed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/shock-pictures-cigarette-packets-france-2011-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SHOCK images are to begin appearing on cigarette packets in France next year, more than two years after the idea was first proposed.Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said she had signed the decree t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Most airports shut until Tuesday 9am]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/volcanic-ash- airline-flight-delays-cancellations-france-airports-closed-latest -view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAJORITY of airports in France are to remain closed until at least 9.00 tomorrow morning as the volcanic ash cloud continues to cause havoc for European travel.Tens of thousands of flights have ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-19</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Train strike to end on Wednesday?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-strike-rail-latest-return-to-normal-wednesday-traffic-disruptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN services across France are expected to gradually return to normal between now and Wednesday, according to the SNCF.Drivers and conductors have been on strike for the past 13 days, disrupting s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GP consultation fee rises to 23]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seeing-doctor-france-fee-23-euros-increase-january-2011-gp-consultation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE COST of seeing a doctor will rise by 1 at the end of this year, the government has confirmed.Nicolas Sarkozy has set a date of January 1 for the increase, which will cost the social security sy...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[1,500 pharmacies facing closure]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/1500-pharmacies-france-could-close-2015-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST 1,500 pharmacies could be forced to close within the next five years as they struggle to make ends meet, new research has claimed.A survey organised of pharmacists belonging to the Fédération...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Weekend travel:  25 airports closed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/airports-closed-flight-delays-france-uk-weekend-sncf-train-strike-motorway-congestion-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAVELLERS are facing a nightmare weekend on the roads, trains and planes as school holidays coincide with a train strike and airport closures.Plane delays and cancellationsTwenty-five French airp...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Vatry wants to be 4th Paris airport]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/vatry-new-paris-airport-150km-champagne-region-ryanair-flights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RYANAIR is to begin running flights to Vatry, 150km east of Paris, which airport authorities hope to transform into the capital's fourth major airport behind Orly, Charles de Gaulle and Beauvais.The...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No TGV tickets for south-east]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-stops-selling-tgv-tickets-paris-marseille-south-east-train-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has stopped selling TGV tickets between Paris and the south-east of France due to the long-running strike by drivers and conductors.The company says no more reservations will be allowed unt...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Mobile internet problems grow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobile-broadband-internet-france-growing-number-of-complaints-billing-speeds-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[UNCLEAR pricing and disappointing download speeds have prompted a growing number of complaints from internet users in the past year, according to a consumer group.Telecoms and technology users' asso...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Brits still buying French properties]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-property-british-buyers-investments-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITONS remain the biggest foreign buyers of French property, despite worsening exchange rates and the economic crisis, new figures have revealed.Research by the Notaires de France found the proport...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[France-UK flights delayed by volcano]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flight-delays-april-15-paris-edinburgh-glasgow-aberdeen-cancellations-volcano-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FLIGHTS from France to the UK are cancelled or delayed today - due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland.Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were among the first to close as clouds of ash from the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Final chance to register to vote]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/register-to-vote-uk-general-election-final-chance-deadline-postal-proxy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE DEADLINE for expats registering to vote in next month's UK general election is next Tuesday.Anyone who has not yet registered as an overseas voter and asked for a postal or proxy vote should fil...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-14</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Livret A savers are losing money]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/livret-a-savings-account-interest-rate-below-inflation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE INTEREST rate paid on France's most popular tax-free savings account, the Livret A, has been held at 1.25% until at least August.The Banque de France said it could not justify increasing the rat...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-14</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[GP surgeries in railway stations]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-plan-doctors-surgeries-pharmacies-railway-stations-2020-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DOCTORS' surgeries could be set up inside mainline railway stations by 2020 under a new plan drawn up by the SNCF.The rail operator has unveiled its vision for the station of the future, including m...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-14</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Homes unaware of plane noise grant]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/plane-noise-pollution-homes-flight-paths-airports-grant-sound-proofing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of homeowners living near airports are missing out on a special grant paying up to 100% of the cost of getting their property sound-proofed.Air noise pollution watchdog Acnusa estimates in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-13</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[More CCTV planned after tram attack]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/more-cctv-public-transport-safety-tram-violent-attack-gang-grenoble-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BETTER safety measures on public transport, including more CCTV, have been promised by the government after a violent attack on a young man in Grenoble at the weekend.Interior Minister Brice Hortefe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-13</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Train strike could last another week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-strike-latest-rail-delays-cancellations-france-could-last-another-week-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A STRIKE by train drivers and conductors that has affected services for the past seven days could last another week, according to unions.The SNCF has said it is willing to negotiate - but has set an...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-13</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Passengers refuse to board aircraft]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/passengers-refuse-board-dilapidated-old-tupolev-plane-unsafe-poland-crash-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROUP of passengers in Bordeaux who refused to board a plane over safety fears have finally reached their destination a day late on another flight.The 166 travellers were due to fly to Taba in Egy...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-13</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Angoulême flights to London restored]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/angouleme-london-gatwick-plane-route-flights-cityline-swiss-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[REGULAR flights from Angoulême to London will be restored in June with the arrival of a new operator to replace Ryanair.CityLine Swiss has begun taking bookings for the three return flights a week t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-12</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet fined for breaking work law]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easyjet-fined-employing-french-staff- uk-work-contracts-court-ruling-budget-airline-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EASYJET has been fined 1.65m for employing French staff on British contracts for almost four years.The budget airline was found by a court in the Paris suburb of Créteil to have bypassed French emp...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-12</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[5,000 summer job applying suncream]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/summer-job-applying-sun-cream-seaside-beach-resort-vendee-france-applications-open-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BEACH resort on the Atlantic coast is looking to pay two people 5,000 each over the summer to work as "creamers" - applying sun lotion to holidaymakers.Les Sables d'Olonne in the Vendée has launc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-12</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Legal challenge to demolition plans]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/xynthia-flood-home-demolitions-charente-maritime-vendee-legal-action-protests-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PROPERTY-owners in the Vendée and Charente-Maritime are planning legal action against the government over plans to demolish their homes as a flood safety precaution.Demonstrations were held this wee...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-12</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[France to legalise online medicines]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/buy-medicines-online-france-government-considers-legalising-web-pharmacies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE sale of non-prescription medicines online could be legalised according to a proposal that has angered pharmacists' unions.According to Les Echos, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot had an initial...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Little chance of World Cup glory]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/football-fifa-world-cup-2010-south-africa-majority-of-french-say-they-will-not-win-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONLY 5% of people in France believe their national football team has what it takes to win this summer's World Cup, a poll has revealed.According to the Ipsos survey of 1,000 people by France Soir, h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[End in sight for SNCF walkout?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/train-strike-france-sncf-weekend-april-10-disruptions-cancellations-latest-info-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has claimed that train services will start returning to normal from today, in time for the weekend - but unions are calling for drivers to keep up the strike.A nationwide strike by train dr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-09</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Doctors' 1 fee rise ruled illegal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gp-doctor-fees-france-23-euros-illegal-court-ruling-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S highest court has ordered GPs to stop adding an extra 1 to their consultation fees.Several GPs have been charging 23 instead of the agreed 22 as part of a campaign to get the rate offici...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[50k damages for SNCF train death]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-accident-damages-istres-bouches-du-rhone-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has been ordered to pay almost 50,000 in damages to the family of a young woman killed 12 years ago in a train accident.Céline Avril's parents, sister and grandmother have been caught up i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[GP surgeries and creches closed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gp-strike-doctor-surgeries-closed-creche-workers-childcare-protest-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GPs and creche workers are back on strike today for the third time so far this year.Several doctors' surgeries will be closed after four unions, including the biggest groups MG France and the CSMF, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[French still hide money at home]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/money-survey-cash-hiding-at-home-savings-37-euros-in-wallet-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A QUARTER of French people are hiding money in their house instead of putting it securely in a bank, a new study has found.The poll by public opinion body Ifop found 24% of people were using secret ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Web gambling law ready for summer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/world-cup-2010-online-gambling-betting-websites-legalised-france-new-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW law legalising online gambling in France has finally been approved by parliament after a series of delays.The plan to license online operators offering sporting bets, horse racing and poker sh...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-07</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Train strike to last several days]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-rail-strike-disruption-france-several-days-latest-information-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NATIONWIDE strike by train drivers looks set to last until at least Thursday evening and could be extended further, according to unions.Services across France are disrupted today in the third nati...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-07</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[SeaFrance ferry back to normal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seafrance-dover-calais-services-return-to-normal-wednesday-strike-suspended-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEAFRANCE cross-Channel services between Calais and Dover are beginning to return to normal this morning after a five-day strike by French ferry workers.An agreement with unions about pay and staff ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-07</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[SeaFrance strike enters fifth day]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seafrance-strike-latest-disruption-calais-dover-traffic-ferry-cancellations-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEAFRANCE has warned it could go bust by the end of this week if a strike by French ferry workers continues.The cross-Channel operator has had to cancel its crossings between Dover and Calais today,...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Ashtray with every cigarette packet]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cigarettes-tobacconists-france-disposable-ashtrays-compulsory-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TOBACCONISTS in France could be required to provide a free disposable ashtray with every packet of cigarettes they sell under a new law being considered by MPs.The National Assembly's environment co...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['Xynthia tax' for Charente-Maritime]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/storm-xynthia-charente-maritime-local-tax-bill-increase-six-percent-homes-destroyed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LOCAL taxes in the Charente-Maritime could rise by up to 6% this year to pay for the repair operation from Storm Xynthia.Departmental president Dominique Bussereau will discuss the "storm solidarity...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['VAT rate cut has saved restaurants']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/restaurants-france-vat-tax-cut-saved-from-closure-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOME 25,000 restaurants have been saved from closure following last July's cut in VAT, a new report has claimed.The study by Gira Conseil, published nine months after the cut from 19.6% to 5.5% came...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[07 mobile numbers to launch in May]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobile-phone-numbers-france-new-dialling-code-07-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOBILE operators are to begin handing out phone numbers beginning with 07 from next month to cope with growing demand.Orange and Bouygues Telecom will start offering the new numbers from May 3, foll...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[UK passport fees up 3% for expats]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lost-uk-passport-overseas-replacement-foreign-fees-increase-british-consulate-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE COST of replacing or renewing a British passport while abroad is set to rise by 2.9% from April 6, the UK Foreign Office has confirmed.While the cost of a standard adult passport issued in the U...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Calls to scrap brevet exams]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/brevet-college-france-school-exams-replaced-continual-assessment-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE BREVET des collèges exams taken by every 15-year-old in France are outdated, unsuitable and should be scrapped, a parliamentary report has urged.The National Assembly's cultural affairs commissi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Johnny Depp dream to make own wine]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/johnny-depp-dream-making-his-own-wine-provence-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WINE growers in Provence have welcomed the international publicity brought by celebrities producing their own wine in the region.It comes after Johnny Depp revealed his dream to make his own wine in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Carla Bruni gossip shows press divide]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/carla-bruni-gossip-shows-divide-france-uk-press-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERNET gossip that Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni are both having affairs received widespread coverage in the UK  but the claims were shrugged off by the French public and completely avoided by th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Property fraud: notaires accused]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/property-fraud-notaires-accused-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THREE notaires and a firm of financial advisors are facing criminal charges in a fraud case involving the sale of furnished flats in the south of France.Jean-Pierre Brines and Cyril Courant from Aix...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Flood homes will be abandoned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/storm-xynthia-homes-abandoned-economic-impact-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMES that were severely damaged by floods during Storm Xynthia and are no longer habitable will be bought up by the government at pre-flood prices and destroyed.President Nicolas Sarkozy said the r...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Postal votes may not arrive in time]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/uk-general-election-expat-postal-votes-not-arrive-in-ime-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EXPATS voting by post at the next UK General Election may not have their votes counted, the British election authorities admit.  The Electoral Commission, which oversees voting in the UK, says that ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[23m laundry bill for La Poste]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/23million-euro-laundry-bill-la-poste-court-battle-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POSTAL WORKERS have won a court battle with La Poste to get them to pay their dry cleaning bills. The 12 Tarn posties, backed by the CGT union, acted on a 2005 EU law on paying for and cleaning unif...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Euroferries: one year of no service]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ferry-boulogne-ramsgate-euroferries-non-service-one-year-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EUROFERRIES fast cross-channel service between Ramsgate and Boulogne is still not in service one year after the original launch date of April 2009.This year the company has already claimed its serv...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Stuffed owl sale causes trouble]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/stuffed-owl-online-sale-causes-trouble-for-couple-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A COUPLE from Nantes fell foul of the law when, after an attic clear-out, they put some stuffed owls they used to collect for sale on a website. A National Office for Hunting and Wildlife employee, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Simone Veil takes seat at Académie]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/simone-veil-academie-francaise-seat-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOLOCAUST survivor, first president of the elected European Parliament and the person who helped legalise abortion in France, Simone Veil, has become only the sixth woman to enter the Académie Françai...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy mid-term election rebuff]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-regional-elections-nicolas-sarkozy-rebuff-socialist-party-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE Socialist Party is celebrating its comeback after a disastrous European election result last summer, coming top in 20 out of 22 parts of France in the regional elections.The party, led by Martin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Why left do well in regional vote]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/why-left-do-well-in-french-regional-elections-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Why are regional elections dominated by the left, when the right tends to do better nationally and in presidential elections?This is partly due to the role these mid-term elections play, where dif...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Handball Henry is fans' No.1]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/thierry-henry-best-loved-footballer-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HE MAY not be so popular in Ireland after that handball incident in the World Cup qualifying matches, but Thierry Henry is the best-loved footballer in France.Not only that, he is also its highest-p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GPs strike over 23 visit fees]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gps-strike-consultation-fees-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GPs have held a one-day strike to protest that their consultation fees have remained frozen, despite a promise by the government to raise them.Fees for a visit to the doctor were supposed to rise fr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Normandy leads digital TV switch]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/basse-normandie-digital-television-switchover-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BASSE-Normadie has become the first region in France to switch off its analogue TV broadcasting signal. It will be followed by the Pays-de-la-Loire in May and Brittany in June. All of France is du...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Angoulême airport sues Ryanair]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/angoueleme-airport-directors-sue-ryanair-breach-of-contract-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Angouleme airport directors are in talks to begin a new service to London after Ryanair stopped its Stansted flights.The Syndicat Mixte des Aéroports de Charente is suing Ryanair for breach of contr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pupils lose year from absent staff]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/teacher-absences-pupils-lose-year-of-school-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABSENT teachers cost a pupil a years missed education over the course of their school life, an inquiry by the countrys biggest parents group has found.The Fédération des Conseils des Parents d'Elè...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Angry bikers block streets]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/motorcycle-protests-around-france-bikers-block-streets-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of motorcycle riders took to the streets across France in a protest about threats of increased harassment and the lack of recognition given to two-wheeled road users.The demonstrations, or...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Growing violence against doctors]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/doctors-violence-patients-physical-threats-growing-seine-saint-denis-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GPs are seeing a growing number of incidents of violent behaviour by patients, new figures by a doctors' group have revealed.L'Ordre des Médecins' annual report found 540 reported cases of violent p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Giant inflatable colon in Lyon]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/giant-inflatable-colon-lyon-place-de-la-republique-colo-rectal-cancer-screening-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LARGE pink inflatable colon is being set up in the centre of Lyon this weekend to raise awareness of colo-rectal cancer.The huge blow-up tube comes from Germany - where it has toured a different c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sleeper trains to run in daytime]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-sleeper-trains-running-daytime-paris-toulouse-cheap-rail-travel-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF is planning to run its sleeper trains during the day from next month - so that passengers can have a comfortable nap while travelling.The French rail operator's new service, called Téoz Eco...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Easter weekend traffic warnings]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easter-holiday-traffic-road-conditions-france-this-weekend-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAFFIC conditions around France will be difficult from 16.00 this afternoon as the Easter weekend coincides with the start of the school holidays in Zone B.Official road watchdog Bison Futé has put...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-04-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Local vote for all expats rejected]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/right-to-vote-local-elections-france-expats-non-eu-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MPs have rejected a proposed law that would have given non-EU nationals living in France the right to vote in local elections.The law change, which was drawn up by the Socialist party, was defeated ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Another national train strike plan]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-strike-april-6-national-disruption-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN drivers are planning another national strike from April 6 - the third so far this year.However unlike earlier strikes, the next one will be for an indefinite period - not just one day.The CG...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New French words for buzz and chat]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-french-words-anglicisms-chat-buzz-newsletter-talk-tuning-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A JURY of French-language defenders have agreed on a new set of words to replace five anglicisms commonly used by young people.A competition was launched to ask students to come up with suggestions ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Flood alert today on Atlantic coast]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/weather-alert-atlantic-coast-france-flooding-winds-vendee-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMEOWNERS living on the Atlantic coast have been urged to stay vigilant this morning as strong waves and high tides are expected - a month after the Xynthia storm.Although Météo France has not issu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[8 months of Paris motorway delays]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/a6b-motorway-paris-orly-closed-resurfacing-work-traffic-disruptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS passing through Paris over the Easter holidays have been warned to expect severe delays as a key stretch of motorway outside the capital is closed for eight months of renovation work.Roadwor...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-30</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Plans to increase television licence]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/television-tv-licence-fee-rise-2011-advertising-france-redevance-audiovisuelle-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE cost of a television licence looks set to rise next year to compensate for the scrapping of advertising on public channels.Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand said a rise in the 121-a-year tax...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-30</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet turns away disabled passenger]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easyjet-disabled-passenger-refused-discrimination-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DISABLED woman who was made to get off an Easyjet flight from Paris to Nice because she was unaccompanied is considering legal action.Marie-Patricia Hoarau, who is 39 and from Fréjus in the Var, h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Poor turnout for 'No Sarkozy Day']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-sarkozy-day-protests-france-low-turnout-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S first "No Sarko Day" attracted just 2,000 protestors - 98,000 short of the organisers' target.The event was launched by a group of bloggers, inspired by the "No Berlusconi Day" in Italy las...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Pay rise for some teachers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-teachers-france-pay-rises-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST 200,000 teachers are to be given a pay rise from the rentrée in September - but unions say the move does not go far enough.The increase will apply to about a quarter of primary and secondary ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[4,000 join Rennes Facebook party]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/unofficial-facebook-party-rennes-city-centre-france-4000-people-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 4,000 people turned up for a "giant aperitif" in the centre of Rennes last night following an anonymous invite on Facebook.The appeal was launched about a week ago on the social networking...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-26</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[More cameras in towns and trains]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cctv-video-surveillance-cameras-france-extra-security-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN EXTRA 3,500 video-surveillance cameras will be installed in 280 towns and villages around France, the government has announced.The state is putting 30m towards the cost of the programme - about ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-26</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Free plans price hike for broadband]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/broadband-france-free-price-rise-35-euros-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERNET service provider Free has warned of a likely 5 rise in the price of broadband by the end of the year.The second biggest ISP in France, behind Orange, says the price rise to 35 a month is ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Carla fling rumour web staff resign]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/affair-Bruni-Sarkozy-rumour-resign-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO WORKERS involved with a news website that published rumours that Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy were both having affairs have resigned.The director general of Newsweb, which hosts the website o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-26</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[What's inside our April edition]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/april-2010-issue-connexion-newspaper-english-speakers-france-free-french-tax-guide-help-news-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THIS month's Connexion has four-pages of information on French income tax.Our feature  an extract from our annual tax helpguide  gives you information on whether you should be paying income tax in ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Frenchman arrested for Obama hacking]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/barack-obama-twitter-account-hacked-french-man-arrested-faces-jail-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRENCH web hacker is facing up to two years in prison for breaking into US president Barack Obama's account on Twitter.The 25-year-old man from the Auvergne was arrested on Tuesday and released on...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Law targets loans and credit cards]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/credit-cards-loans-france-law-debt-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW law that aims to prevent people getting into dangerous levels of debt is being debated in the National Assembly this week.The legislation, which was passed by senators last year, is designed t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF lose 1bn as TGV numbers stall]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-2009-loss-one-billion-euros-tgv-passenger-numbers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF lost almost 1bn last year in what it has described as an "annus horribilis".The French state rail operator said falling passenger and freight numbers in 2009 had contributed to the net los...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-25</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[New standards for baby bottles]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/proposed-law-bisphenol-a-compound-plastic-baby-milk-bottles-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SENATORS have agreed to ban a chemical found in some plastic packaging from being used in baby milk bottles due to health fears.The Senate voted in favour of the ban on Bisphenol A yesterday, after ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-25</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Carbon tax dropped but not yet buried]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/carbon-tax-france-shelved-reaction-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BUSINESSES and consumer groups have welcomed the government's announcement that it is shelving plans to introduce a "carbon tax" on fuel emissions.The tax on petrol and gas was originally due to com...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[9.5% gas price rise confirmed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gas-prices-france-gdf-increase-april-1-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GAS bills are to rise by an average of 9.5% from next month, the first major increase in two years.The government's Energy Regulation Commission has agreed to GDF's request for the substantial rise ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-24</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Saturday school back on agenda?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-france-four-day-week-wednesday-lessons-new-timetable-children-tired-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WEDNESDAY or Saturday morning lessons could be back on the timetable for schoolchildren from this September, in an apparent U-turn by the government.The Education Ministry has written to local educa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-24</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Car insurance to rise next month]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/car-insurance-costs-france-to-rise-due-to-increase-in-number-of-claims-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE COST of insuring a car in France is set to rise by up to 3% from April 1 as some of the major insurers' annual contracts come up for renewal.According to figures compiled by Les Echos, GMF is pl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Doctors to charge 1 more in protest]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/doctors-gps-france-consultation-fees-23-euros-funding-argument-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GPs are planning to break the terms of their contract by charging an extra 1 for consultations from next month in a long-running dispute over funding.France's biggest doctors' union, the CSMF, is e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-23</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Today's strikes: what to expect]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/strike-tuesday-23-march-france-schools-trains-hospitals-disruption-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BIG national strike will bring disruption to public transport, schools and other parts of the public and private sector today.TransportThe SNCF rail walkout began at 20.00 on Monday night and ser...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-23</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Air France strike threat called off]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-france-plane-cabin-crew-strike-called-off-abandoned-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR France cabin crew have called off a proposed four-day strike from March 28 to 31. The strike was timed to coincide with the introduction of the airline's new European summer timetable, which uni...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-23</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Too much salt in French baguette]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-bread-baguette-too-much-salt-research-finds-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TOO much salt is being added to the everyday French baguette, tests carried out by a consumer magazine have found.60 Millions de Consommateurs analysed 180 loaves from bakeries and supermarkets arou...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-23</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Left-wing victory in regional ballot]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/socialist-party-left-wing-victory-regional-elections-france-ump-defeat-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE Socialist Party has confirmed its position as France's most popular political party, winning in all but two of 22 regions in yesterday's elections.Left-wing parties averaged 54.3% nationally in ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-22</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Oysters banned after toxin found]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/oysters-shellfish-dangerous-banned-vendee-charente-maritime-toxins-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[OYSTERS and other shellfish from the Vendée and Charente-Maritime have been banned from sale and recalled from restaurants and supermarkets after they were found to contain dangerous levels of toxins....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-22</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Mayors demand swine flu refund]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-bill-refund-20-city-and-town-mayors-demand-government-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT 20 towns and cities around France have joined forces to put pressure on the government to pay back the money they spent on tackling the swine flu outbreak.According to the local government bod...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-19</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Partial victory in surrogacy battle]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/surrogate-mother-legal-test-case-france-parents-partial-victory-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRENCH couple whose twin daughters were born to a surrogate mother in the US have won part of their long-running battle to be legally recognised as their parents.Dominique and Sylvie Mennesson pai...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-19</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Second doctors' strike on April 8]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/doctors-srike-gps-surgeries-closed-april-8-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DOCTORS are planning to close their surgeries on Thursday April 8 - their second one-day strike in a month.GPs' unions say the French healthcare system is "drifting without a pilot" and are calling ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-19</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[SNCF closes web security loophole]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-website-personal-data-online-security-loophole-closed-hacker-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WEB security loophole allowing hackers to access the personal details of thousands of rail passengers has been closed after it was uncovered by a newspaper.The SNCF has been aware of the flaw sinc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-18</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[More work needed to tackle hayfever]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hayfever-season-france-high-pollen-emission-trees-plants-limits-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN AIR quality watchdog has called for strict limits on the planting of certain trees and plants to combat hayfever.Aerobiology surveillance body RNSA has drawn up a list of 16 types - including bir...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-18</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Light bottles cut Champagne costs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/champagne-bottles-lighter-65g-save-transport-costs-carbon-emissions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHAMPAGNE bottles are to be made 65g lighter to save on transportation costs and carbon emissions, producers have announced.Champagne industry trade body CIVC said the new bottles, which weigh in at...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-18</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Banking probe puts fees in spotlight]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/banking-fees-france-government-investigation-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN INDEPENDENT investigation into banking fees has been launched by the Economy Ministry.According to Les Echos, the ministry has been keeping a very close eye on how much customers are charged afte...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-17</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[SNCF announces fake TGV disaster ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-explosion-macon-announcement-mistake-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has mistakenly announced a massive explosion on a TGV train, killing 102 people and injuring hundreds.The dramatic announcement was posted on the rail operator's website at about 11.00 yest...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-17</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Air France crew strike announced]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-france-cabin-crew-strike-planned-march-28-31-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR France cabin crew have called a four-day strike from March 28 to 31.Six trade unions are supporting the walk-out to protest against changes to working conditions on short and medium-haul flights...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-17</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[France has chronic sleeping problem]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/chronic-lack-of-sleep-france-insomnia-report-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE AVERAGE person spends less than seven hours a day sleeping and almost four million French people suffer from severe insomnia, a new report has found.The Institut National du Sommeil (national sl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ikea sofas for  Paris metro stops]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ikea-sofas-paris-metro-platforms-publicity-campaign-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[IKEA has installed comfy sofas on a number of Paris metro platforms to improve the wait for commuters.The Swedish furniture giant has refitted four busy stations in the city centre with reading lamp...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tougher rules on supermarket bags]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/plastic-shopping-bags-ban-supermarkets-hypermarkets-recycling-2011-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A COMPLETE ban on plastic bags in supermarkets and hypermarkets could come into force next year, as part of a new law on reducing waste.Parliament is discussing a possible reinforcement of the curre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Total to close 500 petrol stations]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/total-plans-to-close-500-petrol-stations-in-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RURAL drivers could be affected by the closure of 500 petrol stations around France within the next two years.French petrol giant Total said it would axe about 10% of its 5,000 outlets - which inclu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-16</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['Jobs train' at a station near you]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/finding-work-in-france-job-train-tours-country-vacancies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A SPECIAL train allowing jobseekers to find work, submit their CV and be interviewed on the spot is touring France this month.The Train de l'Egalité des Chances will be manned by representatives fro...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Socialists triumph in regional vote]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/socialist-party-martine-aubry-france-regional-elections-first-round-results-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SOCIALIST party has come top in the first round of the French regional elections, in a vote that was marked by a high abstention rate of about 54%.The PS received 29.48% of votes nationwide, ahe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[A disastrous year for Bordeaux wine]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bordeaux-wine-sales-2009-catastrophic-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[2009 was a "catastrophic" year for Bordeaux wine, with revenue down almost a quarter on the previous year, producers have revealed.According to the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bordeaux, t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Help for tenants facing eviction]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eviction-helpline-tenants-landlords-renting-flat-france-winter-truce-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FREE telephone helpline is to be set up tomorrow to help tenants and landlords as the "winter truce" on rent arrears comes to an end.The annual trêve hivernale started in November and officially e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fishing season begins Saturday]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fishing-season-france-2010-trout-salmon-begins-march-13-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE TROUT and salmon fishing season gets under way this Saturday, March 13, in most parts of France. Exceptions include 16 departments in the north of France (including the Ile-de-France region), wh...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No rent rise for 1st time in years]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flat-rent-cost-france-average-stable-no-rise-in-2009-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE COST of renting a flat in France remained stable in 2009 for the first time in almost 20 years, new research has found.Professional letting research body Clameur found the nationwide average ren...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Secondary school teachers on strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/secondary-school-college-lycee-teachers-strike-today-march-12-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MINIMUM level of service is place in most French collèges and lycées this morning due to a nationwide strike by teachers.Eight trade unions representing the profession are behind the industrial ac...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-12</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Cigarette sales up patch sales down]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cigarette-tobacco-sales-france-increase-2009-anti-smoking-campaign-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of cigarettes sold in France has started to grow again, while sales of nicotine replacement treatments in pharmacies has plummeted.The Observatoire Français des Drogues et des Toxicomanes...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Drivers urged to look out for frogs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/frogs-toads-crossing-road-france-drivers-urged-to-look-out-animal-welfare-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FROGS, toads and newts are at risk of being crushed by cars this month as they cross roads to get to wetlands to breed, an animal charity has warned.According to Aspas, which protects wild animals, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Creche workers on strike again]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/childcare-workers-strike-france-creche-closed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CRECHES in 30 towns and cities will be closed today as workers hold their second strike in less than a month.They join GPs and public transport workers in some areas who are also on strike today.F...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Storm Xynthia conman arrested]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/storm-xynthia-fraudster-arrested- posing-as-agriculture-ministry-worker-charente-maritime-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A SERIAL fraudster who posed as an Agriculture Ministry worker in the storm-hit Charente-Maritime has been arrested.Philippe Berre, 56, spent five days working with local officials in Charron before...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Hadopi 2 fails to deter web users]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hadopi-2-online-piracy-law-france-failing-to-deter-illegal-downloaders-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW law designed to tackle online piracy is having the opposite effect on French internet users, according to a new study.Researchers at the University of Rennes found that since the Hadopi 2 law ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Nice to be CCTV capital of France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nice-cctv-capital-of-france-600-video-surveillance-cameras-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE CITY of Nice has announced plans to more than double the number of CCTV cameras by the end of this year, becoming the most watched place in France.Mayor Christian Estrosi has announced 342 extra...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[New measures for teacher cover]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/supply-teacher-replacement-cover-schools-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SCHOOLS are to be given better access to supply teachers from September following complaints from parents.Education Minister Luc Chatel said up to 20% of France's 50,000 supply teachers were being u...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['Brits cook more than the French']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cooking-at-home-british-spend-more-time-than-french-survey-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH people spend less time in their kitchens than their British counterparts and cook a smaller range of dishes, a new survey has revealed.The research by BBC food magazine Olive in the UK and Ma...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[New driving test launches today]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-driving-test-simpler-france-improve-pass-rates-cut-waiting-times-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW simpler driving test comes into force today in four regions - with other parts of France switching over by the end of May.The 35-minute practical test is designed to give examiners more freedo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Train stranded for 18 hours in snow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/train-standed-18-hours-pyrenees-snow-south-france-travel-chaos-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than a hundred passengers have spent the night stranded on a broken-down sleeper train in the Pyrénées-Orientales after it hit 40cm of snow near the Spanish border yesterday afternoon.The train...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[SNCF joins March 23 national strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-nationwide-train-strike-france-confirmed-march-23-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN services around France are facing severe disruption on March 23 after drivers voted last night to join a national strike.The CGT, Unsa and CFDT unions have urged members to take part in the in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Basse-Normandie digital TV switch]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/basse-normandie-analogue-tv-signal-digital-switchover-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONE and a half million people in Basse-Normandie will be switched over to digital TV this morning as the old analogue signal is switched off across the region.The switchover will happen between 8.00...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[School, GP and bus strikes this week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/strikes-this-week-france-school-teachers-doctors-public-transport-bins-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TEACHERS, doctors, binmen and public transport workers are all planning to go on strike later this week - just days before the French regional elections.Unions representing bus and tram drivers in a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Average results for half-term ski]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ski-resorts-france-visitor-numbers-half-term-spending-down-tourism-research-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SKI resorts around France have reported broadly stable visitor numbers but a decline in spending as the key half-term season ends.According to tourism research body Protourisme, 40% of French people...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu campaign 'cost France 1bn']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-cost-france-1bn-euro-scrutinised-vaccination-campaign-masks-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH government has spent more than 1bn preparing for the swine flu outbreak since last summer, new figures have revealed.The official auditor - the Cour des Comptes - and two parliamentary c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Food shops ignore Sunday trade law]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sunday-trading-law-france-food-shops-staying-open-all-day-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MANY supermarkets and convenience stores are breaking the new law on Sunday trading by staying open all day, a newspaper investigation has found.Le Parisien found small local food shops (superettes)...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Greengrocers take tickets-restaurant]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-rules-tickets-restaurant-meal-vouchers-fruit-veg-greengrocers  -view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RESTAURANTS have reacted with anger to a new initiative allowing people to buy fruit and veg from greengrocers using tickets-restaurant.The decree - which was published yesterday in the Journal Offi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rubbish collection strike on March 12]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/binmen-rubbish-collection-strike-france-march-12-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BINMEN across France are planning to walk out on strike for an indefinite period starting on March 12.Six unions representing éboueurs have called on members to stop collecting and treating rubbish ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-05</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Unemployment  hits 10-year high]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/unemployment-france-10-year-high-sarkozy-35-hour-week-industrial-reforms-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NUMBER of people out of work has reached a 10-year high, new official figures have revealed.National statistics body Insee says unemployment in the last quarter of 2009 stood at 2.7 million - it...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-05</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[EU slams French cigarette pricing]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cigarette-prices-in-france-condemned-by-european-union-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A EUROPEAN court has condemned the French government's policy of fixing minimum retail prices for cigarettes.The Court of Justice of the European Union said the practice - which imposes a 5.10 mini...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-05</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Waiting time test for civil service]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-administration-performance-indicators-waiting-time-queues-satisfaction-survey-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EVERY part of the French administration should be made to publish figures on waiting times to help improve the quality of service offered to the public, an MP has recommended.Haute-Marne MP François...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-04</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Customers quit EDF for rivals]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/edf-electricity-supplier-competition-gas-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST 1.4 million homes in France have ditched EDF for a rival electricity supplier, new figures have revealed.The French Energy Regulation Commission, CRE, said competing energy firms including Di...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Major project to rebuild sea walls]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/vendee-flood-sea-defences-reinforcement-work-ecology-ministry-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE years of work improving sea defences along the French coast have been promised to avoid a repeat of last weekend's deadly floods.The government has announced the setting up of a task-force whic...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-04</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Storm insurance deadline extended]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/storm-xynthia-insurance-claims-deadline-extended-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOUSEHOLDS hit by last weekend's storm and floods have been given an extension to make their insurance claims.French insurance body FFSA says all of its members have agreed to push the deadline back...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-03</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Truancy note web hoax revealed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hoax-school-absence-note-website-fools-french-media-parents-teachers-education-chiefs-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EDUCATION chiefs, unions and the French media have been duped by a website claiming to sell fake absence letters to schoolchildren."Innovative start-up" Xkiouze.com announced it would start selling ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-03</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Eiffel Tower tree exorcist caught]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tree-exorcist-champ-de-mars-eiffel-tower-questioned-police-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN EXORCIST who hammered nails into 100 trees near the Eiffel Tower and painted them "to rid them of evil spirits" has been arrested and questioned by police.Gardeners looking after the Champ de Mar...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-03</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Teen in court for meat-knife threat]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/teenage-girl-in-court-in-france-for-threatening-pupil-with-meat-cleaver-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TEENAGE girl is to appear in court later this month accused of threatening a fellow pupil with a meat-cleaver in a row over a mobile phone.According to a TV report on France 3 Méditerrannée, the 1...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-03</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Free hearing tests throughout March]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/free-hearing-tests-france-throughout-march-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FREE hearing test is available to anyone in France this month as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the condition.The event - until March 31 - is being organised by Audition Mutualiste, a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[New public power to challenge law]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/public-right-to-challenge-laws-france-constitutional-court-legality-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TAXATION and foreign voting rights are among laws that could be re-examined under a new initiative that aims to give the public more of a say in the legal process.New rules have come into force givi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Special measures for storm victims]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/insurance-claim-financial-help-storm-flood-damage-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A RANGE of financial help for homes and businesses in the four departments worst-hit by Sunday's deadly storms and floods has been announced by the government.President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a gove...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Natural disaster as storm kills 47]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/storm-xynthia-france-47-dead-natural-disaster-insurance-claim-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INSURERS are preparing for a surge of claims this morning after France's deadliest storm in a decade.Storm Xynthia brought winds of 150-200kph to large parts of the west and north of France early on...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Immigrants stop work for 24 hours]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-day-without-immigrants-24-hour-protest-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOREIGN residents in France and French citizens born overseas are being encouraged to stop working today to highlight their contribution to the economy.The "day without immigrants" has been organise...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Refunds cut for 200 medicines]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/healthcare-medicine-refunds-15-per-cent-assurance-maladie-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT is cutting the rate of reimbursement for 200 medicines next month in a move expected to save 145m a year.Patients buying the medicines - which include indigestion tablet Gaviscon and...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[70bn lost in tax exemptions]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-too-many-tax-breaks-lost-revenue-cour-des-comptes-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE offers too many tax discounts and exemptions - totalling 70billion a year - without finding a way of making up the lost revenue, the official public auditor has warned.The Cour des Comptes s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[French chef opens fast food chain]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-chef-marc-veyrat-opens-fast-food-chain-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LEADING French chef Marc Veyrat is setting up a chain of organic fast-food restaurants.Veyrat, known for his dark glasses, black hat and inventive "molecular cuisine," wants to bring his philosophy ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Who should pay to kill hornet nests]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/beekeepers-say-state-should-pay-to-remove-asian-hornets-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NESTS of the deadly Asian hornet are a national problem and people should not have to pay 200 to have them removed, according to a beekeepers' union.March is when the nests are being built and ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Swindlers invent phone muggings]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobile-phone-muggings-invented-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOBILE phone owners are inventing muggings to claim insurance and get better models.Bordeaux police thought a gang was at work after a spate of reports of youths on scooters snatching phones but fut...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Villepin above Sarkozy in poll]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/dominique-de-villepin-above-sarkozy-opinion-polls-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER PM Dominique de Villepin has received a boost to his presidential ambitions with a poll putting him 19 points ahead of Nicolas Sarkozy in terms of popularity.Free of the Clearstream Affair wh...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Armagnac seeks sales boost]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/armagnac-seeks-sales-boost-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MAKERS of armagnac hope a pilgrimage to the Vatican to retrieve a 14th-Century text extolling the virtues of the drink will help flagging sales.Frances oldest spirit celebrates its 700th anniversar...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Bluefin tuna ban would ruin us]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bluefin-tuna-ban-fishermans-union-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN INTERNATIONAL ban on trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna would "destroy an entire sector of French fishing" and put coastal communities at risk, a union has warned.The Comité National des Pêches Marit...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Little support for seaweed cleanup]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/brittany-toxic-seaweed-fails-to-get-support-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A 134 million government package to rid Brittanys coastline of toxic seaweed has failed to win support from farmers and ecology groups.Junior Ecology Minister Chantal Jouanno has set up a task-for...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Dubai to build replica of Lyon]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/dubai-replica-lyon-old-town-construction-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONSTRUCTION of a replica of the old town of Lyon is to start in Dubai this month.Lyon Dubaï City, brainchild of a sheik who fell in love with the city, is reported to be going ahead despite Dubais...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Doubts for future of the Halde]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/halde-anti-discrimination-body-in-doubt-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LEADING anti-racism charity boss has questioned Frances will to tackle discrimination as the future leadership and funding of its top equality watchdog La Halde is in doubt.Louis Schweitzer ends ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[La Halde: how it can help]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/halde-anti-discrimination-body-how-it-works-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Anyone can apply to the Halde if they feel they are a victim of discrimination (by race, nationality, sexuality etc) over matters like housing, work and public services. About 20% of cases result in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Families: Russia owes us 100bn]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/russian-cathe-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DESCENDANTS of French families who were financially ruined when their investments were erased after the Russian Revolution want to seize a cathedral in a battle over a 100bn debt.The debt, roughly ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Shops make 1m taking francs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-francs-shopkeepers-make-a-million-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SHOPKEEPERS in a French town have pulled in one million francs of business over the past three years by accepting francs.The president of the traders association in Blanc,  Indre,  Sylvie Auteau-Moë...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Frenchman world's best receptionist]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hotel-receptionist-best-in-world-is-french-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONE OF Frances first five-star hotels can also claim the worlds best receptionist. François Lenne, 30, of Le Meurice, Paris, was named International Receptionist of the Year by the jury chaired by...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Award for  comic adventure]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/film-director-wins-frances-biggest-comic-book-festival-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCES biggest comic book festival drew 200,000 visitors last month and awarded its top prize to a film director. The Festival International de la Bande Dessinée dAngoulême is the third most popu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Teachers' anger at staff reform]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/teachers-anger-at-staff-reforms-demonstration-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AROUND 10,000 teachers marched in Paris recently to protest against job cuts and government reforms to teacher training.Star of the occasion was a camel with placards stating: Les enseignants bossen...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New expats to register at mairie]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-expat-arriving-france-register-town-hall-mairie-new-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[All new immigrants wanting to live in France, including those from the EU, will have to register with their mairies within three months of arrival, once a new law is put into action.This will only a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Long school days exhaust children]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/long-school-days-timetable-france-exhausting-children-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TEACHERS and parents say the policy of four-day weeks in primary schools must be reviewed after medical research shows it is leaving children exhausted.The general secretary of teachers union SNUip...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-03-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[What's inside our March newspaper]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/march-2010-issue-connexion-newspaper-english-speakers-france-free-hotels-book-wine-offer-interviews-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE CONNEXION has teamed up with Alistair Sawday to offer 500 free copies of his books French Châteaux and Hotels and French Holiday Homes (RRP £14.99) - you just pay the postage.We are also offerin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French air traffic strike: the latest]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-strike-france-flights-cancelled-delayed-paris-orly-charles-de-gaulle-running-info-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A STRIKE by air traffic controllers is causing cancellations and delays for the fourth day running.The walkout is due to last until 8.00 on Saturday morning.Half of Friday's flights into and out o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Compulsory smoke alarms from 2015]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/law-requires-smoke-alarms-in-every-home-by-2015-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LAW requiring every home in France to be equipped with a smoke alarm has been passed, five years after it was first discussed.The responsibility for buying the alarm and regularly checking it fall...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Doctors plan March 11 strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/doctors-surgery-strike-march-11-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GPs are planning a day of strike action on March 11 to protest against a lack of resources.Four unions - including the biggest, MG France - have urged doctors to take part in the walkout and close t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Agriculture show opens in Paris]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-salon-agriculture-opens-this-weekend-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE most important event in the French farming community calendar, the Salon de l'Agriculture, opens this weekend in Paris.The event is also an annual pilgrimage for politicians looking to shore up ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Aid for unemployed facing benefit cut]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/financial-help-long-term-unemployed-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LONG-TERM unemployed people who face having their benefits cut off this year could be offered paid training to help them get back into work.Pôle Emploi estimates that a million people who have not w...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Two-thirds not expecting pay rise]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/two-thirds-of-french-employees-not-expecting-a-pay-rise-in-2010-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST two-thirds of French people are not expecting a pay rise this year, according to a new survey.The poll of 1,000 workers by research body BVA, published in Les Echos found only 37% of people t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-25</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Seniors march in pensions protest]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/state-pension-amount-france-retired-people-demonstrations-cost-of-living-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of retired people have taken to the streets to call for changes to the way the state pension is calculated.According to organisers, up to 3,000 people took part in a march yesterday in Par...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-25</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Petrol shortage threat is lifted]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/petrol-shortage-france-total-oil-refinery-workers-call-off-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NATIONWIDE petrol shortage has been averted after striking oil refinery workers agreed to return to work this morning.Staff at five Total plants around France walked out on strike last Thursday, p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF fined 5m over travel site ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-fined-5-million-euros-travel-agency-website-expedia-partnership-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has been fined 5m for stifling competition with its online travel shop, voyagessncf.comA court in Paris has ordered the French state rail operator to pay damages to rival online travel age...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-24</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Calls for ban on anti-smoking ad]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/anti-smoking-ads-teenagers-cigarette-submission-welfare-groups-controversy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A SHOCK anti-smoking campaign showing teenagers in a submissive position with a cigarette between their lips has outraged child welfare groups and ministers.Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot has des...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-24</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Rebel passengers allowed home]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/brazil-paris-flight-plane-rebellion-french-tourists-freed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROUP of French tourists accused of starting a rebellion on a plane in Brazil have been allowed to return home after 11 weeks.The two men and a woman were arrested in São Paulo on December 7 for c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air traffic strike closes airports]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-traffic-controller-strike-france-airport-check-flight-disruptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE French airports are closed today and hundreds of flights across the country cancelled due to a strike by air traffic controllers.There are no flights landing or taking off from Pau, Biarritz, G...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GDF wants 9% gas bill rise in April]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gas-prices-bills-rise-9-percent-april-gdf-suez-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GDF wants to raise gas prices by 9% in April to account for the growing cost of production, it has emerged.According to Le Figaro, the gas supplier wants to hike tariffs from 41.50 per megawatt hou...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Uni students slam 'unfair' policies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/university-rules-exams-assessment-teaching-hours-unef-student-union-complaints-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DOZEN universities in France are imposing unfair rules that are denying students the chance to succeed, national students' union Unef has complained.The union says there are inconsistencies in the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French red tape is failing people]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-administration-nightmares-red-tape-ombudsman-complaints-civil-service-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH administration makes people feel "psychologically tired", tense, nervous and helpless, the country's official ombudsman has warned.The Médiateur de la République, Jean-Paul Delevoye, says he ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Orly worst-hit by air traffic strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flight-delays-paris-france-orly-air-traffic-controllers-strike-baggage-handlers-disruptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR passengers are facing delays at Orly airport in Paris today ahead of a nationwide air traffic controllers' strike that starts tomorrow. Ground-handlers called a sudden strike at the weekend over...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Petrol shortage fears after strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/total-oil-refinery-strike-petrol-shortages-france  -view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS have started queuing for petrol in parts of France as oil refinery workers extend their strike.Six refineries owned by Total have been closed since Thursday in protest at plans to close the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Porn sites blocked on MPs' computers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-mps-national-assembly-banned-pornographic-websites-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MPs in the French national assembly have been told that pornographic websites are now blocked on their office computers.Parliament has implemented a new web filtering system that aims to block any i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Graham Templeton begins jail term]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/graham-templeton-warren-dordogne-expat-fraud-begins-jail-sentence-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONMAN Graham Templeton is in prison starting his two-year jail sentence for defrauding a group of Dordogne expats out of 2 million, The Connexion can reveal.French prison authorities said that the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Government names 'stressful' firms]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/stress-work-government-survey-work-ministry-named-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STARBUCKS, BP, Glaxo SmithKline and Toys R Us are among the companies accused of failing to deal with employee stress in a new government report. The Work Ministry has published a list on its websit...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New speed cameras made harder to see]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hidden-speed-cameras-road-safety-france-drink-driving-prevention-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW generation of hidden speed cameras is to begin appearing on French motorways in a bid to stop drivers suddenly braking to avoid being caught.Prime Minister François Fillon has announced that 8...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Drivers question French car quality]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-car-standards-reliable-international-survey-drivers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE RELIABILITY of French cars has been called into question in an international survey of drivers.Almost a quarter of a million motorists in France, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil and China were aske...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Taxis plan go-slow at Paris airports]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-taxi-drivers-go-slow-convoy-protest-orly-charles-de-gaulle-airport-disruptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TAXI drivers in Paris are planning to hold up traffic around Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports and parts of the city centre next Thursday.They are staging a go-slow protest after a group of MPs dr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[12 convicted for fake wine scam]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-red-wine-languedoc-scam-pinot-noir-convicted-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWELVE wine producers and dealers in the Languedoc have been convicted for selling more than 18 million bottles of fake Pinot Noir to the US.The scam, which judges believe netted about 7m, went unn...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[National teachers' strike on March 12]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/teachers-strike-secondary-school-france-industrial-action-march-12-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SECONDARY school teachers across France are planning a one-day strike on March 12.Eight teachers' unions have backed the action, which will bring disruption to collèges and lycées nationwide.They ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Speeding biker caught by video]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/motorcyclist-midi-pyrenees-speeding-video-camera-police-arrest-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MOTORCYCLIST who filmed himself speeding through the Midi-Pyrénées at up to 175kph has been caught by police  after he accidentally dropped the camera on the roadside by a police station.Officers...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Creche strike over childcare reforms]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/creche-workers-strike-government-childcare-reforms-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CRECHE workers around France are holding a one-day strike today which will affect both municipal and private services.Four unions have called the day of action to protest against work conditions and...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-17</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Help promised for unemployed seniors]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/unemployment-france-benefit-near-retirement-age-social-security-system-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BENEFIT scheme designed to help unemployed people nearing retirement age has been temporarily saved after the government abandoned plans to get rid of it.Nicolas Sarkozy has agreed to keep the all...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Two-thirds want French franc back]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/survey-two-thirds-want-return-to-french-franc-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GROWING number of French people say they miss the franc and would like it to return.A survey by Paris Match magazine found 69% would like the old French currency to come back in place of the euro....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Free legal advice on French issues]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/free-legal-advice-france-property-tax-inheritance-helpline-notaires-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FREE telephone advice line is running this week to help anyone with questions about family life, buying a property or inheritance in France.The service is part of the annual Semaine d'Information ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-17</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[British woman dead in Riviera home]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/british-woman-expat-carol-hagues-stabbed-death-cagnes-riviera-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A RETIRED British woman has been found stabbed to death at her French Riviera home.Sixty-five-year-old Carol Hagues, who lived in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the Côte d'Azur, had been stabbed at least three t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-16</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[French schools to go 100% digital]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/schools-teaching-france-digital-technology-interactive-blackboards-podcasts-project-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EVERY school in France should be equipped with high-speed internet and digital teaching equipment by 2012 to catch up with the rest of Europe, a report commissioned by the government has urged.Educa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[UGC call police in cinema food row]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ugc-cinema-france-calls-police-customer-food-drink-paris-argument-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[UGC has admitted sending armed police in to a busy cinema auditorium to confront a customer who had brought in her own food and drink - the third case of its kind in as many weeks.The woman was visi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[National strike plan for March 23]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nationwide-strike-france-march-23-employment-retirement-unions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE trade unions have called a nationwide day of strike action on March 23 in protest at the French governments proposed pension reforms.The CFDT, CGT, FSU, Solidaires and Unsa are planning the in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-16</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Competition pushes water bills down]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/water-prices-france-drop-competition-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMES in France are beginning to benefit from a significant drop in the cost of water, as competition in the market is forcing prices down.New figures from the Fédération Professionnelle de l'Eau (F...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Increasing number of TGV rail delays]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-services-france-rail-punctuality-ter-tgv-running-late-figures-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH national rail operator SNCF has announced it is changing its definition of "on time" in a bid to improve this year's punctuality stats.Almost one in five long-distance train TGV services fail...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Firm invites staff to move to Hungary]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/-france-factory-workers-redundant-closure-hungary-job-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WORKERS at a Philips factory in the Eure-et-Loir have been sent letters telling them not to turn up for work today  and inviting them to apply for jobs in Hungary instead.The technology firm announ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-15</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Get the most from currency exchange]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/foreign-currency-exchange-international-transfer-pounds-euros-france-best-rates-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[IN THE past two years, unprecedented volatility in the currency markets has seen the value of sterling fluctuate by over 30% against the euro. It is therefore especially important that when you tran...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Trial date set for Soc Gen trader]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Jerome-kerviel-societe-generale-trader-bank-investment-risks-court-date-set-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FORMER Société Générale trader accused of losing the bank billions of euros in unauthorised deals is to stand trial this summer, two and a half years after the incident came to light.Jérôme Kervie...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Another eBay fine in brand-name row]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/louis-vuitton-ebay-auction-site-ruling-brand-names-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONLINE auction giant eBay has been hit with another fine for promoting and selling brand-name goods on its French site.eBay had taken out a series of online ads that appeared alongside search result...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Go-ahead for rent guarantee scheme]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/government-rent-guarantee-scheme-landlord-tenants-france-property-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW scheme that aims to make it easier for low-earners to find a home and give better protection to landlords has been launched by the government.The Garantie des Risques Locatifs is a state-backe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ban on playground game web videos]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/playground-dangerous-games-children-school-france-video-sharing-websites-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[VIDEO-sharing websites such as YouTube are to be banned from displaying clips of children taking part in dangerous playground games under a new law.MPs have voted unanimously in favour of the legisl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Thousands driving without a licence]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/banned-french-motorists-driving-without-licence-unaware-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 300,000 French motorists are unaware that they are banned from driving, according to a campaign group calling for changes to the way the penalty system works.SOS Permis Assistance says too...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Auditors condemn doctors' paperwork]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/assurance-maladie-doctors-feuilles-de-soins-carte-vitale-paperwork-waste-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH healthcare system is wasting up to 200m a year on excessive paperwork, auditors have found.The Cour des Comptes said too many doctors were still issuing paper feuilles de soins (medical ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More departments on weather alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-weather-more-snow-meteo-france-alert-driving-conditions-school-buses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIFTEEN departments along the Channel coast and the south-east corner of France are on weather alert this morning because of snow, which is forecast to hit most of the country later today.Météo Fran...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Toddler left for six hours on bus]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-bus-three-year-old-girl-abandoned-parents-legal-action-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A COUPLE in Brittany are taking legal action against the local council after their three-year-old daughter was locked inside a school bus for six hours.The young girl, called Emma, is believed to ha...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Disappointing end for January sales]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/january-sales-shopping-france-winter-disappointing-results-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SHOP-OWNERS have reported disappointing results from this year's January sales, which officially ended at midnight last night.Bad weather across France was blamed for much of the decline - however m...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Town councillor on 'hunger strike']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/town-councillor-hunger-strike-brittany-france-protest-government-funding-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TOWN councillor in Brittany is nearing the end of her third week on "hunger strike" to protest against an overdue government subsidy payout.Marie-Reine Tillon, who sits on the Saint-Cast-le-Guildo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Companies hit by commuting stress]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-public-transport-commuting-stress-companies-workers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[COMPANIES need to do more to help workers deal with the stress of commuting, a report has found.The study, based on interviews with staff and human resources directors, said French firms tended to c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Power fault brings chaos to TGV line]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tgv-trains-power-supply-fault-technical-problems-delay-sncf-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF has promised a full refund to passengers who were stuck for up to six hours on stationary TGVs yesterday due to a technical fault in the Bourgogne.Power supply problems near Mâcon in the Sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Numericable unveil 10 internet offer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/numericable-broadband-internet-package-10-euros-low-income-households-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERNET service provider Numericable has become the first French operator to launch a cut-price package reserved for low-income households.The operator has announced plans for a 9.99-a-month packa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[VAT cut fails to encourage diners]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-restaurants-vat-tax-rate-cut-customer-numbers-decline-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A VAT cut in restaurants has done nothing to increase customer numbers, new figures have revealed.The number of people visiting restaurants fell by 1.2% in 2009 according to data by consumer researc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Councillor jailed in smuggling plot]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-town-councillor-politician-jailed-smuggling-vietnamese-illegal-immigrants-uk-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TOWN councillor who helped her son smuggle 16 Vietnamese immigrants from France to the UK has been jailed for three years.Christiane Chocat, who sits on the Lumigny-Nesles-Ormeaux council in the S...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Alps and Pyrenees on avalanche alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ski-holiday-france-alps-pyrenees-avalanche-safety-warning-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[METEO France has issued an avalanche alert for the Pyrenees and the southern French Alps as the half-term ski holidays get underway.Skiers have been told to be extremely vigilant because of strong w...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Continental six' sentences reduced]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/continental-tyre-factory-workers-protest-appeal-fined-france-sentences-reduced-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SIX tyre factory workers who ransacked a local council building in a protest over job losses have had their sentences downgraded by an appeal court.The workers at the Continental factory in Clairoix...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Armed police eject cinema toddler]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ugc-cinema-armed-police-throw-out-two-year-old-girl-disney-princess-and-frog-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CINEMA chain UGC has apologised for calling armed police to eject a two-year-old girl and her family from a screening of the new Disney film.Officers stormed into the Ciné Cité complex at Les Halles...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Camembert loses  top cheese title]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/camembert-cheese-france--view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CAMEMBERT has lost its place as France's favourite cheese.The soft white cheese has been knocked into second place by the sturdy yellow Emmental. In third place is brie.The change in France's chee...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Voluntary service given go ahead]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/voluntary-service-young-people-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[YOUNG people will be paid for carrying out work in the community under a proposed law debated yesterday in the National Assembly.Called the service civique (to replace the current service civil) it ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Arrest for fake Paris bus driver]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-fake-bus-driver-ratp-transport-enthusiast-arrested-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE in Paris have arrested a transport enthusiast who posed as a trainee driver and managed to briefly drive a bus with passengers on board.The 26-year-old man found a spare uniform for Paris pub...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[PM: police custody figures 'shocking']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/police-custody-abuse-france-prime-minister-francois-fillon-reform-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has promised to take urgent action to reform the French system of police custody amid claims it is being over-used and contravenes basic human rights.Prime Minister François Fillon sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Report finds sex  education failing]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/teenage-pregnancies-sex-education-schools-report-abortion-access-failure-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NOT enough is being done in schools to teach young people about sex - and women seeking an abortion are faced with unacceptably long waiting lists, a critical report has found.The Inspection Général...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air traffic strike over half-term]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-air-traffic-controllers-strike-half-term-air-france-pilots-travel-disruption-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR traffic controllers have called a five-day strike at the end of February that could affect flights over the school half-term holidays.Four unions representing workers at the Direction Générale d...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Burqa husband denied nationality]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/husband-forcing-woman-wear-burqa-banned-french-nationality-islam-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAN who admitted making his wife wear a burqa in public is to have his request to gain French nationality turned down.Immigration Minister Eric Besson has signed a ministerial decree and asked Pri...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[February issue out now: what's inside]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/february-2010-connexion-newspaper-france-graham-templeton-roger-moore-valerie-pecresse-tax-treaty-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FEBRUARY issue of The Connexion has sent out to subscribers and newsagents, packed with 68 pages of news, interviews and practical information about life in France.In this month's paper  three ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New safety drive  for every school ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-safety-security-protection-measures-france-college-lycee-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SCHOOLS across the country will bring in better measures to improve pupils' and teachers' safety by the end of the academic year, Education Minister Luc Chatel has announced.Each of France's 8,000 c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France to launch secure web login]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/secure-web-login-password-france-internet-online-trial-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH government is planning to launch a central online login service that it claims will protect web users against identity fraud.The project, called IDéNum, will allow consumers to login to g...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[3.5 million people poorly housed ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/housing-sub-standard-conditions-fondation-abbe-pierre-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THREE and a half million people in France live in sub-standard conditions due to rising rents and a lack of social housing, a new report has found.The Fondation Abbé Pierre - part of the Emmaüs welf...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Bank fees cheaper but inconsistent]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bank-fees-france-decline-comparison-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BANKS are cutting the fees they charge customers for day-to-day operations, but there are still large differences from one to the next, according to a consumer watchdog.CLCV has analysed the fees ch...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Better protection needed for elderly]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/elderly-people-violence-attacks-protection-sanctions-double-murder-oise-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ELDERLY people living on their own should be visited regularly by army reserves to check on their situation, the interior minister has recommended.Brice Hortefeux has called for better measures to p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Taxi drivers block Charles de Gaulle]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-taxi-drivers-blockade-charles-de-gaulle-airport-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAVELLERS flying out of Paris Charles de Gaulle today should allow extra time to get to the airport due to a strike by taxi drivers.The Paris drivers' union began the blockade at 6.00 this morning ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cheque loophole must close: MEP]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mep-sharon-bowles-france-cheque-fraud-loophole-graham-templeton-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BRITISH MEP is taking action at EU level to get France to close the banking loophole used by Graham Templeton to fleece his victims.Sharon Bowles, the Liberal Democrat MEP for south-east England, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Templeton worked in pub in Kent]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/graham-templeton-dordogne-fraud-worked-pub-kent-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BOSSES at a gastropub washed their hands of Dordogne fraudster Graham Templeton when they heard of his past.Dave and Nicola Rose said that Templeton had offered them financial advice just before Chr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Victims' anger at compensation delay]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/graham-templeton-victims-fraud-compensation-societe-generale-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[VICTIMS of Graham Templeton's 2m Dordogne fraud are still waiting for Société Générale to come up with an improved offer of compensation for its alleged role in letting the scam happen.The bank has...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tax change for Brits in France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/capital-gains-tax-changes-for-british-people-living-in-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITONS living in France but owning property in the UK are subject to an important change in the new double tax treaty between the UK and France which comes into full force in April. Previously if a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France can help disabled expats]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/disabled-expats-who-lose-uk-benefits-can-get-help-from-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DISABLED expats who have had their benefits cut by the UK may be eligible for help in France, Connexion has found.In principle people moving between EU states should be able to support themselves, h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Normandy plans English university]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/all-english-university-campus-in-caen-normandy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NORMANDY is planning to build what it claims will be the biggest all-English university campus in mainland Europe in a bid to improve the regions international reputation.The huge complex in the ce...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[50% off tracks to stop music piracy]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/music-downloads-france-50-per-cent-off-online-piracy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[YOUNG web-users are to be offered half-price music downloads in a government scheme to lure them away from illegal sites.President Nicolas Sarkozy said subsidising the cost of buying songs online fo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[TGV threatens Bordeaux vineyards]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/news-tgv-route-to-spain-threatens-oldest-vineyards-in-bordeaux-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TEN of the oldest vineyards in Bordeaux are under threat from plans to expand the TGV network in the south west with lines from Bordeaux towards Toulouse and Spain.Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) which...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Bid to give local vote to all expats]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bid-to-give-local-vote-to-all-expats-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOCIALIST Party leader Martine Aubry is calling for all foreign residents to be given the right to vote in municipal elections - not just EU citizens as now.The comes ahead of next months regional ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Oceans hopes to lead 2010 films]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-films-2010-oceans-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOUR years of diving in 75 expeditions to 50 locations worldwide have produced the dazzling underwater spectacle of Oceans, which opened in cinemas across France at the end of January.Produced in Fr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[French film export still takes 350m]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-film-exports-350-million-euros-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH films pulled in audiences of 66 million worldwide last year but failed to match the record global success of Babylon A.D., Astérix and Taken in 2008.Even though the figure is 22% short of the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[House sales to pick up in 2010]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-property-sales-to-pick-up-in-2010-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[OVER 10% more houses will be sold this year compared to last, according to estate agents representatives Fnaim.Fnaim president René Pallincourt says it is likely there will be more than 600,000 sal...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Send manure in the post as a joke]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mail-order-manure-from-jura-farmer-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FARMER from the Jura has diversified into mail-order manure - the perfect gift for someone who has offended you.For 8.50 plus 5.50 postage www.fumier.com sends 100g of manure from the Montbéliar...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Jail for verbal abuse in marriage]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/jail-for-verbal-abuse-in-marriage-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HUSBANDS and wives could face prison for threatening or verbally abusing each other under a new bill.The idea, backed by Prime Minister François Fillon, would see husbands or wives facing charges of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-02-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Doctors say school day far too long]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/long-primary-school-day-france-children-tired-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRIMARY school children are turning up to lessons tired because their timetable is too packed, a report by French doctors has found.The National Academy of Medicine said the four-day week does not s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu vaccine centres close down]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-vaccination-centres-closed-gps-give-jab-in-surgeries-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ANYONE wanting to get vaccinated against swine flu will only be able to do so at their GP's surgery from this weekend.The French government is closing the 1,000 vaccination centres it specially set ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Ryanair in court over work rights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ryanair-employment-contracts-irish-law-france-low-cost-airline-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RYANAIR is being sued in a French court over claims that staff at its Marseille base are illegally working on Irish employment contracts.The low-cost airline is accused by two pilots' unions of igno...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Foreign students banned from lab]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/inria-nancy-research-institute-bans-foreign-students- security-measure-iranian-algerian-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A PRESTIGIOUS French science research institute has provoked anger among foreign students by banning them from using the labs and computers outside of certain hours as a security measure.According t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[MPs consider youth curfew measures]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/youth-delinquency-france-curfew-law-under-13-parliament-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE French towns and cities could follow the lead of Nice and impose a night-time curfew on under-13s.MPs in the National Assembly will today debate a law that would give each department the freedo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-28</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Woman dragged by train sues SNCF]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-accident-train-doors-tarascon-passenger-legal-action-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WOMAN who was seriously injured after getting off a train on the wrong side has begun legal action against the SNCF.Christine Desfoux was trapped by a closing door and dragged several hundred metr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Clearstream trial: Villepin cleared]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/clearstream-affair-trial-verdict-dominique-de-villepin-nicolas-sarkozy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER French prime minister Dominique de Villepin has been cleared of attempting to smear Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of the 2007 presidential elections.Villepin was the most high-profile figure among fi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French hope for Vancouver victory]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-winter-olympics-team-vancouver-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRIPLE Olympic gold-winning biathlete Vincent Defrasne will carry the French flag in Vancouver on February 12 as France sends 109 competitors to do battle in the Winter Olympics. The two-week contes...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Expo remembers great Paris flood]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-flood-1910-exhibition-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A HUNDRED years ago Paris suffered its worst flood since 1658 - stations under water, drains and electricity disrupted, 20,000 residential buildings flooded and streets turned into canals. In 1910s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rubber stamp for partners' equality]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/british-civil-partnerships-pacs-rights-status-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GOVERNMENT journal the Bulletin Officiel des Impôts has confirmed equal status of people in France with British civil partnerships to French pacs partners relating to inheritance, donations and income...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[36-hour railway strike next week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-train-strike-february-3-confirmed-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOUR rail unions are have confirmed plans for a 36-hour nationwide strike next Wednesday, February 3.The walkout will severely disrupt services between 20.00 on February 2 and 8.00 on February 4.F...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Radars to measure average speed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/average-speed-cameras-introduced-france-roads-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW speed cameras that measure a car's average speed over several kilometres are to be introduced on French roads by early next year.Road safety bosses say the new devices will help get the number o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Twingo is France's most-stolen car]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/renault-twingo-car-stolen-smart-fortwo-audi-q7-league-theft-league-table-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE RENAULT Twingo has been named France's most-stolen car in a study published today.The compact Smart ForTwo came second in the theft league table compiled by motoring magazine AutoPlus.Accordin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[EDF denies plans for 24% price hike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/edf-energy-electricity-prices-france-increase-denied-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EDF has denied reports that it has asked the government to increase electricity prices by 24% between now and 2015.Les Echos claimed yesterday that the price hike was being considered to finance fur...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French parliament considers 1 note]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/one-euro-note-louis-giscard-d-estaing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SON of former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing has launched a new campaign to introduce a one-euro note.Puy-de-Dôme MP Louis Giscard d'Estaing has assembled a parliamentary committee of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Thousands protest against TGV line]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-madrid-rail-tgv-line-protest-hendaye-france-spain-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT 15,000 people have joined a demonstration to protest against plans for a new high-speed rail line linking France and Spain.Protestors took to the streets of the border town of Hendaye yesterda...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[TV grilling for Sarkozy tonight]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/-sarkozy-tf1-debate-french-television-january-25-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Nicolas Sarkozy is to face a live TV grilling from 11 members of the French public tonight in a series of programmes that has angered opposition parties.He will be interviewed for about 10...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air France plans low-cost services]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-france-nice-airport-low-cost-domestic-flights-easyjet-ryanair-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR France is planning to take on Easyjet and Ryanair by launching a range of low-cost domestic flights linking French cities.According to a report in La Tribune - which Air France has refused to co...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New rules on using tickets-restaurant]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tickets-restaurant-meal-vouchers-france-supermarkets-ban-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKETS are to stop customers from buying day-to-day groceries with tickets-restaurant from the beginning of March.The government has announced new restrictions on how the meal vouchers are use...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-22</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[EDF's 'Robin Hood' suspended from job]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/edf-electricity-france-robin-hood-unpaid-bills-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN EDF employee who took pity on a low-income family and restored their cut-off electricity supply has been suspended.Dominique Liot, who describes himself as the Robin Hood of electricity, said it ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-22</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Primary school teachers on strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/primary-school-teachers-strike-france-civil-servants-january-21-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST two thirds of primary school teachers are out on strike today in certain departments as part of a nationwide day of action by civil servants.Teachers' union SNUipp says 62% of staff are expec...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Electricity costs based on demand?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/electricity-prices-demand-edf-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ELECTRICITY could be made more expensive at peak times to encourage homes to consume less, the government has suggested.La Tribune says the proposal is designed to "encourage customers to  limit the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-21</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Eurostar sued for false imprisonment]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eurostar-breakdown-channel-tunnel-delays-suing-false-imprisonment-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A PASSENGER who was trapped for five hours on a Eurostar train shortly before Christmas is suing the rail operator for false imprisonment.Willy Risi was on one of four trains that broke down on the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-21</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Leclerc medicine prices ad banned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/leclerc-pharmacy-medicine-prices-campaign-advert-banned-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKET chain Leclerc has been ordered to stop a series of adverts that accuse pharmacies of over-charging.The group launched a public campaign in November claiming the prices charged for 4,000 ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air France makes obese pay extra]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-france-obese-passengers-pay-extra-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[OBESE passengers travelling with Air France will be made to pay 75% extra from later this year, the airline has announced.The rule, which comes into effect in April, requires anyone who cannot fit i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Crédit Agricole tops complaints]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-bank-fees-credit-agricole-complaints-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CREDIT Agricole has been crowned France's most complained-about bank by a consumer group.French bank users' association Afub put the company at the top its first-ever league table of complaints.Th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-20</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[French population continues to grow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/life-expectancy-france-birth-rate-insee-population-figures-2009-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH people are living longer and have one of the highest birth rates in Europe, new population research from Insee has revealed.According to the latest figures, a child born today will live seven...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-20</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['Civic contract' for 18-year-olds]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/national-identity-contract-18-year-olds-rights-responsibilities-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EVERY French teenager should sign a contract on their 18th birthday reminding them of their civic rights and responsibilities, Immigration Minister Eric Besson has suggested.Speaking at a debate on ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-19</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[10 euro broadband for lowest earners]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-broadband-internet-access-low-income-families-cheap-rates-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LOW-INCOME families could get broadband internet and phone access for less than 10 a month under a new initiative.The government wants to create a special cut-price rate to allow low-income househo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-19</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[French choose cats over dogs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-pets-cats-more-popular-than-dogs-animal-charity-spa-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GROWING numbers of French homes are choosing cats over dogs as their preferred pet, according to new research by an animal welfare charity.The Société Protectrice des Animaux (SPA) says there are no...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paid leave to care for terminally ill]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paid-leave-care-dying-relative-france-law-terminally-ill-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LAW giving workers the right to paid leave to care for a dying friend or relative has been passed unanimously by the Senate and is close to coming into force.MPs from all parties in the National A...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-18</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Man arrested for plane bomb joke]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/plane-bomb-joke-arrest-french-tourist-abu-dhabi-terrorism-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A RETIRED French tourist has been arrested on a plane from Paris to Bangkok for joking that there was a bomb on board.Jean-Louis Lioret, 66, has spent the past six days in custody in Abu Dhabi - whe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[TGV lines may be axed to save cash]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-tgv-services-axed-loss-making-train-strike-france-february-3-unions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SNCF is looking to cut a number of cross-country TGV services by the end of this year to save money, it has emerged.Les Echos reveals today that routes from Strasbourg to Nantes, Bordeaux and Li...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-18</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Normandy welcomes new English paper]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/normandy-advertiser-new-free-monthly-newspaper-in-english-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW English-language newspaper for Normandy from the publishers of The Connexion has been welcomed by the local community.The Advertiser has an initial print run of 10,000 and contains local news,...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-14</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[French councillor admits smuggling]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-councillor-people-smuggling-christiane-chocat-portsmouth-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TOWN councillor from the Seine-et-Marne has pleaded guilty to helping to smuggle 16 Vietnamese immigrants from France to Britain.Christiane Chocat, who sits on the Lumigny-Nesles-Ormeaux council o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-14</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA['90% of emergency calls not urgent']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/samu-medical-emergency-number-15-trivial-calls-protest-action-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EMERGENCY operators have held a nationwide protest over pay, conditions and what they claim is a growing number of trivial phone calls to emergency number 15. About 2,000 call-handlers are employed ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-14</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Flights disrupted by strike and snow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-airport-delays-cancellations-strike-snow-orly-charles-de-gaulle-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HUNDREDS of flights into and out of France have been cancelled today as a strike by air traffic controllers clashes with bad weather.Staff at the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile are protesti...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-13</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[PS wants to give expats the vote]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/foreign-expat-voting-france-local-elections-socialist-party-law-debate-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EVERY foreign resident in France could win the right to vote in local elections under a new law being drawn up by the Socialist Party.Party leader Martine Aubry brought up the issue of expats' votin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-13</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Renault warns of steering problems]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/renault-kangoo-scenic-safety-recall-power-steering-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RENAULT has recalled 144,000 cars sold in France over safety concerns linked to the power steering.The French car manufacturer has urged anyone who bought a Scenic made between January 2006 and Marc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-13</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Is the swine flu epidemic over?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-cases-epidemic-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SWINE flu is no longer officially an epidemic in France, according to new figures from a doctors' union that have been contested by flu observation network Grog.The Sentinelles-Inserm network, which...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-13</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Livret A savings stuck at 1.25%]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/livret-a-savings-account-france-interest-rate-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NEARLY 50 million savers in France will be stuck with 1.25% interest on their Livret A account until at least May.The government has decided to keep the savings rate at its lowest-ever level for ano...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-13</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Anti-piracy logo pinches font]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Hadopi-logo-uses-font-without-permission-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE designers of the new logo for internet anti-piracy body the Hadopi have apologised for using a font without permission.Design agency Plan Créatif issued a statement admitting that a font owned b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-12</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Motorway tolls to rise next month]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/motorway-tolls-increase-february-2010-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS are facing a hike in the cost of motorway tolls from the beginning of February - but the scale of the increase will not be made public until later this month.The three main motorway operator...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-12</pubDate>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Weather warning lifted for France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/severe-weather-warning-lifted-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[METEO France has lifted its severe weather warning for the whole of the country, but travel conditions could remain difficult for some days as roads remain icy.Snowfall in Brittany, Normandy, the Au...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Record year for gambling in France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/record-year-for-gambling-in-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH households are spending a record amount of money on gambling during the economic crisis, a new survey has found.Research by Agence France-Presse has found people are spending 24% more on gamb...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[No voucher needed for swine flu jab]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-vaccine-no-voucher-needed-assurance-maladie-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SWINE flu vaccination centres across France will now accept anyone who turns up, regardless of whether or not they are officially registered for healthcare.Until now, it was necessary to wait for th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[UK debate on expat disability benefit]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/disability-living-allowance-british-expat-benefits-parliament-debate-roger-gale-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITISH expats who have been refused UK disability benefits since moving to France have been urged to email their MPs ahead of a debate on the issue in parliament next week. North Thanet MP Roger Ga...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-08</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Full body scanners in French airports]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/airport-security-terrorism-full-body-scanners-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH airports are to begin a trial into full body scanners in the wake of a failed bomb plot on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.Nicolas Sarkozy has asked the Interior Ministry ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-07</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[More delays after Eurostar breakdown]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eurostar-train-breakdown-channel-tunnel-revised-timetable-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EUROSTAR is running a reduced service today and over the weekend after another train broke down in the Channel Tunnel.Nine early morning and late evening services have been cancelled and the cross-C...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-07</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Shoppers enticed by 70% discounts]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/winter-sales-soldes-france-discounts-70-percent-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SHOPPERS will be enticed with discounts of up to 70% from today, as the winter sales officially kick off.The fashion industry in particular is hoping this year's winter sale will give the boost it n...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[GDF pays 500k for wrong bills]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gdf-gas-bills-incorrect-meter-readings-compensation-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GAS supplier GDF has agreed to pay half a million euros in compensation to customers in Picardy who received bills based on incorrect meter readings.About 4,000 homes around the town of Montataire i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[France quality of life best in world]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-quality-of-life-research-international-living-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE has been named the best place in the world to live for the fifth year running, according to research by a US magazine.International Living - which specialises in overseas relocations - ranked...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[750 fine proposed for wearing burqa]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/burqa-ban-france-muslim-dress-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WOMEN who wear full Muslim dress in public could be fined 750 under a proposed new law.Jean-François Copé, the president of the UMP group in the National Assembly, will be putting forward the bill ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Blackout warning for Brittany]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/brittany-power-cuts-electricity-shortage-edf-warning-winter-weather-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMES in Brittany have been told to cut their electricity usage to a bare minimum tonight due to a "real and imminent" risk of power cuts.The region has been placed on red alert by electricity suppl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-05</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[GPs allowed to give swine flu jab]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-vaccination-jab-france-doctors-surgeries-health-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DOCTORS have won the right to give the swine flu vaccine to patients in their surgeries following a U-turn by the Health Ministry.Until now, the jab has only been available in about 1,000 specially ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-05</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[July 1 plan for new carbon tax]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/carbon-tax-france-taxe-carbone-july-2010-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has set a new deadline of July 1 to bring in a tax on petrol, heating fuel and polluting businesses - six months after originally planned.The taxe carbone should have begun on January...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-05</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy: 2010 is year for 'renewal']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-new-year-speech-french-government-pensions-reform-carbon-tax-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy has promised to press ahead with a major reform of France's state pensions system and care arrangements for the elderly in 2010.The president said in his third annual televised New Y...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Arrests up in NYE arson crackdown]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-years-eve-reveillon-burnt-cars-arson-arrests-police-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE chiefs have reported a slight drop in New Year's Eve arson attacks on cars and more than double the number of arrests compared with last year.About 45,000 officers were on duty across France ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France to sell off surplus flu jabs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-vaccine-jab-surplus-france-sells-overseas-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH government has confirmed it is trying to sell off millions of swine flu vaccines to foreign countries because it bought too many.Le Parisien revealed yesterday that France has been trying...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Drivers to keep 1,000 car bonus]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-new-car-bonus-scrappage-scheme-prime-a-la-casse-1000-euros-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS who scrap an old car and buy a new one look set to still receive a 1,000 bonus - despite the government cutting the incentive this month.Since January 1, the prime à la casse - a bonus towa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Foreign accounts deadline extended]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/overseas-tax-evasion-france-amnesty-deadline-extended-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH taxpayers with undeclared overseas bank accounts have been given an extension to come clean and get their affairs in order.The Budget Ministry launched a crackdown on tax dodgers last April a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Supermarket prices come under fire]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/supermarket-food-prices-france-criticised-by-consumer-group-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKETS have been heavily criticised after a leading consumer group revealed many mark up the price of basic food items by up to four times what they buy them for.Shelf prices in 1,250 stores a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New advertising tax angers firms]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/outdoor-billboard-advertising-tax-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TAX on the surface area of outdoor advertising from billboards to framed menus on restaurant walls is angering firms. The taxe locale sur la publicité extérieure, which was created in 2008, replac...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[2m jackpot split after court row]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fruit-machine-slot-jackpot-2-million-argument-france-court-ruling-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A COURT has given 20% of a 2.2 million jackpot to the man who pulled the lever on the winning slot machine and the rest to the woman who leant him 50 to play.Lawyers at the court in Montpellier sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[UK in dock over disabled benefit]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/disability-benefit-uk-france-expats-legal-action-european-commission-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITAIN is facing legal action by the European Commission over its refusal to reinstate disability benefits wrongly taken away from expats when they moved to France.The commission said the UKs dema...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tax victory for UK civil partners]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tax-victory-for-uk-civil-partners-in-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITISH civil partners who have recently paid full French inheritance tax after their partner died are to be refunded.Budget Minister Eric Woerth has announced that the right of couples in foreign c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French women do get fat, poll show]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-women-do-get-fat-poll-shows-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE myth that Frenchwomen do not get fat has been exploded with a major nutrition study showing 32% of Frenchwomen are now overweight or obese. For men the figure is 46%.The study also shown that gl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Immigration expert -ID debate harmful]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-national-identity-debate-racism-prejudice-harmful-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NATIONWIDE debate on what it means to be French is being used by politicians to fuel racism and prejudice, a former advisor to the government has warned.Historian Gérard Noiriel was one of eight...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Illegal OAP homes must clean up]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/illegal-oap-homes-must-clean-up-or-close-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 200 retirement homes that are operating illegally could be shut down if they do not get their affairs in order by March 31. The minister for elderly people, Nora Berra, made the threat aft...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Alzheimer's help for families]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/alzheimers-patients-free-training-for-family-care-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[People who care for relatives with Alzheimers Disease can now have 14 hours of free training to help them cope.PEOPLE who care for relatives with Alzheimers Disease can now have 14 hours of fre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Suffocation game kills 13 children]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/dangerous-playground-game-france-suffocation-children-deaths-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A PLAYGROUND game that deprives a childs brain of oxygen has caused more than a dozen deaths in the past year, a parents group has warned.Child safety groups have called for vigilance by parents a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Uni chief told off for Anglicisms]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/carpette-anglaise-university-chief-english-use-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN ANNUAL award given to a member of Frances elite who has show relentless determination to promote the domination of English in France to the detriment of French has been won by the head of a le...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sole traders get more protection]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sole-trader-france-property-protection-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW business status for sole traders would allow them to shield their personal property from creditors if they got into debt.At present people who trade in their own names with an entreprise indiv...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2010-01-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New Year revellers might drive home]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-year-drink-driving-road-safety-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HALF of drivers going out to celebrate the New Year tonight say they have not decided how they will get back home and have not ruled out getting behind the wheel, a survey reveals.Government road sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Petrol ban to stop annual car burning]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/petrol-sale-ban-to-reduce-car-arson-attacks-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EIGHTEEN departments have banned the sale of petrol in cans today in the hope of reducing the number of arson attacks on cars.Last year 1,147 cars were set alight over the course of New Year's Eve ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air France plane 300m from crash]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-france-plane-near-miss-el-al-belgrade-serbia-collision-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN AIR France passenger jet carrying 70 people has narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with another plane over the skies of Belgrade.The flight from Paris to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia entered ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pilots' fear over airport security]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/airport-security-paris-orly-charles-de-gaulle-air-france-terrorist-attack-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PARIS's two major airports are failing to detect potentially dangerous luggage items during security checks, a group of pilots has warned.Air France pilots union SPAF says the outside contractors hi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Toy fire engine could catch fire]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/French-hypermarket-Auchan-recalls-toy-fire-engine-that-could-catch-fire-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TOY fire engine sold in Auchan over the peak Christmas shopping period has been recalled because of concerns that it could overheat - and catch fire.The hypermarket giant has recalled the JSI remo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Strike disrupts St Lazare trains]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Rail-strike-hits-Paris-St-Lazare-station-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUBURBAN train services in and out of Saint Lazare station in Paris are disrupted today due to an indefinite strike by a rail union.Half of trains linking the capital with Versailles, Saint-Nom-la-B...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Taxe carbone axed at eleventh hour]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-carbon-emissions-tax-cancelled-at-eleventh-hour-nicolas-sarkozy-major-setback-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW "carbon tax" on petrol and gas has been scrapped, just two days before it was due to come into effect.The Conseil Constitutionnel, which examines the legality of new French laws, ruled last ni...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New Year rise in health insurance]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mutuelle-health-insurance-costs-to-rise-five-per-cent-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE PRICE of top-up health insurance will rise by about 5% in the new year as insurers pass on the rising cost of healthcare to customers.The increase - which will range from 3% to 7% depending on y...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Compensation for Eurostar delays]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eurostar-refunds-compensation-channel-tunnel-breakdown-snow-paris-london-christmas-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EUROSTAR is offering refunds and "enhanced compensation" to thousands of travellers who were delayed by a series of breakdowns in the Channel Tunnel last week.About 2,000 people were left stuck in t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[TGV ticket prices to rise 2% in Jan]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/TGV-ticket-prices-up-two-percent-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TGV ticket prices will rise nearly 2% in January.The 1.9% increase, announced in Le Figaro is said to compensate for a rise in charges to use the railways and dropping ticket sales.While  Réseau f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air chaos follows Eurostar blockage]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flights-cancelled-easyJet-Eurostar-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BRITONS trying to visit family in the UK for Christmas faced new setbacks yesterday as low-cost firm easyJet cancelled around 200 flights, including many to and from France, and Luton airport closed b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Limited Eurostar  service resumes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/SNCF -Eurostar-Christmas-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A EUROSTAR train has left Paris for London for the first time in four days.The train left at 8.10 as a limited service starts up again after technical problems caused trips to be suspended from Frid...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France calls probe on Eurostar faults]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Eurostar-Channel-Tunnel-snow-Paris-London-Christmas-passengers-France-breakdown-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRANSPORT secretary Dominique Bussereau has demanded an inquiry into the Eurostar service after 2,000 people were left stuck in the tunnel for 11 hours and 120,000 people were stranded on either side ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Icy weekend for Christmas travel]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Snow-hampers-Christmas-getaway-in-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAFFIC conditions across France will be difficult this weekend as the Christmas getaway coincides with icy weather.Road monitor Bison Futé has issued an "orange" warning for today and Saturday, adv...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cafes ignoring smoking ban]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Cafes-ignoring-smoking-ban-in-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BARS and restaurants are continuing to flout the ban on smoking in public places, an anti-smoking group has claimed.Droit des Non-Fumeurs has submitted a report to the Health Ministry to coincide wi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[3k fine for man sleeping under TGV]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Man-who-fell-asleep-on-TGV-line-fined-three-thousand-euros-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DRUNK music festival-goer who survived a TGV running over the top of him as he slept has been ordered to pay the SNCF 3,000.The 19-year-old was returning from a concert in Saint-Nolff in the Morb...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Snow disruption for 50 departments]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Snow-disrupts-50-departments-and-may-delay-flights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT 50 departments across the north and west of France are preparing for up to two inches of snow today.		Météo France has given out an "orange" weather alert - its second highest level - and is w...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Orly and Eurostar Christmas strikes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Orly-Airport-and-Eurostar-staff-to-strike-over-Christmas-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHRISTMAS flights out of Orly airport in Paris and Eurostar services could be disrupted in the coming days due to a strike.Alysia Sûreté, the private contractor responsible for checking passengers' ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu jab now open to all]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Swine-flu-vaccination-now-open-to-all-in-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE CAMPAIGN to get France vaccinated against swine flu has been extended to the general public, two months after at-risk groups started getting the jab.Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot has confirm...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Christmas strike hits Amazon France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Amazon-France-hit-by-Christmas-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONLINE shopping giant Amazon has said it is doing all it can to deliver presents in time for Christmas following a strike by staff at its French distribution centre in the Loiret.About 60 workers be...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[UMP campaign video breaches copyright]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/UMP-breaches-copyright-in-party-video-...again-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE UMP has apologised for using a song without the performer's permission in a campaign video that features a dozen government ministers dancing and miming.The clip of senior politicians including ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Brittany and Paca power cut warning]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/brittany-and-paca-regions-face-power-cuts-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMES in Brittany and Paca are facing power cuts for the next few days as the electricity supply network struggles to cope with increased demand in the cold weather.EDFs distribution arm, RTE, is a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Gas prices frozen for the New Year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Gas-prices-frozen-for-first-months-of-new-year-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMES that use gas for cooking and heating will not see a rise in their bills in the New Year, the Ecology and Energy Ministry has promised.Despite a 1.5% increase in the cost of producing gas, the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Restaurants sign VAT-cut pay deal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Restaurants-sign-VAT-bonus-deal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Five restaurant workers' unions have reached a pay deal with management - six months after a VAT rate cut was introduced that should have improved conditions for staff.In a meeting with catering bos...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Vote mix-up kills off region reform]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Vote-mix-off-kills-regional-reform-bill-instead-of-passing-it-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS to redraw the map of France and reduce the number of regions from 22 to 15 have been thrown out after a senator cast a group vote against them by mistake.The reform, which has already been pas...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France braced for freezing cold week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Homeless-housing-plan-in-action-as-cold-weather-strikes-north-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOUR departments have put in place emergency measures to cope with a wave of cold weather that will hit the whole of France this week.The Manche, Marne, Ile-et-Vilaine and Loire Atlantique are givin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No shop disruption by lorry drivers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Lorry-drivers-drop-Christmas-blockade-plans-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHRISTMAS deliveries of food and gifts to shops will not be disrupted after lorry drivers reached a deal on pay and agreed to cancel their strike.About half a million drivers working for distributio...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pig feet used in mosque attack]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Racists-leave-pigs'-feet-and-swastikas-on-mosque-in-Castres,-Tarn-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[VANDALS have attacked a mosque in the south of France, leaving xenophobic messages on the walls and pigs' feet and ears at the entrance.Police were called to the place of worship in Castres, in the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Weekend train strike called off]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Unions call off this weekend's train strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAIN drivers and conductors have called off plans for a nationwide strike that would have affected rail services from this evening.Three unions - CGT, UNSA and CFDT - were planning to walk out over...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tourists arrested for air rebellion]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/French tourists arrested after complaints on Rio to Paris flights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THREE French tourists have been arrested and detained in Brazil for refusing to travel on a plane that was experiencing technical difficulties before take-off.The two men and a woman - aged between ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tourist safe after 44 hours in snow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Spanish-skier-survives-44-hours-lost-in-snow-at-Deux-Alpes-ski-resort-France-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A SKI tourist has miraculously been found alive after two nights missing in the Alps.The 18-year-old Spanish man was caught out by bad weather in the Deux-Alpes resort in the Isère on Sunday afterno...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Man jailed for getting baby drunk]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Babysitter-jailed-for-giving-pastis-to-18-month-old-baby-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BABYSITTER has been jailed for six months and fined 4,000 for giving alcohol to a baby to send it to sleep.Jean-Pierre Saint Germain, from Brignoles, in the Var, was asked to look after 18-month-...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Policemen caught stealing from shop]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Policemen-caught-stealing-from-shop-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO policemen in Paris have been suspended and charged with theft after they were caught on CCTV stealing telephone cards during a visit to a shop.The officers, who work for the Paris police force's...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Christmas shoppers face cash shortage]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/Cash-machines-in-France-could-run-empty-as-workers-who-refil-them-go-on-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CASH machines across France could run out of money in the peak shopping days before Christmas due to a planned strike.Six trade unions representing dabistes - security workers who are responsible fo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ministers sing in UMP youth video]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/French-government-ministers-sing-and-dance-in-UMP-party-video-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DOZEN government ministers have taken time out from running the country to dance and mime in a campaign video for the UMP partys youth branch.Finance minister Christine Lagarde, immigration minis...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French tax data stolen from HSBC]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/French-government-admits-Swiss-bank-account-information-may-have-been-stolen-from-HSBC-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has admitted that some of the information it used to launch a crackdown on overseas tax dodgers might have been stolen.French tax authorities received a list in August of 3,000 people...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Taxi driver convoy hits Paris traffic]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/taxi-driver-convoy-hits-paris-traffic-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than a thousand taxi drivers are preparing to bring traffic in Paris to a standstill today with a go-slow protest.Between 1,000 and 1,500 drivers are taking part in one of two convoys, which se...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Telethon donations down 5% to 90m]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/telethon-donations-down-5-to-90m-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPPORTERS of the Telethon donated 90m to charity this weekend, down 5% on last year but better than the 20% decline seen in the first few hours.The annual event, which broadcasts non-stop for 30 h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris museum strike continues]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-museum-strike-continues-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOME of Paris's most popular museums and monuments could remain closed this week as staff continue their strike action.Workers at the Musée d'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Louvre and the C...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fiat recall over steering problem]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fiat-recall-over-steering-problem-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIAT has recalled 32,000 Punto models sold in France for safety reasons.The Italian car manufacturer has detected a potential fault linked to the steering column in the Grande Punto.It has written...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rail unions call  weekend strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rail-unions-call-weekend-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RAILWAY travellers could face disruption tomorrow and over the weekend as rail unions have called a national protest and a separate 24-hour strike.Tomorrows protest in Paris will highlight concerns...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[71% do not know who runs region]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/71-do-not-know-who-runs-region-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NEARLY three quarters of people do not know the name of their region's president, a new poll published three months before the regional elections has revealed.The survey, which was commissioned by a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[20,000 owe money after RSI tech bug]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/20000-owe-money-after-rsi-tech-bug-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of self-employed people have been forgotten about by the social security system for the past two years due to an administrative problem and now face huge bills for overdue health and pension...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF to refund delayed trains]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-to-refund-delayed-trains-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LONG-DISTANCE train passengers who are delayed by more than an hour will be entitled to a partial refund from this week.A new European directive means the SNCF must now offer travellers money back i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Children unhappy with canteen food]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/children-unhappy-with-canteen-food-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HALF of secondary school children are dissatisfied with their lunchtime meal and leave the canteen still feeling hungry, a new survey has revealed.Research by the Consommation, Logement et Cadre de ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nice introduces curfew for teens]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nice-introduces-curfew-for-teens-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE CITY of Nice has imposed an evening curfew on young children, with parents warned they could lose certain benefits if they repeatedly ignore it.The ban, which comes into effect today, prevents u...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarko promo video uses USA families]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarko-promo-video-uses-usa-families-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN ECO-friendly house with solar panels on the roof, smiling schoolchildren and a mother hugging her girl in a beautiful garden.France's governing UMP party thought they were perfect images to illus...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Children given flu jab overdose ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/children-given-flu-jab-overdose-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE young children in Brittany have put under close medical surveillance after they were each given four doses of the swine flu jab by mistake.Local health authorities in the Finistère said none of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Greenpeace invades National Assembly]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/greenpeace-invades-national-assembly-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PROTESTORS from Greenpeace brought chaos to the National Assembly yesterday, interrupting a debate on climate change and prompting the whole building to be evacuated.About a dozen campaigners in the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cash to encourage mobile recycling]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cash-to-encourage-mobile-recycling-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT is looking to launch an eco-bonus scheme for anyone who takes their old mobile phone back to the shop to be recycled.Junior Ecology Minister Chantal Jouanno said the bonus-malus would...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris museums face strike disruption]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-museums-face-strike-disruption-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MUSEUMS, libraries and theatres in Paris including the Louvre and the Château de Versailles could be hit by strike action today as staff protest against budget cuts and non-replacement of departing st...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lorry strike could hit supermarkets]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lorry-strike-could-hit-supermarkets-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DELIVERIES to supermarkets in the weeks leading up to Christmas could be hit by an indefinite strike by lorry drivers.About half a million drivers belonging to five trade unions are planning to stop...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Shock campaign for scooter safety]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/shock-campaign-for-scooter-safety-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ROAD safety campaigners have unveiled a new preventative campaign in an attempt to cut road deaths linked to scooters.The launch of the site, at www.mortelscooter.fr, comes as new research shows sco...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[eBay fined 1.7m for perfume sale]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ebay-fined-1.7m-for-perfume-sale-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EBAY has been fined 1.7m by a Paris court for selling brand-name perfumes without the manufacturer's consent.The ruling in favour of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) group comes after the onl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Restaurants fail to reach VAT deal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/restaurants-fail-to-reach-vat-deal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RESTAURANTS have missed a December 1 deadline to reach a deal on passing the VAT rate cut on to customers and staff.Representatives from five major restaurant and hotel unions spent 17 hours in disc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No plans to raise minimum wage]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-plans-to-raise-minimum-wage-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MINIMUM wage looks unlikely to rise next year in an attempt to keep costs down for businesses struggling in the current economic climate. A group of experts commissioned by employment minister X...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-12-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Postman keeps mail at home for months]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/postman-keeps-mail-at-home-for-months-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A POSTMAN in Bourgogne has been arrested for keeping 300kg of post at his home to avoid having to deliver it.According to local paper Le Bien Public, police found several months of post at the man's...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GPs want to give swine flu vaccine]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gps-want-to-give-swine-flu-vaccine-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO French doctors' unions have urged the government  to allow GPs to give out the swine flu vaccine in their surgeries to help reduce queues.The Confédération des Syndicats Médicaux Francçais and M...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Restos du Coeur expect record year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/restos-du-coeur-expect-record-year-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WELFARE charity Les Restos du Coeur is predicting a record number of people will come to the group for help this year due to the economic crisis.The charity launches its 25th winter campaign today, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Celtic suspends Portsmouth ferry]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/celtic-suspends-portsmouth-ferry-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[The newest cross-Channel ferry service between France and England has been suspended indefinitely just days after one of its vessels was impounded in Portsmouth over safety concerns.Celtic Link Ferr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pas-de-Calais put on flooding alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/pas-de-calais-put-on-flooding-alert-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[METEO France has issued an "orange" weather alert - the second highest level out of four - for the Pas-de-Calais department in the north of France.The weather forecasting body said water levels alon...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Not quite the cash robbery of decade]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/not-quite-the-cash-robbery-of-decade-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A SECURITY worker has been charged with stealing 9,000 from vending machines over a period of nine months -- entirely in 2 coins.The amount is a long way from the 11.6m that turned bank robber To...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Legal action over Sarko TV clip leak]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/legal-action-over-sarko-tv-clip-leak-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A France 3 employee has been charged with leaking a clip of Nicolas Sarkozy giving a lesson in manners to a TV technician ahead of a live interview.The footage, which has been watched 2.6 million ti...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France back at top of world wine list]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-back-at-top-of-world-wine-list-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE has reclaimed the title of the biggest wine producer in the world, after two years in second position behind Italy.New figures from the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin put F...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Three steps for a 5 Ryanair flight]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/three-steps-for-a-5-ryanair-flight-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CONNEXION has teamed up with Ryanair to offer readers the chance of jetting off to a host of exciting European destinations on one of 1,000 5 all-inclusive flights.The flights can be taken to Ryana...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Jose Bové avoids jail for GM attack]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/jose-bov-avoids-jail-for-gm-attack-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER presidential candidate José Bové has avoided time in prison and been allowed to keep his job as a European MP for his involvement in an attack on genetically modified crops in 2006.Prosecutor...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Violence erupts at winemaker protest]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/violence-erupts-at-winemaker-protest-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE stepped in to break up a violent demo in Montpellier last night as Languedoc wine producers gathered to protest at falling revenues and a claimed lack of financial help.Between 3,500 and 10,0...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rural trains could be axed for buses]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rural-trains-could-be-axed-for-buses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NUMBER of rural train services in France could be axed and replaced by coaches after an official report found large parts of the network were too expensive and polluting.The French national audit ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Clubs to foot  fan security bill]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/clubs-to-foot-fan-security-bill-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOOTBALL clubs should pay for match security outside of stadiums according to the Minister of the Interior Brice Hortefeux. He said that an average 11 riot police units were used for a Ligue 1 game ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu jab for school children]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-jab-for-school-children-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE VACCINE against swine flu will be extended to Frances five million school children from today.Parents of collégiens and lycéens should have received a bon de vaccination in the post, or will do...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pupils want mobile ban teacher sacked]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/pupils-want-mobile-ban-teacher-sacked-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STUDENTS at a lycée in Paris have written a joint letter calling for a teacher to be dismissed for banning mobile phones in her class.The final-year class at the Lycée Jean Lurçat lodged a complaint...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Toxic toy warning for Xmas shoppers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/toxic-toy-warning-for-xmas-shoppers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SOME of the most popular toys on children's Christmas lists this year contain potentially dangerous levels of chemicals, a new study has found.Consumer affairs magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cops in Lescar go after 171kph teen]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cops-in-lescar-go-after-171kph-teen-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A 15-YEAR-OLD girl has been caught speeding along a motorway near Pau at 171kph.Police in Lescar, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, pulled over the car on Sunday afternoon after they spotted it driving t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Restaurant VAT change overruled]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/restaurant-vat-change-overruled-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A PROPOSAL to axe the cheap rate of VAT for restaurants  forcing them to go back to paying 19.6% again instead of 5.5% - has been rejected by senators.The Senates finance committee put forward the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy and Carla appear in Simpsons]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-and-carla-appear-in-simpsons-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CARLA Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy have made an unofficial cameo appearance in The Simpsons.Yellow caricatures of the president and first lady star in an episode called The Devil Wears Nada which made ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Telethon raises 'too much money']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/telethon-raises-too-much-money-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE HEAD of an Aids charity has provoked a row by accusing the organisers of the annual Telethon of "leeching off people's generosity" and raising more money than they need.Sidaction president Pierr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[School strike to go ahead tomorrow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-strike-to-go-ahead-tomorrow-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of teachers will walk out on a national one-day strike tomorrow - a move that has been supported by France's biggest student union.Teaching union FSU called the day of action to campaign a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Orange acts after 'exorbitant' bills]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/orange-acts-after-exorbitant-bills-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PHONE operator Orange has introduced emergency measures to protect mobile internet users after about 50 customers received huge bills for tens of thousands of euros.The firm says it will freeze any ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Leclerc wants more pharmacy rights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/leclerc-wants-more-pharmacy-rights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKET giant Leclerc has demanded the right to sell over-the-counter medicines in its stores.The group has launched an ad campaign putting pressure on the government to allow it to sell 4,000 p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[56% worry about losing their home]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/56-worry-about-losing-their-home-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than half of people in France are worried about being made homeless, with 12% saying it looks "very possible", a new poll has revealed.Homelessness charity Emmaüs asked 1,000 people about their...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swastika printed on town hall ad]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swastika-printed-on-town-hall-ad-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A TOWN council in Provence has had to destroy thousands of leaflets promoting its Christmas market because it included images of the swastika.The mairie in Orange, in the Vaucluse, said a member of ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No blame for AZF deadly explosion]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-blame-for-azf-deadly-explosion-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE VICTIMS of a massive factory explosion that killed 31 people and injured thousands have spoken of their anger after a court cleared oil giant Total and its management of any responsibility.The e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Web gambling law may miss World Cup]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/web-gambling-law-may-miss-world-cup-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS to open up French gambling legislation to include websites look set to be delayed, meaning the reform might not be passed in time for the next summers World Cup.The plan to license online ope...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[EU orders payout for airline delays]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eu-orders-payout-for-airline-delays-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIRLINE passengers whose flights are delayed for several hours have the same right to compensation as those hit by cancellations, a European court has ruled.In a judgment delivered yesterday, the Co...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[156 closures as swine flu spreads]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/156-closures-as-swine-flu-spreads-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SWINE flu has forced a growing number of schools to send classes home or close entirely, according to new official figures.According to the education ministry, 124 classes and 32 schools are closed ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mayors heckle PM over taxe pro axe]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mayors-heckle-pm-over-taxe-pro-axe-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THOUSANDS of local mayors whistled at Prime Minister François Fillon in protest at the government's plans to reform the taxe professionnelle, a major source of revenue for them.Fillon was met with t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy wants to tax drug-dealers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-wants-to-tax-drug-dealers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRUG-DEALERS who are caught by police will face a tax bill as well as criminal charges under new plans announced by Nicolas Sarkozy.The president, who wants to "hit dealers in the wallet", is backin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-17</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Police custody 'against the law' ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/police-custody-against-the-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE in France are denying suspects the right to legal representation when taken in for questioning, the head of Paris's legal profession has claimed.The bâtonnier de Paris Christian Charrière-Bou...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More mobile bills in the thousands]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/more-mobile-bills-in-the-thousands-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO more Orange customers have complained of mobile internet bills in the tens of thousands of euros.The mobile giant, which is owned by France Telecom, is investigating the huge bills which are all...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lagarde named 'star' of finance]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lagarde-named-star-of-finance-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHRISTINE Lagarde has been named the best economy minister in Europe for her work getting France out of the recession.The Financial Times said Lagarde had "become a star" and the panel of judges "lo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Free money riot: who was to blame?]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/free-money-riot-who-was-to-blame-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A COMPANY that planned to hand out 100,000 in cash to thousands of people in Paris is facing legal action after the stunt was cancelled at the last minute and turned into a riot.According to police...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[46k mobile bill in country mix-up]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/46k-mobile-bill-in-country-mix-up-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAN living near the Belgian border has been hit with a 46,000 bill for inadvertently connecting to the wrong country's mobile network.Eric Gernez, who runs a café near Valenciennes - about 10km f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Woman marries her dead fiancé]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/woman-marries-her-dead-fianc-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WOMAN in the east of France has married her boyfriend of six years -- a year after he died.Magali Jaskiewicz and Jonathan George had set a date for their wedding with their local mairie just two d...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Christmas bonuses for lowest earners]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/christmas-bonuses-for-lowest-earners-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LOW-INCOME households and the unemployed will get a one-off bonus next month to help them pay for Christmas.The annual prime de Noël has been paid out by local caisses d'allocations familiales since...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[11m French bank robber surrenders]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/11m-french-bank-robber-surrenders-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A SECURITY van driver who stole 11.6m in cash from the Banque de France has turned himself in to police in Monaco after 11 days on the run.An international search operation was launched for Toni Mu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Call for smacking to be made illegal]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/call-for-smacking-to-be-made-illegal-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SMACKING a child serves no purpose and should be banned in France, a Paris MP and child welfare expert has recommended.Edwige Antier, who has 38 years' experience as a pediatrician and has written e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Royal sends condom vouchers to teens]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/royal-sends-condom-vouchers-to-teens-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER Socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal has angered national education bosses by sending a "contraception pass" to thousands of teenage girls in Poitou-Charentes.Royal, who is the reg...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Side-effect fears hit flu jab launch]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/side-effect-fears-hit-flu-jab-launch-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ONE of the first people to be given the swine flu jab in France has fallen ill with a rare autoimmune disorder, while the government attempts to reassure the public about safety on day one of the vacc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Phone problems at the office]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/phone-problems-at-the-office-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[APOLOGIES to those trying to get in touch with the office today.Our phones have been cutting out or stopping completely all day.We hope normal service will be resumed on Monday and we will be able...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Youth group gives  web safety warning]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/youth-group-gives-web-safety-warning-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE VAST majority of 11 to 15-year-olds have viewed adult material online, according to research by a youth protection charity.La Voix de l'Enfant asked more than 30,000 collégiens about their inter...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Shoppers tighten Christmas belts]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/shoppers-tighten-christmas-belts-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A THIRD of people in France say they will give second-hand presents this year to help reduce their Christmas spending.A Europe-wide study published today found consumers were looking to buy more use...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Law to keep email addresses for life]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/law-to-keep-email-addresses-for-life-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERNET users should have a legal right to keep their old email address when they switch provider, under new plans being debated in parliament. Two MPs want to force ISPs to automatically forward e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[December 8 strike could halt trains]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/december-8-strike-could-halt-trains-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RAIL services across France could be disrupted on December 8 due to a planned national day of protest. Three drivers' unions - CGT, UNSA and CFDT - have called the industrial action to coincide with...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Euroferries' first sailing cancelled]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/euroferries-first-sailing-cancelled-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CROSS-CHANNEL ferry firm Euroferries will not launch on Saturday as planned, despite having started taking bookings.A spokeswoman for the firm said last-minute problems had arisen that meant the lau...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Same-sex couple in adoption first]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/same-sex-couple-in-adoption-first-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO women in Besançon have set a French legal precedent after winning a 10-year battle to be allowed to adopt a child.A tribunal has ruled that primary school teacher Emmanuelle B and her partner of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[France picks towns for Euro 2016 bid]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-picks-towns-for-euro-2016-bid-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE 12 towns that will host matches if France wins its bid for the Euro 2016 football tournament have been selected.Lens, Paris, Nancy, Strasbourg, Saint Etienne, Marseille and Toulouse will use the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Baguette trips up particle collider]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/baguette-trips-up-particle-collider-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN OWL has managed to knock out part of the massive Hadron atom collider on the Franco-Swiss border by accidentally dropping a piece of bread into the system.Bits of a French baguette fell into an e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Police find 9m in hunt for driver]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/police-find-9m-in-hunt-for-driver-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE have seized nine of the 11.6m stolen from the Banque de France last week - but the rest of the cash and the suspected thief are still nowhere to be seen after four days.Security van driver T...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Crisis fuels rise in shoplifting]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/crisis-fuels-rise-in-shoplifting-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE people are turning to shoplifting to get clothes and essential daily food items such as meat and baby milk, according to a new report.The research by retail security expert Checkpoint Systems f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Obesity getting bigger in France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/obesity-getting-bigger-in-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 20 million people in France are overweight and the number of people with obesity has almost doubled in 12 years, new research has found.The latest edition of the three-yearly ObEpi report...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Post strike called for November 24]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/post-strike-called-for-november-24-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POST deliveries could be hit by disruption later this month as five unions plan a one-day strike over government reform plans.The unions, which represent 95% of La Poste workers, are planning the 24...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[MacLaren insists pushchairs safe ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/maclaren-insists-pushchairs-safe-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PUSHCHAIR manufacturer MacLaren has said it will not be recalling any of its products sold in France, despite a safety scare in the US after 15 children lost a finger.The American consumer security ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[150 hit by carbon monoxide poisoning]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/150-hit-by-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT 150 people have been treated for carbon monoxide poisoning in two separate incidents in the north-east this weekend.Sunday mass at a church in Angres in the Pas-de-Calais had to be called off ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-09</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Electrocution risk in Nokia chargers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/electrocution-risk-in-nokia-chargers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NOKIA has recalled 100,000 mobile phone chargers sold in France this summer amid concerns they could electrocute users.The firm is urging anyone who has bought a Nokia mobile or a new charger since ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cigarettes up 6% from this morning]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cigarettes-up-6-from-this-morning-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A 20-a-day smoking habit will cost an extra 100 a year from today, with the price of cigarettes going up 6%.The rise, which is the first in two years, was due to come into effect on October 5 but w...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu vaccine starts this week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-vaccine-starts-this-week-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT six million people will receive invitations in the post this week to get the free jab against swine flu, as the public vaccination campaign gets underway.The Assurance Maladie will be sending ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[BA strike could hit Xmas flights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ba-strike-could-hit-xmas-flights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PASSENGERS travelling on British Airways this Christmas could face disruptions as thousands of cabin crew vote on whether to take industrial action.Air France is also facing possible strike delays n...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Driver on the run after 11m theft]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/driver-on-the-run-after-11m-theft-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE are trying to track down a security van driver suspected of making off with more than 10m in banknotes in broad daylight.The incident, one of the biggest French bank robberies in recent year...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Right to forget' law for web data]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/right-to-forget-law-for-web-data-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WEB users should be given more control over the personal information that sites collect and store about them, a parliamentary committee has recommended.A group of MPs looking at a proposed law on di...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nicolas Sarkozy on 21,000 a month]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nicolas-sarkozy-on-21000-a-month-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy's monthly salary has fallen by 14% this year, suggesting that even the head of state is not immune from the economic crisis.Figures revealed in parliament yesterday show the French p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Marseille binmen call off strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/marseille-binmen-call-off-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BINMEN in Marseille have called off their strike and have begun clearing an estimated 10,000 tonnes of rubbish that have piled up on the streets for the past week.The walkout at private collection f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Marseille covered by week of rubbish]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/marseille-covered-by-week-of-rubbish-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RESIDENTS in Marseille have found themselves surrounded by thousands of tonnes of rubbish as a strike by binmen nears its second week.Local authorities in the city say the piles of waste lining the ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Anonymous CV plan  back on agenda]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/anonymous-cv-plan-back-on-agenda-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[JOB applicants at major firms in seven parts of France will no longer have to reveal their age, sex or nationality on their CV under a new pilot scheme aimed at combating discrimination.The governme...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[45 million want a new life in France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/45-million-want-a-new-life-in-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT 45 million people worldwide would like to move permanently to France and start a new life here, a survey has found.France came joint-second alongside the UK and Canada - and behind the US - in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Report says mobile masts are harmless]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/report-says-mobile-masts-are-harmless-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMES, schools and workplaces within close proximity of a mobile phone mast have no reason to be alarmed, according to a new report from the French parliament into the potential health risks of mobile...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy 'get lost' heckler loses case]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-get-lost-heckler-loses-case-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FORMER Socialist politican who was fined 30 for telling Nicolas Sarkozy to "get lost" has had his appeal thrown out by France's highest court.Hervé Eon, 57, was hit with the penalty for "offendi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Local tax burden up 8% on last year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/local-tax-burden-up-8-on-last-year-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE COST of paying local taxes in France has shot up by 8% this year, compared with a 4.4% rise in 2008, new official figures have revealed. The two residential taxes - taxe foncière and taxe d'habi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[730m fund starts new cancer battle]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/730m-fund-starts-new-cancer-battle-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE is to spend 730 million over the next four years on a new battle against cancer, aiming to fund research and improve life for sufferers.Although Mr Sarkozy singled out tobacco and alcohol as...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-03</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[National debate on French identity]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/national-debate-on-french-identity-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DEBATE on the question of what it means to be French starts today across the nation.Immigration Minister Eric Besson has asked all Frances 100 prefectures and 350 sub-prefectures to start holding...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Winter power cuts could be imposed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/winter-power-cuts-could-be-imposed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOUSEHOLDS in France could be hit by a series of power cuts this winter as the electricity network tries to cope with a shortage of supply.Electricity network operator RTE has warned that the cuts m...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-11-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cash stunt raises capital fears]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cash-stunt-raises-capital-fears-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A PLAN to give away several thousand euros in cash in Paris streets has upset the head of the capital's police.Website Mailorama.fr said the giveaway will take place around the capital on November 1...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pilot hummed Elvis just before crash]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/pilot-hummed-elvis-just-before-crash-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO pilots who joked and laughed moments before their aircraft crashed on take-off at Pau airport are under investigation for involuntary manslaughter.Cockpit voice recorders reveal one of the pilot...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Footballers lose 30m tax break]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/footballers-lose-30m-tax-break-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FOOTBALLERS and other professional sportspeople are to lose a 30 million tax allowance in order to help the social security books to balance.The National Assembly voted to get rid of the Droit à l'...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Emmaüs charity marks its 60th]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/emmas-charity-marks-its-60th-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMELESSNESS charity Emmaüs, founded by Abbé Pierre, is marking its 60th anniversary with a celebration at the Zénith de Paris concert hall today.About 4,000 people are attending the day, which will...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-30</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu cases surge in Paris]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-cases-surge-in-paris-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SWINE flu infection rates have surged in the Paris area with an 80% rise in child cases in the Ile-de-France.Just seven weeks since the epidemic started the health watchdog INVS estimated there had ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozys speech copy-paste job]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozys-speech-copy-paste-job-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TELEVISION station Canal+ has highlighted a sense of déjà vu in President Sarkozys speech to farmers this week  significant chunks were identical to one he made eight months ago.The president told...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Only one bid for new mobile licence]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/only-one-bid-for-new-mobile-licence-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FREE is the only bidder to run France's fourth mobile phone network and it is claiming it will cut mobile phone bills in half.The company presented its dossier just before the deadline set by teleph...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Voluntary service one step closer]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/voluntary-service-one-step-closer-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A SCHEME for young people to work voluntarily for charities has been passed by the Senate.Young people aged between 16 and 25 would be paid and receive pension rights and other social benefits for h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lift veil on world of arms sales]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lift-veil-on-world-of-arms-sales-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE should fully investigate all arms sales and bribes, a French senator has said after he was jailed for his part in selling weapons which fuelled Angola's civil war.Senator Charles Pasqua, 82, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[1.65 billion aid  for farmers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/1.65-billion-aid-for-farmers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozy has announced plans for a billion in bank loans to farmers and another 650 million in special grants.The aid package he outlined yesterday on meeting farmers in the Jura, in the e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Scientology fined 600,000]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/scientology-fined-600000-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE French branch of Scientology has been fined 600,000 for fraud in an organised gang,  but can continue to operate.The Tribunal Correctionnel de Paris fined its two main structures, the Paris ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[War of words over Air France safety]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/war-of-words-over-air-france-safety-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR FRANCE pilots and managers have stepped up a war of words over security on the airline following the crash of flight AF447 which killed 228 people flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.The head of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Chirac corruption trial decision due]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/chirac-corruption-trial-decision-due-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER president Jacques Chirac will find out this week if he is to face corruption charges over 35 fictitious jobs financed by the city of Paris while he was mayor.Judge Xavière Simeoni must decide...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Thousands march to promote Occitan]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/thousands-march-to-promote-occitan-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CROWDS of up to 20,000 people have taken part in marches to promote the regional language Occitan.The event at Carcassonne was organised by the group Anem Oc! and drew participants from 30 departmen...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Gender quotas for  big firms planned]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gender-quotas-for-big-firms-planned-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE biggest French companies could be obliged to have at least 40% of female board members, if a proposed law goes through.The leader of the ruling UMP Party group in the National Assembly, Jean-Fra...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GPS error leads tourists to farm]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gps-error-leads-tourists-to-farm-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GPS glitch means tourists heading to Toulouse are being directed to a farmhouse in Pouzac.Owner Valérie Soucaze said some days up to six to eight vehicles arrived at her farm  particularly during...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Jean Sarkozy gives up La Défense job]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/jean-sarkozy-gives-up-la-dfense-job-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozys son Jean has renounced his claim to a job at the head of the body in charge of the powerful Paris business district La Défense.He said on France 2 last night that he was giving u...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hadopi 2 internet law wins last vote]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hadopi-2-internet-law-wins-last-vote-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE controversial Hadopi 2 law to control internet access has been approved by the Constitutional Council  as long as MPs decide exactly how any sanctions on illegal downloaders would be imposed.Ha...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Orly disruptions until Saturday]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/orly-disruptions-until-saturday-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EASYJET flights to and from Paris will remain disrupted until Saturday morning despite service staff at Orly airport calling off their strike.A number of flights linking Orly with Nice, Toulouse, Ro...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[School strike plan for November 24]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/school-strike-plan-for-november-24-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE's biggest teaching union is calling for a national one-day strike next month.The Fédération Syndicale Unitaire is planning the day of action on November 24 and is making contact with other te...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Political meddling hits French press]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/political-meddling-hits-french-press-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE has been ranked only 43rd in the world press freedom index  because of "political interference".It is a drop of eight places in a year  but France has fallen 32 places from 11th since the i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Forced return of  Afghans criticised]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/forced-return-of-afghans-criticised-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE forced repatriation by chartered plane of three illegal Afghan immigrants has been criticised by human rights and welfare associations, the Socialists and two UMP Party MPs.Immigration Minister ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fine but no jail for Villepin]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fine-but-no-jail-for-villepin-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DOMINIQUE de Villepin could receive an 18-month suspended sentence and a 45,000 fine for his alleged role in a smear campaign against Nicolas Sarkozy.The former French prime minister is accused of ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[40 arrested over highway robberies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/40-arrested-over-highway-robberies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 40 people have been arrested in a swoop on a gang of thieves who have been targeting foreign tourists on the A7, A8 and A9 motorways in the south.Around 500 police and gendarmes were invol...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Celebrations for  Asterixs 50th]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/celebrations-for-asterixs-50th-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TOMORROW sees the first major event to celebrate the 50th birthday of comic book hero Asterix  a performance of classic French songs by singers dressed as characters from the books.The Le Tour de G...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pétain's furniture makes 23,000]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ptains-furniture-makes-23000-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DESK, a chair and two bookcases, used as office furniture by Marshal Philippe Pétain, have sold to the president of a body which defends his reputation, for 23,000.The furniture, which originally...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Trains, planes and dole hit by strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/trains-planes-and-dole-hit-by-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RAIL workers, job centre staff and France Telecom employees are out on strike today  with more industrial action expected in the coming week, including a proposed walkout by Eurostar.The strike by ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lawyer bids to lay blame on ex-PM]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lawyer-bids-to-lay-blame-on-ex-pm-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin was accused of being the instigator of the Clearstream smear campaign against President Sarkozy in a four-hour blitz from the presidents lawyer.Thierry H...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rail strike chaos from this evening]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rail-strike-chaos-from-this-evening-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RAIL passengers across the country will be hit by cancellations and crowded trains from this evening as the SNCF walks out on its first national strike in more than a year.The industrial action, whi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ethnic origin row on police database]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ethnic-origin-row-on-police-database-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS for two new police databases on gangs and terrorism have been attacked because they include mention of peoples geographical origin, sparking fears it is a way of getting round a ban on mentio...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet moves Orly flights to CDG]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easyjet-moves-orly-flights-to-cdg-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PASSENGERS travelling to and from Paris on Easyjet have been warned to check before they travel as a number of flights have been moved from Orly to Charles de Gaulle airport and others cancelled.Gro...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet worst hit by strike at Orly]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easyjet-worst-hit-by-strike-at-orly-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PASSENGERS flying from Orly airport in Paris face delays and cancellations today as a strike by service staff enters its third day.EasyJet is among the worst-hit airlines. It has had to cancel almos...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[24-hr strike halts Calais ferries]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/24-hr-strike-halts-calais-ferries-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEAFRANCE cross-Channel ferries have been suspended on the Calais-Dover route in a 24-hour strike over planned job cuts.Workers walked out at 8.00 today and are expected back to work at 8.00 tomorro...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Heating oil bonus axed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/heating-oil-bonus-axed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HEATING oil bonus the prime à la cuve has been axed  to the anger of consumer groups.Last year the least well-off households, which do not pay any income tax, were eligible for a 200 payout if the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['Savage' mountain stages for Tour]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/savage-mountain-stages-for-tour-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOUNTAINS dominate the 2010 Tour de France with a total of seven mountain stages including two ascents of the iconic 2115m Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenées.The number of climbs will suit this years...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More changes to taxe pro reform]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/more-changes-to-taxe-pro-reform-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LAW that aims to save businesses almost 12bn a year in tax is one step closer to being passed after it was completely rewritten in parliament.The part of the 2010 finance bill that would scrap th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New plates for  second-hand cars]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-plates-for-second-hand-cars-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AS OF today, if you buy a second-hand car, move house, marry and change your name, you need a new-style registration document for your car and new-style number plates.The new documentation  certifi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Railway creche to open next year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/railway-creche-to-open-next-year-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WORKING parents will be able to leave their children at a creche inside their local railway station under a new initiative being tested out near Lyon.The service, reported to be the first of its kin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Deaths in flats  went unnoticed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/deaths-in-flats-went-unnoticed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MANS body was left in his flat for two years before anyone noticed and in a separate case a womans suicide was only discovered nine months afterwards.The body of the 62-year-old man was found in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy's Elysée staff have scabies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozys-elyse-staff-have-scabies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STAFF working with President Sarkozy and wife Carla at the Elysée Palace have been diagnosed with the highly contagious skin disease scabies.Three of the palace guard are thought to have contracted ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Dramatic sea  rescue after crash]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/dramatic-sea-rescue-after-crash-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SIX occupants of a private plane which crashed into the Mediterranean off the north-west of Corsica are recovering in hospital after a rescue operation.They were rescued from the sea after six hours...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Restaurants not  doing enough]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/restaurants-not-doing-enough-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RESTAURANTS are not doing enough to pass on a cut in VAT to their customers, a government minister has said.Minister for commerce and tourism Hervé Novelli said: I dont think they have done enough...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fury at La Défense job for Sarko son]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fury-at-la-dfense-job-for-sarko-son-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE 23-year-old son of President Sarkozy has caused a political storm by bidding to join the board of Epad, the agency which runs La Défense, the financial suburb on the edge of Paris.La Défense aim...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No ban on rolling credit - Lagarde]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-ban-on-rolling-credit-lagarde-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FINANCE minister Christine Lagarde has refused to ban revolving credit, despite it being blamed by the Socialist Party for families increasing debt burden.She says she would prefer to see responsib...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fresh twist in Mitterrand row]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fresh-twist-in-mitterrand-row-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CULTURE  Minister Frédéric Mitterrand is back in the spotlight after a newspaper claimed he acted as a character reference for two rapists.Mitterrand  who has faced calls to resign after it emerged...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Birthday party for Semaine du Goût ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/birthday-party-for-semaine-du-got-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THREE hundred chefs will be assembling in Place du Trocadéro in Paris today for a photo around a birthday cake, to mark the start of the 20th Semaine du Goût, which lasts until Sunday.The chefs will...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mobiles set to be banned in schools]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobiles-set-to-be-banned-in-schools-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHILDREN under 15 could soon be banned from bringing a mobile phone to school under new rules being examined in parliament this week.The Senate has voted in favour of the regulations, which would pr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mitterrand accused of 'lies' on boys]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mitterrand-accused-of-lies-on-boys-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CULTURE minister Frédéric Mitterrand has come under renewed attack after his televised denial that he paid boys for sex  with National Front vice-president Marine Le Pen accusing him of lying.Mr ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Euroferries taking bookings on site]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/euroferries-taking-bookings-on-site-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CROSS-CHANNEL ferry company Euroferries has moved a step closer to operation with the launch of a new website allowing bookings for Ramsgate to Boulogne services from November 14.However the ports o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Coach driver had 15 pints of lager]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/coach-driver-had-15-pints-of-lager-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A COACH driver in Paris has been caught by police driving without a licence, the morning after a 15-pint drinking binge.Motorcycle police stopped the driver on his way to a hotel to pick up a group ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sylvester Stallone has Breton blood]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sylvester-stallone-has-breton-blood-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOLLYWOOD star Sylvester Stallone has Breton blood coursing through those bulging veins.His mother, Jackie Stallone, has been in Brest researching the family history of the Rambo and Rocky actor.T...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu cases  low due to weather]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-cases-low-due-to-weather-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SWINE flu has not so far spread as rapidly in France as had been feared  perhaps because of the mild autumn, experts say.The director of the National Health Monitoring Institute, Françoise Weber, s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Online gambling plans scrutinised]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/online-gambling-plans-scrutinised-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS to open up gambling legislation are going before MPs today as budget minister Eric Woerth revealed about 50 online operators would be legalised in a bid to drive out the pirates.The plan to li...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pedestrians face 4 jaywalking fine]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/pedestrians-face-4-jaywalking-fine-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PEDESTRIANS in Paris who fail to take care when crossing the road could be hit with a 4 fine under heightened measures designed to improve road safety in the capital.Paris police have introduced th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rail strike plan for October 20]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rail-strike-plan-for-october-20-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE MAIN rail union, CGT-Cheminots, and CFDT/Fgaac, a train drivers union, have announced a strike on Tuesday October 20.The rail workers are protesting about issues including working conditions, s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-07</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Argument over La Poste public vote]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/argument-over-la-poste-public-vote-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT has dismissed the results of an unofficial consultation on the future of La Poste in which it is claimed more than two million people voted.Government spokesman Luc Chatel said the ba...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[4m regularly taking drugs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/4m-regularly-taking-drugs-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than four million people in France are taking drugs regularly, health minister Roselyne Bachelot said as she launched a new bid to clear them off the streets.Telling people to open their eyes t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[210,000 identity thefts each year]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/210000-identity-thefts-each-year-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 210,000 people a year in France are victims of identity theft, a study has shown.Researchers from a body studying social trends, Credoc, found that 4.2% of people asked had been victims of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cash incentives to turn up to school]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cash-incentives-to-turn-up-to-school-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SCHOOL pupils on the outskirts of Paris could earn up to 10,000 this year to spend together as a class in a new experiment aimed at reducing absenteeism.Education chiefs in Créteil have launched th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris to London cycle path]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-to-london-cycle-path-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A CYCLE path 350km long is to be marked out linking London and Paris  with help from a ferry in-between.The scheme  called the  Avenue Verte or Green Way is being planned in partnership between th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Video backfires on telecoms boss]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/video-backfires-on-telecoms-boss-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WARNING that the good life is over has come back to haunt France Telecom boss Didier Lombard after the suicide of the 24th employee in 19 months.Speaking at an awards ceremony in January, he lau...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Warning over 'tax refund' email scam]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/warning-over-tax-refund-email-scam-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WEB-USERS have been warned about a fake email doing the rounds promising a 180 rebate on overpaid French income tax.The message claims to come from the budget ministry and includes a link to the of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New 110kph limit 'not a priority']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-110kph-limit-not-a-priority-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PLANS to cut motorway speed limits from 130 to 110kph have been put on the back burner, according to the secretary of state for ecology, Chantal Jouanno. The proposal could have cut emissions of gre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Scrap bonus sees car sales up 14%]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/scrap-bonus-sees-car-sales-up-14-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOTORISTS are rushing to take advantage of the governments car scrappage bonus scheme before it is gradually phased out in the new year, new figures suggest.The number of new cars sold in September...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Farmers protest across France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/farmers-protest-across-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FARMERS carried out protests across France yesterday after a call to action by national farmers union FNSEA and their youth section, Les Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA).The protests brought together farme...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[530 more speed cameras in 2010]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/530-more-speed-cameras-in-2010-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 500 new cameras are to be installed on roads throughout France next year.The 2010 budget, which was unveiled yesterday, includes provision for 530 extra radars. Transport Minister Domini...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Our helpguide on residential taxes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/our-helpguide-on-residential-taxes-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LIVING in France, or owning a property here, brings taxation responsibilities - and the bills for the two main residential taxes are on their way.The taxe foncière is a tax on property, both residen...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Villepin denies Clearstream plot]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/villepin-denies-clearstream-plot-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin has denied in court he was involved in a plot to smear Nicolas Sarkozy during his bid for the presidency.Mr Villepin is accused of orchestrating a ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ryanair scraps airport check-in]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ryanair-scraps-airport-check-in-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RYANAIR has today scrapped all of its airport check-in desks and made it compulsory for passengers to print their own boarding card online.The company has gradually introduced the online-only policy...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Inside the October issue of Connexion]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/inside-the-october-issue-of-connexion-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[The Connexion is the leading English-language newspaper in France, packed each month with essential news, interviews and practical information.In this month's edition:Help with homework: How can yo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cheque loophole still wide open]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-cheque-fraud-loophole-societe-generale-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LOOPHOLE believed to have been used by convicted fraudster Warren Templeton to steal millions of euros from British expats is still wide open and could be abused again.Templetons victims made out...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-10-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Chirac to avoid corruption trial]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/chirac-to-avoid-corruption-trial-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LONG-RUNNING investigation into alleged corruption by former French president Jacques Chirac looks likely to be dropped after prosecutors decided he had "no case to answer."Judges have been lookin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[500 million boost for young jobless]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/500-million-boost-for-young-jobless-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[YOUNG jobseekers are to benefit from a 500 million scheme to help them move into employment.Under-25s will be eligible for the Revenu de Solidarité Active (RSA) welfare-to-work scheme if they have ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mayor attacks  Grand Paris plan]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mayor-attacks-grand-paris-plan-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MAYOR Of Paris Bertrand Delanoë has demanded that the government withdraw current plans for developing Le Grand Paris (Greater Paris).The idea involves schemes to consolidate the wider Paris area as...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Govt drops support for Roman Polanski]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/govt-drops-support-for-roman-polanski-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[The French government has decided to drop its public support for Roman Polanski, the Oscar-winning director held in Switzerland over a child sex case dating back more than 30 years.The government ha...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New site aimed at French adulterers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-site-aimed-at-french-adulterers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE than 2,000 unfaithful French husbands and wives have signed up for a new social networking site ahead of its launch next month.Gleeden.com is designed for not-so-happily married people who are ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Changes after new telecom suicide]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/changes-after-new-telecom-suicide-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FRANCE Telecom worker threw himself from a motorway bridge to become the 24th employee to commit suicide in the past 19 months.The 51-year-old man, who was married with two children, left a note b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Le Pen: Polanski not above the law]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/le-pen-polanski-not-above-the-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRONT National has attacked its political rivals for coming out in support of the arrested film director Roman Polanski.The 76-year-old Polish-born Polanski, who has French citizenship, was arre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New law on private school funding]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-law-on-private-school-funding-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW law on private school funding is a further erosion of the principle of the secular state, opposition politicians claim.Parliament has passed a law retaining a controversial 2004 rule that mair...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SFR loses right to trademark 'texto']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sfr-loses-right-to-trademark-texto-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH word texto is a part of everyday language and cannot be reserved as a trademark, a court has ruled.Mobile phone giant SFR has been trying to sue a company in Marseille since early 2008 ov...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Thousands protest over deadly algae]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/thousands-protest-over-deadly-algae-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SEVERAL thousand protestors gathered on the beach at Hillion in Brittany to demand action over the noxious green algae that has piled up along the Côtes-dArmor.Their call came as prosecutors said t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Record budget deficit announced]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/record-budget-deficit-announced-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[JOB cuts in the civil service, increasing the cost of hospital stays and reducing the amount of cash back vehicle owners receive for a car-scrapping scheme are among the measures to reduce Frances re...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Milk strike halted until October 5]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/milk-strike-halted-until-october-5-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DAIRY farmers in France have suspended their strike action for 10 days pending emergency talks in Brussels.Thousands of producers have been protesting since September 10 about low prices, which they...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Seasonal flu vaccines ready]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seasonal-flu-vaccines-ready-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[VACCINES against ordinary seasonal flu are out in the pharmacies today - two weeks earlier than usual.The government is recommending people at risk should get vaccinated as soon as possible.The ur...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy sued over Villepin quote]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-sued-over-villepin-quote-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER prime minister Dominique de Villepin has launched legal proceedings against President Sarkozy accusing him of attempting to pervert the course of justice during the Clearstream trial.Mr Ville...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Giscard: I made up Diana love story]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/giscard-i-made-up-diana-love-story-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing has poured cold water on rumours he had an affair with Princess Diana.Giscard's new romantic novel, The Princess and the President, caught the attention of ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Balloon to drop  free air tickets]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/balloon-to-drop-free-air-tickets-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EASYJET is planning to drop free air tickets over Parisian business district La Défense tomorrow.At 13.30 a hot air balloon in the companys colours will drop 1,000 orange paper planes on to the mai...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[6 out of 8 smoke detectors useless]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/6-out-of-8-smoke-detectors-useless-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SIX out of the eight most popular smoke detectors sold in France do not work properly, if at all. The majority of models either did not detect fires or detected them too late.There were more than 10...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Animal charity in accounting probe]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/animal-charity-in-accounting-probe-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MANAGEMENT at animal welfare charity SPA could face criminal charges after a damning report from auditors found a number of problems with the groups accounts.The 150-year-old charity  which has 58...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No let up in milk protests - farmers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-let-up-in-milk-protests-farmers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MILK farmers have vowed to go on with strikes and protests despite special loans being organised to help them.The announcement that 250 million is being set aside by the government to give them pre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Banking charges just gobbledegook]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/banking-charges-just-gobbledegook-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HIDDEN charges, gobbledegook and shoddy advice are being used by the majority of banks across the EU to violate customers rights and increase costs.A report from the European Commission said French...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Villepin 'victim of abuse of power']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/villepin-victim-of-abuse-of-power-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER prime minister Dominique de Villepin has accused Nicolas Sarkozy of an abuse of power as what some are calling the political trial of the decade kicks off in Paris.Villepin said he believed...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Dawn raid on Calais Jungle]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/dawn-raid-on-calais-jungle-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE made a dawn raid today on the Jungle  a wooded area near to the port of Calais where until recently an estimated 700  800 immigrants were camping out.Immigration Minister Eric Besson had ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Postal workers in national walk-out]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/postal-workers-in-national-walk-out-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POSTAL workers are striking across France today over plans to open up La Poste  a move which unions fear will lead to privatisation.However, although five unions have called the strike it is not cl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mopping-up starts after huge storms]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mopping-up-starts-after-huge-storms-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CLEAR-UP operations have started after violent rainstorms in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Alpes-Maritimes saw mudslides, rivers bursting their banks and cars swept away.Hundreds of firefighters and...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Trial begins for ex-PM Villepin]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/trial-begins-for-ex-pm-villepin-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER PM Dominique de Villepin goes on trial today, charged with defaming President Sarkozy.Villepin is the most high-profile figure among five defendants and is accused of involvement in a smear, ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Giscard hints at affair with Diana]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/giscard-hints-at-affair-with-diana-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER president Valéry Giscard dEstaing has dropped a playful hint that he had a romantic liaison with Princess Diana.The 83-year-old has written a novel called The Princess and the President whic...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Milk strike anger continues to grow ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/milk-strike-anger-continues-to-grow-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DAIRY farmers across France are continuing to throw away hundreds of thousands of litres of milk in protest at a lack of support from the government and the EU.The strike actions, which are now in t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Carrefour fined after food checks]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/carrefour-fined-after-food-checks-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKET chain Carrefour has been fined 72,300 for a range of offences relating to its food.The daily paper for the Paris area, Le Parisien reports that a court in the southern suburb Evry has f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GDF fined 1,500 for incorrect bill]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gdf-fined-1500-for-incorrect-bill-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN ELDERLY woman who was threatened by gas supplier GDF over a disputed 7,000 bill has successfully sued the group for 1,500.The ruling by a court in Paris could make it easier for other energy cu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[15,000 heritage sites open doors]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/15000-heritage-sites-open-doors-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCES monuments, famous buildings and heritage sites open their doors this weekend for the 26th Journées du Patrimoine.Last year the Palais de la République, the Elysée, Matignon, Sénat and Bercy...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ex-PM on trial in Clearstream affair]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ex-pm-on-trial-in-clearstream-affair-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin is  appearing at the Paris Criminal Court in connection with the Clearstream affair.He is suspected of involvement in a leak in 2004 of what turned out to...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy hospital  visit criticised]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-hospital-visit-criticised-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A HEALTH union has criticised what they see as over-the-top arrangements for a planned presidential visit to a hospital in a Paris suburb.Sud-santé says the numerous security checks being planned at...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ségo site is  for sore eyes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sgo-site-is-for-sore-eyes-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DAYS after critics lambasted the 'cheap' new look on Ségolène Royal's website its appearance has changed again.Replacing the 'sunrise over the prairie' landscape and silver font is a purple 'potato ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu declared an 'epidemic']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-declared-an-epidemic-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE number of cases of swine flu has doubled over the last week  to 103,000 cases  and health minister Roselyne Bachelot says the epidemic has arrived.Health watchdog InVS said the week of Septemb...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Strangers to get 280,000 legacy]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/strangers-to-get-280000-legacy-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WOMAN has left all her 280,000 fortune to about 200 people she met by chance through life.Jeannine Vromant, from Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, died in 2008 at the age of 86 and, having no family and ha...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Electricity opened up to competition]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/electricity-opened-up-to-competition-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOMES and businesses across France will have a broader choice of who supplies their electricity from the middle of next year.France has agreed to fully open up the electricity market to competition ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[PS election fraud must be probed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ps-election-fraud-must-be-probed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORMER Socialist Party leadership candidate Ségolène Royal is demanding the party investigate allegations of fraud in the election she lost  or sue the authors of a book making the claims.The presi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Loophole could save Scientology]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/loophole-could-save-scientology-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW law has been discovered that means that whatever the outcome of Frances Scientology trial, the French branch of the group cannot be dissolved.French Scientology  considered to be a cult by...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hortefeux faces race slur charges]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hortefeux-faces-race-slur-charges-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INTERIOR minister Brice Hortefeux faces charges by an anti-racist group alleging racist defamation after his comments to an Arab youth in a video clip.The executive committee of the anti-racist grou...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hadopi 2 due to be passed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hadopi-2-due-to-be-passed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LAW designed to punish illegal downloaders in France is finally due to be passed by the National Assembly today after months of fierce debate.The Hadopi 2 legislation will set out a system of em...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cheap cinema deal this week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cheap-cinema-deal-this-week-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SPECIAL 4 cinema seats are on offer until Wednesday as part of La Rentrée du Cinéma.The end-of-summer event has been extended to include Wednesday, allowing  people to watch some of the new release...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[TGV runs over man sleeping on tracks]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tgv-runs-over-man-sleeping-on-tracks-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DRUNKEN music festival fan has escaped unharmed after a TGV ran over the top of him as he slept between the train tracks on the Paris-Quimper line.The train driver had spotted a body on the line a...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Barclays hit by French card fraud]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/barclays-hit-by-french-card-fraud-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A GANG managed to withdraw more than 200,000 in one night from cash machines across the north of France using stolen British bank cards.At least 34 men and women travelled to Calais from London wit...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Milk strike could hit shop supplies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/milk-strike-could-hit-shop-supplies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRESH dairy could start to disappear from supermarket shelves early next week after 30,000 French milk producers walked out on strike.Independent milk producers association APLI has called the stri...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Interior Minister  racism furore]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/interior-minister-racism-furore-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[OPPOSITION MPs have called for the resignation of Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux after he was caught on video making remarks about a man's race during an UMP Party event in the south-west.Introdu...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Doubt and anger over carbon tax]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/doubt-and-anger-over-carbon-tax-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE ANNONCEMENT that taxe carbone will be set at 17 a tonne has been met with strong criticism on how much it will cost to enforce and whether it will work.The price of a litre of petrol will rise ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[500 note may go in fraud law]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/500-note-may-go-in-fraud-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE 500 note should be scrapped to cut down on fraud, MPs have suggested.The measure is one of 30 in a report by a cross-party group of MPs, presented to the National Assembly today."France shoul...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Report finds 2,000 women wear burqa]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/report-finds-2000-women-wear-burqa-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT 2,000 women in France wear full Muslim dress in public according to the Interior Ministry  six times more than police had estimated.The figures are contained in a confidential report on the b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[1,000 tax on each mobile phone mast]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/1000-tax-on-each-mobile-phone-mast-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOBILE phone antennae and electricity pylons may be taxed as the government looks for ways to boost its budget after the business-based taxe professionnelle is scrapped.Almost 50,000 phone masts acr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Unions call for  strikes in October]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/unions-call-for-strikes-in-october-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SIX unions are calling for a day of protest action on October 7.The move is in connection with a worldwide day of action for decent work, being called for by the International Trade Union Confeder...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Income tax cut to offset eco charge]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/income-tax-cut-to-offset-eco-charge-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOUSEHOLDS could benefit from a cut in income tax to compensate for a new levy on carbon emissions from next year.Prime Minister François Fillon said a tax reduction was one of the preferred option...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[150,000 could be dodging French tax]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/150000-could-be-dodging-french-tax-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TAX-PAYERS in France who have bank accounts in other countries have been urged to come clean about them to the tax authorities.Budget minister Eric Woerth believes between 100,000 and 150,000 people...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[VAT-cut restaurant attacked by rivals]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/vat-cut-restaurant-attacked-by-rivals-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A RESTAURANT owner claims his rivals subjected him to a campaign of bullying for passing a VAT cut on to his customers.Philippe Brusa, who runs a sushi restaurant in Thonon-les-Bains in the Haute-Sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Row over number of swine flu cases]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/row-over-number-of-swine-flu-cases-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SWINE flu is growing in France at a rate of 20,000 new cases each week, according to unofficial figures that have not been endorsed by the French government.The Groupes Régionaux dObservation de la...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[A month of bargain wine from tomorrow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/a-month-of-bargain-wine-from-tomorrow-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HUNDREDS of millions of cut-price bottles of wine go on sale this month as all of the major supermarket chains unveil their annual Foire aux Vins.Carrefour is the first of the retail giants to launc...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['No tall people' for Sarkozy visits]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-tall-people-for-sarkozy-visits-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy has been accused of deliberately picking short people to appear alongside him in TV footage when he attends public events.The claim, which has been strongly denied by the president's...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cigarette prices rise next month]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cigarette-prices-rise-next-month-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CIGARETTE prices are due to rise 6% next month - making an average price of 5.60 a packet from October 5.It is the first price rise for two years and has come directly from tobacco manufacturers wi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hospital stays  could cost more]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hospital-stays-could-cost-more-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PATIENTS staying in hospital may have to pay an extra 4 a day next yearPutting up the forfait hospitalier is one of the ideas being considered by the government to help reduce a social security def...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF strike threat for September 22]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-strike-threat-for-september-22-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RAIL unions are planning a day of strike action across the SNCF network on September 22.The four main rail workers' groups met on Wednesday to discuss industrial action in protest against proposed c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[MP bowled over by Sarkozy's chopper]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mp-bowled-over-by-sarkozys-chopper-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN MP who was part of a reception party for President Sarkozy received a broken wrist after his arriving helicopter blew her over.Orne MP Sylvia Bassot was waiting to greet the president who was vis...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hot summer for all - except Brittany]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hot-summer-for-all-except-brittany-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THIS summer was one of the sunniest and driest in the past 60 years, according to new data from Météo France.The weather forecast agency said 2009 was the fifth hottest summer on record since 1950....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Burglaries on the rise across France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/burglaries-on-the-rise-across-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BURGLARIES in some parts of France are up by more than 60% on last year, according to new research.The Observatoire National de la Délinquance said house break-ins were up by 12% nationwide between ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Education ministry in grammar gaffe]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/education-ministry-in-grammar-gaffe-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STAFF at the Education Ministry have been left red-faced after they issued a press release on school reform littered with dozens of spelling and grammar mistakes.The information pack was handed to j...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Taser ban for municipal police]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/taser-ban-for-municipal-police-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MUNICIPAL police have been barred from using Taser electronic stun guns by the Conseil d'Etat because there was not strong enough supervision.However, Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said a new la...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lotto winners pay for school canteen]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lotto-winners-pay-for-school-canteen-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LOTTERY-winning couple in the Charente have agreed to pay for a years supply of school meals for every child in their town.The anonymous pair have given 70,000 out of the 50m Euromillions jackp...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Man finds 100,000 in bin behind shop]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/man-finds-100000-in-bin-behind-shop-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAN who found 100,000 in bank notes in a bin behind a hardware shop has returned the cash to its elderly owners in full.Yvon Wonterghem, whose son owns the Bricorama in Saint-André on the outskir...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Petrol price error fuels stampede]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/petrol-price-error-fuels-stampede-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HUNDREDS of motorists flocked to a small petrol station in Picardy after it accidentally knocked a third off the price of a litre of fuel.The self-service filling station in Nogent-sur-Oise, near th...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Suspended jail terms for Conti 6]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/suspended-jail-terms-for-conti-6-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SIX of the seven Continental tyre factory workers charged over the ransacking of a  sous-préfecture have been given suspended jail sentences of between three and five months.The seven workers were t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-02</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Loire lakes closed as 200 birds die]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/loire-lakes-closed-as-200-birds-die-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NUMBER of lakes running alongside the Loire in the Rhône Alpes have been closed to the public after more than 200 birds were found dead in the water.Fishing and watersports have been banned in the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Postcard delivered 72 years late]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/postcard-delivered-72-years-late-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A POSTCARD that a young man sent to his fiancee has been delivered 72 years after it was posted to a Monaco woman, but arrived 40 years after she died.The card with an Alpine view was found by posta...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[University grants rise by up to 3%]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/university-grants-rise-by-up-to-3-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT is increasing the size of the grants it gives to almost half a million university students by up to 3% to help them cope with rising costs.About 100,000 students from under-privileged...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-09-01</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Carrefour recalls E. Coli burgers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/carrefour-recalls-e.-coli-burgers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKET giant Carrefour has recalled a batch of frozen beef burgers that it believes has been contaminated with E. Coli.The firm said it had received no complaints from customers yet but noticed...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Pick up post from your metro station]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/pick-up-post-from-your-metro-station-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BUSY residents in the north of Paris will have the option of having letters and parcels delivered to their local metro station to avoid making a trip to the post office.The scheme, a joint venture b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[3 billion Swiss tax dodge revealed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/3-billion-swiss-tax-dodge-revealed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TAX dodgers have been given a warning that Switzerland is no longer a safe haven for their millions as Budget Minister Eric Woerth revealed France has the names of 3,000 people with illegal, undeclare...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More parents apply out of catchment]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/more-parents-apply-out-of-catchment-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[REQUESTS by parents for their children to go to schools outside their catchment area are up 5% compared to last year.About 47,500 requests for a dérogation à la carte scolairewere put in for childre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu vaccine from September 28]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-vaccine-from-september-28-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE has received its first batch of swine flu jabs and is set to begin vaccinating people at the end of next month.However a new survey published today has found that almost two-thirds of people ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Girls wreak havoc in Metro muggings]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/girls-wreak-havoc-in-metro-muggings-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THIEVING girl gangs have robbed many hundreds of travellers on the Metro in Paris  and there is little the police can do because they are too young to be arrested and detained.Most are aged between...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Unions call for  postal strike]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/unions-call-for-postal-strike-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE major unions are calling on postal workers to strike on Tuesday September 22 against the privatisation of La Poste.The CGT, SUD, CFDT, Force Ouvrière and CFTC want a "big day of strikes and p...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mobile mast ban is Paris's first ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobile-mast-ban-is-pariss-first-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOBILE phone giant Orange has been banned from building a rooftop mast in a residential district in Paris after locals complained.The court ruling is thought to be the first case in France of an ant...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Chainsaw husband cuts up furniture]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/chainsaw-husband-cuts-up-furniture-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A CHAINSAW-wielding husband took things too far as he went along with his wifes demand to split things down the middle during their divorce  he cut up the sofa, the dinner table and a computer.Gen...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy acts on bank bonuses]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-acts-on-bank-bonuses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NICOLAS Sarkozy has confronted the chief executives of the major French banks and announced a crackdown on inflated bonuses and excessive risk-taking.In his first major engagement since returning fr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cost of university continues to rise]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cost-of-university-continues-to-rise-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STUDENT unions have warned that the rising cost of starting university is forcing some people to think twice  especially in the capital.Frances two biggest student unions have both published data ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Woman throws thong at judge]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/woman-throws-thong-at-judge-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WOMAN who threw her thong at a judge in court has been arrested and taken into police custody.The woman, aged in her thirties, was sitting in the public gallery at Perpignan magistrates court when...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Another driver hit with smoking fine]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/another-driver-hit-with-smoking-fine-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A DRIVER in Paris who was fined for smoking at the wheel has accused police of an abuse of power.The man was stopped on Sunday after he moved his car a few metres past a red light in the middle of...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[The good times have rolled]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/the-good-times-have-rolled-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S 'national happiness quota' peaked in 2001 according to a Canadian study.The measure, ( Bonheur intérieur net ) seen as an alternative to gross domestic product, takes into account several e...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France hits new peak for births]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-hits-new-peak-for-births-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE number of births in France is on the increase and hit 828,400 in 2008  up 1.2% from 2007.National statistics body Insee said there had been 796,000 infants born in metropolitan France and 32,40...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[All Paris job centres closed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/all-paris-job-centres-closed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALL job centres in the Paris area have closed to prepare for a flood of job seekers in September.Around 250 Pôle emploi offices have shut their doors today to process a backlog of cases.Pôle emplo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French fishing zone for Med]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-fishing-zone-for-med-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE is planning an exclusive French fishing zone up to 70 nautical miles off the Mediterranean coast.Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the measure was necessary to protect French fishi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-25</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Tourist sleeps in hôtel de ville]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tourist-sleeps-in-htel-de-ville-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BRITISH tourist spent a night locked inside a town hall after she mistook the hôtel de ville for a hotel.The woman, aged in her thirties, who has not been named, was travelling alone in Alsace and...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[President enters bank bonus row]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/president-enters-bank-bonus-row-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE president is expected to demand tighter limits on traders bonuses when he meets bank leaders tomorrow.It is expected Sarkozy will call for limits such as setting ceilings or spreading bonuses o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Roller-coaster fall woman dies]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/roller-coaster-fall-woman-dies-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MOTHER has been killed after being thrown from a roller-coaster at an amusement park near Beauvais.The 35-year-old woman, from Aisne, had been with her partner at the Saint-Paul park with their tw...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Strikers threaten to pollute Seine]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/strikers-threaten-to-pollute-seine-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STRIKING workers at a transport company in Normandy have threatened to pour 8,000 litres of toxic chemicals into the River Seine if their redundancy demands are not met.About 60 lorry drivers at the...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[PM promises to  clean up seaweed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/pm-promises-to-clean-up-seaweed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRENCH government will pay for cleaning up Breton beaches clogged with toxic seaweed, PM François Fillon has promised.The phenomenon, known as la marée verte (green tide), has been getting worse...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Med beach closed after shark alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/med-beach-closed-after-shark-alert-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BATHERS were ordered out of the sea near Perpignan yesterday afternoon after two sharks were spotted in the water.Two swimmers raised the alarm at about 3pm when they saw two fins in the water about...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris Plages close after huge success]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-plages-close-after-huge-success-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE hugely successful Paris Plages closes tonight after an exceptionally busy season which allowed many Parisiens to enjoy the beach without leaving the city.As temperatures hit 38C yesterday there ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mayor selling  chapel on eBay]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mayor-selling-chapel-on-ebay-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A CHAPEL in the Midi-Pyrénées has gone on sale on the internet auction site eBay.The building is 450 square metres and dates from the 17th Century.It is described as having a romanesque porch, fi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Easyjet in court over work rights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/easyjet-in-court-over-work-rights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EASYJET is to be prosecuted over claims it failed to declare the number of staff it had working in France.The low-cost airline has been under investigation since December 2006, when social charges c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Aquitaine hit by hornet invasion]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/aquitaine-hit-by-hornet-invasion-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ASIAN hornets have started attacking people in the south-west of France, with seven taken to hospital with stings in the past week.A woman walking her five-month-old son in Saint-Vite near Villeneuv...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-19</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[40C warning in new heatwave alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/40c-warning-in-new-heatwave-alert-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[METEO France has extended its orange heatwave alert to cover three more departments - and warned temperatures today could hit 40C. An ozone alert is also in place.The orange alert covers Rhône, Drôm...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Seaside trips for charity children]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/seaside-trips-for-charity-children-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHARITY Le Secours Populaire is taking underprivileged children to the seaside today.The event is the 30th Journée des Oubliés des Vacances  (day for those left out of the holidays). This year the c...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cost of school supplies drops]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cost-of-school-supplies-drops-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE COST of getting children ready to go back to school has dropped by almost 9% this year, new figures have revealed.As households across France prepare for the rentrée on September 2, research fro...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ryanair to axe  Manchester flights]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ryanair-to-axe-manchester-flights-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LOW-COST airline Ryanair has announced it is axing nine continental services from Manchester, including those to Marseille.The firm says it will stop Manchester flights to the affected airports from...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Rhône is placed on heatwave alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/rhne-is-placed-on-heatwave-alert-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A HEATWAVE warning has been issued for the Rhône, with high temperatures expected across large parts of the south of France this week.Météo France has issued an "orange" alert for the department  t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Three sick pupils could shut school]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/three-sick-pupils-could-shut-school-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SCHOOLS could be closed if three pupils in one class fall ill with swine flu in a week, says Education Minister Luc Chatel.The decision would be made by the regional préfet, who would decide wheth...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Slow start to new Sunday trade plan]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/slow-start-to-new-sunday-trade-plan-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW rules on Sunday trading officially came into effect yesterday  but the impact was limited.The main difference was that food shops which already had permission to open until noon were able to op...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[France comes out of recession]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-comes-out-of-recession-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE and Germany have become the first two countries in the euro zone to officially come out of recession.New figures released by the government show the French economy grew by 0.3% in the second ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[No charges after teenager drowns]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-charges-after-teenager-drowns-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POLICE are still investigating how British teenager Liam Manley drowned in a Dordogne lake but say there will be no chargesA post mortem examination on Liam, 14, who died while swimming in a lake at...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[UMP supports burqini ban]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ump-supports-burqini-ban-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S governing party has backed swimming pool officials in a Paris suburb who banned a woman from swimming in a burqini.The UMP party supports this ban not only for reasons of hygiene but als...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['No question' of a rise in taxes]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/no-question-of-a-rise-in-taxes-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[BUDGET minister Eric Woerth has said taxes will not be increased despite the fall in government earnings.He said any attempt to increase taxes would just make the economic crisis worse and repeated ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Half of cyclists break law in Paris]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/half-of-cyclists-break-law-in-paris-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ABOUT half of cyclists in Paris break the law, according to Paris traffic chief Gildas Robert.Going through red lights is the most common offence. Others turn without signalling, use their phones wh...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Record month for cinema attendance]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/record-month-for-cinema-attendance-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH cinemas have recorded their best July attendance figures in almost 30 years  up 56.1% on the same month last year.But data released today reveals it was the big American summer holiday block...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA['We are ready to close all schools']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/we-are-ready-to-close-all-schools-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EVERY school in France could be closed if swine flu becomes a nationwide pandemic, the education minister has revealed.In an interview with Le Figaro, Luc Chatel said the government was "preparing f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[SNCF may bail out SeaFrance]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-may-bail-out-seafrance-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[STATE rail firm the SNCF is considering putting 70 million into its beleaguered subsidiary SeaFrance to keep it afloat.SeaFrance, a which operates Dover to Calais ferries, is close to bankruptcy an...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris residents in water warning]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-residents-in-water-warning-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[RESIDENTS and businesses in Paris and the Ile de France have been warned to cut down on water usage as levels have fallen after the dry start to the summer.There are now 43 departments across France...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Road deaths down 6.5% last month]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/road-deaths-down-6.5-last-month-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE number of people killed on French roads fell below 400 last month for the first July since records began.Figures compiled by the Observatoire interministériel de la sécurité routière show 389 ro...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nuclear plant shut in fuel incident]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nuclear-plant-shut-in-fuel-incident-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE nuclear power plant at Gravelines  between Dunkirk and Calais  was evacuated after a significant incident at the weekend.While there was no radioactive leak to the outside air, staff were cl...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-11</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Violent spouses  should be tagged]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/violent-spouses-should-be-tagged-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TAGGING violent spouses with electronic bracelets could be trialled in France, says Family Minister Nadine Morano.The minister told the newspaper Le Figaro: I would like it to be taught to boys at ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-11</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Escaped wallaby tracked down]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/escaped-wallaby-tracked-down-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A WALLABY called Will has been caught after spending 10 days hopping around the Charente countryside.The animals owner was on holiday when it escaped from its pen. It was later seen bounding thro...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nature reserve hit by crude oil leak]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nature-reserve-hit-by-crude-oil-leak-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE government has promised more work to maintain the countrys network of oil pipelines after a major spill in a nature reserve.The Coussoulis de Crau reserve, in the Carmague national park between...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Son of Boche gets German nationality]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/son-of-boche-gets-german-nationality-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WAR baby Daniel Rouxel has become the first "Son of a Boche" to be given joint French and German nationality  more than six decades after his birth.The son of a French mother and a German Wehrmacht...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-10</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Toxic beach alert on Brittany coast]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/toxic-beach-alert-on-brittany-coast-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOLIDAYMAKERS have been warned to stay away from a number of beaches in Brittany because of toxic fumes from rotting seaweed. The problem has affected five beaches in the Côtes-dArmor, where thick ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sunday trading OK but no exceptions]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sunday-trading-ok-but-no-exceptions-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NEW law on Sunday trading has been given the green light  apart from a section which took away power from the Mayor of Paris.France's constitutional guardians the conseil constititionnel said i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-07</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Unmarked police cars catch 50,000]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/unmarked-police-cars-catch-50000-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GENDARMES in unmarked cars have caught a driver rolling along with his feet on the dashboard, another reading a newspaper at the wheel and many thousands chatting on their mobiles.Tests of unmarked ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-07</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Electricity prices to rise 1.9% ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/electricity-prices-to-rise-1.9-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE price of electricity for domestic EDF customers is expected to go up 1.9% on August 15.The rise, which is yet to be confirmed, would be slightly less than the 2% applied last summer  and well b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Virus wipes out Christmas oysters]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/virus-wipes-out-christmas-oysters-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[OYSTER producers have warned they face going bust after millions of shellfish were wiped out by a virus for the second year running.The illness has hit between 50% and 80% of young oysters, dependin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Drivers must slow in ozone alert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/drivers-must-slow-in-ozone-alert-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS in the Ile-de-France, Var and Bouches-du-Rh&nbsp;ocirc;ne have been warned to slow down in an ozone pollution alert.The warning comes after air pollution monitors said ozone levels were abou...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-06</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Extortion claim as speed fine rises]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/extortion-claim-as-speed-fine-rises-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A LAWYER caught in a speed trap has lodged a complaint of attempted extortion after a 135 fine was increased to 431 for non-payment.Pierre-François Divier had contested the original offence and se...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Three MPs come clean on expenses]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/three-mps-come-clean-on-expenses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Three MPs have agreed to publish full details of their expenses online  but the other 574 are keeping quiet.Socialists Arnaud Montebourg, René Dosière and Jean-Jacques Urvoas have handed over the d...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Farmers refusing  to pay back grants]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/farmers-refusing-to-pay-back-grants-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRUIT and vegetable farmers have come to a stalemate with the Agriculture Ministry over whether or not they should pay back subsidies paid between 1992 and 2002.The EU has ordered that farmers shoul...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-05</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New national park to open in 2012]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-national-park-to-open-in-2012-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A NEW national park crossing the border between the Haute-Marne and Côte-dOr departments has been announced by Prime Minister François Fillon.The 10,000-hectare Champagne et Bourgogne is expected t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Alert as folding chairs collapse]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/alert-as-folding-chairs-collapse-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUPERMARKET giant Auchan has recalled folding garden chairs under the name of Papua because they can collapse.Several customers have already been caught out when the chairs gave way under them.The...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Euroferries set to start September 1]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/euroferries-set-to-start-september-1-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[EUROFERRIES has announced their Ramsgate to Boulogne high-speed ferry service will begin from the start of September.The firm has issued a press release stating its service will begin on September 1...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Car crash Brit in critical condition]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/car-crash-brit-in-critical-condition-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BRITISH tourist remains in a critical condition in hospital after being struck down by a drunk-driver in Rennes at the weekend.The 40-year-old man was trapped beneath the car following the acciden...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-04</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nine beaches shut by oil pollution]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nine-beaches-shut-by-oil-pollution-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NINE beaches have been closed at Marseille after storms dropped more than a months worth of rain in an hour and left them heavily polluted.The beaches at Huveaune, Borély, Bonnevein, Vieille Chapel...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Thousands moved in Brest bomb hunt]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/thousands-moved-in-brest-bomb-hunt-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[About 16,000 people in Brest were evacuated from their homes in a search operation for unexploded Second World War bombs.Mine disposal experts opened an 800-metre radius search area after preliminar...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-08-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Court accepts SMS  as divorce proof ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/court-accepts-sms-as-divorce-proof-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE'S appeal court has ruled that a text message can be used as evidence of an affair in divorce proceedings.The ruling stems from a case which hinged on a text which was found by a woman on her ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fruit n veg stalls special sale ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fruit-n-veg-stalls-special-sale-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRUIT and veg stalls can directly challenge supermarkets with a temporary law allowing them to set up in car parks across France over the next two weekends.A good harvest has produced an abundance o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Black days for national travel]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/black-days-for-national-travel-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE WORST weekend for French travel is underway.The crossover of the juilletistes and aoûtiens  (July and August holiday makers) will see 15 million people moving across the country over the weekend...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-31</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Surgery saves arm  from spider bite ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/surgery-saves-arm-from-spider-bite-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAN'S arm has been saved after he was bitten by a poisonous spider in the south of France.However, despite the diagnosis of the Marseille anti-toxin centre that the venom found in the man's blood ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fireman started  blaze for 19 ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fireman-started-blaze-for-19-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO volunteer firefighters have admitted starting fires to boost their pay.The men, aged 22 and 25 face 15 years in prison for setting fires to earn a 19 and 38 call out bonus.They have admitte...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy message  to ministers ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-message-to-ministers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NO FANCY holidays, stay contactable 24-hours a day and never be more than two hours flight from Paris, was the message from President Sarkozy to ministers at their last meeting before the summer brea...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Burqas not a major problem - police ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/burqas-not-a-major-problem-police-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[LESS than 370 women in France wear a burqa according to a police security agency estimation.The figure, quoted in today's  Le Monde newspaper comes less than a month after MPs created a commission t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-29</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Big discounts fail to lure shoppers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/big-discounts-fail-to-lure-shoppers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUMMER sales have not been the hoped-for success for prêt-à-porter and designer shops.Sales for the government-prescribed five-week period were down between 2 - 4% on last years totals with superma...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Privatisation of  La Poste returns ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/privatisation-of-la-poste-returns-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[UNIONS have promised to fight the privatisation of La Poste after the cabinet met this morning to discuss the procedure.The first stage, the transformation of the group into a 'société anonyme', was...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Firefighters under arrest for arson]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/firefighters-under-arrest-for-arson-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO volunteer firemen are under arrest in Corsica  on suspicion of arson.The men are suspected of being responsible for three fires in southern Corsica in a week in mid-July. One, aged 22, has alre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-28</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Drought warning  in the north ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/drought-warning-in-the-north-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WATER restrictions have been put in place in 31 departments mostly in the north of France.The measures include a ban on washing cars, watering lawns or public parks and pavements and buildings not s...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-28</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[High-speed Cav in Champs-Elysées win]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/high-speed-cav-in-champs-elyses-win-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN awe-inspiring finish Champs-Elysées saw British cyclist Mark Cavendish prove he is the fastest sprinter in the world as he won the final stage of the Tour de France.Manxman Cavendish is the first...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy released  from hospital]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-released-from-hospital-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozy is to leave the Val-de-Grâce hospital in Paris today, 24 hours after he was taken ill while jogging.The president was taken in on Sunday afternoon after feeling ill while jogging i...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-27</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Speeding drivers may get a break]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/speeding-drivers-may-get-a-break-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DRIVERS who break the speed limit by just a few kilometres per hour may not lose points from their licence for a first offence.A National Assembly committee voted to give motorists some leeway on a ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Traffic congestion this weekend]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/traffic-congestion-this-weekend-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TRAFFIC conditions service Bison Futé has put in place orange and red alerts for congestion today and tomorrow.The problems are being caused by large numbers heading off for summer holidays as well ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Work absences up at Air France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/work-absences-up-at-air-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE hundred Air France planes took off in June without a full complement of cabin crew on board, twice the figure for the same period last year.Unions blame morale at the company following the cras...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Firefighters tame Marseille wildfire]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/firefighters-tame-marseille-wildfire-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIREFIGHTERS fought through the night to control a wildfire that was raging towards the eastern suburbs of Marseille.The fire, which started in the Carpiagne military camp, destroyed 1,100 hectares ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tobacco is up  for cigars only]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/tobacco-is-up-for-cigars-only-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TOBACCO prices have been readjusted  but only the price of cigars and cigarillos has gone up, by 4% on average.The price of cigarettes has remained stable and some brands of rolling tobacco have ev...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[51,000 businesses started in June]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/51000-businesses-started-in-june-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MORE THAN 51,000 new businesses were created in June â marking a massive increase in new starts since the creation of the auto-entrepreneur status in January.That is a 5.8% increase over May, whic...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[GPs to deal with  swine flu cases]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/gps-to-deal-with-swine-flu-cases-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FROM tomorrow GPs will be peoples main port of call if they suspect they have caught swine flu.The change  until now people had been urged to call 15 and arrange for a hospital visit  has cau...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Paris Plage opens with 1 ice creams]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/paris-plage-opens-with-1-ice-creams-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE eighth annual Paris Plage has opened along the Seine between the Tuileries Gardens and the Henri IV Bridge and at the man-made Bassin de la Villette in the northeast of the city.More than 2,000 ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Industry minister  to meet protestors]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/industry-minister-to-meet-protestors-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WORKERS at a bankrupt car parts firm who were threatening to blow up their factory with gas if they did not receive large pay-offs, have agreed to remove canisters and meet with the industry minister....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-21</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Five drowned and three missing]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/five-drowned-and-three-missing-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIVE people have died in two drowning accidents and another three are missing.Three young women  two of them pregnant  and a 15-year-old boy drowned at Trouville in Normandy while swimming in an u...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Madonna visits  injured in France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/madonna-visits-injured-in-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MADONNA has visited the family of one of the men killed in last weeks accident when a section of staging collapsedThe star also went to two Marseille hospitals to visit the eight people who were in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-20</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy pays back 14k expenses]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-pays-back-14k-expenses-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozy has paid back 14,123 to the state after an audit found certain private expenses had been paid for by the state.The refund came immediately once the president was told about the ac...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Storm warning for tonight]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/storm-warning-for-tonight-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST half of the departments of France have been placed on an orange weather alert with storm risks today (the third highest of four levels).The warning means be very careful, dangerous weather...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[700,000 watch free Hallyday concert]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/700000-watch-free-hallyday-concert-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A FREE Johnny Hallyday concert attracted 700,000 spectators in the Champ de Mars, next to the Eiffel Tower last night.The numbers beat a previous record turnout of 600,000 in 2007 at the same spot f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Speed limit cut on the A8]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/speed-limit-cut-on-the-a8-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE SPEED limit on the A8 motorway has been reduced to 110kmph on its 24km stretch through the Alpes-Maritimes.The aim of the reduction  from a previous maximum of 130kmph  is to reduce the number...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Dordogne recovers from violent storm]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/dordogne-recovers-from-violent-storm-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE DORDOGNE is recovering and picking up debris from the storm that struck the department on Monday when several houses were struck by lightning.About 100 homes still had no electricity last night ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Prime à la casse  to be phased out]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/prime-la-casse-to-be-phased-out-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BONUS for handing in an old, polluting car for scrapping at the same time as buying a new, eco-friendly one, will be phased out progressively.It was originally planned that the prime à la casse  ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New Bac figures show 86% pass]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-bac-figures-show-86-pass-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[UPDATED figures for the Baccalauréat exams show a record 86% of candidates passed with all exam kinds combined.This compares with 83.7% in 2008 and 2007.The figures follow the épreuves orales de r...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fête Nationale gets under way]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fte-nationale-gets-under-way-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[INDIA is the guest of honour at this years celebrations for Frances Fête Nationale  the traditional procession on the Champs Elysées will be lead by 450 Indian soldiers in full dress, accompanied b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-14</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Swine flu outbreak at holiday camp]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/swine-flu-outbreak-at-holiday-camp-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWENTY four children and three adult organisers have contracted "swine flu" at a childrens holiday camp in Mégève, Haute-Savoie.The outbreak is the worst so far since the first cases of the illness...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy interview broadcast tonight]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sarkozy-interview-broadcast-tonight-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozy has opted for a recorded interview to be broadcast tonight rather than the traditional live one from the Elysée on July 14.The president gave a half-hour interview to France 5, whi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-13</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Maximum security for grands départs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/maximum-security-for-grands-dparts-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AROUND 13,000 police and gendarmes will be on the roads this weekend in a bid to keep traffic moving for the grands departs (people leaving for their summer holidays).They will be targeting speeding...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[20% rise in EDF  prices intolerable]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/20-rise-in-edf-prices-intolerable-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE president of the Commission of Economic Affairs, Patrick Ollier, has declared the proposed 20% rise in EDF prices over three years as untenable for customers, and unacceptable.He reacted stron...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More students get top grades]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/more-students-get-top-grades-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIFTY-NINE per cent of those passing the baccalauréat general this year did so with a mention  that is one of the highest grades.That compares to 49% who got a mention in 2008. It confirms a trend ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-10</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[French voted worst tourists]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-voted-worst-tourists-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRENCH people are the worlds worst tourists according to an international study among hotel staff.The survey, by TNS INfratest for the online travel company Expedia, concluded that the French were ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[EDF wants to hike power prices 20%]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/edf-wants-to-hike-power-prices-20-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[POWER giant EDF wants to raise its prices by 20% over the next three years so that it can clear its debts  and it has warned the government that if the rise is refused then it will have to cut invest...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Senate votes  through Hadopi 2]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/senate-votes-through-hadopi-2-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SENATORS have voted through the Hadopi 2 law, which will allow judges to impose punishments on those found to have made illegal downloads.The law is a complement to the Hadopi 1 law, setting up a ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-09</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Bac results out and up on 2008]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bac-results-out-and-up-on-2008-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE Bac results are out and 78.4% of students succeeded at their first try at the general baccalauréat  which is a 2.9% rise on last year.Youngest of the 622,322 who passed was a 13-year-old from N...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Lacroix fêted at lastshow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/lacroix-fted-at-lastshow-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A STANDING ovation and banners saying Christian Lacroix Forever summed up the feelings at what could be Christian Lacroixs last fashion show as the audience gave their support to the beleaguered fa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hospitals and  clinics 'at war']]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hospitals-and-clinics-at-war-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[HOSPITAL bosses have complained of a real attack by private clinics who have accused them of being too expensive in a publicity campaign.We do not at all do the same thing, said Claude Evin, pre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-08</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cups of coffee can halt Alzheimer's]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/cups-of-coffee-can-halt-alzheimers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TWO strong coffees a day can help reverse Alzheimers, according to research just published.However, as with all food stories, there are no guarantees: the research has, so far, only looked at mice....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Bankruptcies up  15% on 2008]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/bankruptcies-up-15-on-2008-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FIFTEEN per cent more French businesses went bankrupt in the second quarter of 2009 compared to 2008.A total of 14,000 firms went bankrupt in the period. The worst hits areas are industry (non-food)...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Sunday working debate this week]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/sunday-working-debate-this-week-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DEBATE on Sunday working gets under way again today in the National Assembly.The debates are expected to last until Saturday, so this week will be a decisive one in the long-running battle over libe...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-07</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fruit prices fall after good harvest]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fruit-prices-fall-after-good-harvest-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[GOOD fruit harvests have meant cheaper prices in the shops  up to 30% of a reduction since last year  and consumers are refusing to pay more for in-demand goods.Prices for fruit such as apricots h...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[FN loses election  in Pas-de-Calais]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fn-loses-election-in-pas-de-calais-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FRONT National has lost a crucial town council election. The far right-wing party was hoping to take its first town council in more than a decade in the elections at Hénin-Beaumont in Pas-de-Cal...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Passengers injured in collision]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/passengers-injured-in-collision-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THREE train carriages were derailed and 13 passengers were injured after a farm trailer of hay fell onto the tracks near Limoges.Out of 450 passengers travelling from Paris to Cahors, most were unha...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-06</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[40 masked raiders  steal from shop]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/40-masked-raiders-steal-from-shop-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FORTY masked people walked out of a Leclerc supermarket in the Ile-de-France with 9,000 worth of goods.The thieves entered the supermarket in Etampes in the department of Essonne and grabbed electr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Nutella sales are spreading]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/nutella-sales-are-spreading-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[NUTELLA sales are spreading and have risen 6% over the past year as it beats the sales crunch.The hazelnut-chocolate spread has grabbed 90% of the market for pâtes à tartiner (spreads) in France.N...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Atlantic crash jet fell like a stone]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/atlantic-crash-jet-fell-like-a-stone-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CRASH investigators say the Air France jet that plunged into the Atlantic off Brazil killing all 228 on board fell like a stone and the people on board did not even have time to fix their seat belts...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-03</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Car scrapping boosts new sales]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/car-scrapping-boosts-new-sales-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CAR sales have been boosted due to the effects of prime à la casse  money paid for scrapping an old car  with sales up 7% in June.The latest rise has meant that over the past six months new car sa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Roaming phone charges chopped]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/roaming-phone-charges-chopped-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MOBILE phone call roaming charges have been cut due to the European Unions new maximum tariffs.Making calls now costs a maximum of 43 centimes a minute (down from 46) within the EU while receiving ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New carbon tax discussed today]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-carbon-tax-discussed-today-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TODAY and tomorrow a conference of experts is being held in Paris to discuss a new tax on carbon emissions.The idea of a carbon tax (officially contribution climat-énergie) was one of the key elemen...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-02</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Restaurants' VAT cut from today]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/restaurants-vat-cut-from-today-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TODAY sees the start of the national reduction of VAT on restaurant prices  although many establishments have had reduced prices in place for several weeks.Eating out should become cheaper as the t...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Carrefour starts  economy drive]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/carrefour-starts-economy-drive-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE BOSS of giant French supermarket chain Carrefour has pledged to reinvent the company and make it more loved, faced with dropping profits.Carrefour, Europes biggest supermarket company, saw ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Study reveals police racism]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/study-reveals-police-racism-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PEOPLE who are of North African or black origin are respectively eight and six times more likely to be checked by the police than white people, a study has shown.The study by the CNRS, Frances larg...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-07-01</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[South-east TGV route is picked]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/south-east-tgv-route-is-picked-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE ROUTE of a new high-speed rail link across the South-east will pass through Marseilles and Toulon on its way to Nice.The route will make it possible to reach Paris from Nice in 3hrs 50mins compa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Extradition plea on Dordogne murder]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/extradition-plea-on-dordogne-murder-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A BRITISH labourer arrested at Luton Airport after the murder of a retired British engineer in the Dordogne is facing extradition to France.French and British legal authorities are trying to decide ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Deckchairs can cut fingers off]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/deckchairs-can-cut-fingers-off-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CUSTOMERS who bought wooden deckchairs from DIY giant Castorama have been warned they could lose their fingers if the chairs have not been assembled correctly.Castorama told customers to check chili...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-30</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Debate starts on national loan]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/debate-starts-on-national-loan-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE GOVERNMENT wants to borrow millions from the people of the country next year in order to build the after-the-crisis-France.According to an IFOP survey, 17% are interested in the idea of loanin...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Man arrested after Briton murdered]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/man-arrested-after-briton-murdered-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[A MAN has been arrested after a retired British engineer and golf course designer was found murdered in the Dordogne.Peter Fuller, 67, had been beaten over the head repeatedly with a blunt object....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[LD Lines Dover  Dieppe ferry axed]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/ld-lines-dover-dieppe-ferry-axed-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FERRY company LD Lines is ending its Dover to Dieppe service today because it is under used.A spokesman for the company said that the service, launched in February, had not generated enough volume b...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-29</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Fête du Cinéma starts 7-day run]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/fte-du-cinma-starts-7-day-run-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[CHEAP cinema seats and plenty of films to watch: thats the formula for the success of the Fête du Cinéma which starts tomorrow and, to mark its 25th anniversary, runs for seven days instead of three....]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[First hurdles for business setup]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/first-hurdles-for-business-setup-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FIRST complications for Frances simplest method of setting up a business will come into force in 2010.As of next year, those signing up to the scheme will be registered with their local chambre...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-26</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Shops cross fingers for sales]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/shops-cross-fingers-for-sales-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[SUMMER sales have started in most parts of France.The winter and summer sales windows account for about 40% of annual turnover for shops  most of which takes place in the first week.Between Janua...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Blast factory boss faces jail term]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/blast-factory-boss-faces-jail-term-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[JUDGES have been asked to jail the boss of the AZF chemical fertiliser plant for three years after the 2001 blast at Toulouse that killed 31 people, injured more than 2,000 and devastated 30,000 homes...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-25</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Better recycling cuts down rubbish]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/better-recycling-cuts-down-rubbish-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[WE are still throwing away too much rubbish in France - 391kg per person per year - despite a rise in recycling.The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) says 37.8 million tonnes o...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Eight out in  cabinet reshuffle]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/eight-out-in-cabinet-reshuffle-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE NEPHEW of former French President François Mitterrand, Frédéric Mitterrand has been appointed the new minister of culture in a cabinet reshuffle.Eight ministers have been replaced by President N...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-24</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Historic speech fails to impress]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/historic-speech-fails-to-impress-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozy left many commentators struggling to find positive words as he made history by addressing both houses of parliament at Versailles.He had given himself the opportunity to spell out ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Green film pushed by minister]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/green-film-pushed-by-minister-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PREFECTS were asked to screen the environmental film Home in towns ahead of the EU elections by the Ministry for Ecology.Ecology Minister and UMP party member Jean-Louis Borloo has admitted his depa...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-23</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Headaches after Fête de la Musique]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/headaches-after-fte-de-la-musique-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[FRANCE woke up bleary-eyed this morning after a day celebrating the Fête de la musique in sites ranging from the Elysee Palace to the tiniest back street.There were more than 15,000 free concerts thr...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-22</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[More TV shows for blind viewers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/more-tv-shows-for-blind-viewers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[TV CHANNELS will soon have to broadcast a fixed number of programmes accessible to blind viewers.A new law will bring France in line with other countries which set a quota of programmes broadcast wi...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Asylum seekers up after 3 year drop]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/asylum-seekers-up-after-3-year-drop-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ASYLUM seekers have risen in France by 20% in the past year, with the greatest number coming from Russia, the Balkans and Turkey.Figures from independent public body the Office français de protectio...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-19</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hunt on for Vosges crocodile]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/hunt-on-for-vosges-crocodile-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE hunt is on for what is thought to be a crocodile spotted in a pond in Xertigny in the Vosges.Several witnesses including the fire brigade, and the owner of the two-hectare Monnin pond, claim to ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Deputies back call for burqa inquiry]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/deputies-back-call-for-burqa-inquiry-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DEPUTIES from left and right wings of the National Assembly have signed a call for a parliamentary inquiry into the burqa  the head-to-toe garment worn by some Muslim women.The move, which threaten...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-18</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mobiles as travel passes in Paris]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobiles-as-travel-passes-in-paris-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PASSENGERS travelling on public transport in Paris will soon be able to use their mobile phones as a travel card.It is hoped the technology, which will replace the current Navigo travel card (simila...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Elysée budget has soared nearly 20%]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/elyse-budget-has-soared-nearly-20-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AN explosion of expenditure has seen the budget for running the Elysée soaring nearly 20% over the last year, according to a Socialist deputy who is a specialist on presidential financial affairs. ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-17</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Air France changes jet speed sensors]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/air-france-changes-jet-speed-sensors-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AIR FRANCE has replaced all the pitot tubes in its long-distance A330 and A340 fleet, after they were implicated in the Rio-Paris tragedy in which 228 died.The speed sensors had been previously repo...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Prosecutors demand end of Scientology]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/prosecutors-demand-end-of-scientology-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE Church of Scientology in France should be dissolved due to alleged fraudulent activities, the Paris public prosecution service has demanded.The demand has been made as part of a court hearing in...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-16</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[June protests down in numbers]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/june-protests-down-in-numbers-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE LATEST day of protests against the governments economic policies saw less than 150,000 people take part  10% of the turnout for the May Day marches.The head of the CGT, one of Frances biggest...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Flu outbreak is a first in France]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/flu-outbreak-is-a-first-in-france-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FIRST outbreak of swine flu to originate in France has been confirmed at a collège in the outskirts of Toulouse.Seven students are affected and were taken to hospital, along with five of their f...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-15</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[President to make dual-house speech]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/president-to-make-dual-house-speech-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[PRESIDENT Sarkozy will address both houses of parliament in a congress for the first time.The president was given the right to hold such an address (similar to the USAs state of the union speech)...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Mobile phone film festival in Paris]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/mobile-phone-film-festival-in-paris-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE FIFTH Festival Pocket Films is under way in Paris.	It is hosted by the Forum des Images on Rue du Cinéma in the capitals new cinema district and runs until June 14.This year more than 800 fil...]]></description>
		<pubDate>2009-06-12</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[New blow for internet law]]></title>
		<link>http://www.connexionfrance.com/new-blow-for-internet-law-view-article.html</link>
		<description><![CDATA[THE CENTRAL pillar of a law cracking down on internet piracy has been ruled unconstitutional by Frances highest court.The Conseil constitutionnel has ruled that internet access is a hu