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British retiree cycles entire Tour de France route for charity
Dyll Davies, 66, rode 6,400km over 41 days
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18 French departments launch service to help elderly with administrative procedures
‘Help desks’ will be set up in public establishments such as town halls and post offices
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Graphic: One in five French workers employed in state sector
There are nearly six million workers in the ‘fonction publique’ in France, covering several areas
Country life ‘ideal’ but...
One in four French people (81%) think country living is the “ideal life”, a new survey shows. This is despite 46% saying the top factor they link to it is “socio-economic difficulties”.

Those who actually live in the country cited “quality of life” and only 5% wanted to move.
All agreed that rural-dwellers were the most “abandoned” for public services. With the lack of jobs and transport, this puts many off moving to the country.
The poll of 1,000-plus people, run by the association Familles Rurales, says more use oftechnology for teleworking and telemedicine could help.