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GR, GRP, PR: What do the French hiking signs mean?
What are the coloured symbols on French hiking routes? Who paints them there and why?
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Miss France: glam - but not sexy
Miss France organiser Geneviève de Fontenay fears she is fighting a losing battle to protect her 'Cinderella dream' from vulgarity
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Normandy Landings visit for Queen
Queen Elizabeth has confirmed a state visit to France, ending rumours she is handing over duties to Charles
Balloon record for adventurer
Explorer becomes first man to cross North Pole in hot-air balloon
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 northern tip of Spitzberg for the 3,100km solo crossing, travelling over the North Pole to reach Siberia just five days later.
The expedition will not be Mr Etienne’s first appearance in the record books. The Tarn resident became the first person to cross the Arctic on foot in 1986.