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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
Village flats-for-pupils plan
Cheap apartments are being offered to families by the mayor of a Var village to save the commune’s school from closure.

The school at Ascros, 45 km northwest of Nice, has 11 pupils. A neighbouring village school has just 10. Both could be closed as they have fewer than the officially mandated 12 students.
Authorities in the 160-resident village own two three-bedroom apartments and one two-bed property, which have been offered for rent at no more than €200 a month to attract more families.