France Travel News 07/15/2010

Oh, France.

[E]ven the average Frenchwoman — say, shopping along the Rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré or enjoying a leisurely lunch on the Left Bank, or strolling through the Luxembourg Gardens — seems to defy the notion that, as one grows older, you either have to disguise that process with Botox, eye-lifts, lip plumpers and all sorts of procedures that convey a desperate “youthful” look, or else just give up altogether and let the ravages of time take their toll. But do these women really have the answers when it comes to the aging process?

France will raise war pensions for its African war veterans to the same level as those of their French comrades, Nicolas Sarkozy has said. The French president told the leaders of 12 former colonies: "There are debts which are never extinguished. It was time to recognise that." Hundreds of thousands of Africans served France in two world wars and the Algerian war of independence.

Today the French parliament will vote on whether to ban women from wearing full veils in all public places — even in the street. Once passed through the lower house, the ban will be examined by France's constitutional watchdog.

The 38-year old Texan got caught up in three crashes, falling once, and was left behind by the peloton during a crucial climb 31 miles from the Stage 8 finish in Morzine-Avoriaz, a ski station on the French-Swiss border.

When Armstrong finally crossed the finish line, accompanied by teammates, he was 13 minutes and 26 seconds behind new race leader Cadel Evans of Team BMC.

This is a really interesting piece about the presence of advertisers at the Cannes Film Festival, and the results of their efforts. It's a unique point of view of the event. Love articles like this!

On Pont Neuf, Paris, Henry the IV has been resurrected by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac with a blue Lightsaber and white neon box. Astronomy Domine commemorates 400 years since Henri IV’s death. It will remain up until July 14th.

CLERMONT-FERRAND, France (AP) — France beat two-time defending champion Spain for the first time since 1923 in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.
Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau defeated Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5) in just over three hours to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead. "It's magical," France captain Guy Forget told France 3 television. "They pulled for each other. I hope it's just the start of a long story for that squad." French players waved a French flag after the doubles match and huddled with arms around each other to sing the Marseillaise, the France national anthem, with the crowd.

All were taking part in the annual Cannonball Run Europe, a six day rally which attracts minor aristocrats, entrepreneurs and others who can afford the £6000 per car entry fee. French gendarmes intercepted three of them on Thursday afternoon at a toll station on the A6 motorway at Fleury-en-Biere, in the Seine-et-Marne department, south of Paris. A Bentley Continental GT and a Porsche 911 had been travelling at about 50mph above the 80mph speed limit. Both cars were confiscated and their drivers, men aged 40 and 52, were charged with "endangering others". Their cars, worth more than £100,000 each, will be sold.

French tourists who run into trouble after taking unnecessary risks overseas could have to pay for their rescue and repatriation under legislation debated today by MPs in Paris. The proposed law, put forward by a government tired of having to foot the bill, would enable the state to demand reimbursement for "all or part of the costs … of foreign rescue operations" if it deems that travellers had ventured knowingly and without "legitimate motive" into risky territory. (Don't worry, it's just the French – not tourists in France!)

The surgeons at the Creteil-Mondor hospital in Paris are the first medics ever to give someone a new nose, mouth, chin, eyelids and tear ducts – in an operation lasting more than 12 hours.
The new face will ‘mould itself’ to the patient’s bone structure and he would begin to resemble his original self – and not the dead patient, said lead surgeon Prof Laurent Lantieri.