The Local France

'I actually voted for Brexit': Channel Tunnel breakthrough miner

Sat, 04 May 2019 12:41:38 +0200

A quarter-century after the Channel Tunnel opened, the British miner who punched through to the French side and was a poster boy for the continental connection is now a Brexit supporter.

Channel Tunnel anniversary: A plan two centuries in the making

Sat, 04 May 2019 11:15:55 +0200

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Channel Tunnel on Monday, AFP's Thomas Perroteau describes the long history of plans to link Britain to the continent.

Hollande plans reforms to 'change face of France'

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:39:44 +0200

French President François Hollande pledged this week to launch a series of reforms that would "change the face of France". Hollande insisted his government had achieved a lot in his first year, but conceded there was more to do.

'His voters feel let down, Hollande has failed them'

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:01:00 +0200

One year after ousting Nicolas Sarkozy, things are not going too well for President François Hollande. We asked a selection of French people, from senators to academics and members of the public, to pass judgement on Hollande's first year. It does not make for pleasant reading.

Franco-German motor left sputtering in crisis

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:53:00 +0200

A year after François Hollande's election, the French president finds himself trapped in Europe between a powerful but unpopular German Chancellor Angela Merkel and his own weakness at home.

One year on: Hollande's nightmare first year

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:44:00 +0200

When he swept to power last May on a wave of discontent, François Hollande could hardly have imagined that a year later he would be the most unpopular president in modern French history.

French soda Orangina marks 75 years of ad fizz

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:32:00 +0200

Orangina, a Mediterranean soft drink story from post-war France and now a global brand with decades of powerful advertising, is marking 75 years of fizz.