The Bugle Dordogne - Feb 2014

Mayoral hopeful calls London a suburb of Paris Paris mayoral hopeful Anne Hidalgo has sparked a war of words with Boris Johnson by describing London as “a suburb of Paris” >> Page 12

Dordogne February 2014 - Issue #8

President Hollande splits from first lady

Following allegations made by Closer magazine that François Hollande had a secret lover, the president has split from Valérie Trierweiler, the country’s first lady. The ‘scandal’ has revealed stark differences between the British and French press. lande personally telephoned AFP news agency to give a statement of just 18 words in French: “I wish to make it known that I have ended my partnership with Valérie Trierweiler”. The couple had been together since 2007, although they never married.

Ms Trierweiler, who has continued to work as a journalist for the glossy magazine Paris Match during her time as the de facto first lady, travelled to India in support of the French charity Action Against Hunger, shortly after the announcement. She did, however, tweet a message of thanks to staff at the Elysée Palace, the traditional home of the presidential family: “All my gratitude goes to the extraordinary staff at the Elysée. I will never forget their devotion or emotion at the time of departure.”

The official announcement

NEWS - Road deaths at record low Last year 33 people died on the roads of the Dordogne - the lowest number ever recorded >>Page 3

NEWS - Eymet Sport Relief Mile

The 3rd Sport Relief Mile will be taking place in Eymet in March.

Find out how to get fit, get involved and help raise money >> Page 6

NEWS - Hollande helmet sells out

© jStock - Fotolia.com

T

he drama that engulfed French politics for more than a fortnight appears to be at an end with the news that President Hollande is splitting from the now former first lady, Valérie Trierweiler. The president officially announced to the world’s media that their “shared life” had ended, two weeks after Closer magazine published photos which appeared to show he had been having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.

President Hollande, who has never denied having an affair with Julie Gayet, had previously admitted to a “difficult moment” in his relationship with Ms Trierweiler and had promised to clarify the situation before a planned trip to America on 11th February.

Saying he was speaking as a private individual and not in any professional capacity, Hol-

INSIDE > > >

>> continued on page 9

The helmet worn by Hollande in the now-famous Closer snaps has sold out, say producers >> Page 12

Warm and wet. As the rain falls, January temperatures approach record highs >> Page 5

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We take a look at the solution the Romans came up with to keep the Picts out of Britain >> Page 15

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2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

Welcome to

The Bugle

T

here was only really one French story in the international press this month: President Hollande, his alleged actress lover and the jilted “first girlfriend”. When Closer first broke the story that Hollande had been sneaking out the back door of the Elysée Palace and driving up the road on his scooter - wearing his now famous blacked-out helmet (see pg 12) - to meet with an actress nearly 20 years his junior, it sounded like the stuff of dreams for someone like me who has a newspaper to write each month. It turned out over the course of the next few weeks that this reaction makes me very British.

A lot has been made of the different reactions to the story by the various press corps around the world. In fact, it almost seemed at

one point that the reaction to the story was becoming the story. I must admit that, much to my shame, my first instincts were typically tabloid - I wanted to know all the details: who was this Julie Gayet; what would it mean for the presidency; would Trierweiler stand by her man?

The French reaction was very different. “Private matters should be dealt with privately” appeared to be the order of the day.

It is true the notion that “every citizen has the right to privacy” is enshrined in the constitution, but people have been gossiping for as long as there has been language and I also don’t believe it is a uniquely British trait to enjoy seeing our idols knocked off their perches.

To a certain extent, it was Sarkozy who changed the rules of the game by openly using his private life

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

to further his public one.

His very public courting of Carla Bruni was distasteful to many French, but it did mean that they then had the right to comment on it - he had brought it up after all.

It is now well known that President Mitterand did indeed have an entire secret second family while he was in office, but no one dared to write about them or mention it. Would that be able to happen again today...

I doubt it somehow, not in this world of Facebook and Twitter. It is true that the French press did not pick over the details of the alleged affair in anything like the way that the rest of the world’s media did. That said, there were an awful lot of stories along the lines of “I can’t believe that the British press is focussing on [insert gossip here]” - a device which allowed many papers to dive into the details whilst maintaining an air of being above it all.

What is certain is that the ‘scandal’ will not cause any kind of a wobble to the government.

Hollande’s popularity was already very low and the story does not seem to have affected it in any way. He will go on being president until 2017.

Would the same be true in the UK...? Probably not.

Maybe the French are right, though. If having a mistress doesn’t affect a leader’s day job, then why should we care?

I must say that I am quite enjoying this “Indian Winter” as I have decided to coin it. It has barely dropped as low as zero degrees here in my part of the world during January certainly nothing like as bad as previous years have been and it is not too much of a stretch to say that Spring is not far round the corner.

Certainly, reading Michelle Pierce’s gardening piece got me excited about what I will be planning in my potager this year (see pg 13).

Until next month!

Steve Martindale, Editor

INSIDE this edition 3-7 Local News 8-12 National News 13 French Life 14 Practical 15 Bilingual 16-18 Directory 19-20 What's On

CONTACT us Tel: 05.55.41.17.76 General: editor@thebugle.eu Advertising (EN): sales24@thebugle.eu Publicité (FR): publicite@thebugle.eu Subscriptions: subscriptions24@thebugle.eu Editor: Steve Martindale Write to: The Bugle Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois France

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Body still missing in helicopter crash

A

month after the helicopter crash over the Dordogne river that claimed four lives, the body of the Chinese billionaire who died in the crash remains undiscovered.

Lam Kok, a 46-year-old hotel magnate who had diversified into the upmarket wine trade, was killed after a helicopter, being flown by the man who had just sold him his château for an estimated €30 million, crashed while on a flight inspecting his new purchase. The Chinese billionaire accepted the offer of an ariel view of the Château de La Rivière from James Grégoire, who was until the previous day the owner of the chateau near the town of Lugon-et-l’ile-duCarnay, not far from Libourne.

Also on board were the businessman’s 12-year-old son and Peng Wang, Mr Lam’s interpreter and financial advisor.

The body of the businessman’s son was found shortly after the crash and in mid-January, Peng Wang’s body was pulled from the river and identified. Then, at the end of Janu-

ary, a body presumed to be that of the former château owner, James Grégoire, was found by a walker 800 metres from the location where Peng Wang’s body had previously been discovered. Despite intensive search efforts, however, including the widespread deployment of specialist sniffer-dog units along the banks of the Dordogne, the remaining body remains missing.

The search continues “in relatively complicated conditions, along riverbanks that are difficult to access from areas that are poorly maintained”, said a police source.

Witnesses said that shortly after the crash, they saw two people struggling in the fastmoving icy water, which was in full winter flow. Local man Michel Galardini, 58, told Sud Ouest newspaper: “We are used to seeing him flying around his vineyard and over the river. The helicopter was flying very low, only 10 or 15 metres over the water. I thought that was a bit strange.” A few minutes later, he told the newspaper that he

heard a “deafening crash”.

“There was a huge amount of foam and I could see two people struggling in the water.”

Mr Lam, who planned to build a hotel near the vineyard and convert the property into a high class tea and wine tasting centre, had previously twinned his home town in Chi-

Dordogne road deaths fall to record low

W

ith over 4,000 speed cameras now deployed across the country, it may feel like the government is on a mission to track our every move (and fine us when we slip up), but it would appear that it is achieving its goal of making the country’s roads safer. Figures just released show locally, the number of serious accidents on the 5,000km of roads in the Dordogne fell from 220 in 2012 to just 189 in 2013. These accidents resulted in 233 injuries (down from 288 the previous year) and 33

deaths, a record low and 12 fewer than in 2012.

Nationally, 3,250 people died last year on the roads in France, a fall of 400 when compared with 2012, significantly down on the 9,000 who died in 2002 and a vast improvement on the 18,000 fatalities in 1972.

The figures show that excessive speed accounted for 25% of all deaths on French roads in 2013, while alcohol was a factor in 20%. The number of 18-24 year olds killed fell by 10% and fatal accidents involving cyclists dropped 8% after a rise

in 2012 - but that figure remains higher than its record low in 2010.

Announcing the figures, Interior Minister Manuel Valls reiterated his wish to see the number of people killed on French roads fall to less than 2,000 in the next decade. He promised to ramp up publicity campaigns and continue to modernise the country’s arsenal of weapons in the fight against speeding. He also refused to rule out a reduction in the speed limit on secondary roads from the current 90 kph. ■

Flying frite causes injury

W

e are always being told that fast food can be bad for your health, but a visit to McDonald’s in Trélissac ended up with a trip to the emergency room for one resident of Vergt this month.

The woman in question was visiting the burger chain with her son and her partner when a group of people at a nearby table became upset with the speed of the service. Deciding to give vent to their frustration, a member of the unhappy group threw a chip, or more accurately a potato wedge, at one of the waitresses. The chip was wide of the mark and hit the diner in the eye.

The unlucky bystander suffered abrasions to her cornea and had to be signed off work for 10 days. Understandably angry, she subsequently registered a formal complaint at her local gendarmerie.

Management of the Trélissac McDonald’s say that they have contacted the lady to offer their apologies over the incident and to check on her condition. ■

na with the nearby town of Libourne, the regional centre for the Saint-Émilion and Pomerol vineyards.

Dozens of low or middle range Bordeaux vineyards have been sold to Chinese buyers in recent years, but this was the most expensive and prestigious deal so far. Château de La Riv-

ière is the biggest and most respected vineyard in the Fronsac appellation of Bordeaux and its best wines sell for around €40 a bottle. The property, which is a prime piece of real estate in its own right, is believed to have 30 km of tunnels containing an estimated 1 million bottles of wine. ■

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

he beginning of January saw nearrecord temperatures across the southwest of France as the unusually mild winter continued across the country. The first two weeks of January are usually amongst the coldest of the year, but temperatures continued to stay well above seasonal averages.

In Bordeaux, for example, the first fortnight of 2014 was the third warmest since Météo France began keeping records in 1949 - only the start of 1998 and 2007 were warmer. In Toulouse, it was the warmest fortnight in January since records began.

The morning temperatures in Bordeaux should average 2ºC, rising to 9ºC in the afternoon. In the first half of January, however, average morning temperatures were 8ºC , pushing the mercury all the way to 14ºC in the afternoon.

“The warmer conditions, which we have seen since mid-December, are due to weather systems moving in from the south-west as well as a series of disturbances that have continued to feed warm air into France,” ex-

plained Olivier Proust, a forecaster at Météo France. He went on to say that temperatures were expected to fall progressively back to seasonal averages.

Although the second half of January did indeed cool down, the snow and freezing temperatures of previous years have been avoided and Météo France are predicting temperatures well into the mid-teens by the middle of February.

While temperatures have been mild, there has been significant rainfall at the start of 2014, with swollen rivers and flooding across the country. At time of going to print, the Dordogne has so far escaped any significant flooding, although “the waterways are still under yellow alert for flood risk,” explained the Service départemental d’incendie et de secours (SDIS24). “The water levels continue to rise, but the rivers have so far not burst their banks. We are still waiting...”

With slightly drier weather on the horizon, it is hoped that the department will be able to avoid any significant flood damage. ■

Exhibition: “Painters in Périgord” Works of five artists from the Périgord, all born before 1870, were selected from the collections of the Museum of Art and Archaeology to create the exhibition “Peintres en Périgord”.

The exhibition, which also includes paintings loaned by private owners, is an opportunity for the public to discover the works of Jean-Georges Pasquet, Georges Darnet, Jean Louis Daniel, Léon Pierre Félix and Paul Leroy.

The exhibition showcases still lifes, scenes of everyday life and landscapes of the Périgord revealing artistic creation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie du Périgord, 22 cours Tourny, 24000 Périgueux.

Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thu & Fri 10h-17h; Sat & Sun 13h-18h.

Admission (incl. exhibition entry): Full price €4.50; Concessions €2.50; Free for Under 6s.

For more information tel 05 53 06 40 70 or email maap@perigueux.fr

Screenshot - France 2

Warm and wet January Dordogne couple told they can keep pet fox T

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Dordogne family have finally been given permission to keep their pet fox after a marathon legal battle. The red fox, named Zouzou, had been living with Anne-Paule Delanes and her husband Didier in Gardonne since 2010. The couple found the fox as a cub lying under its dead mother, who had been run over by a car.

The family’s legal battle began in 2011 when the National Office of Hunting and Wild Animals found out about Zouzou and began legal proceedings against them – in France it is illegal to raise a wild animal without special authorisation. They were ordered to pay a €300 fine and hand over the animal; the fine was paid, but the couple hid the fox for fear that their pet would be taken away.

That threat has now been removed, and Anne-Paul Delanes told AFP news agency that the Dordogne prefecture had issued “a special authorisation permitting us to keep Zouzou until his death... we have been waiting 3-and-a-half years for this moment”, before going on to say that she would be framing the document.

According to the family, Zouzou, who will be four in March, is “very cuddly, more so than a dog.

When he sees us, he rolls on the ground and yelps with joy”.

Although wild foxes typically only survive for a few years – 95% die before their fourth birthday – in captivity they can theoretically live as long as a dog and reach 14 years old. ■

6 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

The Eymet Sport Relief Mile 2014

WHAT The Eymet Sport Relief Mile 2014. This is a registered Sport Relief Mile, one of only 2 taking place in France this year, the other being organised by the British Embassy in Paris.

This is the third time the Sport Relief Mile has been held in Eymet; the last event in 2012 raised €1,200 - all of the money raised goes directly to Sport Relief.

WHEN Sunday the 23rd March 2014. Gates open from 10am. There will be two Mile departures: the 1st is at 10:30am, the second at 11:15am.

WHERE Stade de Bretou in Eymet (24500). The venue is behind the Carrefour Contact supermarket, next to the Gendarmerie. A map showing the venue location is posted on the Facebook page for the Eymet Sport Relief

Mile or can be obtained from Ben Dykes on ben.dykes@sfr.fr At the venue there is ample parking, toilets and changing facilities, and the start/ finish is within an enclosed area that is safe for all the family.

WHO You don’t need to be a runner to take part in the Eymet Sport Relief Mile, everybody can join in the fun – you can run it, walk it, hop or even skip your way around! The Mile course is a gentle loop around the lovely parc de Bretou, passing alongside the river Dropt.

ENTRY Entry is €6 for adults, €3 for children (316 years) and €15 for families.

The entry fee will be collected on the gate on the day of the Mile, so come a bit before your chosen Mile start time.

Starters at the 2012 Eymet Sport Relief Mile ABOUT THE EYMET SPORT RELIEF MILE This is the 3rd running of the Eymet Sport Relief Mile, with previous events in 2012 and 2010 (Sport Relief is held every other year alternating with Comic Relief).

In 2012 it was the only event in the whole of France, and to date the Eymet Mile has raised nearly €2000 for Sport Relief. Every centime raised goes directly to Sport Relief to help people living unimaginably tough lives both in the UK and around the world.

Both previous Eymet Sport Relief Miles have been extremely popular days for all the family, with some people travelling from over 1 hour away to take part.

If you would like to help raise even more money for Sport Relief, then why not get your friends and family to sponsor you – perhaps for doing it in fancy dress! Sponsorship forms are available from the Sport Relief website at http://www.sportrelief.com/sponsorship-forms/ssrg If you have friends and family abroad who would like to sponsor you, you can also create a giving page via the Sport Relief website. The money they give will go directly to Sport Relief and you can see your total grow.

There will be drinks and cakes for sale on the day – well, you will need to top up all that energy that you will have expended!

You can help spread the word about the

Eymet Sport Relief Mile; visit the Facebook page or contact Ben for a printable poster that you can put up where you are or email on to all your fiends. Alternatively “like” our Facebook page and your friends will get to know about it too.

CONTACT For more information, please contact Ben Dykes at ben.dykes@sfr.fr or call 05.47.77.29.84, or check out the Eymet Sport Relief Mile Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/EymetMile for all the latest information about the event - you don’t need to be on Facebook to visit it, but if you are how about clicking “like” and help spread the word!

ABOUT SPORT RELIEF As one of the UK’s biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active, raise cash and change lives. Since 2002, Sport Relief has raised over £195 million. The money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help people living incredibly tough lives, both at home in the UK and across the world.

Visit sportrelief.com to keep up with the latest news.

Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/ Wales); SC039730 (Scotland). ■

32,000ft² of great products incl. Toiletries, DIY, Housewares, Furniture plus loads more at great prices & we are even open on SUNDAYS!!

The bargains don’t stop at THE SHED - we have 1000’s of value for money products in our 32,000ft² store including the best Ambient British Grocery selection available anywhere in the Limousin. We are reliable for lots of your favourite brands whether it be Heinz baked beans, Bisto gravy granules, Typhoo teabags etc.

Our British food aisle may be second to none, but at THE SHED we are about more than just groceries. We regularly restock our range of DULUX paints and English Plaster as well as many other DIY essentials like PVA, angle beads etc. Whether you’re after HOUSEWARES, TOILETRIES, FURNITURE or CLOTHING, you’ll find them all at bargain prices... so get yourself down THE SHED!!

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 7

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

La Ruche qui dit Oui! Local produce, delivered locally Bugle reader Caroline Maire has been in touch to let us know about “La Ruche qui dit Oui !” - “The Hive that says Yes!” - an initiative which enables local producers to sell their products directly to the public. Caroline is running the Montignac Hive, the newest of 5 Hives currently operating in the Dordogne.

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he concept of “La Ruche qui dit Oui !” was born around two years ago and today there are currently 350 or so Hives operating across France including 5 in the Périgord, the newest of which has just been established in Montignac.

So what exactly is a Hive?

It is an internet-based network linking together local community producers who wish to sell their products at the right price to a local market and consumers wishing to eat better, for a fair price.

Firstly, I found local support from the Community of Communes of the Vézère Valley. Together, we decided to choose first and foremost local producers rooted in the territory and the land of the valley, and not to seek more distant suppliers if local produce is not available in the region.

Our hive, which distributed its

first weekly paniers (baskets) on 30th January, already has more than 60 local producers and 177 registered users.

For me it is a project that I have been considering since June 2013 and is the result of a personal reflection on my own food and lifestyle choices. One day it became clear to me that I wanted to know who, where and how the food I was eating was being produced. I was also concerned about my own global footprint. I discovered “La Ruche qui dit Oui!” through one of my friends and immodestly became excited about the concept; I wanted to share my passion with local people to become citizenconsumers, responsible and involved in the local economy.

At the moment the choice focuses on basic commodities available weekly, e.g. meat, dairy, vegetables, fruit,

Houses on Internet is a marketing service that allows private owners of French property to sell their house without using an estate agent. A method that has proven to be very successful.

How does it work?

1. We make a website for your property in English, French and Dutch. The main website is available in Russian too.

2. We connect that website to our main site which gets over 130,000 visitors from 40+ countries per month.

3. We advertise your property on several international French-property websites. This way we reach 1.5 million people a month worldwide.

What does it cost?

We ask a contribution to the advertising cost up front and after the sale a fee of 2.5%, which is included in the selling price.

Houses on Internet operates throughout France with a staff of 7 professionals and 89 local photographers who visit our clients to take photos and gather all information.

For more information, call us at 05 55 65 12 19, or visit our website.

WWW.HOUSESONINTERNET.COM Plus Vite!

Moins Cher!

honey and jams, bread, etc. It is hoped that as the project develops, less common products such as cosmetics, organic cleaning, oil, flour, coffee, chocolate, beer and wine will also become available. For these kinds of products, we will probably arrange monthly sales in accordance with the various producers.

In practice everything is quite simple: a web interface for the farmers/producers to offer their locally produced products for sale to the custumers who are members of the Hive. Payment is through a secure credit card site ensuring peace of mind.

Registration is free for both producers and consumers.

Consumers are free to form their baskets according to their taste and their needs. Producers are also free to offer their products for sale according to their volume and availability.

On the day, everyone goes to the distribution point to pick up their goods – it is as simple as that. Our distribution will take place on the ground floor premises of the Community of Communes, 3 avenue de Lascaux in Montignac, from 16h30 to 20h00 every Thursday evening. An important aspect of the Hive is that producers also attend the evening’s event, which encourages links to be established between producer and customer. The customer gets to know who has prodcued their tomatoes, lamb, etc. and the farmer gets to know their customers’ needs. This is also an opportunity for farmers or artisans to present their busi-

nesses and for both parties to share their information - the distribution therefore becomes a sharing and exchange meeting.

For more information about the 350 Hives operat-

ing across France, please visit www.laruchequiditoui.fr (French only), or for more information on the Montignac Hive, please contact Caroline Maire on 06 61 97 22 72 (English spoken). ■

6 new channels for north Dordogne

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ince the 21st January, 6 new free television channels are now available in the north of the Dordogne through a standard TNT receiver. They join the 17 digital channels already in existence in the region; you will need to re-tune your television, however.

The new channels are HD1, L’Équipe 21, 6ter, Numéro 23, RMC and Chérie 25, which will be numbered 20-25 respectively.

The upgrade to France’s TV network is being rolled out across the country over the coming months, with the remainder of the department due to receive the new channels on 21st October 2014 and a planned completion date of June 2015.

Those who watch their television by satellite or through an internet-enabled box may already be familiar with these new offerings as they have been avail-

able since late last year.

Operators are warning that there are small black spots across the region where the signal is not strong enough to receive these new channels; if you struggled to receive digital channels via TNT when the analogue signal was switched off in 2010, then you could have the same problem now with the 6 new channels.

Full information can be found on the website www.toutelatnt.fr ■

8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

Banned comedian raises freedom of speech debate

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n January, the French comedian Dieudonné M'Bala M'Bala was banned from performing in Nantes after the High Court ruled that his show, Le Mur, which had been running to full houses in Paris' banlieues for some time, was anti-Semitic.

The 47-year-old comedian, who is of French and Cameroon origin, made his name as a controversial performer and started his career by exploiting racial stereotypes to humorous effect - often accompanied by a Jewish sidekick. Later, in 2007, he invited historian Robert Faurisson, a Holocaust denier, onstage with him. In the same year, he appeared in public with JeanMarie Le Pen, the founder of the far-right Front National party.

Now, with seven convictions for anti-Semitic hate under his belt, the French High Court believes that his shows are unashamedly anti-Jewish.

Efforts had been made to prevent Dieudonné from performing after he made a series of derogatory remarks about journalist Patrick Cohen at his Paris club: “When I hear him talking, I say to myself: Patrick Cohen, hmm... the gas chambers… what

a shame.”

This culminated in a show in Nantes which was to be the start of a nationwide tour being banned only hours after a local judge ruled it could go ahead.

The show was stopped because it was deemed to represent a threat to public order: the 1990 antinégationniste law, which outlaws Holocaust denial, was not invoked. The ban was met with fury by the 5,000 fans who had bought tickets to watch the comedian.

Many showed their support for Dieudonné by performing the 'quenelle' gesture, which is often interpreted as an inverted Nazi salute - and was used by Nicolas Anelka, the West Brom striker, back in December, a gesture for which he is facing a minimum 5-match ban. The comic, however, claims the sign, which is a straight-arm salute with one arm pointing downwards and the other hand across the chest, is simply “anti-establishment” and broadly translates as “up yours”.

The affair has divided the country, with Manuel Valls, the interior minister, stating that “the law must be able to act” and vowing to stop the spread of Dieudonné's material online. This move was

hailed as “a triumph for the values of democracy” by the European Jewish Congress.

Many of Dieudonné's fans argued the ban was a breach of freedom of expression and took to Facebook and Twitter to express their discontent. Among those venting their anger on the Twittersphere, or the Dieudosphere as it has become known, are “confused young people who have lost any sense of human values”, according to Jean-Yves Camus, a political scientist, quoted in Le Figaro.

Dieudonné's fan base is a mix of young people who don't appreciate the symbolism the comic invokes and those who understand the comic's ambiguous comments perfectly well.

Dieudonné manages to attract fans from varied walks of life by claiming that spectators at his shows are “complicit with crimes against humanity” - a direct quote from the controversial comedian.

In addition to this dubious selling point is the fact that “Dieudonné’s performances do not advertise themselves as antiSemitic - even if they end up being so,” said Danièle Lochak, a law professor at the Paris West University Nanterre La Défense.

The professor, who was interviewed for Le Monde, added: “[this makes] banning them before they take place a delicate matter.”

As the controversy continued, further cities around France banned the comic's Le Mur show, eventually leading to Dieudonné's entire tour being cancelled.

Before long, however, he un-

France's "eternal inmate" released after 38 years

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hilippe El Shennawy, one of France's longestserving inmates, has finally been released from prison after 38 years behind bars. “It is a big relief,” his lawyer told reporters, adding that the convict would have to wear an ankle bracelet for a period of two years.

“He is going to live with his wife. He is very, very happy.”

El Shennawy was jailed for 20 years in 1977 over the armed robbery of a branch of the CIC bank in Paris, during which hostages were taken. He was released on parole in 1990 and moved to Corsica with his wife Martine. The conditions of his parole were strict, and forbade him from visiting Paris. He did so anyway, travelling on false papers, in order to see his son, a “visiting room baby”, who was conceived during a prison visit by El Shennawy's wife.

He was duly arrested and sentenced to a further 15 years in prison.

Classified as a “high surveillance inmate”, El Shennawy spent 20 years in isolation, 6 years in a psychiatric ward, 34 days on hunger strike and was transferred a total of 42 times. He escaped from prison on 2 occasions: once in 1997 and again in 2004. Both times he was re-arrested - on the second occasion he was attempting to meet up with his wife for Valentine's Day but not before committing a host of fresh crimes. He had more years added to his sentence on both occasions and was not due to leave prison until 2032, by which time he would have been 78 years old. After a lengthy campaign for freedom, however, President François Hollande granted him a pardon earlier last year.

His supporters argue that he has “no blood on his

hands” having never actually physically injured another person. Having spent more than half his life behind bars and dubbed the “eternal inmate”, it remains

to be seen how he will cope on the outside working for a small company with 20 employees that specializes in organising cultural projects and events. ■

veiled a 'new' show entitled “Asu Zoa”. In effect, this was the same show that had been banned but with most of the anti-Semitic and controversial elements removed.

At time of going to press, this show is still on tour, and played to an audience of 1,700 loyal fans at the Zenith Limoges. ■ Amaryllis Barton

Village revolts over broadband

A

s parts of the Limousin gain access to superfast 4G internet (see article on page 3), others still have no access to broadband. Fortunately, it is a problem faced by a very small percentage of the population, but one disgruntled village in the Haute-Vienne have taken their grievances a step further: by refusing to pay any taxes until they are connected.

The 30 or so residents of the hamlet of Bussy in the commune of SainteAnne-Saint-Priest, have been campaigning for years to be connected to the internet. France Télécom say it can not help and government funding to connect those in “white spots” via WiMax or satellite internet has run out. “We are second-class citizens, forgotten by everyone,” one angry resident told Le Populaire newspaper. “On the other hand, when it comes to taxes

they remember us well enough!”

“If they won’t connect us to the internet so we can communicate with the rest of the world just like everyone else, why should we pay our taxes?” asked another resident in an interview with France 3. “In Paris all the talk is about the wonder of 4G connections to the internet for mobiles and tablets while down here we have nothing!” There is not even a mobile signal in much of the village.

The inhabitants have said that they will pay no national taxes until they receive at least 2MB broadband - the minimum currently offered by France Télécom/Orange. The protest comes just weeks ahead of France’s nationwide local elections (set for March 23 with the second round on March 30) and is clearly designed to focus the minds of regional politicians. ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

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Hollande confirms split from first lady >> continued from pg 1 of their split brought the curtain down on a turbulent few weeks for the president, with Hollande becoming the second consecutive head of state to suffer a “conjugal” break-up whilst in office. His predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, was divorced by his second wife Cécilia five months after he became president in October 2007.

The scandal began when gossip magazine Closer ran a front-page feature showing the president arriving on a scooter at the apartment of his alleged girlfriend, hidden beneath a motorcycle helmet. Other photos showed French actress Julie Gayet arriving separately at the same address. Even his secret service bodyguard was noted delivering the breakfast croissants the following morning.

The magazine ran seven pages detailing the visits to the building in the affluent eighth arrondisse-

The now former first lady

ment, a mere 300 metres from the Elysée Palace.

Julie Nayet is suing Closer Shortly afterwards, Hollande was due to give a policy speech to the press and the world waited with baited breath to see what he would say about the developing scandal. In the end, he simply said “private matters should be dealt with privately” and moved on. The following few days revealed a huge difference between the French and British press.

While newspapers north of the Channel obsessed over the alleged infidelity and dedicated thousands of column inches to the “scandal”, the French press set to work evaluating Hollande’s right turn towards becoming a self-declared Social Democrat and largely ignored his alleged infidelity. In part, the answer for the different reactions can be found in France’s strict press laws

- amongst the most draconian in the world - but there is also a big difference in the public’s attitude towards the ruling class.

The French will tell you they care much less about what their leaders are up to in private and much more about how they perform professionally.

French journalist and commentator Agnès Poirier, writing in The Guardian, summed up the attitude of many French. After learning of Closer’s revelation of Hollande’s affair on Twitter, she initially dismissed the story as gossip to be dealt with as a private matter and thought no more of it. Calls soon began to flood in, however, asking for her opinion on the scandal: “I went out to buy Closer. It was a revelation - and I am not talking about Hollande’s alleged affair. I belong to the generation that grew up under Mitterrand: a time when nobody would have dared to publish images showing the president going to a rendezvous and leaving the morning after. Well, let me rephrase: nobody would have dreamed of spending a whole night hiding outside a building to take such pictures... That was then. Times have changed.”

Whilst the mainstream press coverage would appear to support this theory that the public don’t need or want to know, the fact that Closer magazine sold out its entire run in quick time suggests that there is indeed a public thirst for gossip.

Where the president’s personal problems were mentioned in the mainstream French media, it was usually through the prism of the

foreign press, thus allowing them to report developments while appearing to be above it all.

The French have a history of presidents with complicated private lives; President Mitterrand - Mr Hollande’s mentor - had an entire secret second family, which although common knowl-

edge amongst politicians and the press, remained undiscussed publicly.

What happens next for the president, the former “first girlfriend” and his alleged new squeeze is anyone’s guess... and in France is also considered by most people to be no one’s business. ■

Cause of fatal rail crash unveiled

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he first findings have been revealed by the team investigating the train derailment which killed 7 people in July last year at Brétigny-sur-Orge station, France's worst railway accident since 56 were killed at Lyon in 1988. The train was travelling from Paris to Limoges and three of the dead were from nearby Limousin: 2 from Haute-Vienne and one from Creuse.

It is now believed that the problem had been developing over a number of months, or even years, but had gone undetected. One by one, three of the four bolts holding down a section of track broke, loosening a “fishplate” - a hefty steel plate joining two sections of rail.

The head snapped off the fourth bolt, which remained in place,

acting as a pivot for the broken section.

The axles of the third and fourth carriages of the crowded train, which was travelling at 130 kph at the time, struck this loosened metal plate and the last four carriages derailed. Four people on the station platform and two passengers on the train were killed. A seventh person subsequently died in hospital.

Shortly after the crash the head of the SNCF, Guillaume Pépy, gave a tearful address in front of TV cameras and talked of a “rail catastrophe”. “The SNCF considers itself responsible,” he said later. “It is responsible for the lives of its clients.”

The purely technical investigation, which was not set up to apportion blame, agrees in part with this statement. According to the head of the investi-

gating team: “If an agent does not notice a broken bolt head, I would not call this negligence, but I would call it a problem of collective culture.” The report added that it “invites SNCF to question itself on the global efficiency of its maintenance operations and equipment”.

The piece of track in question was last checked on 4th July, 8 days before the crash. At that time, only one bolt was broken, but was not detected. The investigators have asked SNCF to clarify its procedures for checking bolts and also questioned their strength and why no measures are routinely taken to prevent nuts from coming loose, such as a second counter-nut, for example.

In 2005, a report by the École Polytechnique de Lausanne warned that France's regular,

non-high-speed train lines were so degraded that 60% of them would be unusable in 2025.

The government of François Hollande has already signalled the end of an era by putting the brakes on ambitious TGV ex-

pansion plans, many of which were implemented by Hollande's predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. These would have almost doubled the high-speed rail network over the next two decades. ■

10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

M

arine Le Pen and her Front National party (FN), currently the third biggest party in French politics, have been making waves in recent years.

Although the FN always enjoyed moderate support under her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, it was Marine Le Pen who has turned around the party's fortunes and created a potent political force. As the recession in Europe has worsened in the last few years and times have become increasingly hard, far-right parties have been picking up support in many countries and France is no exception.

Le Pen senior was a political firebrand, always outspoken, often accused of outright racism and even of Holocaust denial. Over the years he has complained about the number of black players in the French football team and called the Holocaust a mere “detail” in World War II. Le Pen junior uses less inflammatory rhetoric than her father and, while still appealing to far-right voters, is also now attracting those closer to the centre of politics who

are unhappy with the two main parties, the UMP and President Hollande's Socialist Party. She has, in her own words, been trying to “de-demonise” the FN. After three years of almost unbroken success, Le Pen junior has begun to stumble in her drive to steam-clean and re-brand the French far right, however. Polls taken late last year suggested that the FN could gain as much as 16% of the nationwide vote in March's municipal elections, but at the worst possible time for supporters of the far right, their popularity is on the slide - a recent poll suggests the party may now win only 9% of the vote.

As the Front National's public image softened over recent years, they have attracted not only right-of-centre voters, but also politicians who have defected from more mainstream parties. Initially hailed as proof of their political credibility, a number of these highprofile defections have, however, subsequently left the party, labelling it racist and homophobic.

The latest was Vincent Morelle, who days after joining the FN found himself director of the

party’s election campaign in the large suburban town of Meaux, east of Paris. In an interview with the left-wing newspaper Libération, he said: “They have put up new curtains but, at the back of the shop, nothing has changed.”

In November, Nadia Portheault, an FN candidate for the municipal elections in Saint-Alban near Toulouse, stormed out of the party saying that there was a “gulf between Marine’s words and a party base…which specialises in filthy jokes on Arabs and homos.” Ms Portheault is of Algerian origin.

The furore surrounding the comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala is also being blamed for some of the backlash against the FN. While Marine Le Pen has distanced herself from the controversial comedian, he remains good friends with her father.

In the European elections in May, the FN still hopes - like UKIP in Britain - to top the polls nationally, but political analysts are are now beginning to ask whether Marine Le Pen has mistimed her run and “peaked too soon”. ■

© 2010 - Marie-Lan Nguyen (WikiCommons)

National Front sees popularity slide

German charged over Oradour massacre

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regional court in Cologne, Germany, has announced that charges are to be formally brought against an 88-year-old man over the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre of 10th June 1944. 642 men, women and children were massacred that day; the former SS soldier is being charged over 25 of these murders.

Prosecutors are alleging that on the day in question, the German was one of 20 other soldiers who rounded up the population of the village in the main square, before leading around 25 men to the cellars of local wine merchant, Léon Denis. A machine gun was set up before the unarmed civilians were gunned down and the building set on fire. The bodies were discovered by recovery teams a few days later, hast-

ily buried in a neighbouring garden and so badly burnt that only 3 could be identified.

Having dispatched the innocent men, the 19-year-old is believed to have made his way to the church where it is alleged he helped his colleagues set fire to the building. Of the 350 women and children locked inside the church, only one, Marguerite Rouffanche, managed to escape and bear witness to the massacre.

The former soldier in question, named in the press as Werner C., gave an interview to the German newspaper Bild, in which he denied being part of the massacre, whilst admitting that he was there. “There was an explosion at the church, I heard it from where I was,” he explained. “That was when we heard the screaming of the

women and the children. Our superiors were so stupid and we couldn't do anything to stop them. The soldiers were all ordered to fire. Thank God, I did not have to fire a single bullet.” He also added that he had stopped a young boy from entering the village just before the massacre began, saving his life.

Robert Hébras, one of only 6 survivors of the massacre and one of only 2 still alive today, was understandably downbeat. “When I heard that this man would be giving an interview, I wanted to hear what he had to say,” explained the 88-year-old, who lost his mother and 2 sisters in the massacre. “It is the same every time. Another soldier who was there but did nothing. He even claims he saved someone... honestly, who does he take us for! They want to continue

How it happened Following the Normandy landings, a local Nazi commander was informed that resistance fighters in Oradour-sur-Vayres were holding a German officer hostage. On 10th June 1944, a German battalion sealed off the town of Oradour-sur-Glane - having confused it with their intended target of nearby Oradour-sur-Vayres - and ordered all the townspeople and passers-by to assemble in the village square to have their identity papers examined.

The men were then taken to a barn where a machine gun nest awaited. The women and children were led to the church, which was set alight. In a few short hours 642 of the town’s inhabitants were dead, 205 of which were children, with only a handful managing to escape. The town was subsequently sealed off and preserved as a memorial; it has remained a centre of remembrance ever since. The modern day town was built later, a few hundred metres away.

The massacre was the largest atrocity committed against civilians in France by the Nazis. ■

to desecrate the memory of those who were massacred.”

The charges are the result of 3 years of tireless work by a team headed by Stefan Willms, who has 15 years' experience tracking Nazi war criminals. The first thing the team did was to identify any German soldiers still alive today - no mean feat given that the division's records were destroyed during the war. After painstaking research, the team identified 7 soldiers: 1 Austrian and 6 Germans. Three have already been deemed too ill to ever

stand trial. “The investigation will continue for as long as the suspects are alive,” Mr Willms has said previously.

There have been a number of trials surrounding the events at Oradour-sur-Glane over the years, but none since 1983. Nine years after the war, 21 men were tried for their part in the massacre: 14 men from the Alsace and 7 Germans; the most senior ranking amongst them was a sergeant. The Alsatians, who said they were forced to join the SS “against our will” were subsequently granted

an amnesty by France.

General Lammerding, commander of the division responsible, was sentenced to death in absentia, but lived in Germany until his death in 1971.

Adolf Diekmann, who commanded the German troops on the ground on that day, was killed in action shortly afterward during the Battle of Normandy, and a large number of the third company, which had committed the massacre, were themselves killed in action within a few days. ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 11

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

NKM down and out in Paris

As the year 2014 was still only in its infancy, the French discovered they had a new title to be proud of: French youngsters smoke more cannabis than any other European country.

With the New Year heralding the legalisation of cannabis in Colorado, French government ministers such as Vincent Peillon and Christiane Taubira have decided to once again bring the cannabis debate to the fore.

A survey carried out in November 2013 suggested that the majority of French people do not support the legalisation of cannabis: 55% are directly against legalisation, with only 19% actually in favour.

Interestingly, this last figure only rises to 25% among 16-25 year olds, suggesting that for all their experience with cannabis, French youngsters are not as liberal-minded as they think. ■ Amaryllis Barton

S

he might be the glamorous conservative candidate to be mayor of Paris, a position known as the springboard to the French presidency, but Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, or NKM as she is better known, is not above having a cigarette with the homeless.

In early January, pictures surfaced of NKM having a drag of a cigarette with a group of homeless men, or SDFs as they are known in French (sans domicile fixe), thought to be of Polish origin. As NKM is herself of Polish descent, she was able to hold a conversation with the group of men.

The usually immaculate politician was wearing an old leather jacket, jeans, and was without the usual coiffure journalists are used to admiring.

Instead commentators speculated on whether the photos were staged: NKM is known to take every opportunity to ditch her privileged 'princess' image. The news site Rue89 conceded that the photos were not staged, but said that the photos were “either touching or ridiculous”, a comment which has also been applied to NKM's mayoral campaign over the past

Government unveils CDG Express plans

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fter years of hesitation and speculation, France has finally launched a €1.7 billion project to link Paris to its main international airport, Charles de Gaulle, by express train.

Anyone who has travelled into or out of Paris on the current network may well be familiar with the long journey times, overcrowding and frequent “technical issues” that have become associated with a rail connection into the capital.

Unveiling the project, French Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier said construction on the eight kilometres of new track needed to join up to the existing rail network will begin in 2017, with the first trains scheduled to run in 2023.

Once complete, the CDG Express, as it will be known, will speed travellers non-stop along the 32-kilometre stretch between the airport and the capital's central Gare de l'Est railway station in just 20 minutes - that is almost twice as fast as the existing journey time. At present, the airport is linked to the centre of Paris by a branch of RER Line B,

which offers 28 trains each way per day. Minimum journey times are 35 minutes with a number of stops along the way.

It is believed that a one-way express ticket will cost €24 euros, significantly more than the €10 it currently costs on the suburban train, but is what a minister's aide described as “the average for what you see around Europe”.

Ticket revenue will be used to reimburse the cost of building the link, but the government is also looking at the possibility of adding one euro to airline tickets through Charles de Gaulle to also contribute to the cost.

The CEO of Aéroports de Paris - the company that runs the capital's airports - said the project was now “irreversible” and would boost the appeal “of one of the most important airports in Europe”.

An estimated 62 million passengers passed through Charles de Gaulle Airport in 2013, with around eight million of them using the suburban RER B trains to get to or from Paris. ■

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few months.

In the wake of a series of gaffes which showed her to be out of touch with daily life, NKM needs to take every opportunity to reassure prospective voters that she is best qualified to represent them, a tactic which has backfired more than once.

In November, she spoke of the potential for “magical moments” on the Metro. The social networking site Twitter was awash with mocking jibes, as commuters spoke of Metro delays followed by #momentsdegrace.

Usually a political operator as smooth as they come, in March last year, NKM admitted to The Telegraph that she had “a lot of admiration for Margaret Thatcher”.

In addition, two years ago it was discovered that NKM was a relative of the Borgias, the Machiavellian political family one of whom, Rodrigo Borgia, became Pope in the 15th century.

A tumble down the opinion polls has made others question her judgement, however. Jean Tiberi, the last UMP mayor of Paris has accused NKM of high-handedness and suggested the candidate is out of control. Nowhere has Orwell's title 'Down

© 2012 - Arnaud Perrin (WikiCommons)

Cannabis debate reignited

and Out in Paris' been more appropriate.

And if NKM's numbers continue to fall, perhaps she'll go all the way and go 'down and out' in London too. ■ Amaryllis Barton

Escaped wolf returns home

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few days before Christmas, a European grey wolf went missing from the Chabrières wolf park in the Monts de Guéret, Limousin, causing widespread panic across the Creuse department. The wolf escaped from a triangular hole in a fence left by vandals roaming the forest at night; however, it is not thought the wolf was stolen.

Park wardens realised they were a wolf down when one failed to respond to a call as they went on their morning rounds. The next day, the wolf had still not been found and the search continued.

The park is fitted with movement detectors and cameras, although these at first proved unhelpful in the search for the wolf. More conventional methods, such as placing food around the area the animal first escaped from were then employed in an attempt to lure the wolf back to safety.

Park wardens were quick to reassure the public that “the wolf is not dangerous and is afraid of humans”. Abel Guittard, the park manager, stressed that the wolf was born and bred in captivity and that

“logically” the wolf would remain in the immediate vicinity of the 2-hectare enclosure where 9 other European grey wolves live. Although the captive wolves maintain their hunting instincts, they do not have a successful hunting technique.

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and numerous “sightings” across the department, the wolf mysteriously re-appeared back in its enclosure - presumably tired and hungry after its extended winter vacation in the hills outside Guéret.

The theory that the wolf was “liberated” by activists that wanted to help the captive

animals rejoin their wild cousins is a theory that worries the park wardens. “To think that wolves raised in captivity can simply join a wild pack makes no sense whatsoever,” explained Romain, one the handlers at the park. “They would simply be eliminated.” ■ Amaryllis Barton

12 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

Ryanair passengers revolt over delay

M

any of us who have flown across Europe using the various low-cost airlines will have been tempted at one point or another to protest against the conditions that must be endured, such as the extortionate check-in baggage fees, poor customer service or cramped travelling conditions. A group of passengers heading into Paris last month did more than just just think about it, however. Fed up after more than four hours of delays they revolted against their Ryanair flight crew.

It began when a passenger fell ill on a scheduled flight from Rabat, Morocco, to Paris Beauvais - a journey that should take around two and a half hours. The plane diverted to Madrid to drop off the sick passenger before heading on to Paris. Due to the delay, however, the flight was not able to land at either Paris Beauvais or Paris Orly airports, both of which have night-time noise restrictions.

Instead, the plane was again diverted before finally touching down at Nantes Airport near the west coast of France and around 400km from the capital. When told that they would be spending the night in Nantes, the atmosphere soon became tense, with some passengers refusing to leave the aircraft. Others apparently then raided the plane's trolleys, stealing food, drinks and other items being sold onboard.

Metronews called what followed “a hostage taking of the aircraft and its crew by a group of unhappy, but especially disrespectful passengers”, going on to say that “cigarettes, food, alcoholic beverages, perfume and anything of value”

were snatched by a handful of the 170 passengers.

One passenger tried to defend the actions of the passengers: “I have nothing to reproach the airport staff or the police for, they were very professional. I am neither a robber nor a hostage taker. We were tired and annoyed by a mismanaged situation. We were thirsty, hungry, and had no information on our fate. We compensated ourselves by taking some drinks and food. After seven hours stuck in the plane, instead of two and a half, people needed to eat.”

A baggage handler at Nantes Airport was apparently disgusted by the actions of the rebellious passengers, saying they showed “almost animal and barbaric behaviour towards the plane, the crew and the ground staff”.

Paris and London in war of words

T

here has been a war of words in recent years between Paris and London over which is the “best” city. Jingoism has been rife on both sides, but the stakes were raised recently when Paris mayoral hopeful, Anne Hidalgo, dismissed London as “a suburb of Paris”.

The number of tourists visiting London surged last year, with figures suggesting that the capital topped the 16-million mark for the first time, beating the 15.9 million who visited the City of Lights in 2012, a fact which led Le Figaro to recently declare “London dethrones Paris”.

Speaking to members of the Anglo-

American Association of Press, Hidalgo hit back saying: “London is in some ways a suburb of Paris. Like it or not, while London may have attracted more visitors around the Olympic Games, Paris remains the number one world tourist destination, even if we only include foreign visitors and not national ones. Boris Johnson boasts about the merits of London in a different way to the French, and Parisians. London aggressively sells itself, often in a way that goes beyond the truth. We are more rational in our communication when speaking about Paris' strengths.”

Her office said that in 2012, the city

SUDOKU - EASY

of Paris, which does not include attractions in the wider Paris region such as the Palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau, actually attracted 29 million tourists of all nationalities, more than the 27.6 million domestic and international tourists that visited the Greater London area.

Never one to shy away from a fight, and rather partial to a spot of Frenchbashing, London's mayor Boris Johnson had his say: “These incredible figures prove that London is without doubt the greatest city on the planet. With so many fascinating museums, the best theatre scene in the world, more green space than any other European city, numerous top sporting venues, a low crime rate and much else besides, it's no wonder that people from all over the globe are flocking to London in record numbers.”

Returning to Paris' strengths, Hidalgo argued that, “Paris is a safer city than London. There are four times fewer crimes in Paris than in London. Paris also creates more start-ups than London”.

Whilst admitting that some 300,000 French have moved to London for professional reasons, she said that, “they come back when they have children” because Paris' crèches and schools are “top quality and not as expensive as those in London”. She did, however, confess to the city's problem with dog mess: “It annoys me too - it’s unacceptable”.

She ended her tirade by saying: “The mayor of London often claims that London is the best. Well, he can count on me to tell him that Paris is the best.”

Over to you Boris... ■

Fortunately for all concerned, the stand-off appears to have ended peacefully with a statement by Ryanair’s Robin Kiely apparently playing down the incident: “A Ryanair flight from Rabat to Paris Beauvais diverted into Madrid after a passenger became ill onboard. On arrival in Madrid, the passenger disembarked and was assisted by local medical services and the aircraft continued onwards to Paris a short time later. However, due to an airport curfew at Paris Beauvais the aircraft diverted to Nantes Airport. Passengers were provided with overnight hotel accommodation and were transferred to Paris Beauvais by coach the following morning.” ■

Sales of Hollande helmet soar

T

here has been a surprise winner in the scandal involving the president, his alleged secret lover and the first lady - a helmet manufacturer! President Hollande was pictured by paparazzi working for Closer magazine arriving at a Paris address to allegedly meet famous French actress Julie Gayet, while riding pillion on a scooter and wearing a “Dexter” helmet made by French company Motoblouz.

The pictures have been in the news for weeks right across the world.

Motoblouz CEO Thomas Thumerelle, who employs 45 people at his plant at Carvin in the northern Pas-de-Calais region, was so pleased with the international exposure that he took out a quarter page ad in national daily Libération, titled “Thank you Mr President - for having used our helmet for your personal protection”.

“We salute your choice of a French-made helmet for your

SUDOKU - MEDIUM

The solutions to this month’s sudokus can be found on page 19

scooter outings,” the ad continues. “You will find other models on our website for your future escapades. You will also see that we have a collection of women’s jackets, which would make an ideal Valentine’s Day gift.”

Thumerelle said that he would usually expect to sell around 20,000 “Dexter” helmets in a year, but in the first 24 hours after the Closer story broke, the company sold over 1,000 units and completely sold out. The model is exclusive to the firm and was on sale at €199, down from €300.

It integrates Bluetooth so the wearer can communicate with a passenger or with mobile phones.

Speaking to FRANCE24, he said: “We were both extremely surprised and deeply proud to see the president wearing one of our helmets. We thought the most appropriate response would be to write him an open letter, both sincere and a bit tongue-in-cheek, to thank him for the excellent publicity.” ■

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FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

In the garden - jobs for February

U

by Michelle Pierce

p until mid-January, the time of writing this, the winter has been unusually mild, with few frosts and no snow in my area.

However, there is still time for all that to change drastically, so don't get too complacent!

Check your protection If you protected outside crops e.g. leeks with straw or leaves, the winter rain and winds may have moved a certain amount of this away, or compacted it. Go round checking that what's left is adequate, and add more if necessary. Artichokes especially need their crown kept as dry as possible.

Also check that fleece is still pegged in place on the areas of the veg plot where you will start the earliest crops, and start looking out your cloches. Have a look at pots of herbs and make sure they're not cold and waterlogged. If they are, move them under cover for a while, or put a fleece cover over them. Check very vigorous things like mint will have enough space in their pots for the forthcoming year, and if they look as if they'll be cramped, either pot them into a bigger pot or divide them.

Weed off the early invaders Be especially careful to remove deep-rooted weeds like thistles and dock, and then on this clear ground spread a good layer of home-made compost, leaf mould or manure, in preparation for later. The cold, when it arrives, will help break down clods, so it's not necessarily essential to make a fine tilth.

There are things to harvest in the garden The sorrel is coming up well, mustards are in good leaf, as are land cress, perennial rocket, purslane, etc., as well as the root crops not yet used.

Onions and garlic Plant these when you see the sets in the shops. Remember to buy much more garlic than you think, then you can harvest it green (aillet) for flavouring salads and cooked dishes, without using up your supply of bulbs.

Remember - when reading seed packets, early in French is hâtif, late is tardif.

Sowing You can start sowing soon, especially if you have a sheltered garden, greenhouse, polytunnel, etc. Early carrots can go in (carottes hâtives), as can chervil, chicories, spinach, leaf vegetables like beet/chard, spinach, lamb's lettuce (mâche), etc., and start thinking about broad beans and peas. Flowers bring a lot

to the vegetable garden, not only for their aesthetic quality, but also as food for friendly insects, so start off hardy annuals alongside the veg - cornflowers, cosmos, love in the mist, marigolds, French marigolds the list is pretty endless.

Plan ahead In a few weeks the gardening season will burst into action. It helps to have a good idea ahead of time of what you're going to grow and where you're going to grow it, so make a sketch of your veg plot and work things out now. The other advantage of doing this is that you can pay attention to companion planting, to optimise harvests and reduce disease.

You can also ask yourself questions like “Do I want to move my strawberry patch, or double it in size, or plant a second one of a different variety?” and see how it would fit in terms of space.

Another thing you need to consider is seasonal flowers. Every year when my neighbour's magnificent dahlias are in flower, I jealously resolve to grow some myself. And then the veg garden gets totally planted up, and there's no space left! So don't make the same mistake!

Fracking and shale gas

Regular environment contributor, Arthur Smith from Harlequin Developments, looks at the controversy surrounding fracking and the shale gas it produces, a topic that looks set to stay in the headlines for a while to come.

T

he recent announcement from the UK government of 'bribes' to be offered to local councils and communities that accept the presence of fracking for shale gas can only be seen as a sign of two things.

The first is desperation; the resistance to the UK government's enthusiasm for fracking has been strong and determined. Surveys show that most Britons understand that fracking is something they don't want in their backyard, in their region, or in their country.

The second aspect of the government's incentives is that they demonstrate fracking for shale gas is something you really wouldn't want to have near you. Just like you offer a child a sweet if they'll swallow their nasty-tasting medicine, the UK government's very offer demonstrates the unattractiveness of fracking for shale gas for local communities. *** Further telling news that emerged recently was the announcement that French

multinational Total is to invest heavily in fracking in the UK. It’s banned from conducting the procedure here in its home country, which, thankfully for now, has instituted a moratorium on fracking, just as Germany plans to do. But, no problem, it's planning to hop over the Channel to frack. Good news if you’ve got shares in Total then…

Spookily in the background, the UK has just defeated EU attempts to set legally binding environmental regulations for the continent's fledgling shale

Go through your seeds Make a list of what you've got and another of what you need. Then if you go to seed exchanges, gardening clubs or shops, you don't replicate what you already have.

The end of the month is really the deadline for planting bare-rooted trees, shrubs and roses (unless the ground is frozen, obviously), which also means that it's a good time to finish moving the same into different places in the garden, should you want to. Dividing up big clumps of perennials can take place, too, and it's also worth starting to wander round with a trowel and a trug, and whip out the self-sown things that you want to keep, but not where they are.

Don't be too tidy yet The dry stalks of perennials help protect the roots, and help conduct the sun's heat down to the roots, as well as offering shelter for all those beneficial insects.

Wait until growth is really under way before cutting them back.

All in all, lots to start thinking of and doing!!

Good gardening ! ■

gas industry. PM Cameron has led intense lobbying against the proposals, arguing that existing rules are strict enough to keep fracking safe and that new rules would delay investment and increase costs.

While the UK prime minister said he was “going all out for shale” and announced millions of pounds of incentives for local authorities to accept fracking, the EU's environment commissioner says there are “clear gaps” in current safety rules.

Leaked documents from the EU show that attempts to safeguard the environment with a new legally binding directive have been defeated by the UK and its allies, which include Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Instead, a set of non-binding

“recommendations” covering protection against water contamination and potential earthquakes are set to be published early this year.

Not surprising really, when Prime Minister David Cameron is boasting that he's offering the most generous tax regime in Europe. Indeed, it is overall more generous than that being offered by the United States where people are experiencing flames coming from their taps!

We’ll be hearing a lot more about shale gas extraction in the coming months/years, and I for one wouldn’t bet against it happening here in the future. ■ Arthur Smith Harlequin Developments www.harlequindevelopments.com Tel: 05.55.68.67.56 Mob: 06.06.60.46.97

14 ♦ PRACTICAL

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

Everything you always wanted to know about “international” marriage, divorce and the applicable law In the January issue, Prune CALONNE, lawyer in Toulouse, gave information regarding the matrimonial regime. This month, she gives advice on divorce.

DIVORCE

No chosen law?

Law applicable to divorce

Like most married couples, expats do not always anticipate that divorce may one day concern them. If these couples have not considered the problem before it arises, French law will apply if they are permanent residents in France or if one of the spouses is resident here and he or she starts proceedings first.

If you are going through a rough time in your married life and especially if you have children that are minors, bear in mind that it is the first spouse that starts the proceedings who determines the law which is applied.

To summarize, the first court to be seized determines the law of the divorce.

As mentioned in the January issue, even if EC regulations provide expats with an option on the applicable law as far as divorces are concerned, in practice, as a lawyer and given that ROME III has only been in force for a year and a half, it is very

Chosen law by expats From June 2012, ROME III regulations, formally called the European Union Divorce Law Pact, are applicable to expat couples living in France and to couples where one spouse is French and the other is not.

These EC regulations allow these couples to choose which country’s law would apply should they choose to divorce at a later date (from either the law of one of the couple’s nationality, or from the previous place of residence).

Beware, the United Kingdom has opted out and the ROME III regulations are therefore not applicable for expats residing there.

The country’s law which will apply for cross-border divorce has to be chosen before divorce proceedings begin. The chosen law can be registered in a marriage contract.

difficult to know for certain how this option is going to work out and the kind of practical legal difficulties that may occur in the future.

However, it seems easy to predict that legal practitioners (i.e. Notaires, judges…) will apply the law they know best, that is to say the law of the country in which they practise.

French law will apply to you if: (this is a non-exhaustive list) • Your family home is located in France • Your last place of residence is France (within 1 year of moving and if one of the spouse still resides there) • One of the spouses lives with the couple’s child/children • The French court has been seized first French law and divorce types In France, the civil procedure code requires, for any divorce proceedings, the person to be represented by a local lawyer registered before the TGI (“Tribunal de Grande Instance”) in the area where the couple resides.

The competent judge to deal

with divorces in France is called the “Juge aux Affaires Familiales” (JAF). This judge works with the “Tribunal de Grande Instance” (High Court in charge of civil law matters, amongst which divorces lawsuits).

There are 4 different types of divorce procedures available: 1. “Divorce par consentement mutuel” or divorce by mutual consent This is an amicable divorce. It is the fastest divorce available.

Spouses may decide to take only one lawyer to deal with this case.

The only drawback is that SPOUSES HAVE TO AGREE ON ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, FROM DIVORCING TO ALL THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE DIVORCE ON EACH INDIVIDUAL. If you decide to both be represented by the same lawyer, you must bear in mind that if for any reason you realise that an agreement cannot be reached, lawyer’s ethics demands that BOTH parties choose a lawyer each.

The one previously representing the case can no longer be in charge of proceedings.

Since 2005, a document re-

garding the couple’s common assets has to be drafted to decide how their assets should be divided. This document is mandatory only if the assets include real estate. This document is called in French the “Etat liquidatif”.

Only a French Notaire is competent to draft this document.

This document must be drafted before the divorce petition is submitted to the “JAF”. It means that the divorce procedure will start once this “etat liquidatif” is made available and that court will be seized officially to rule on the divorce from that date.

TO BE CONTINUED… ■ For more information, please do not hesitate to contact: Prune CALONNE, Avocat au Barreau de Toulouse, 117 route d’Albi, 31200 Toulouse Phone: 05 34 30 51 33 Email: scpcalonneadouedugast @hotmail.fr My firm can arrange appointments in CAHORS at our correspondent’s offices. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details.

Inheritance Rule Differences Between UK and France

I

t is unquestionable that most British nationals move to France in search of a different lifestyle. Whether it is the health system, weather, culture or food (or a combination of them all) that play a large part in their decision-making process there is still one area that usually does not change after the move and that is their estate planning objectives.

These objectives are normally: 1. To exercise control over the eventual distribution of assets acquired throughout life.

2. To ensure that these assets are distributed to chosen beneficiaries as tax-efficiently as possible.

However, given the many differences between the legal and tax systems between the two countries it is likely that a different financial planning approach and legal procedures will be required to help achieve these objectives.

Wills Unlike in the UK, where a legally constituted Will is a key tool for controlling the distribution of assets on death, a French Will offers limited scope for the free disposal of assets for residents with children. This is because French succession law gives children (both natural and legally adopted) the legal right to inherit a certain ‘reserved’ portion of a parent’s estate. The size of their entitlement will depend on the number of children

involved and will vary between 50% and 75% of the deceased parent’s estate.

By writing a will in France, only the rest of the estate can then be left to the survivor.

Furthermore, it is the inheritors who are subject to French inheritance tax on their shares of an estate, and not the estate itself as applies in the UK. The tax rates payable are directly related to the relationship of the heir to the deceased; in other words, the closer the relationship, the less onerous the tax burden.

A child (direct descendant) benefits from an allowance of €100,000 from each parent, with subsequent taxation on a sliding scale from 5% to 45%. However, for beneficiaries unrelated to the deceased the 0% allowance is less than €2,000 with all sums received over this amount taxed at a punitive 60%! This has, therefore, significant implications for couples with children from previous marriages as stepchildren are categorised as ‘unrelated’ to a deceased step-parent.

There are, fortunately, a range of estate planning techniques and forms of investment which can be used to bypass the French succession law and mitigate taxation for the heirs.

The key, as ever, is to take professional independent advice to ensure you are making the most of these opportunities. ■ Peter Wakelin is Regional Manager of Siddalls France, Independent Financial Adviser, specialised in tax, inheritance, pension and investment planning for the British community in the Dordogne since 1996. Telephone 05 56 34 75 51 - Email bordeaux.office@siddalls.net - Web www.siddalls.fr

For more information about advertising options in The Bugle, please contact us on 05 55 41 17 76 or by email at sales24@thebugle.eu

BILINGUAL ♦ 15

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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Contact Sophie ARSAC to discuss your requirements 05

T

Hadrian's Wall

he Romans first invaded Britain in 43 AD and over the next 100 years conquered much of what is today England and Wales. One area where the might of Roman army failed, however, was in the land they called Caledonia (Scotland). Following a visit

by Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD, the Romans decided that if they could not defeat the Picts (as the clans that lived in Scotland at the time were known), then they would simply build a wall to keep them from entering Roman Britain.

The result was Hadrian’s Wall, which was 117km long and built from a combination

of stone and turf. Stretching the entire width of the country, the wall was built by the Roman soldiers themselves and took around 14 years to complete. It was the largest single structure ever built by the Romans.

In places the wall was 6 metres high and 3 metres wide and every Roman mile (about 1,500 metres) a small castle was built which housed twenty soldiers.

Every 8 kilometres a larger castle was built which could hold up to 1,000 soldiers.

After its construction, it is believed that as many as 10,000 Roman soldiers were stationed along the length of the wall keeping an eye on the “barbarians” to the

55 89 15 74 (E-mail: scarolinea@yahoo.fr)

north.

The Picts regularly attacked the Romans on Hadrian’s Wall and significant rebuilding had to be performed on at least 3 occasions. For 250 years the wall was patrolled by soldiers and remained the most northern border of the Roman Empire. The Romans finally left Britain in 410 AD, with Scotland remaining unconquered.

Hadrian’s Wall was constructed so well that much of it still exists today, nearly 2,000 years later! In 1987, the wall was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the public are still able to visit the remaining sections free of charge. ■

The Bugle thanks French teacher, Sophie Arsac, for the translation of this month's bilingual article on a topical aspect of FrancoBritish culture.

Bilingual Crossword Clues in English - answers in French

Across:

L

es Romains envahirent la Bretagne insulaire en 43 après J.C. et durant cent ans, ils conquirent ce qui constitue sensiblement l’Angleterre et le Pays de Galles d’aujourd’hui.

Malgré sa puissance, l’armée romaine subit une défaite sur le territoire que les Romains appelaient alors Caledonia (Ecosse). Après une visite de l’Empereur Hadrien en 122 après J.C., les Romains décidèrent que s’ils ne pouvaient pas vaincre les Picts (ainsi étaient nommées les tribus qui vivaient en Ecosse à l’époque), ils construiraient tout simplement un mur pour les empêcher de pénétrer en Bretagne romaine.

5. pie (5) 6. sand (5) 8. air (3) 9. Thursday (5) 12. frogs (11) 13. dog (5) 14. east (3) 17. morning (5) 18. pupil (5) Le Mur d’Hadrien, d’une longueur de 117 km, fut construit de pierres et de tourbe. Les soldats romains le bâtirent eux-mêmes et il leur fallut quatorze ans pour l’achever. Déployé sur toute la largeur du pays, ce fut l’édifice le plus monumental jamais construit par les Romains.

A certains endroits, le mur mesurait 6 mètres de haut et 3 mètres de large. Une tour de guet était construite environ tous les 1 500 m (soit un mille romain) et pouvait abriter 20 soldats.

Tous les 8 kilomètres, un poste fortifié était édifié, pouvant contenir jusqu’à 1 000 soldats. Après sa construction, 10 000 soldats romains auraient stationné le long du mur pour garder

un œil sur les “Barbares” au nord.

Les Picts attaquaient régulièrement les Romains et le mur dut subir des réparations conséquentes à trois reprises au minimum.

Les soldats y patrouillèrent pendant 250 ans et il resta la frontière la plus au nord de l’Empire Romain.

Les Romains quittèrent finalement la Bretagne en 410 après J.-C. sans jamais avoir conquis l’Ecosse.

Le Mur d’Hadrien était une construction d’une telle qualité qu’il en reste de très nombreux vestiges près de 2 000 ans plus tard ! Depuis 1987, il est inscrit sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco et le public peut le visiter gratuitement.

■

Down:

1. salt shaker (7) 2. summer (3) 3. sandal (7) 4. island (3) 7. to measure (7) 12. anchovy (7) 11. washing powder (7) 15. cape (3) 16. wheat (3)

Bilingual crossword solution can be found on page 11

Bringing you news, views and events from across the Dordogne and surrounding areas.

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

Business Directory

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ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to damp and humidity

A

simple solar energy system that runs on its own, even when you are not there! – And provides a free heat supplement in winter.

The Solarventi air panel was invented more than 20 years ago by Hans Jørgen Christensen, from Aidt Miljø, with the backing of the Danish government. He wanted to use the sun’s energy for airing and ventilation of the thousands of holiday homes on the West coast of Jutland, - houses that were left empty and unheated for long periods - houses with damp problems, mould and bad odours - houses that left their owners with discomfort, lots of work and expense. He wanted a system that would be safe, simple, without the need for radiators, water and/ or mains electricity. Slowly but surely, the first Solarventi

model came together.

How it works The principle behind Solarventi is simple: a small, builtin, solar cell powers a 12V fan that is connected to an air vent, a control unit and an on/ off switch.

Whenever the sun shines, the air in the solar panel is heated and the fan, receiving power from the solar cell, introduces warm, dry air into your home at the rate of 20 to 100 cubic metres per hour.

The initial models were more than capable of keeping the cottages dry (and ventilated), even with the limited sunshine hours available in Denmark during the winter season.

Since that time, the technology has really come along in leaps and bounds. Now, more than 20 years later, the 3rd and 4th

generation Solarventi have exceeded all expectations.

In Southern Europe, Solarventi is not only used for ventilation/dehumidification purposes; with far more winter sunshine hours, it also provides a substantial heating supplement. Several technical and governmental studies show that incoming air temperature can be increased by as much as 40°C. A DIY Solution?

The installation process is very straightforward and should only take two or three hours.

All that is needed is a drill, hammer and chisel to make a hole in the wall. Roof installations are also possible. In fact, the Solarventi was originally designed to be a DIY product in Scandinavia it still is.

There are no electrical or

water connections and it can be safely left running, even when the property is empty. Solarventi requires no maintenance - if the property is unoccupied during the hot summer months, then it can be left running at low speeds for ventilation and dehumidification purposes or simply switched off.

With a range of panel sizes, and the option for wall or roof mounting, Solarventi is suitable for all types of buildings, caravans or even boats!!

Following the patenting of its design in 2001, Solarventi has only recently been actively commercialized. Over the last six years, Solarventi units have been installed in more than 24 countries and demand is increasing rapidly. From Greenland to Australia, Solarventi is finally getting the recognition it deserves. ■

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DIRECTORY ♦ 17

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Building Services General

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18 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

ADVERTORIAL

Houses on Internet: A Global Property Network

H

ouses on Internet – Global Property Services (hereafter referred to as “HOI-GPS”), the internet/marketing company that helps people sell their property, have seen their sales in France rise by 56% in 2013 compared to the previous year.

Richard Kroon, founder and director of the company: “Although we have been successful over the past years, which allowed us to hire more staff, the number of responses from prospective buyers and sales keep rising. No doubt one of the reasons is that we were able to increase our worldwide advertising budget and reach more prospective buyers than ever.”

Last year HOI-GPS sold to people from 18 different countries, of which the Australians were the number one buyers, closely followed by the Belgians, Dutch, British, Swiss, Germans, French and Norwegians.

Richard continues: “January is usually a slow month, but last month was a positive exception. The trend in rising sales and responses from prospective buyers continues, which makes me very optimistic for 2014. Our continuous global marketing is definitely paying off and guarantees a worldwide exposure of your property to buyers wherever they live.”

Still, after many years of presenting themselves across a

range of media outlets such as the internet and in this and other papers and magazines, Richard and his colleagues from HOIGPS sometimes get questions like: “But you are just a website, right?”

In fact, HOI-GPS is a little bit more than just that.

First of all, the company comprises two different organisations: • HOI - France, focussing on the French property market has a staff of 7: a copywriter, two translators, three photo editors and one for marketing and web design. In addition 91 photographers work for them throughout France to take photos of the houses they have for sale.

• HOI - Spain with a staff of 5 and 53 photographers.

Richard: “The actual work all starts with the presentation of a property. If that’s not good enough, all other marketing efforts are useless.

Our photographers usually take 150 to 200 photos of a house and in addition copy any good (summer) photos our clients may have themselves. About 50 to 55 of those well-sized photos are selected, enhanced and presented on the dedicated website we make for each property.

“The copywriter writes the text in which the entire house, the garden, outbuildings and each room are described.

Information about shopping, schools, airports and tourism is added too. Then our translators start to work and everything is combined in one website, presenting the house at its best.

“Some of our clients even say they did not know their property could look that good!”

As a lot of private website

owners might know, having a website does not mean people can actually find it. Without continuous advertising it simply is a waste of money.

So when the website for the house is online, we first connect it to our main HOIGPS websites which attract over 135,000 visitors from 40+ countries each month. Most of these people find the sites through Google and additional Google advertising, for which we pay thousands of euros per month, but it is definitely worth it. Without visitors, no buyers.

To reach an even larger audience, a summary of the presentation of the house is also placed on several other leading property websites.

These adverts are also connected to the dedicated website of the house, making it all one big

global property network.

Sometimes people ask: “Why so many photos and why so much information of each house?”

The answer is obvious. In the past (and even now) property was presented with 3 to 5 very small photos and a few lines of text, which means the first thing a prospective buyer needed to do was ask for more photos and information, and then wait…

Experience has taught us that most of the buyers are lost at that very moment.

As the property market has become a global one, a

prospective buyer can be on the other side of the world while the owner is in bed sleeping. With our approach, the buyer does not have to wait and can see the entire property whenever he wants, at the moment he is interested in it.

Richard: “Another advantage for home owners is that viewings are more successful.

As there are no surprises and hardly any questions left, a viewing in most cases is merely a confirmation of what they already know, a great advantage for both buyer and seller.” ■

For more information on HOI-GPS or to market your property through them, visit their website: www.housesoninternet.com Houses on Internet – Global Property Services 05 55 65 12 19

Advertising in The Bugle Business Directory Advertising your business couldn’t be easier. Text only, boxed listings are available in our Business Directory from just €13.50/month. Alternatively, why not spotlight your business with an Advertorial, available from 1/6 Page (€50 HT) up to Full Page (€300 HT). Both Directory Adverts and Advertorials represent a cost effective way to put your brand in front of more than 20,000 pairs of eyes each month!!

For more information on any of our advertising options, please feel free to give us a call on 05 55 41 17 76 or send an email to sales24@thebugle.eu

6-Month Contract €108

Small b&w Directory Ad

(€18/month)

Large b&w Directory Ad

(€24/month)

Small Colour Directory Ad

(€27/month)

Large Colour Directory Ad

(€36/month)

€144 €162 €216

12-Month Contract €162

(€13.50/month)

€216

(€18/month)

€243

(€20.25/month)

€324

(€27/month)

Directory Advertising is available either in black and white or colour, and in either small (30 words max) or large (45 words max) format.

Directory adverts may only contain text - no logos, images or artwork are allowed. The minimum contract length is 6 months.

Advertising is payable on publication. All prices are HT.

Large Directory Ad 46mm x 71mm (Actual Size) 45 words max Small Directory Ad 46mm x 46mm (Actual Size)

30 words max

WHAT’S ON ♦ 19

FEBRUARY 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

WHAT’S

ON in February

Get out your ice skates... the ice rink is back! The Bergerac patinoire will be open from 8th February to 2nd March at the Salle Anatole France, Bergerac.

Entry: Adults €7; Under 12s €5. Free skate hire. Please note: Skaters must wear gloves.

For more information & opening times tel 05 56 70 19 85 or visit www. bergerac.fr/Agenda

Sarlat Goose Festival - Fest’Oie

Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th February, Place de la Liberté Every year, on the third weekend of February, Sarlat celebrates its favourite animal. With its noisy flocks of geese honking their way through the medieval town, countless stands offering regional produce, carcass soup (a local tradition) to warm visitors up, music from the banda, workshops and demonstrations by farmers and artisans, and free entertainment for the children, there is something for everyone!

Not to mention the great banquet. Not to be missed, this gastronomic feast offers foie gras in abundance, prepared by the best sarladais chefs. 760 diners will sit down to this unforgettable meal on Sunday at 12h30.

To reserve contact the Sarlat tourist office tel 05 53 31 45 45.

Menu Fest’Oie: Apéritif à la noix ---- ++ ---Terrine d’oie (confectionnée par la Coopérative) Petites saucisses d’oie grillées Foie Gras mi-cuit à volonté (servi avec un verre de vin blanc) Salade Périgourdine Carpaccio d’oie mariné Croustillant d’oie façon grand veneur ---- ++ ---Trou Périgourdin ---- ++ ---Saucisson d’oie aux haricots

Civet d’Oie Confit d’oie/Petits pois Magret d’oie/Pommes de terre sarladaises ---- ++ ---Cabécou du Périgord et sa salade verte ---- ++ ---Gâteau aux noix et sa crème anglaise Milla Tarte aux pommes ---- ++ ---Café ---- ++ ---Une bouteille de vin pour 2 personnes comprise dans le menu

For more information visit www.sarlat-tourisme.com/fetes-et-manifestations/festoie

De L’Enfer au Paradis Saturday 8th February Emiliano Pellisari, the man with the flying dancers, is bringing Dante’s Divine Comedy to the stage of the Centre Culturel in Sarlat. This unique performance is a combination of dance, acrobatics and Image Theatre.

On the stage, six dancers move, flying through the air to create unreal figures. Inspired by extravaganzas of Baroque theatre and supported by the current technological possibilities, Emiliano Pellisari brings the audience a unique choreography, at the crossroads of magic, illusion and circus.

His dancers, released by the force of gravity, float in the air on the rhythm of music ranging from rock to classical. Inspired by the most famous Canto by Dante, Pellisari leads us into a daydream of astonishing beauty.

Salle Paul Eluard, Centre Culturel, 24200 Sarlat-la-Canéda. 21h.

Tickets: Full price €35; Under 26s €25.

For more information and bookings tel 05 53 31 09 49 or visit www.sarlat-centreculturel.fr

EASY

MEDIUM

HARD

Phoenix - Urgent Appeal for Cat and Kitten Foster Carers

With cats coming into season as early as the end of January, Phoenix is yet again bracing itself for the scores of calls about abandoned kittens this year.

We have only three Cat Foster Carers and therefore we sadly have to turn away most of the SOS calls we receive.

Can you help by becoming a Phoenix Cat Foster Carer?

Phoenix covers ALL fostering expenses. You must live within 1.5 hour's drive of Issac, 24400.

For more information, contact Lynda at lapuille@gmail.com or telephone 05 53 81 30 44.

20 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ FEBRUARY 2014

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