I guess you read French Property News, Living France, A Place in the Sun magazines etc. I hope you even enjoy reading the Cle France Newsletters! but to really learn more about life and living in France a French newspaper can not be beaten.

Continuing our look at French Newspapers - Part 4

Thank you for joining me once again as we review a selection of the most widely read newspapers in France.

In part 1, we had an overview of the different sections found in a typical newspaper that will help you navigate its contents.

In part 2, we learned about Le Monde and Le Figaro.

In part 3, we looked at Le Nouvel Observateur and Libération. Today, let’s delve into two more journaux (newspapers) that grace the racks of most newsstands in France: L’Express and l’Humanité.

L’Express :

Originally printed as a supplément hebdomadaire (weekly supplement) to the economic newspaper Les Échos in 1953, L’Express morphed into the first french newsmagazine by 1964.  Columns written by Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and André Malraux among others lent prestige and a certain validity to L’Express that readers had been seeking in other news outlets of the day.

The transition from supplement to full-fledged newsmagazine in 1964 brought with it some changes. Plusieurs journalistes quittent L’Express pour fonder Le Nouvel Observateur (Several journalists leave L’Express to found Le Nouvel Observateur). As a result, the magazine becomes less politically centered which leads to a tripling of its readership over the span of just three years.

In 1995, L’Express forged a new path in the emerging world of digital news when it launched la première version électronique (the first electronic version) of a weekly french newspaper. Today, lexpress.fr is one of the most frequented french news websites avec plus de deux millions de visiteurs par mois (with more than two million visitors a month).

l’Humanité :

One of the oldest french newspapers still in circulation, l’Humanité began informing readers in 1904. Ce journal quotidien (This daily paper) was founded by Jean Jaurès, a french socialist who believed in “la communion avec le mouvement ouvrier” (“agreement with the labor movement”) and for nearly seventy-five years was guided by le Parti Communiste Français (French Communist Party). Similar to L’Express, l’Humanité became a paper for intellectuals thanks to columns written by such illustrious characters as Aristide Brian, Léon Blum, et al.

Because of its communist/socialist leanings, l’Humanité’s popularity waxed and waned over the course of several decades and with the stream of world events, namely the two World Wars and the Cold War. L’Humanité supported la libération nationale à travers le monde (national liberation throughout the world), a practice that generated considerable controversy pendant les guerres d’Algérie et d’Indochine (during the wars of Algeria and Indochina).

In 1996, l’Humanité launched its website at humanite.fr containing archives of columns from its physical newspaper dating back to 1990. Visit la Boutique on the web où vous aurez accès à une sélection d’abonnements (where you will have access to a selection of subscriptions) in both digital and paper formats.

Join me next time for our final instalment in this series on french newspapers. À bientot (See you soon)!

Original text from the French Language Blog.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

I love this property, the perfect blend of what a lot of people look for when searching for a house in France. A typical Normandy Farmhouse that is habitable but has much more room for improvement and 'stamping your own mark on the property' PLUS more scope and more rooms to develop PLUS Outbuildings and potential to create guest gite accommodation to create an income stream.

So if you are looking to move over to North-west France and start the good life then RTA00104 is for you!

AND it is for sale for only 86,000 euros.

Traditional French Farmhouse with Outbuildings set in approximately 3 acres of land, in a beautiful and tranquil area of Normandy, with easy access to and from the UK.

This stone farmhouse is partially renovated and habitable now but does require some finishing in part and some further development in others, it therefore offers the perfect mix of 'habitable now' and bundles of scope for improvement and further development opening up many options including guest accommodation to generate an income.

Ground floor: kitchen, living room, bedroom, pantry, bathroom.

First floor: 4 bedrooms, bathroom.

Outbuildings: garage, basement and outbuilding.

Outside: Set in 3 acres of land at the end of a long drive.. More potential.

A quiet rural position near the edge of the beautiful village of Feugeres, in the Lower Normandy region of France.

Feugeres is a small beautiful village, there is a village shop, a bar, a church, primary school and village hall.

If you need more then the lovely town of Périers less than 10 mins away offering a large selection of shops, restaurants, etc.

Or for more shops, services and amenities then just 20 minutes away is the capital city of Normandy, Saint-Lo to the east and the stunning cathedral city of Coutances to the south.

RTA00104 for sale in Normandy with Cle France for 86,000.00 euros FAI.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Morning, thanks for the message, yes all set to view the property, great communication with Sharon very helpful, cheers.

Khaled.

Cle France makes sure you have everything you need ahead of your viewing trip to France so you know where you are going, who you are seeing and what time to be there, sounds easy but when you have several properties to see it is best to let us schedule your viewings.

I guess you read French Property News, Living France, A Place in the Sun magazines etc. I hope you even enjoy reading the Cle France Newsletters! but to really learn more about life and living in France a French newspaper can not be beaten.

Another look at French Newspapers - Part 3

Bonjour une fois de plus (Hello once again).

I hope you took the time to look into les journaux (the newspapers) I reviewed dans la deuxième partie (in the second part) of this series on French newspapers. Both Le Monde and Le Figaro are excellent publications featuring quality journalism.

Le Nouvel Observateur and Libération are also very popular newspapers that offer a different perspective on the news. Let’s look at them in greater detail.

Le Nouvel Observateur :

Founded in 1964, Le Nouvel Observateur (The New Observer) is actually a news-magazine. The magazine saw the light over a decade earlier in 1950 as L’Observateur politique, économique et littéraire (The political, economic and literary Observer). In 1953, the name changed to simply l’Observateur and then to France Observateur in 1954.

Le Nouvel Observateur has always been un magazine hebdomadaire (a weekly magazine) avec une orientation centre-gauche (with a center-left orientation) and more than cinq cent mille lecteurs (five hundred thousand readers) making it by far the most widely read newsmagazine in France. According to Claude Perdriel, the magazine’s founder, Le Nouvel Observateur “est un journal social-démocrate de gauche” (is a leftist social-democratic newspaper).

Le Nouvel Observateur focuses on the world of business, la politique (politics), and l’économie (the economy). Unlike some French papers, political and cultural issues of l’Europe (Europe), l’Afrique (Africa) and le Moyen-Orient (the Middle East) are covered in depth.

The magazine entered the digital age in 1999 with its website nouvelobs.com - You will find the usual sections such as Politique (Politics), Société (Society), and Éco (short for Economy) as well as Monde (World), Culture, Santé (Health), and Sport. You can subscribe to the digital magazine for as little as 1 euro par mois (1 Euro a month) which is a fantastic deal.

Libération :

Bursting onto the scene a decade after Le Nouvel Observateur, Libération began as un journal situé a l’extrême gauche (a newspaper situated on the extreme left). In the 80s and 90s, this journal quotidien (daily newspaper) shifted to a centre-gauche (center-left) orientation, a position it maintains to this day.

Interestingly, one of the founding members of Libération was Jean-Paul Sartre, un écrivain et philosophe Français (a French writer and philosopher) and a leading figure of existentialism who became active in politics après la Seconde Guerre mondiale (after the second World War).

The paper has had its share of ups and downs over the course of quatre décennies (four decades) but remains a fairly popular source of news avec un lectorat de près de deux cent mille (with a readership of nearly two hundred thousand).

The usual sections grace the homepage of Libération at liberation.fr - but you will also find atypical sections such as Cannabis, Prostitution and Sex & Genre. You can even listen to Libé Radio, the newspaper’s very own radio station.

If Le Monde or Le Figaro do not offer what you seek in a French newspaper, go ahead and try out Le Nouvel Observateur or Libération for a different take on French news.

Original text from the French Language Blog.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Scotland votes "No"

Alex Salmond’s dream of Scottish independence was dashed today after voters threw their support behind the United Kingdom in a result that promises to bury the separation issue for at least a generation.

Sterling has rallied to a 25 month high against the Euro so now is a good time to buy the euros for your French property dream! who knows what will happen next? but there is bound to be some 'settling down' in the currency markets now the decision is known so today is a good day to think about your currency requirements.

For more information on the currency service I can provide please feel free to contact myself...

Rob Harold from Foreign Currency Direct follow this link or phone and ask for myself and quote "Cle France" on our Freephone 0800 328 5884.

You may email me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your requirement and quote "Cle France" I will explain the options that are available to you in getting the best exchange rate.

Reaction :

David Cameron immediately said he was “delighted” with the result and signalled an immediate constitutional shake-up that is set to see non-English MPs barred from key votes in the Commons.

“Now the debate has been settled for a generation, or as Alex Salmond has said, perhaps for a lifetime. There can be no disputes, no re-runs,” he said.

The prime minister said that he would ensure that a pledge to devolve tax, welfare and borrowing powers would be delivered in full, with proposals drawn up by November. It will be overseen by Lord Smith of Kelvin.

Speaking exclusively to The Times ahead of the result, Mr Salmond sent a blunt warning to Mr Cameron that he must accept his legal “responsibilities” to deliver the best deal for Scotland regardless of the outcome. The move was seen as an opening salvo in the post-referendum negotiations before the outcome was known.

Although he said he would accept the will of the people if the vote went against him, he risked inflaming tensions further in a message aimed squarely at Conservative backbenchers. He said all should accept that once “it is over, it is over, particularly politicians who are not the story in this referendum, in my estimation. But they have an obligation to lead positively.”

Although the polls had been too close to call in the fortnight ahead of the referendum, the No camp’s hopes of victory were boosted immediately after voting closed as a YouGov online survey of those who had cast their ballot suggested a shift in favour of the Union. It put No ahead on 54 per cent, and Yes at 46. It was conducted among those surveyed on Wednesday that had put “No” on 52 and Yes on 48.

As the postal votes were counted at Ingliston, Better Together sources said that they were splitting in their favour. And, as the first few councils declared for “no”, they became increasingly confident. The first declaration – Clackmannanshire – went 54 per cent no, 46 per cent “yes”, a greater majority for the Unionists than either side expected.

When half of the 32 councils had announced, the split was 44 per cent for “yes” and 56 per cent for “no”.

Three declarations at about 4.15am were dire for the Nationalists. In Angus, an SNP council and stronghold, went to the No camp by 56 per cent to 44 per cent. In Aberdeen, the split was 59 per cent to 41 per cent the same way. And in Perth and Kinross it was 60 per cent versus 40 per cent.

Nicola Sturgeon, the deputy first minister, faced the cameras when SNP strategists were already privately admitting defeat. She said the vote showed a “big appetite for substantial change” among Scots. She added: “I will work with anybody and do anything I can to deliver substantial powers for the Scottish Parliament.”

Mr Salmond had been expected to attend the Aberdeenshire count in the city of Aberdeen, and possibly fly on to Edinburgh. It emerged just after midnight that he had decided to stay in his home village of Strichen until morning.

Main points : 

• Scotland votes to reject independence 

• No wins by more than 10 per cent 

• 55.4% No, 44.6% Yes. Turnout 84.4% 

• Cameron pledges rapid action on further devolution 

• PM also vows to deliver “English votes for English laws” 

• One more council to declare 

• Salmond urges Scotland to accept result 

• Says Scotland has rejected independence “at this stage” 

• Pound rises against the dollar 

• Ed Miliband to speak in Glasgow at 9am.

Latest news :

08.00 19th September 2014:

We’re still waiting the result from Highland, where the count has been delayed due to a car crash on the A9. But even if all of Highland’s 190,778 votes go to the Yes campaign, the union would remain intact.

From an article in the Times Newspaper 19/09/2014.

Blog submitted by: David of The French Property Network - Cle France.