European Travel News from WhereWhenWhy.EU

FRANCE TRAVEL NEWS

Alpine ski resorts to become unviable within decades?

13 December 2006

Global warming could make some Alpine ski resorts unviable within decades. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said lower-lying slopes may soon be unusable. Resorts in Germany were most at risk with areas of the Austrian and Italian Alps being the next most vulnerable, these are followed by some slopes in France and Switzerland.

The study covered 666 Alpine slopes. At present 90% of the 666 slopes have a covering of snow for at least a 100 days each year. The report warned that just a 1 degree centigrade rise in average temperature would reduce this to 500 viable slopes. On current predictions this is likely to happen between 2020-2025. A two-degree rise, predicted by some to occur by 2050, would reduce the number of viable resorts to 400.

Germany,Austria,Italy,France,Switzerland

High speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link to open in 2007

14 November 2006

The final section of the high speed rail-link between London and Paris will open on 14 November 2007.

Journey times will be cut: London to Brussels, from 2hr 15min to 1hr 51 min and London to Paris from 2hr 35min to 2hr 15min.

uk,belgium,france

Algerians to move more freely in Europe

13 November 2006

The 15 Schengen zone members (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) today announced that they would no longer consult each other before issuing visas to Algerians. This move is expected to cut waiting times from 15 days to one to three days.

Algeria,Austria,Belgium,Denmark,Finland,France,Germany,Iceland,Italy,Greece,Luxembourg,Netherlands,Norway,Portugal,Spain,Sweden

Five held for Marseille bus burning

31 October 2006

Five people have been arrested by French police for offences related to an attack on a bus in Marseille in which a 26-year-old Senegalese woman suffered 70% burns. This and other attacks on buses, a year after a wave of rioting engulfed the run-down suburbs of French cities are blamed on unemployment, racial discrimination and alienation within these communities. Community leaders claim these factors have not improved since disturbances at the same time in 2005.

France

French block Stansted to Deauville route

24th October 2006

Residents of the chic Normandy coastal resort Deauville are set to oppose the Ryanair proposal to commence a low cost service from Stansted airport. Opponents claim that an influx of ‘no-frills’ travellers would cheapen the town and damage its reputation for elegance and sophistication.

France

Bird Flu

Updated September 2006

To date there have been no cases of the deadly H5N1 virus in poultry or wild birds in the UK. However, birds in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey have been affected.

UK,Austria,France,Germany,Greece,Hungary,Italy,Slovakia,Slovenia,Turkey