Difficulty: Intermediate
France
During the 2006 World Cup, and despite criticism from several right-wing politicians, footballers Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira invited eighty former squatters from Cachan to see the France-Italy match.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
This news report follows up on the squatters in Cachan, who receive good news from the mayor: after six weeks spent in a gymnasium, they're being relocated to a hostel with real accommodations.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Does your textbook ever seem more confusing than enlightening, more wrong than right? A recent study showed that some French textbooks could use a little fact-checking.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
This newspaper, called “The Sapper’s Candle” (a “sapper” is traditionally a military man who disarms mines), only comes out on the leap year. But how can a periodical published only on February twenty-ninth be financially sound? Maybe it’s true: less is more.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
A first look at French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to South Africa. He proposes a new axis in the capital’s “Francafrican” politics and shores up relations with English-speaking Africa.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
On the final leg of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to South Africa, the leader meets with Nelson Mandela (after visiting the cell where Mandela was imprisoned for twenty-seven years), and speaks about the importance of being a uniter—not a divider.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Good news for lovers of luxury footwear—but even more so for the work force of the French town Romans: the factory of designer brand Charles Jourdan will reopen its doors (after being forced to close several months prior) thanks to an investment from a Costa Rican firm.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
The young and the old are always the most severely affected by crises – a fact illustrated by this demonstration, in which the elderly clamor for emergency measures so they can make ends meet.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Whether heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, “jouets intimes”-sexual, or sexagenarian, women affirm that sexuality is not just for men.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Being born premature is risky, but thanks to modern medical techniques, six out of ten babies who are born greatly premature will grow up to be perfectly healthy children.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Drinking and driving brings up serious questions of responsibility. If someone is hurt as a result of drunk driving, is it the driver’s fault alone, or do those who provided the alcohol share some culpability too?
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Lazare Ponticelli was the last of the “Poilus” — French infantry soldiers who served in World War I. Ponticelli, who was actually an Italian immigrant to France, first served in the French Foreign Legion and then eventually, the Italian army. He died in 2008 at the age of 110.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Just how bad can stress from work get? Though the effects of stress may not always be visible or immediately apparent, some employees have been driven to insomnia, depression, even suicide because of difficulties at work. Some companies have implemented new anti-stress measures, but will that be enough?
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
It’s common to see photos of celebrities aged forty and up happily pregnant or pushing a pram. But according to most doctors, a woman’s chances of conceiving drop dramatically after age thirty-eight or so. Of course there are exceptions. Modern medical fertility treatments allowed a sixty-six-year-old Romanian woman to give birth to twins in 2005. But unless we’re willing and able to procure such treatments, which can be financially, emotionally, and physically draining, those who want to wait until their forties to have kids will have to take their chances.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Another protest on the streets of Paris: this one about the difficulties of obtaining a driving permit. The steep price of a permit is currently about 1200 € in France, and candidates must face long waits of several months or more just to take the test. Increasing the number of driving inspectors would help both to lessen these delays and lower costs.
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