Poitou Charentes news for October 2008

Two new electric sea buses for La Rochelle in 2009
Date: 30 October 2008
Two brand new ‘bus de mer’ will enter service in January 2009, and they will use state of the art solar powered electricity to power the boat between the old port and the Les Minimes marina.
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Government cost-cutting threatens thermal spas in Charente Maritime
Date: 27 October 2008
The three thermal spa towns of Rochefort, Jonzac and Saujon could suffer dire economic consequences if a proposal by UMP’s Yves Bur is approved.
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Poitou-Charentes Football round-up - 27 October
Date: 27 October 2008
A huge sigh of relief as Niort register their first win in the league this season, a result that lifts them off the bottom of the table on goal difference.
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More Poitou-Charentes job losses as recession starts to bite
Date: 25 October 2008
Two days after their rivals Redoute announced 672 redundancies, troubled Niort-based mail-order retailer CAMIF Particulaires and CAMIF SA (who own 35% of the company) this week filed for voluntary liquidation, with almost 1000 employees fearing for their jobs
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Beginning of the end for advertising on France Télévisions
Date: 23 October 2008
Reform of TV advertising in France will move a step closer today as a bill is presented to the council of ministers in advance of submission to parliament in mid-November
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Widespread condemnation at jeering of French national anthem
Date: 21 October 2008
Strong reaction from Politicians as the French national anthem is booed during a friendly international against Tunisia.
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Poitou Charentes Football Round-Up - 20 October
Date: 20 October 2008
There were no real surprises this weekend in the fifth round of the Coup de France, although Chauvigny came within a whisker of coming through the round at home to Chamois Niortais from the National division.
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Poitou-Charentes region content overall with hospitals and clinics
Date: 19 October 2008
According to the results of a survey released last week, residents in Poitou-Charentes are generally satisfied with their hospitals and clinics, but there is room for improvement in the availability of specialists, and cover for weekends and nights.
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Châtellerault rocked by government announcement
Date: 17 October 2008
The town of Châtellerault was dealt a hammer-blow by the French Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie last week, as she announced plans to close four of the eight national training centres for the Gendarmerie.
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Long-awaited by-pass in La Rochefoucauld should be ready by 2010
Date: 15 October 2008
The long-awaited by-pass for the town of La Rochefoucauld is on target for completion by 2010, according to engineer and project manager Alain Dudoit
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Opinion divided in France as dictionary Le Petit Robert relaxes language rules
Date: 14 October 2008
Schoolchildren are celebrating, commentators are astonished and purists are fuming over what they describe as a scandalous attack on 500 years of French history.
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Mondiofolk consigned to history as Charente-Maritime loses popular folk festival
Date: 13 October 2008
After thirty editions of Mondiofolk, organisers decided on Friday to call a halt to the popular folk festival, citing reduced subsidy as the main cause.
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Poitou Charentes Football Round-Up - 13 October
Date: 12 October 2008
Niort stay rooted to the bottom of the league, and face a potential banana-skin cup tie this weekend at Chauvigny
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Perpetrators of WWII massacre were based in Chatellerault
Date: 12 October 2008
Some 64 years after the massacre by German soldiers of 124 people in the village of Maillé(Indre et Loire), the alleged perpetrators have been identified, newspaper Le Figaro revealed yesterday
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France eyes local tax overhaul to help competition
Date: 12 October 2008
The French government is to reform the country's system of local taxation within three years in a bid to improve the competitiveness of its business, according to the industry minister.
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Salon Atlantica - Venice Verte Campsite awarded European Eco-label
Date: 09 October 2008
Camping Venice Vert this week became the first campsite in the Poitou-Charentes region to achieve the European Eco-label, part of a scheme introduced following the Rio summit in 1992
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