Rendezvous
Reports on France - its people, its culture - and all the big issues facing the French.
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French Parliament seeks the facts on prostitution
Prostitution isn't illegal in France but since the so-called Sarkozy II law of 2003, soliciting is. And it's made life for prostitutes tougher and more dangerous. With a fact-finding mission on prostitution underway at the National Assembly, many are hoping for a change in the law.25/11/201020:42 -
Paris luxury hotels face threat from newcomers
Paris's established luxury hotels are locked in discreet combat to stave off opposition from four new high-class establishments due to open their doors in the French capital between now and 2012. Are hotel managers frightened or is this just healthy competition.18/11/201021:06 -
Gaining access to higher education
In this edition of Rendezvous, RFI's Philip Turle reports on a new initiative to help children in schools in underpriviledged areas gain access to higher education. Under the scheme entitled Pourquoi Pas Moi?, (Why Not Me?) volunteer groups of high school children receive lessons from students studying in France's elitist higher education establishments called the Grands Ecoles.11/11/201020:45 -
Chic and shocking Fiac: art and money for art's sake
In Rendez Vous this week, RFI's Brent Gregston visits France's contemporary art fair, the FIAC, an event that has put Paris back on the map of modern art.03/11/201020:36 -
Digital revolution hits French cinemas
France is aiming to have all of its 2,062 cinemas equipped with digital technology by the end of 2012 - and it's just passed a law to help cinemas finance the change. The move away from 35mm film is a huge and inevitable revolution, and the biggest since the move from black and white to colour.28/10/201021:07 -
Latest eco-friendly cars hit the streets
In this edition of Rendezvous, we visit the 2010 Paris Car Show to discover the latest eco-friendly cars built by French manufacturers.21/10/201020:00 -
Claude Monet: between paintbrush and trowel
“Apart from painting and gardening, I’m good for nothing,” wrote the father of impressionism Claude Monet. Well better to excel in two domains than dabble in many. As thousands of visitors flock to a huge retrospective of the artist’s work at the Grand Palais in Paris, we visit the gardens at Giverny in Normandy, his home from 1883 to his death in 1926.14/10/201021:25 -
Roma migrants in France: life on the move
France is pursuing a tough policy on Roma migrants, sending thousands back mainly to Romania. But their situation is complex.As European citizens they have freedom of movement within the continent and yet little access to employment; they’re thought of as travellers but would prefer to be sedentary, they’re seen as outsiders but many seek to integrate. It seems many Roma are caught between a rock and a hard place.07/10/201020:52 -
French pension reforms galvanise workers
In this edition of Rendezvous, RFI's Philip Turle takes a look at French government plans to overhaul the country's pension system and finds out why trade unions and the opposition are unhappy about the new measures. The new measures include plans to move the current retirement age from 60 to 62 which the government claims is essential due to the fact that people are living longer lives and there are more and more old people. But the opposition argues that making people work longer will penalise certain sectors of the workforce, particularly those who started work before the age of 18 and those who have had tough working lives.30/09/201020:31 -
Restaurants and Politicians
Why are some Parisian restaurants frequented by the political establishment? And is it good for business? Philip Turle investigates.16/09/201020:51 -
Photojournalism reigns in Perpignan
Visa pour l’image is THE annual photojournalism festival par excellence: a meeting of photographers, agencies and buyers. And while times are hard for the profession, with agencies closing down, cuts in assignments and a print press in crisis, the festival continues to thrive..09/09/201020:29 -
French café-bistrots down but not out
The local café the beating heart of French life, but the café-bistrot du coin is in decline. French culture is changing, and so must café and brasserie owners if they want to survive.02/09/201020:19 -
Same-sex families on the fringes of French law
Thousands of children in France are being raised by same-sex couples, though it is difficult to pin down an exact number. While many adopt children, most children of same-sex couples are conceived through artificial insemination or surrogate mothers, both of which are not entirely legal in France. In this second of a two-part series on same-sex parenting in France, we explore families that are formed by pushing the boundaries of bioethics laws.19/08/201020:25 -
Adoption in France with same-sex parents
Adopting as a same-sex couple is not so easy in France. A French court recently granted a lesbian woman the right to adopt a child, after 10 years and many appeals. While the decision was hailed as a victory by rights groups, it did not change the fact that homosexual couples - or any unmarried couple - do not have the right to adopt in France.12/08/201020:11 -
The business of gender parity
The French government recently introduced new legislation to increase the number of women serving on the management boards of major companies to 40 per cent. But in a country where only 18 per cent of MPs are women, many sceptics believe the new measures will not work.05/08/201020:23
Rendezvous
Reports on France - its people, its culture - and all the big issues facing the French.