Paris

Renault Grand Scenic in the showrooms

Renault Grand Scenic in the showroomsParis - French car maker Renault has announced that the new Grand Scenic van, which seats between five and seven people, is available in European showrooms with a starting price of 20,200 euros (26,370 dollars).

Standard equipment includes Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), six airbags, air conditioning, CD-Radio and electric parking brake.

The new generation Grand Scenic is seven centimetres longer at 4.56 metres with improved head and knee space, according to the manufacturer.

Herschel telescope launch rescheduled for May 14

Herschel telescope launch rescheduled for May 14 Paris - Launch of the Herschel telescope, the most powerful infrared telescope ever flown into space, has been rescheduled for May 14, the European Space Agency
(ESA) said Tuesday. The launch had originally been set for April 16 but was postponed when an anomaly was discovered during tests of a sub-assembly identical to the one on the Ariane 5 launch rocket that is to put the Herschel telescope and the Planck microwave observatory into orbit.

New virus is not 'swine flu', Paris-based health organization says

New virus is not 'swine flu', Paris-based health organization says Paris - The virus currently circulating in Mexico and the United States and which has killed at least 20 people is not swine flu, the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said Monday. "The virus has not been isolated in animals to date. Therefore, it is not justified to name this disease swine flu," the OIE said in a press statement.

Four of five Louvre visitors come to see the Mona Lisa

Four of five Louvre visitors come to see the Mona Lisa Paris - About four out of five people who visit the Louvre Museum in Paris come expressly to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the head of the museum, Henri Loyrette, was quoted Monday as saying. "It's true that 80 per cent of our daily visitors come to see the Mona Lisa. (The Louvre) is the only museum in the world to have an icon like that," Loyrette said in an interview published in the daily Le Parisien.

He said that the economic crisis was also affecting the Louvre, with 10 to 20 per cent fewer American visitors to the museum.

Sarkozy earmarks 1.3 billion euros to fight youth unemployment

Sarkozy earmarks 1.3 billion euros to fight youth unemploymentParis - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday the government had drawn up a plan that earmarks 1.3 billion euros (1.7 billion dollars) to aid jobless under the age of 26.

In a speech in the town of Jouy-le-Moutier, north of Paris, Sarkozy said his plan would lead to the recruitment of 320,000 apprentices by June 2010.

Cannes veterans featured in 2009 festival

Cannes veterans featured in 2009 festival Paris - Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodovar, Lars von Trier and numerous other veterans of the Cannes film festival will be vying for its top prize in this year's edition of the annual celebration of world cinema, organizers said Thursday in Paris.

Among the 20 films selected to compete for the Palme d'Or, one of the world's most coveted awards, four were made by directors who have already received the honour.

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