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Tuesday, 09 October 2007 |
Newcomer on the Saint-Malo-Channel Islands route, HD
Ferries’ ship ‘HD1’ ran into berthed competitor Condor
Ferries’ ‘Condor10’ in St Helier harbour, and was grounded
for six days by the Jersey harbour authorities. Although the
HD ferry was not seriously damaged, it needed repairs before
harbour master Howard Le Cornu gave it the green light to
pursue its regular crossings. The Condor Ferries service was
not interrupted and its crossings were on schedule.
A third competitor has opened a new service on the same
route. Local Emerald Coast firm Compagnie Corsaire has just
introduced a passenger ferry link between Saint- Malo and
Jersey leaving France at 8.45am.
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Tuesday, 09 October 2007 |
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Vitré (Ille-et-Vilaine), a stone’s throw from Rennes, is
delighted. Telephone call centre Webhelp has just announced
that it intends to create 200 jobs in its new hub, thanks to a
contract with Virgin Mobile. Ex-Transport minister and longstanding
UMP mayor of Vitré, Pierre Méhaignerie pulled out
all the stops to attract the firm to his town. One of Vitré’s
main employers, Mitsubishi, suddenly abandoned the area a
few years ago and left hundreds unemployed. “We are just
starting work with Virgin Mobile and we will be looking for
more new customers. The centre will have more than 350
employees when it reaches maximum capacity,” explained
Olivier Duha, co-president of Webhelp.
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Tuesday, 09 October 2007 |
Residents and visitors were surprised to see a giant Super
Frelon helicopter flying in and out of Dinard’s Prieuré beach
recently. The beast was carrying a 2.7-ton cannon and six
other loads of equipment needed to help restore the Petit Bé
fort just off the Saint-Malo coast. The fort, built by Vauban in
the 17th century, was left to ruin about 100 years ago. Étienne
Marcel and a group of volunteers decided to try to restore it
to its former splendour in January 2000 and have been
working on it ever since. They reckon they still have about 10
years of toil left before finishing the job. Visitors may explore
the fort if the tide is right.
www.petit-be.com
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Tuesday, 09 October 2007 |
The Véndée’s economy watchdog, the Observatoire
économique, social et territorial, has reported healthy
trends for the département in all sectors.
The unemployment rate has fallen yet again and is now at
5.7%. Job creation is up, with a further 2,810 new posts
between March 2006 and March 2007. Many new companies
were also registered in the first part of the year: 753 in the
service industries, 350 in trade and 262 in construction. All of
this has led to a record sales turnover for the second quarter
of 2007 of more than €7 billion.
The good news is being greeted, but guardedly amid
general speculation about the world economy.
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Tuesday, 09 October 2007 |
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Despite this year’s dramatic rainfall, last year’s problems
should not be forgotten, when the Vendee’s water supply,
already restricted, was in danger of being cut off altogether in
certain areas near the coast. The local water authority Vendée
Eau, while encouraging users to save water, has been drilling
in search of subterranean supplies. From La Roche-sur-Yon
to Avrille, the granite base rock acts as a giant sponge: tests
at 150 metres depth have shown that the water it contains is
rich in iron and maganese, without any trace of nitrates. Of
the 60 holes bored, 10 have given encouraging results.
Feasibility studies will begin shortly but it is hoped that, by
2025, an additional 3.5 million cubic metres of water will be
pumping out each year, accounting for 10% of the demand.
The areas involved are Nesmy, Chaille-sous-les-Ormeaux,
Merlerie, Beaufou and Venensault.
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