A humming "Segway" tour -- on a trendy electric vehicle from California -- is one way to see Paris during the summer in the 21st century. But for those seeking culture, our correspondent recommends touring the French capital on an electric bike. The group of tourists looks like a gaggle of futuristic robots in a Star Wars movie. Leaning forward slightly on their peculiar two-wheeled vehicles, which require no pedaling, these visitors to Paris roll at a leisurely pace across the Champs de Mars, in front of the Eiffel Tower. When they reach the trees, the helmeted crew suddenly spreads out and sprints -- at about 15 km/h (9 mph) -- through the trees to the Peace Monument, ending up at the École Militaire.
A humming "Segway" tour -- on a trendy electric vehicle from California -- is one way to see Paris during the summer in the 21st century. But for those seeking culture, our correspondent recommends touring the French capital on an electric bike.
The group of tourists looks like a gaggle of futuristic robots in a Star Wars movie. Leaning forward slightly on their peculiar two-wheeled vehicles, which require no pedaling, these visitors to Paris roll at a leisurely pace across the Champs de Mars, in front of the Eiffel Tower. When they reach the trees, the helmeted crew suddenly spreads out and sprints -- at about 15 km/h (9 mph) -- through the trees to the Peace Monument, ending up at the École Militaire.
The Malta Tourism Authority said yesterday it has no policy aiming to turn the north of Malta into an entertainment hub and that it is conscious of the importance of the promotion of a sustainable tourism policy which respects the environment.It was referring, without saying so, to remarks by its chairman, Sam Mifsud, in a court case, when he said that the authority was keen on shifting the entertainment industry towards Bugibba and St Paul's Bay. The remarks provoked various statements.The MTA said that the present day procedures in place in assessing tourism projects and the issuance of tourism policy compliance certificates (TPCCs) "involves not just a technical and tourism-oriented review of applications, but also a scrutiny of each application and how such applications conform to the 23 main objectives laid down in the Tourism Policy document and the tasks set out in the Tourism Plan 2007-2011, of which environmental considerations form an important component."
The autobiography of an acting chimpanzee is going head to head with a cold war love story and a novel about the assassination of a Pakistani dictator in this year's Guardian first book award.Me Cheeta: the Autobiography, is billed as the true story of Cheeta the Chimp, star of Hollywood blockbusters, told "in his own words". The book documents the life and times of a chimpanzee who has outlived all his co-stars from the 1939 film Tarzan to reach the ripe old age of 75. He withdrew from the limelight in 1964 after biting his Doctor Dolittle co-star Rex Harrison, and has retired to an old chimps' home in Palm Springs, California.The book is not published until October 1, but judges for the award, now in its 10th year, were so startled by the early version they were sent that they included it on the 10-strong longlist, revealed today. The judging panel demanded a signed, sworn statement from Me Cheeta's publishers, Fourth Estate, declaring that whoever wrote the book was indeed a first-time author.
The autobiography of an acting chimpanzee is going head to head with a cold war love story and a novel about the assassination of a Pakistani dictator in this year's Guardian first book award.
Me Cheeta: the Autobiography, is billed as the true story of Cheeta the Chimp, star of Hollywood blockbusters, told "in his own words". The book documents the life and times of a chimpanzee who has outlived all his co-stars from the 1939 film Tarzan to reach the ripe old age of 75. He withdrew from the limelight in 1964 after biting his Doctor Dolittle co-star Rex Harrison, and has retired to an old chimps' home in Palm Springs, California.
The book is not published until October 1, but judges for the award, now in its 10th year, were so startled by the early version they were sent that they included it on the 10-strong longlist, revealed today. The judging panel demanded a signed, sworn statement from Me Cheeta's publishers, Fourth Estate, declaring that whoever wrote the book was indeed a first-time author.
