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Portuguese and German elections

Congratulations to the Portuguese Socialist Party, which won the country’s elections last Sunday. The victory is mainly due to blue-collar workers, civil servants and young people’s voices. Maybe, because they are especially concerned by the financial crisis. However, abstention climbed from around 37 percent in 2005 to 41 percent this year.

And in Germany, the same superwoman Angela Merkel has won a second term as chancellor, but the new government will be different. Because her victory allows her to form a centre-right government which she said this will be better to put Germany back to health after its worst post war recession.

English : the most studied language

“I am, I were, I have been, ….”. English is the most studied language in European schools. However, even if English is popular among children and young people, a lot of adults often lack language skills. So, it means that teaching foreign tongues in school is not a real guarantee for adults. Around 36 percent of Europeans aged between 25 and 64 don’t speak a foreign language at all. Especially in Hungary which scored badly, with 75 percent who speak only Hungarian, followed by Portugal, where half of the adult population cannot speak another language. Today, the European Union counts 23 official languages.

Refunds after Eurostar breakdowns

Last Friday, about 1,000 Eurostar passengers were stuck on two trains for several hours, because of a power cut to overhead lines. The two trains were the ones from London St Pancras to Paris and to Brussels. They stopped outside Lille, in north-east France. There was alternative transport, but many passengers arrived five hours late. It wasn’t easy for people. A girl said that she had to wait in the dark for about two hours, then walk the full length of the train to make her way to the buses. Fortunately, they will be refunded and Eurostar will offer return trips as well.

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