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CNN Live At Daybreak
Euro Edition
Aired July 28, 2003 - 05:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time to check on what's making headlines overseas in this morning's "Euro Edition."
Hala Gorani live in London with what the front pages are saying there. And we love this segment, Hala, so hit us.
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, you mentioned it in the headlines a few minutes ago, and Lance Armstrong is front-page news for many of the newspapers around Europe and in the U.K. as well.
It says here on the cover of "The Guardian," Lance Armstrong, "The Franco-American cold war was rendered irrelevant by a bike race," according to "The Guardian" yesterday, "as the Stars and Stripes flew just meters from Jacques Chirac's presidential residence."
As you mentioned there, Lance Armstrong, five wins, the first American to win the Tour de France, that three-week grueling test for endurance, won by the closest of margin, though, of his career. So, will he make it six? We don't know.
Now, from the Tour de France, I'm taking you to a French newspaper. This is the left-leaning daily, "Liberation": "From the tour to the detour de France." "Liberation" complaining -- well, not complaining -- reporting in its front page and headlining with this: that "American tourists are deserting France." One of the problems for hoteliers and hotels around the country is that French -- U.S. clients make up about 20 percent of some luxury hotels' business, so, of course, an obvious revenue problem. They're blaming the strong euro, the weak dollar, the war in Iraq and some anti-French sentiment as well as the result of the position taken during the Iraq war.
COSTELLO: I think that last one is the biggest factor, Hala.
GORANI: Well, you know, I'm not so sure, because the euro and the dollar relationship have made it so much more expensive for Americans to come even in Europe, because American tourism numbers have gone down in other countries as well. It would be 20 percent more expensive for you to come to a luxury hotel, or any kind of hotel for that matter, if you were paying in dollars and having to convert your money.
So, that is definitely one of the factors, and I think that when it comes to France as well. But it all ties in quite nicely there with that Lance Armstrong story.
A quick word there on the ongoing row between the government, the BBC and the tragic death of the scientist, Dr. Kelly. Now, the former cabinet minister from the Blair government who resigned, Clare Short, who was for International Development, says that the government's abuse of power may be to blame for David Kelly's death. That's the scientist who is said to have been the main source of a BBC report that alleged that the Blair government exaggerated the war threat against Iraq.
So, that's a quick look at what's happening in the newspapers on this side of the Atlantic.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, we appreciate it. Hala Gorani live from London this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired July 28, 2003 - 05:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time to check on what's making headlines overseas in this morning's "Euro Edition."
Hala Gorani live in London with what the front pages are saying there. And we love this segment, Hala, so hit us.
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, you mentioned it in the headlines a few minutes ago, and Lance Armstrong is front-page news for many of the newspapers around Europe and in the U.K. as well.
It says here on the cover of "The Guardian," Lance Armstrong, "The Franco-American cold war was rendered irrelevant by a bike race," according to "The Guardian" yesterday, "as the Stars and Stripes flew just meters from Jacques Chirac's presidential residence."
As you mentioned there, Lance Armstrong, five wins, the first American to win the Tour de France, that three-week grueling test for endurance, won by the closest of margin, though, of his career. So, will he make it six? We don't know.
Now, from the Tour de France, I'm taking you to a French newspaper. This is the left-leaning daily, "Liberation": "From the tour to the detour de France." "Liberation" complaining -- well, not complaining -- reporting in its front page and headlining with this: that "American tourists are deserting France." One of the problems for hoteliers and hotels around the country is that French -- U.S. clients make up about 20 percent of some luxury hotels' business, so, of course, an obvious revenue problem. They're blaming the strong euro, the weak dollar, the war in Iraq and some anti-French sentiment as well as the result of the position taken during the Iraq war.
COSTELLO: I think that last one is the biggest factor, Hala.
GORANI: Well, you know, I'm not so sure, because the euro and the dollar relationship have made it so much more expensive for Americans to come even in Europe, because American tourism numbers have gone down in other countries as well. It would be 20 percent more expensive for you to come to a luxury hotel, or any kind of hotel for that matter, if you were paying in dollars and having to convert your money.
So, that is definitely one of the factors, and I think that when it comes to France as well. But it all ties in quite nicely there with that Lance Armstrong story.
A quick word there on the ongoing row between the government, the BBC and the tragic death of the scientist, Dr. Kelly. Now, the former cabinet minister from the Blair government who resigned, Clare Short, who was for International Development, says that the government's abuse of power may be to blame for David Kelly's death. That's the scientist who is said to have been the main source of a BBC report that alleged that the Blair government exaggerated the war threat against Iraq.
So, that's a quick look at what's happening in the newspapers on this side of the Atlantic.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, we appreciate it. Hala Gorani live from London this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
