Record numbers visit Guernsey from France
Brittany Ferries said about 750 car and foot passengers had arrived from St Malo on Thursday.
It said this would be the busiest day for continental visitors on record - about twice the previous record.
Zoe Gosling, the States' lead marketing officer, said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome so many passengers from France - it's a great reflection of Guernsey's appeal."
She said everyone involved had "worked hard ahead of the season to make our French visitors feel welcome, including increasing French-language signage and posters around the harbour".
VisitGuersney provided live musical entertainment and handed out French maps and information to visitors.
Brittany Ferries said the record figures were part of an overall positive trend, with foot passengers from France up more than 190% compared to last year and overall bookings up by more than 120%.
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CNBC
6 hours ago
- CNBC
41-year-old lawyer relocated to Paris, has no plans of moving back to the U.S.: 'It's where I'm supposed to be in the world'
After law school, Adriel Sanders, 41, found work as a corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions attorney. But she didn't enjoy practicing law. "The whole firm knew it. It was not a well-kept secret. I tried to pretend like I wanted to be a partner, but I couldn't maintain that image. I didn't even want to be a lawyer," Sanders, tells CNBC Make It. "I didn't enjoy the work and the expectation to work all the time and I will probably be one of the only attorneys who says it, but I don't think it's that intellectually stimulating." Sanders, who goes by Adriel Felise online, quit that job and eventually went to work as general counsel for a publicly traded company. At the time, Sanders was living in Washington, D.C. and making $286,656 a year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. She lived in a studio apartment and paid about $3,000 a month in rent. "What stereotypically happens to most Black women when they work in corporate America is the type of things I experienced my whole career. You're constantly hitting up against this glass ceiling," Sanders says. "I was deeply and truly miserable at the very depths of my little heart and little soul. I knew that it was not sustainable." While working her 9-to-5, Sanders dreamt of starting her own clothing line. She even pursued photography in her free time as a way to escape the endless grind of her career. "Photography was very much my creative outlet. For me, starting a fashion line is about doing what I should have always been doing and not about leaving a secure career. I feel like I'm stepping into my purpose," Sanders says. In 2017, Sanders and her two brothers went to Paris for the first time. That trip changed everything. When they first arrived in the city, Sanders was a bit disgruntled after having an uncomfortable flight. Her younger brother reminded her to look around and take in where they were. "It instantly clicked. I was like, 'This is your home. This is where you're supposed to be in the world and this is where you will always be," she says. "I knew I had to move to Paris." Sanders traveled back to Paris several times after that first visit. "The moment I stepped off the plane, I felt like I could just breathe," she says. In 2019, she decided she would make the move across the Atlantic. At the beginning of 2020, Sanders quit her job, gave her landlord notice, and started the process to obtain a French visa. She contacted Adrian Leeds from HGTV's "House Hunters International" to help find an apartment and flew to France for a few days while a moving company packed up her belongings and prepared to ship it all overseas. Sanders landed in Paris the day before France closed its border due to the covid-19 pandemic. "The slowness of the world meant that France sped up. We were all operating from the same level of confusion, so the good thing is that I was confused by what was happening, but so was everyone else," Sanders says. "I arrived the day before the lockdown, so there was no one and it was a complete dystopia." Sanders signed a lease for a one-bedroom apartment that cost 1,550 euros, or $1,815 USD, where she lived for two years. She then moved into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment and signed a three-year lease. The rent was 1,980 euros or $2,319 when she first moved in. It has since increased to $2,540 USD. Sanders lives in what they call an "unfurnished apartment" in Paris, which means she had to purchase her own kitchen cabinets, stove, and washing machine. She estimates that she spent about $5,000 on the kitchen and close to another $10,000 to make the place really feel like home. "Could I have done it cheaper, 100% but my view is that I don't know when I will leave so I want to have things the way I want them," she says. In addition to rent, Sanders spends, on average, about 963 euros or $1,128 per month on expenses, which include household bills like cable, internet, renter's insurance, dry cleaning, electricity and gas, private health insurance, and a Navigo transportation card. She also has an annual subscription to the Louvre, which costs 95 euros a year and a second museum card that can add an extra 50-100 euros a year to her expenses. She also pays 1,069.20 euros or $1,252 annually to a guarantor service, which allows her to continue renting in France. When Sanders first arrived in Paris, she did some consulting as a lawyer but decided it was finally time to bet on herself. She says she had about $200,000 in her business account and $70,000 in personal savings when she quit that job and put all of her focus on creating her fashion brand, Adriel Felise, and becoming a content creator. That money and her income from content creation helps to fund Sanders' new business venture. Her parents are retired and have been able to help her out as well. "I'm grateful for it because it gives me the cushion to do the runway launching for the fashion line and that to me is the most important goal. It gives me the freedom to know that I'm not going to fall and can pursue my dream," she says. Sanders is self-funding the production of her initial samples and prototypes, but hopes to raise at least $2 million and have her 10-piece collection ready for launch in 2026. Sanders says leaving the United States and her corporate law career behind helped her realize she's more resourceful than she thought. "I can use my strategic side that I learned as a lawyer, but implement it in a very creative way." she says. "I love fashion and I'm so happy that I can now just say that and be upfront about it because for so long it was treated as something that made me less serious." When Sanders was working as a lawyer, she used to take walks around her office building and dream about starting a fashion line, and now seeing it come to life still doesn't feel real. "There's still a part of me that strives and pushes for more so I don't know if I'm fully ready to say I'm proud but I feel like I'm actually happy, which I wasn't for so long and that's huge for me," she says. "My goal and desire is to inspire women — particularly black and brown women — to just pursue their dreams and goals. When they do it does not matter. The most important thing is that they be bold, move wisely, and just go for it." Sanders plans to keep Paris as her home base and eventually buy a home in the countryside. Since moving, Sanders has traveled all over France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, and more. She is currently making plans to spend the rest of the summer in the Loire Valley or Normandy in northern France. "I wish I had had the courage to move sooner. I wish I had the courage to do it after my first semester of law school to either drop out or enroll in business school and do something different that would have given me more options and choice to not get pigeonholed into something that I knew from the beginning I didn't want to be," she says. "I know that Americans really love to classify based upon age, race, etc. but I don't want to be classified as anything other than a woman who believed in herself enough to ignore the naysayers and go for her hopes and dreams."
CNN
20 hours ago
- CNN
A colonial hangover or a linguistic leg-up? India grapples with the enduring appeal of English
When British traders landed on India's shores in the 1600s, they arrived in search of spices and silk but stayed for centuries – leaving behind a legacy that would shape the nation long after their colonial exploitation ended: the English language. Over the centuries, English seeped into the very fabric of Indian life – first as a tool of commerce, then as the language of law and, eventually, a marker of privilege. Now, after more than a decade of Hindu-nationalist rule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is mounting perhaps the most significant challenge yet to the language's place in India. 'Those who speak English will soon feel ashamed,' Home Minister Amit Shah said last month, igniting a heated debate about national identity and social mobility in the polyglot nation of 1.4 billion. While Shah did not mention India's former colonial masters, he declared that 'the languages of our country are the jewels of our culture' – and that without them, 'we cease to be truly Indian.' Spoken behind the walls of colonial forts and offices, English in India was at first the language of ledgers and treaties. But as British rule expanded from the ports of Gujarat to the palaces of Delhi, it became the lingua franca of the colonial elite. At independence, India faced a dilemma. With hundreds of languages and dialects spoken across its vast landscape, its newly appointed leaders grappled with the question of which one should represent the new nation. Hindi, the predominant language in the north, was put forward as a candidate for official language. But strong resistance from non-Hindi-speaking regions – especially in the south – meant English would remain only as a temporary link to unite the country. It's a legacy that endures to this day – and still rankles some. 'I subscribe to the view that English is the language of the colonial masters,' Pradeep Bahirwani, a retired corporate executive from the southern city of Bengaluru, said, adding: 'Our national language should be a language which… has got roots in India.' But critics argue that Shah's remarks risk undermining the country's global competitiveness. Equating English with cultural shame, they contend, reflects a narrow perspective that needlessly tries to erase a remnant of the colonial era that keeps India fluent in the language of global commerce. 'It's the aspiration of people to have access to a language which has a lot of prestige internationally,' said Indian linguist Ayesha Kidwai, a professor at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. 'I don't think it's the legacy of colonialism anymore.' And pushback to the BJP's recent messaging has been strong. 'English is not a barrier, it's a bridge. English is not shame, it's strength,' wrote leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi on X, after Shah's remarks last month. 'Every Indian language has a soul, culture, and knowledge. We must cherish them – and at the same time, teach every child English.' CNN has contacted India's Home Ministry for comment. But language tensions are no longer confined to debates in parliament – they're spilling into the streets. Just last week, video of a heated confrontation on a train in India's financial hub Mumbai went viral after a passenger was allegedly harassed for not speaking the regional language Marathi. Clashes erupted elsewhere in the city over the federal government's drive to promote Hindi – a language closely tied to the BJP's northern power base and often seen as central to the party's vision of national unity and Hindu identity. Since India's independence from Britain in 1947, the status of English in India has been deeply political – entwined with questions of identity, power, and national direction. Today, English is one of several official languages in India, spoken by about 10% of the population. Hindi is the first language for around 44% of citizens, according to the 2011 census. But in recent years, Modi's BJP has placed particular emphasis on promoting Hindi and reducing the use of English in public life. The prime minister almost never delivers speeches in English, preferring Hindi for national addresses such as his monthly radio program. His administration has encouraged officials to use Hindi on social media and in government correspondence – though, after criticism from non-Hindi-speaking states, clarified that this was intended mainly for the Hindi belt in the north. When India hosted world leaders for the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, invitations were sent out from 'Bharat' – the Sanskrit or Hindi name for the country – instead of 'India,' fueling speculation that the government aims to ultimately phase out the country's English designation altogether. Modi's critics have been quick to note his political motives behind these moves. With its roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing organization that advocates Hindu hegemony within India, the BJP's language policies resonate with many in a country where nearly 80% of people are Hindu. Analysts say the BJP is seeking to capitalize on this demographic by promoting language policies that strengthen its support base in the north. According to Rita Kothari, an English professor from Ashoka University, the government 'is certainly interested in homogenizing the country and making Hindi more widespread.' But that policy can also backfire – in part because many regions, such as Marathi-speaking Maharashtra in the west – are staunchly proud of their local language. The violent clashes in the state's megacity Mumbai earlier this month were sparked by the regional government's controversial decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language in public primary schools. Pushback and protest has also been especially strong in the south, where English and regional languages such as Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada are valued as symbols of local identity and autonomy. For 19-year-old Steve E. Selvaraj from Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai, 'the BJP did a great job turning Hindi as their identity.' The college student, whose mother tongue is Tamil, said Hinduism has become a central focus for the ruling establishment – a way to 'get more votes.' 'Day by day, the influence of Hindi is increasing,' Selvaraj said. 'Hindi imposition may be a threat, but it will take a lot of time to disconnect the (local) connection with Tamil.' Kothari, from Ashoka University, said going after English was a convenient way of the BJP promoting Hindi without ruffling regional feathers. The government 'knows that its chances of success in south India for instance are thwarted by linguistic pride and nationalism,' she said. 'Since they can't make this public, English becomes a whipping boy.' India's widespread adoption of English can be traced back to the 19th-century British politician Thomas Macaulay, who advocated for the introduction of the language as the medium of instruction, instead of traditional languages of the elite like Sanskrit, Persian or Arabic. Macaulay's vision was unapologetically elitist. Creating a class of subjects who were 'Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect,' to serve as intermediaries between the colonial administration and the local population, he wrote, would help the British rule more effectively. These views were adopted by the British government, making English the language of Indian administration, higher education and the judiciary. The policy fostered a privileged English-educated elite – lawyers, teachers and writers – including many of India's early reformer nationalists, first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. But over time, English became far more than a holdover from colonial rule – turning into a symbol of modernity and opportunity. As India's economy transformed and its middle class expanded, English proficiency became crucial to upward mobility. For Shivam Singh, 23, the first in his family to speak English and to leave home for university, the language opened doors. 'I wanted to get a good job… English gives you an edge. All the internships I cracked was because I could hold conversations in English.' Singh practiced his spoken English on an AI app for hours, getting feedback that helped earn him the internships. India is now home to one of the world's largest English-speaking populations, with more than 130 million people reporting English proficiency in the 2011 census. This linguistic advantage has helped attract billions in foreign investment, enabled global partnerships, and powered sectors from tech support to startups. Yet, the prominence of English has also deepened social divides. Those without language skills find themselves largely excluded from lucrative careers. Wealthier, urban, or higher-caste families are far more likely to be fluent in English and English-medium schools are mainly concentrated in urban areas, leaving rural and lower-caste communities locked out. 'I am not able to find a (well-paying), because they say I do not know English,' said Vaishnavi Gujanan Narote, a housekeeper at a hotel in the capital New Delhi. She added: 'If you know Hindi, then all you can do is stay here and do odd jobs, but not get a good post, because English is a requirement.' Vijay Kumar, a computer teacher at a non-government organization in Delhi, never learned the language at school. 'I feel I did not get the opportunities in my life because I did not know English,' he said. The dominance of English and Hindi, along with rapid urbanization, have marginalized many of the country's indigenous languages – tongues spoken by hundreds of tribal communities now far removed from the mainstream. UNESCO classes nearly 200 Indian languages as endangered, and more than 220 languages in the country have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to the People's Linguistic Survey of India. 'Many languages in India do not get the respect or place they deserve,' said Aloka Kujur, a writer and activist from Jharkhand, whose mother tongue is Kuduk, a tribal language native to the east Indian state. The proliferation of English, Kujur said, cost her community recognition in the country. Kuduk is spoken by just under 2 million people and is in a 'vulnerable' state, according to UNESCO. Kujur said that in Jharkand, indigenous groups 'have an affinity with their language that cannot be broken,' but notices that Kuduk's use in everyday life is slipping away. As India looks toward the future, analysts say the English language's role in the country might not be going anywhere any time soon. 'There is no fear of sidelining English,' Kothari, from Ashoka University, said. 'It is much too strong to be sidelined.' It's a sentiment Singh, the first student, agrees with. 'We cannot afford to not learn English in India,' he said. 'We are a developing country, we need to learn from the world.'
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Trump's tariff plan seems to be working — proving all the naysayers wrong
For all the 'sky-is-falling' cries over President Donald Trump's tariffs, it looks like his strategy may be working — just as his Aug. 1 deadline nears. In the past week, the Trump folks struck deals with Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines — and may be on the verge of a deal with Europe: On Friday, the prez cited a 50-50 chance of reaching an agreement with the European Union. These developments — on top of previous deals with Vietnam, the United Kingdom and a framework on rare-earth exports and tech restrictions with China — go a long way toward standing up Trump's vision for the international economy, with better terms for America. And at least so far, no catastrophic fallout. Heck, the nation looks poised to benefit enormously on several fronts. Trump's deals in Asia, for starters, reopen US access to cheap markets, sidestepping China, our greatest economic and military rival. Indonesia and the Philippines will pay 19% tariffs on their exports to the United States and levy 0% tariffs on more than 99% of US goods. Japan will see 15% tariffs and invest more than half a trillion dollars into the US economy. Washington will also slap fewer restrictions on Indonesian, Filipino and Japanese goods, everything from cars and clothes to electronics and rubber. And now EU officials are signaling their support for a deal that would mirror the one Trump made with Japan — reciprocal tariffs of 15%. Notably, the EU includes 27 countries in a shared common market, representing the largest singular trading bloc for the United States. The EU deal would clearly benefit US consumers looking to buy, say, French wines or German cars, and also US producers seeking wider access to the European markets. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Meanwhile, the resolution of trade issues with so many countries will calm markets and bring confidence and stability to the business community. As for the predicted inflation, it's nowhere to be seen: June's consumer price index came in at a reasonable 2.7%. Recall it hit 9% under Joe Biden. That's partially because corporations, unsure of whether high tariffs will remain permanent and nervous about hiking prices, have absorbed most of the tariffs' costs, at least for now. More good news: The tariffs brought in $64 billion in revenue for the government in just the first three months since Trump's April 2 'Liberation Day' announcement. He's suggested issuing 'rebates' based on that haul, but far better to use the new revenue to pay down the runaway national debt. Yes, there's plenty more to do: Team Trump needs to finalize agreements with Canada, India and Mexico, along with the EU, and numerous smaller countries, before the president's across-the-board reciprocal tariffs hit Aug. 1. So considerable uncertainty remains. But clearly the signs are good, at least so far — despite all the doomy predictions.
