Mr Sarkozy arrived at La Muette clinic in Paris several hours after his wife Carla gave birth. He had been at the clinic earlier on in the day, but had to to leave for Germany to hold talks on the current eurozone debt crisis. The leader, who has three sons from the two previous marriages he had, was on a visit to a waste-processing plant when he made his comments, saying that the birth was full of profound joy and all the more special because it was private.

The French head of state added that both mother and baby are doing very well. When asked the name of his new child, it was explained that her name will be revealed later by his wife. The couple had decided not to make an official announcement on the birth, but Mr Sarkozy was touched when plant workers handed him gifts as he visited them and decided to speak on the matter.

Mr Sarkozy married his wife, Italian-born Carla Bruni, three years ago in 2008 and became the first French leader to have both divorced and remarried while in office. Carla has become the first serving first lady in French history to have given birth.

Now, thanks to a limited time offer from leading travel specialist P&O Cruises, you can receive a free ticket to the iconic theme park with every booking made.

Anyone planning on heading across the Channel to France this summer will surely be interested in the special discount offer from P&O, and all you need to do is book your car on the Dover to Calais ferry service. With Disneyland Paris just three hours away from the French coast, just pack up the kids and your vehicle and you can soon be enjoying the incredible range of attractions on offer, including the excitement of Disney’s New Generation Festival.

Disneyland Paris features so much to do and see, with the Dream Parade, Disney’s Stars ‘n’ Cars show, the Monsters Inc Scream Academy, the All Star Express and the brand new attraction – the Toy Story Parachute Drop – all wowing visitors. And it’s not just the theme park which will entertain. There are also dozens of fantastic cafes and restaurants, a host of chic bars, sensational shopping, kids play areas and viewing lounges all onboard the superb P&O cruise ships.

So what are you waiting for? Head to poferries.com today to book your Disneyland Trip, but hurry, the offer is only available until the end of September, and all trips must be taken before the end of the year.

Prices are being cut by as much as 35 per cent as agents and operators desperately attempt to woo cash-strapped customers for those final summer package holidays before the onset of winter.

Traditional family favourites, such as Spain, Turkey and Cyprus have all seen prices tumble, with UK holidaymakers in particular being offered the opportunity to experience these always popular destinations at a fraction of the usual cost. According to the recently releases Family Holiday Report from the Post Office, the price of an average family package holiday has dropped by one-third compared to this time last year.

One such website that specialises in bargain package holidays is package-holidays.com, where you can find a range of discounted deals to suit every vacation need. Offering a wide selection of holidays from all over the world, the site specialises in European locations and even offers a range of handy holiday information guides to the likes of Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Greece, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia, Montenegro and Poland. For those looking further afield, there are cheap package holidays to California and Florida in the USA, where families can be thrilled at Disneyland or Disney World.

There is also a fantastic selection of package holiday deals to suit all manner of journey, be it a beach break, ski holiday, winter retreat of luxury treat. On the easy to navigate homepage, simply enter your vacation requirements and then let the website search for the best package holiday for you. In a matter of seconds you will be provided with details of resorts and hotels and how to get there. Best of all, there are no hidden fees or surcharges, meaning the price you see is the price you pay.

Since the effects of the global economic crisis sent the pound tumbling against the euro around 18 months ago, devastating the travel and tourism industry, many traditional destinations for UK holidaymakers have been priced out of reach.

However, in a boost for those planning a summer getaway, the pound has rebounded to reach a new 19-month high against the European currency. The single currency has fallen by a significant 11 per cent against the sterling in the past 12 months, with the good news released just after the disastrous World Cup campaign sent England’s would-be hero’s home shamefully early.

Sterling’s upsurge in value to reach 1.24 euros represents the highest rate of exchange since way back November 2008, and means that the average British family could now be saving up to £700 on summer holiday around the Mediterranean compared to this time last year. Additionally, the struggling euro-zone economies on the mainland mean Britons based on the Continent can take advantage of lower prices on everyday household products, particularly good news for expats and retirees living in Spain, France and Portugal.

Croatia, Bulgaria and the troubled economy of Greece all are looming as bargain holiday destinations, while Eastern European countries will also offer excellent value for money. Travel specialist Thomas Cook claims that related travel expenses such as ground transport, drinks, meals, cigarettes, newspapers and snacks will all be markedly cheaper than a year ago, while online booking specialist lastminute.com has reported a massive rush for holiday bookings following the World Cup early exit.

Chartier, the now Academy Award winner for his production of The Hurt Locker, was just 20-years-old when he travelled from his Disneyland Paris janitor job to the bright lights of Hollywood. An American producer had accepted one of his scripts and urged the young man to head west. Finding little success initially as a producer Chartier began working as a scriptwriter for soft-core pornography on US cable networks.

Last night, sixteen years later, should have been his crowning glory, a stride onto the Oscars stage with fellow The Hurt Locker team members Mark Boal, Greg Shapiro and Kathryn Bigelow. However, Chartier was not even close to the building, being confined to watch the show via television at a Malibu party. The reason? Chartier lobbied the members of the Academy to boycott big-budget Hollywood flicks in favour of his movie. This is a clear breach of rules laid down by the academy which argues its independence is based on not responding or indeed allowing such propaganda.

The deeper reason may well be that Chartier is far from Hollywood blue-blood, having a shady past which also included roles as a salesman – a profession frowned upon by the LA elite. Widely regarded as a schlock merchant, Chartier has discovered that independent film-makers are in low regard in high places. He also alienated himself from his The Hurt Locker colleagues by begging to be added to the nomination after being ruled ineligible initially by the Academy.

The fast food chain is delighted at the idea of providing fast food to hoards of hungry culture fanatics, although not everyone is agreeing with the thought of mixing the essence of European culture and burgers and chips..

The McDonald’s will be located right in the food court of the underground mall neighbouring the museum, called the Carrousel du Louvre.

The launching of the new fast food joint could be considered as a mark of celebration for McDonald’s 30th anniversary in France.

Astonishingly, some say that the twinning could serve the interests of both cultural icons. The Louvre is the globe’s most popular museum and France, surprisingly, is McDonald’s highest market outside America.

In a country where eating in itself is considered an form of art, McDonald’s symbolises the American spirit driving the globalisation and the homogenisation of cultures.

But McDonald’s chief executive Jim Skinner said during a recent interview published in the French economic daily Les Echos that the reason the chain is popular in France, where it boasts more than 1,000 restaurants, is that it is perceived as a French business.

Mr Skinner added that the McDonald’s outlet on the beautiful Champs-Elysees Avenue is the chain’s most profitable in the world.

Meanwhile, The Louvre officials have refused to comment on the upcoming arrival. Louvre spokeswoman Aggy Lerolle said only that the museum has no veto over McDonald’s arrival since the Carrousel is a privately run business contrary to the state-run museum.

But some locals are indignant about the strange mix in the backyard of the former residence of the Roi Soleil, Louis XIV.

Some people have foreseen this arrival long ago. In January 2007, the culture branch of the powerful CFDT union decried the “Disleylandization” of French culture, stating the government is looking to transforming museums into theme parks.  As an example, the union highlighted plans for the desert Louvre, set to open in 2013 in Dubai as well as a Starbucks coffee house newly arrived near the Louvre.

France’s latest negative comments coincides with a Brussels gathering of policymakers and interest groups, where the possibility of developing a European framework that would allow it to scan complete libraries in Europe was discuss

France’s opposition to the US brokered agreement, doing so simply because it would undermine French authors’ rights, means that the European Union probably won’t adapt a copyright system suitable for Google’s digitisation project.

Google’s attempts at providing the world’s largest library faces stiff barriers in Europe since copyrights are effective until 70 years after the death of a book’s author.

In America, a 2005 massive class-action lawsuit spearheaded by authors and publishers has culminated in a whopping $125m settled by Google and a broad deal covering the workings of royalty split.

A New York judge is scheduled to rule in October on the legality of the settlement, and is currently accepting arguments from concerned parties to inform the ruling.

France’s official opposition, signed by culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand, comes a week after Germany’s similar objection to a deal that would for ever change the landscape of international copyright regulations.

At Le Puy-du-Fou in Les Epesses, offers Europe’s best historical theme park. And it is located right in the middle of the country side with its beautiful landscape of pastures, woods and hedges.

The park is famous for historical reasons; the Vendée war happened when, in 1793, poor peasants in western France had had enough of the French Revolution. They organised themselves, fought Republican soldiers, won, lost and were subsequently massacred for their impertinence in obstructing the progress in the name of liberty.

“The Vendée will be burned, devastated and depopulated,” said the revolutionary government at the time. Conservative numbers put the final death toll near 200,000. Execution techniques included ropping naked men and women together and then throwing them in the Loire. These were called “Republican marriages”.

These are useful information for visitors:

Historial de la Vendée, Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne. Call: 0033 251 476161 or visit www.vendee.fr. Opening days are Tues-Sun.

Refuge de Grasla, Les Brouzils, Call; 0033 251 429620 or visit: www.refugedegrasla.fr. It’s open everyday until September 13.

Logis de la Chabotterie, St Sulpice-le-Verdon. Call: 0033 251 428100 or visit: www.vendee.fr. Open daily.

The nearest airport is at Nantes and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) offers service from Liverpool and East Midlands. Brittany Ferries (0871 244 0744; www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) offers a Portsmouth-St Malo shuttle. It’s a two hours and 30 minutes drive from St Malo to Montaigu.

We would like to thank www.telegraph.co.uk for quotes used in this article.

Confirmed acts scheduled for idyllic St Malo are bands such as My Bloody Valentine, The Horrors, The Kills, Telepathe, Peaches, Deerhunter, Gang Gang Dance and Grizzly Bear.

For this special occasion, NME is offering a chance to have an all expense paid trip for the lucky winner, and a friend, to La Route Du Rock Festival 2009. Expenses cover an overnight ferry trip (thanks of Brittany Ferries), two tickets for the festival, and camping (onsite) for the entire weekend.

The lucky winner will only heave to present him or herself at Portsmouth harbour in order to take the overnight ferry on Thursday August 13. The boat departs at 8.30pm and returns to Portsmouth the following Monday.

To participate, contenders must login and answer a very easy question on the company’s website. Make sure to consult in full the list of terms and conditions. For this, please visit: NME Terms. Participants have until August 11 to partake in the competition

Please visit La Route Du Rock’s web site for a full line-up of the acts featured during the festival.

As a side note, when contenders enter this competition, their email address will be kept for a newsletter. But people will be given an opportunity to unsubscribe, if they wish, via an unsubscribe message in an email.

La Route Du Rock will be presented from August 14 to 16.

We would like to thank www.nme.com for information used in this article.