Feedback - your comments this week

The rfienglish site - what was read, liked, disliked

by Aidan O'Donnell

Article published on the 2009-08-21 Latest update 2009-08-21 17:00 TU

A few rotten ones were hurled at rfienglish this week, but the odd happy remark made its way through as well
(Photo: FlickR/iveka19)

People are having problems accessing the rfi site in China but plenty of listeners are sending in reception reports after tuning in on shortwave. The influx of players into the French rugby scene this season was the subject of last weekend's Sports Insight and was appreciated by one listener in Nigeria. But we dropped the ball on politicians' CVs in Côte d'Ivoire and, it seems, on mythical cobra snakes in central France.

This week's most-read articles

Sex, drugs and album covers King Cobra on the loose in central France  No burkinis allowed in Paris pool Jesse Jackson ends three-day tour with optimism  Red shirt hordes rally for Thaksin pardon  Russian warships search for missing ship Police prefect suspended amid racism complaint  Toxic algae on France's northern coast  France starts to open on Sundays

 

There might have been plenty of people reading about the "King Cobra" slithering round the middle of France this week, but one reader launched into us with accusations of "sensationalism", describing our coverage of the main snake event in France this week as "a load of rubbish".

Mr Wittstock writes from South Africa that the King Cobra snake generally grows to - at most - four metres, not the lengths of close to seven metres that we were citing.

He's also sceptical as to whether central France's ecosystem would provide the necessary smaller snakes to sustain a King Cobra.

Another problem on the site this week, was the description of Alassane Ouattara as a "former president" of Côte d'Ivoire. All this during the visit of Jesse Jackson. While Outtara is a former Prime Minister and a likely candidate to run against President Laurent Gbagbo, a president he is not. Yet, at least.

Thanks to a reader in the US for pointing out this slip.

Happier listeners this week included a rugby follower in Nigeria. Wealth Umana wrote in to approve of a "sumptuous" Sports Insight - which RFI's Barney Spender dedicated to the attempt by England to invade the French rugby season - or something to that effect.

And a non-listener / reader wrote in from China (via a friend in the US) that she can't access the RFI website any more, suggesting that the Chinese government was responsible for her lack of access.

Technical reports are always welcome and reception is crystal clear in Nice, India, Michigan US it appears. Jim in California however has abandoned all hope in our audio player, saying it drops out on him regularly.

Thanks for all your feedback. You can write to us at [e-mail] or via our site.