He was partly Burmese, partly Irish and partly French: his paternal grandparents came from Bourg-Lastic, a town in central France.

ECONOMIST: Alan de Lastic

While the building may be old, the attitude and decor are hip, young and fashion forward at the 30-room Le Bourg Tibourg hotel.

BBC: Business trip: Paris

Police raided the hotel where some members of the Cofidis team were staying in Bourg-en-Bresse, in eastern France, Tuesday morning, he said.

CNN: French Tour de France cyclist arrested amid doping claims

Back at Eurostar, Mr Brown highlights the fact that it already runs direct seasonal services to Avignon in the south of France, and winter services to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Aime-la-Plagne and Moutiers in the French Alps.

BBC: Eurostar toasts 15th anniversary