python+ncurses: I can't display accents

[Fabrice DELENTE]

Incidentally, I noticed something about the environment: in my script, I use
the LINES and COLUMNS environment vars that are set in my shell:

columns=int(os.environ.get("COLUMNS"))
lines=int(os.environ.get("LINES"))

In the shell, I get

$ echo $LINES $COLUMNS
89 199

but python doesn't get these values. I have to start the script with

$ LINES=$LINES COLUMNS=$COLUMNS ./sort_entries.py

How come?

-- 
Fabrice DELENTE