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TOULOUSE

Forget Paris: Toulouse France’s best place to study

Paris is not France's best student city, despite its prestigious universities, according to a new report. Toulouse, in the south-west of the country, comes out top in the survey.

Published: 12 September 2012 11:01 CEST

France’s capital, home to the internationally renowned Sorbonne and Sciences Po universities, came 10th in the ranking of 41 institutions by student magazine l'Étudiant.

Toulouse, Grenoble, Montpellier, Marseilles-Aix and Lyon all figured in the top five positions, while Valenciennes, Saint-Denis in Réunion and Douai-Lens were at the bottom.

Toulouse also received international recognition this week as the Université de Toulouse 1 Capitole came out as the top French institution in the prestigious Shanghai international university rankings. The city is home to fifteen higher education institutions.

The list was compiled from polling students on nine themes: studying, international opportunities, going out, culture, sports, transport, accommodation, environment and jobs.

While Paris scored the worst for sports and accommodation, it was unbeatable in the categories of international opportunities and culture.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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