Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

GLANCE

A Glance around France: West Nile fever on the Riviera and a Bordeaux bus revolution

Here's a look at some of the main stories from around France on Tuesday.

Published: 25 September 2018 15:58 CEST
A Glance around France: West Nile fever on the Riviera and a Bordeaux bus revolution
Photo: AFP
Brittany 
 
A driver was arrested between Rennes and Redon in Brittany after taking a rather unusual approach to the highway code. 
 
The drunk 32-year-old was picked up the local gendarmes for speeding… as well as driving with the bonnet of his car fully raised. 
 

 
Southern France 
 
People in southern France would be wise to steer clear from mosquitoes if a recent health warning is anything to go by. 
 
According to health authorities in the southern French Alpes-Maritimes department, West Nile fever, which is a viral infection typically spread by mosquitoes, has been spreading around the Mediterranean.
 
So far, 20 cases of the virus have been recorded in two months and the regional health authority (ARS) has advised everyone to protect themselves against mosquito bites especially the vulnerable.
 

 
 
Eastern France 
 
There was some good news for women's rights advocates in the east of France on Tuesday.
 
From October 1st there will be 15 new housing units in the eastern French city of Besançon for violent spouses, allowing victims of domestic violence to stay in their homes instead removing the aggressive partner. 
 
“The goal is to reverse what was seen in the past when a woman was forced to leave her home in an emergency,” said Besançon's public prosecutor Etienne Manteaux. 
 
 
Bordeaux
 
Transport authorities in Bordeaux have announced the introduction of a major new measure to tackle the scourge of sexual harassment and abuse on the city's public transport system.
 
Bordeaux is set to adopt 'on demand bus stops' across its network by the end of the year, becoming just the second city in France to do so. 
 
The move, which will see passengers able to hop off the bus even when the vehicle isn't at a designated stop after 10 pm, has been trialed in the city since last winter and will be rolled out to other lines from November.  
 

 
 
Normandy
 
Scallops are making headlines once again, but this time their newsworthiness isn't to do with the war being fought over them. 
 
According to a new report, there have never been so many scallops in the English Channel, with a record number caught in the Baie de Seine off the Normandy coast this year. 
 
“In 2018, the situation in the baie de Seine is excellent, ” scientists said. “And the total usable amount of shells is at an all-time high, reaching almost 63,600 tonnes, far ahead of the 2017 level (nearly 48,600 tonnes) and more than twice the previous record of 2012.” 
 

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WEATHER

IN PICTURES: French town hit by freak June hailstorm

A French town has been hit by a freak hailstorm that left locals clearing drifts of ice in the streets with shovels and snow ploughs.

Published: 29 June 2021 16:44 CEST
IN PICTURES: French town hit by freak June hailstorm
Photo: Sapeurs-pompiers des Vosges

The hail struck the town of Plombières-les-Bains in the Vosges mountains on Tuesday morning.

Romain Munier, head of communications for the local emergency services, told French media: “There were up to 60 centimetres of accumulated hail” while in the wider area, “up to 10 millimetres of water accumulated in six minutes”.

https://twitter.com/timbaland57/status/1409881345741012994

Locals were pictured clearing the street of ice with shovels and snow ploughs after the storm passed and the fire and rescue crews for the Vosges area said they had received 56 callouts in total.

Large areas of France are on weather alert for storms until Thursday, as a ‘cold drop’ passes over the country leading to extremely unsettled weather.

In most areas, however, the storms will be confined to heavy rain and thunder.

In neighbouring Switzerland, the Swiss news agency ATS reported giant hailstones up to seven centimetres wide in the canton of Lucerne.

In the canton of Fribourg, the police and fire brigade were called 300 times, including to rescue a class of 16 children and two adults caught in the hail.

Six of the children and one adult were taken to hospital.

At least five people were injured in the German-speaking Swiss cantons, including a cyclist who suffered head injuries from hailstones, according to ATS, whilst in Germany severe flooding has hit parts of the country including Stuttgart.

SHOW COMMENTS