Death toll in French flooding hits 14
At least 14 people died and one remained missing after the storms and floods that battered southwest France earlier this week, local authorities said Wednesday, updating the toll.
The equivalent of three months rainfall was dumped overnight Sunday to Monday in the region of the fortress city of Carcassonne, bursting the banks of rivers, including the Aude, which reached levels not seen in 100 years.
The worst flooding took place in the medieval town of Trebes, where six people were killed by flash floods which overturned cars, gutted streets and swamped hundreds of homes, officials said.
Trebes had already made headlines in March when a jihadist went on the rampage, killing four people during a shooting spree and hostage-taking at a supermarket.
Five people were arrested after attempting to steal from a food truck abandoned near the town, authorities also said.
Water levels have since started falling along the Aude river and its tributaries, according to Vigicrues, the government agency responsible for monitoring flooding.
Some 700 firemen and civil defence personnel are involved in clean-up operations, and extra police and army personnel have been drafted to the area.
The storms were triggered when a front of warm and humid air from the Mediterranean Sea slammed into colder air around the Massif Central mountain range.
A flooded street in the city of Trèbes, near Carcassone, southern France. Photo: AFP
Only hunters allowed in Burgundy forest until end of season
If you like the outdoors, you'd be wise to avoid the Is-sur-Tille forest in Burgundy… at least on Sundays.
Since October 14th joggers, cyclists and hikers have been prohibited from going into the forest on Sundays, with the ban set to remain in place until the end of the hunting season on February 28th.
The order was issued by the mayor who says the move is all about keeping the public safe.
The ban was made at the request of the Is-sur-Tille hunting association which has said it is more prudent that the access be reserved for hunters on Sundays because certain walkers are not prudent and not visible enough.
“We would not want there to be an accident,” the treasurer of the Is-sur-Tille hunting association Marc Leyoudec told the French press.
La forêt d'Is-sur-Tille interdite aux promeneurs les dimanches jusqu'à la fin de la saison de chasse https://t.co/od8ukLFYQL
— Aurel (@AureldeBesac) October 17, 2018
Could there soon be a new high-speed TGV train between Bordeaux and London?
Fancy travelling from Bordeaux to London in just five hours?
Well, that could soon become a reality.
The four infrastructure managers SNCF-Réseau, Eurotunnel, Lisea and HS1 signed an agreement on Wednesday to launch a feasibility study into a direct TGV linking London St Pancras to the Girondine city.
And if the results are positive, the line could be up running as early as spring 2021.
The study will measure the necessary adaptations for the Bordeaux station to acquire a border security control terminal and estimate their cost.
The trains would be 400 meters long and able to accommodate 900 passengers.
Bientôt un TGV reliant Bordeaux à Londres en moins de 5 heures? https://t.co/ooDgE8FM15 pic.twitter.com/MO0XHrykcf
— BFM Eco (@bfm_eco) October 17, 2018
120 doctors resign from the same hospital in Brittany
No doubt it came as a bit of a shock to hospital management.
In one fell swoop, the hospital in Saint-Brieuc lost a whopping 120 doctors as they quit their positions over disagreements with those in charge of running it.
Among their grievances were the fact that some employees had not had their fixed-term contracts renewed and a dispute over the construction of an outpatient centre.
Unsurprisingly the situation marks “a first in the history of the hospital”.
Les 120 médecins de l'hôpital de Saint-Brieuc démissionnent en même temps https://t.co/gLmZU0QbIC #Régions pic.twitter.com/1TLP9AtePH
— L'important (@Limportant_fr) October 13, 2018
Primark opens in Toulouse
The popular Irish brand opened its doors in France's Pink City on Wednesday, with customers queuing up from 6 am to make they were among the first to see the new store.
Several hundred people swept through the four levels of the 7500 m² store however some remained outside in order to protest the opening due to the company's “unethical practices”.
[#Inauguration] Le magasin #PRIMARK ouvre enfin ses portes après de longs mois d’attente pour les Toulousains. À #Toulouse spécifiquement, l’enseigne a choisi de s’implanter en centre-ville participant ainsi pleinement à son #attractivité et générant la création de 300 emplois pic.twitter.com/sRpBp85DGB
— Jean-Luc Moudenc (@jlmoudenc) October 17, 2018
French government abandons plans for new road in central France
The French government had abandoned plans to build a new road between Lyon and Saint Etienne.
The ministry of transport confirmed the decision to scrap the A45 motorway project in a meeting with local officials on Wednesday.
Instead the money will be spent on existing highways and railways.
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