Latest news with #ActuFrance
Local France
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French PM to meet representatives of protesting taxi drivers
Bayrou will open the meeting, which will be held in the transport ministry, an aide in his office said on Thursday. Taxi drivers have since Monday been protesting in Paris and other cities in France over a government decision to set a new fare rate from October for the subsidised transport of certified ill passengers. Their actions have included rolling roadblocks and blockades of key sites such as Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. READ ALSO What to expect from this week's taxi protests The change is part of French government efforts to rein in soaring health costs. Last year, the subsidised taxi system cost France €3 billion. But drivers have complained that lower fares for transporting people to medical appointments would cut their revenues by more than a quarter. They are also angry over what they see as laxer rules and regulations for VTC drivers, such as Uber. Advertisement So far, the protests, which began on Monday, have been disruptive. In the Paris area on Wednesday, a go-slow campaign caused over 450km of traffic jams, Actu France reported. Meanwhile blockades have hit towns and cities including Marseille, Toulon, Amiens, Bordeaux and Pau - the hometown of PM Bayrou.
Local France
22-05-2025
- Local France
French taxi drivers vow to continue strikes and blockades
France's national taxi federation, which represents taxi drivers across the country, has vowed to continue protests until midnight on Sunday, according to Franceinfo, despite initial plans to continue protests until Friday. The head of the national taxi federation, Dominique Buisson, told Franceinfo on Wednesday that the group had declared their intent to protest "until midnight on Sunday, particularly in Paris and Pau." "There are taxi drivers from the countryside who are on their way to Paris, with blockades planned at Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports," Buisson added. On Thursday, taxi drivers were once again expected to mobilise along Paris' Boulevard Raspail, with protest action also planned in other French cities, like in Marseille where taxi drivers had planned another go slow campaign ( opération escargot ) along the A50. Local authorities also warned of protest action near the Marseille airport, as well as the Aix-en-Provence and Saint Charles train stations, which could lead to delays for travellers. READ MORE: What to expect from this week's French taxi driver strikes So far, the protests, which began on Monday, have been disruptive. In the Paris area on Wednesday, a go-slow campaign caused over 450km of traffic jams, Actu France reported. Advertisement Taxi drivers are protesting against price changes for medical transport, as well as against what they see as laxer rules and regulation for VTC services (like Uber).
Local France
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Local France
Does Nice really have a microclimate?
The city of Nice's tourism website describes it as benefiting from "an exceptional microclimate which contributes to its reputation. "Open to the sea, the town is protected from the wind by its hills; to the west by the Estérel massif and to the north-west by the barrier of the Mercantour Alps. "The climate, always mild in winter, is never too hot in summer, thanks to the sea breeze." What is a microclimate? According to the definition by the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources a microclimate is "a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. It can be as small as a few square feet or cover hundreds of square miles." Advertisement According to Geo France magazine, a microclimate can be caused by a number of different circumstances, like proximity to a nearby body of water that absorbs and releases heat more slowly, or a valley fixed between two mountain ranges. You can also use it to describe urban spaces where temperatures tend to be hotter than surrounding areas, thanks to paved roads, high density infrastructure and a lower quantity of trees and green areas. The term is particularly useful for people working in agriculture, as microclimates can help determine the best places for growing plants. READ MORE: 'A really efficient city': Why more and more Americans are moving to Nice Does Nice count as a 'microclimate'? This definition of 'microclimate' is broad and there is no official list of microclimates in France. Nice often boasts having over 300 days of sunny weather a year (or 2,694 hours of sunshine) with an annual average temperature of 16C. However, this is pretty typical for the Côte d'Azur. It is the Mediterranean sea that helps give Nice its temperate climate - during heatwaves, you might see that inland areas, like Nîmes and even Avignon , have hotter weather than Nice. According to Actu France , this is mainly because of the city's proximity to the sea, which helps moderate temperatures. It does appear that Nice is slightly more temperate than other parts of the Mediterranean coast. For example, the average 'high' in Toulon in August is 29.8C, whereas in Nice it is 27.9C. In terms of whether Nice is the sunniest city in France, this title changes every year - but Grasse, Antibes, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Cannes, Nice, Fréjus, Martigues and Marseille are reliably in the top 10. Advertisement What about other 'microclimates' in France? Brittany is also referred to as the region in France with the highest number of 'microclimates'. One forecaster, Stéven Tual, told the regional Quimper outlet of Actu France that "several microclimates coexist in Brittany. "Mild weather and more sunshine in the Gulf of Morbihan, while a westerly wind brings more precipitation from Finistère to the Monts d'Arrée, and there are even periods of drought and drier weather in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc. "It's impossible to list them all, as there are so many variations in the weather in Brittany," he said. READ MORE: French clichés: Does it really rain all the time in Brittany?
