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Local France
6 days ago
- Local France
OPINION: Seine swimming is part of a quiet revolution in Paris
One of the greatest joys of this summer in Paris for me has been swimming in the Seine - at the three free bathing spots that the city opened up at the start of July, more than a century after swimming in the river was banned because the water was too polluted. These swimming spots have proved extremely popular with locals and tourists alike - 40,000 people have swum so far and there are often queues to get into the sites, especially on hot days. READ ALSO : Everything you need to know about swimming in the Seine in Paris this summer I can entirely see why. The thing I've been struck by as I plunged into the river this summer (aside from the gorgeous relief of cool water on a hot day) is the sense of sheer joy at each site. Even the Parisians, normally famous for their reserve/grumpiness, can't hide their excitement. Advertisement One morning I heard an older French lady call to her friend across the water: "Look at us! Swimming in the Seine, can you believe it?!" Head to any one of the three swimming spots and you'll hear similar sentiments. You can understand the sense of disbelief among longtime residents - the photo below of the Seine banks taken in 2015 paints a very different picture. Vehicles drive on the lower quais of the River Seine on June 19, 2015, before the riverbanks were pedestrianised. Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP Instead of the throngs of picnickers, joggers, cyclists, dog-walkers and families who today fill the quais (lower riverbanks) there were cars thundering along a highway. The river itself was filthy - far too polluted to swim in and even the fish had mostly left or died. The transformation has taken significant investment and a lot of political will. The pedestrianised banks of the Seine, pictured in 2025 during the summer 'Paris plage' events. Photo: Alain Jocard/AFP The total cost of cleaning up the Seine was €1.4 billion and - much as I appreciate it - they didn't spend all that just to give me a nice swimming spot in the summer. The ability to swim in it is a by-product of a cleaner river - one that is now brimming with diversity and no longer acts as a dumping ground for the factories further upstream. A random statistic - 40 species of fish now live in the river, compared to just four in 1970 (along with a goodly collection of river plants and weed which you might encounter while swimming). Mayor Anne Hidalgo and her predecessor, Bertrand Delanoë had to fight a series of legal battles to get the cars off the river banks permanently in 2018 and open them up to locals and tourists to use as a leisure space. They faced a stiff political battle too, despite various temporary and partial pedestrianisation schemes proving popular. Advertisement And the river banks are just one example of the enormous changes that have taken place in Paris over the past decade and a half - hundreds of streets pedestrianised and turned into green spaces, more than 1,000km of cycle lanes created, 130,000 trees planted so far (the plan is to have 170,000 by 2026). For me the best explanation of the overarching goal of this policy comes from Hidalgo's deputy mayor, David Belliard, who said : 'The redistribution of public space is a policy of social redistribution. '50 percent of public space is occupied by private cars, which are used mostly by the richest, and mostly by men, because it's mostly men who drive, and so in total, the richest men are using half the public space. "So if we give the space to walking, cycling, and public transit, you give back public space to the categories of people who today are deprived." The Seine quais are a prime example of this and are now one of the most vibrant and exciting spaces in Paris, especially on summer evenings. The Bercy swimming site on a summer evening. Photo: Emma Pearson Before we get too carried away, let's not pretend that Paris is perfect - the city still has a long way to go on air pollution, the public transport is largely inaccessible to people with disabilities while the housing shortage seems to get worse every day. Multiple other problems exist; no-one is trying to pretend that the city is paradise. Advertisement But to my mind, the quiet revolution in how the city space is used is equal to anything that Baron Haussmann did with his eye-catching architecture. Many of those who oppose action on climate change peddle the myth that you can either take action on the climate or you can maintain a good standard of living, but you can't have both. Paris is the living proof that this isn't true - can anyone truly look at old photos of the Seine and believe that its use then was better than what we have now?
IOL News
07-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Ballon d'Or 'should go to Champions League winner', says Ronaldo
Is Dembele the favourite for the Ballon d'Or? Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Ousmane Dembele brings the UEFA Champions League's trophy on Court Philippe-Chatrier on on day 9 at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris. Dembele has been backed by France teammate Kylian Mbappe to win the Ballon d'Or. Photo: Alain Jocard/AFP Image: Alain Jocard/AFP Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo said Saturday the individual honour should be awarded to a player who won the Champions League. Speaking ahead of Sunday's Nations League final in Munich between Portugal and Spain, the veteran said "trophies" should determine who wins the Ballon d'Or. "In my opinion, whoever wins it should be on a team that has won trophies. The Ballon d'Or winner should be in a team that has won the Champions League," the 40-year-old forward told reporters. First awarded in 1956 by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player considered the best over the previous season. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Paris Saint-Germain's 5-0 thumping of Inter Milan in the Champions League final last Saturday led to growing calls for Ousmane Dembele to win this season's gong. Spain starlet Lamine Yamal's superb display in Thursday's 5-4 Nations League semi-final win over France however had some arguing the teenager should be awarded the Ballon d'Or, which would make the 17-year-old the youngest winner in its history. France coach Didier Deschamps backed Dembele for the award, saying "considering the season Ousmane is having, he deserves it and that's all I wish for him". At a press conference in Stuttgart on Saturday, France captain Kylian Mbappe told reporters he backed Dembele. "Does anyone really need me to explain? Right now we're talking about Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele, but I'm voting for Dembele." Ronaldo said he "cannot tell you who deserves it" this season. Ronaldo's five wins is bettered only by Argentinian Lionel Messi, who has won the award eight times. The duo had a monopoly on the award for a decade from Ronaldo's first win in 2008 to his last in 2017. The current holder is Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri. AFP Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Express Tribune
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Algeria gives 12 French diplomats 48 hours to leave
The Algerian and French flags sway in the wind in the Algerian capital on October 9, 2022, upon the arrival of the French PM to Algiers on a two-day official visit. © Alain Jocard, AFP Listen to article Algeria has ordered 12 French embassy officials to leave the country within 48 hours, escalating a diplomatic rift linked to the alleged abduction of an exiled Algerian influencer in France. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed the expulsions on Monday, calling on Algerian authorities to reverse the decision or face retaliatory measures. 'If the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,' Barrot said in a statement. The expelled personnel include several from France's interior ministry, a diplomatic source told AFP. The move follows France's indictment on Friday of three Algerian nationals, including a consular official, over their suspected involvement in the April 2024 kidnapping of influencer Amir Boukhors—widely known online as "Amir DZ"—from a suburb near Paris. Boukhors, who has over a million followers on TikTok and is a vocal critic of the Algerian government, was granted political asylum in France in 2023. He was reportedly abducted last year and released the next day. Algeria has accused Boukhors of fraud and terrorism, issuing nine international arrest warrants against him and demanding his return for trial. Algiers has described the indictments as a politically motivated attempt to undermine recent efforts to rebuild ties with its former colonial ruler.
