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France’s top literary prize 2024 awarded to author Kamel Daoud
The Prix Goncourt is widely seen as France’s version of the Nobel prize for literature
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MAP: Offshore sites identified for new wind farms in France
President Macron has made the expansion of wind generated energy a priority
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Important changes for drivers in central Paris from November 4
A 5.5 km2 zone in the centre will now have traffic limitations in place
Did you spot Poisson d'Avril jokes in French press?
The English media do not have the monopoly on April Fools' jokes - here's our rundown of the best from France
Animal therapy
The therapeutic effects of swimming with dolphins are well documented - but one Côte-d'Or association, according to one slightly 'fishy' report wanted to take things a bit further by bringing whale sharks or basking sharks to a lake near Dijon so that people could swim with them. Work, the report said, was under way with a university in Costa Rica to solve the minor problem of salinating the lake so that the fish could survive.
Space pollution
Space debris is something of a problem - as the Monday's fiery destruction in the Earth's atmosphere of the Tiangong-1 space station proved. Sciences et Avenir reported that Tesla had unwittingly added to the problem when it launched its Tesla car into space. The article said that the vehicle was not entirely clean when it was launched - as an insect was stuck to the windscreen.
Un "moucheron" écrasé contre le pare-brise de la Tesla pose la question de la vie dans l'espace
— Sciences et Avenir (@Sciences_Avenir) April 1, 2018
@Erwan_Lecomte https://t.co/2XlZ5WxV41 pic.twitter.com/zgG2HaHM0a
Eagle-eyed law enforcement
Gendarmed in the Rhône said they had a new weapon against motorists who flout the law - specially trained eagles. Cameras fitted to the birds would give officers extra eyes in the sky and would be used to track suspicious behaviour and identify offenders. Boffins at Rhône gendarmes HQ were also working to develop a prototype speed camera for the raptors, they said...
#INNOVATION : Découvrez les aigles 🦅 de la @Gendarmerie ! Futur fidèles compagnons de nos Motards 🏍 , les aigles leur permettront d’identifier au mieux les comportements suspects et les auteurs d’infractions ! ⛔️
— Gendarmerie du Rhône (@Gendarmerie_069) April 1, 2018
➡️ https://t.co/Qra3UnMk36
Affaire à suivre! #animaux pic.twitter.com/t3wKJEczYQ
Liberté, égalité, on display
In future, equality rules will apply to artworks exhibited at the Louvre, according to a … ahem… statement from the "Tribune de l'art" to Culture Minister, Françoise Nyssen. To achieve equality the 'Tribune' says national museums must not acquire works of art created by men until 2022. The rule applies even to Egyptian antiquity departments, which must work to have as many mummy mummies as daddy mummies within five years.
Flying firefighters
Following the wildfires in the south of France in the summer of 2017, firefighters in Paris are experimenting with parachutes to allow them to get close to fires or disasters in hard-to-reach areas. They even made a film. While this story may not be true, it is not quite as far-fetched as mosquitos on the inter-stellar Tesla - firefighters in USA have been working on parachute operations on and off for several decades.
Accrochez-vous ! 6 de nos spécialistes des interventions en milieux périlleux expérimentent depuis février les techniques aéroportées des "Smokejumpers canadiens". Ces pompiers d'un nouveau genre permettent de limiter les propagations des feux sur des terrains difficiles d'accès. pic.twitter.com/qwtjTuT48N
— PompiersParis (@PompiersParis) April 1, 2018
Nice's blue chairs...
Were stolen, according to Nice Matin, from the Promenade des Anglais, and replaced by simple yellow plastic ones. A total 200 disappeared overnight on Sunday, the newspaper reported.
Les célèbres chaises bleues de la Prom' remplacées par de banales chaises jauneshttps://t.co/Smx9V4jgHz pic.twitter.com/PFL4UJZjhi
— Nice-Matin (@Nice_Matin) April 1, 2018
The Frenchmen who went up a hill, but came down a mountain
Officials in Meribel have decided that Mont Vallon, at 2,952m, is too small, and are planning to add an extra 50m to take it above the symbolic 3,000m mark. According to reports, 150,000m3 of earth will be dug from the foot of the mountain and transported to the top. The hole left behind at the base will be filled with water to create a nice lake for tourists.
Planes with bay windows
Emirates announced it was launching planes that came with huge bay windows. The aim, the airline said, was to combine luxury with exceptional views.
Emirates reveals SkyLounge, the most exclusive Onboard Lounge to be introduced on its Boeing 777X fleet from 2020. A completely transparent lounge with unmatched aerial views and unparalleled luxury, Emirates SkyLounge promises window views like no other. pic.twitter.com/pwtoocM9mN
— Emirates (@emirates) March 31, 2018
Speedy electric tractors
High-end car manufacturer Porsche also got in on the act, by announcing it was about to launch a super-powered electric tractor - which it described as having "the fastest, quietest and cleanest acceleration in the world". Admittedly, Porshe has a tractor past, but it has not built agricultural equipment since the middle of the 20th century.
And then there was ours
Connexion also got in on the Poisson d'Avril act, with our story about self-driving cars needing to pass a driving test. But some of that article, at least, was true… Apart from the driving test bit. Did you spot it?
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