Paris

"Amanda" tells the story of a young man who is left to look after his seven-year-old niece after her mother is killed in an attack on a Paris park. Although the attack itself is fictional, the film by French director Mikhael Hers draws on the shock and trauma in the French capital after the November 13, 2015, massacres in which 130 people died. French public television was forced in December to put on ice a controversial love story starring Sandrine Bonnaire set on the night of the killings at the Bataclan concert venue. Although "Ce soir-la" (That Night) had by then finished shooting, executives promised it would not be shown until all of the survivors and families of victims were consulted following protests. Claire Peltier, the partner of one the people murdered at the Eagles of Death Metal concert, had set up a petition calling for the "scandalous" film to be shelved. She said it was far too soon for "such a painful" story to be revisited. But the makers of the new film … [Read more...] about First Paris attacks feature film shown at Venice Film Festival

The Hermitage towers, two 320-metre (1050-foot) buildings proposed by a Russian property developer, are due to be completed by 2024 in the La Defense business district to coincide with the city's hosting of the Olympic games. Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the towers will stand just four metres shorter than the Eiffel Tower (324m from base to tip) on a location currently occupied by a social housing block which was built in 1974. But twelve of the 250 apartments in the Damiers block are still occupied, according to the landlord, holding up construction in a battle pitting them against developer Emin Iskenderov and his 2.8-billion-euro ($3.3 billion) project. "I was a political refugee," one defiant resident, anaesthetist Tatiana Dinulescu, told AFP as she recalled how she fled the former dictatorship in Romania. "It took time for us to build a new home, and now they're doing this. It's unacceptable." She has lived in the Damiers flats for more than 20 years. The … [Read more...] about Paris tenants fight skyscraper developer to stop demolition and save their homes

As the Paris Metro often warns you during its own announcements, there are pickpockets operating on much of the city's underground transport network.    But it hasn't always been clear to tourists what they should do if they're one of the unlucky ones who has their phone, wallet or purse swiped.    Now Paris transport operator RATP is trialing a new procedure for foreign tourists which "aims to facilitate and speed up victims' process" with the idea in mind that this will allow them to apply for their insurance more quickly.    Through the new system, victims will be able to report thefts directly through the RATP at six stations in the French capital where a member of staff will help them to fill out a form available in English and French which will then be sent to the Paris police.   For the trial, Metro stations that see huge numbers of tourists pass through have been chosen. They are Franklin Roosevelt, Anvers, Saint-Michel-Notre Dame, … [Read more...] about Paris Metro rolls out new service for foreign tourists targeted by thieves