Category: Paris

NPR: Paris is at a standstill

Paris has been brought to a near standstill by a wave of strikes and protest marches aimed at the French government’s plans to restructure the nation’s retirement system.

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

In Paris, life has ground to a halt. A general strike there is in its 11th day. And there are daily protests, too. Unions are upset about Emmanuel Macron’s changes to the country’s retirement system. And they are threatening to continue striking through Christmas. Here’s NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: It’s not the protests that are the problem. If you’re not on the march route, they don’t really affect you. But the transport strike is killing everyone. [ Listen below ]

‘Everyone is very worried’: Paris shops hit by ongoing strike


Three weeks before Christmas, Paris’s landmark department stores are virtually empty of shoppers as a result of the ongoing transport strike. Shopkeepers are worried for their future if it continues.

December is the most important month for shopkeepers, but Paris shops had a distinct lack of customers for the first Saturday of the month.

Landmark department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, had few customers on Saturday, December 7. Three Saturdays before Christmas, it was also day three of a transport strike protesting the government’s proposed pension reform.

This strike has paralysed much of Paris and has been termed ‘unlimited’, which means there is no set finish date. There are genuine fears that it could last at least another week; some are even predicting it might continue until Christmas.

There were some cars on Boulevard Haussmann and on other main streets, but the pavements were noticeably thin on pedestrians. There was a distinct absence of crowds in the traditional build-up to Christmas that many shops depend on. Few were stopping to admire the Christmas windows

‘We’re fearing for our survival’: Independent shops at risk

If the big department stores are worrying about their revenues, small independent shops have to worry about their actual survival.

“We’re fearing for our survival,” stated the union representing independent shopkeepers in a letter published in Le Parisien this week, imploring shoppers not to let the transport strike stand in their way and to shop in this month crucial to shopkeepers.

“For more than a year, there have been protests every Saturday by Yellow Vests, lawyers, police officers, nurses… and our customers have turned on their heels.”

“In Paris, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Rouen, many of us saw our turnover drop. Some of us are drowning in bank charges, struggling to repay loans and have even closed down shops,” the union wrote.

Shops are the hearts of cities, they appealed, but customers are the heart of merchants. Without customers pushing through the door, they will have to shut and cities will die [ . . .  ]

Read more at FRANCE 24: ‘Everyone is very worried’: Paris shops hit by ongoing strike

How the Moulin Rouge Became the Most Famous Cabaret in the World  

One hundred and thirty years ago on October 6, 1889, the Moulin Rouge opened, and Paris hasn’t been the same since.

It’s made dances and dancers famous, been extensively depicted in art — paintings, films, music — more than any other cabaret, and brought smiles to the faces of the tens of millions who have passed through its doors. The Moulin Rouge boasts an international reputation, a rich history, and top-notch performances; how did it become the most famous cabaret in the world?

The Moulin Rouge began with an audacious bet that it would become “the palace of dance and women” that was “more luxurious, bigger and more elegant” than any other location at the time. Success came fast thanks to a dance that debuted on opening night: the French cancan, previously known as the quadrille. Revolutionary movements, screams, boisterous rhythms decorated by frills and flowing skirts that were scandalously lifted to show the young dancers’ legs — and their underwear. Continue reading “How the Moulin Rouge Became the Most Famous Cabaret in the World  “ →

Municipal in Paris: the ex-LR mayor of the 5th arrondissement joins Benjamin Griveaux

Florence Berthout is the second ex-LR mayor to support the official candidate for The Republic on the march for the March 2020 municipal elections.

In early June, she still chaired the group Republicans (LR) and related to the council of Paris. But for the municipal elections in March 2020 Florence Berthout, the mayor’s 5 th District, decided not to support Rachida Dati, invested candidate by the party of the traditional right, with which it has relationships appalling. This Friday, November 22, she announced to rally to Benjamin Griveaux, the official candidate of The Republic in motion (LRM). Without taking her presidential party card, she plans to present in her district a diverse list right backed by LRM. [ . . . ] Continue at : Municipal in Paris: the ex-LR mayor of the 5th arrondissement joins Benjamin Griveaux

Paris mayor troubled by new Olympic sponsor Airbnb, vows referendum on home-sharing firm

The IOC signed up Airbnb as an Olympic sponsor sparking concerns from 2024 host city Paris that the home-sharing company is contributing to the rising cost of rents in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has been at odds with Airbnb in recent years, set out her issues with the platform to IOC President Thomas Bach last week after news of the sponsorship leaked.

Hidalgo wrote to Bach to “alert him of the risks and consequences” of the International Olympic Committee deal, Paris city hall told The Associated Press.

At the Airbnb sponsorship announcement on Monday morning, Bach was asked about criticism of Airbnb, including pricing people out of cities.

“It is quite normal that such a disruptive business then needs to settle and needs regulation,” Bach said, before details of the Paris complaint were known. “This is happening in a dialogue with Airbnb and cities and countries.”

Paris took legal action against the platform this year in a bid to have the company fined €12.5 million for allowing owners to rent their properties without having them properly registered.

In her letter, Hidalgo expressed her “absolute determination to make sure regulations relating to rental platforms are reinforced” [ . . . ]

Continue at: Paris mayor troubled by new Olympic sponsor Airbnb, vows referendum on home-sharing firm