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What's Paris doing to combat its bedbug infestation?

Jan 29, 2024
An outbreak of bedbugs sparked anxiety around Paris Fashion Week in October and could pose a major — and expensive — problem ahead of the Summer Olympics.
Above, a spray used to eradicate bedbugs at a pest control shop in Paris in October 2023.
Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images

NASCAR's run at Le Mans is only the start for global auto racing

Jun 23, 2023
A NASCAR-style Camaro ran in the famed 24-hour car race in France. It's another example of globalization in the sports world.
Does a Chevy Camaro at the famous Le Mans auto race signal more international crossovers to come in the sport?
Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The economic — and political — consequences of reforming France's pensions

Mar 30, 2023
More than a million people have taken to the streets across France since President Emmanuel Macron forced through legislation raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Protesters take part in a students' demonstration against the French government's pension reforms.
Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images

Streaming giants target European market for growth and expansion

Mar 28, 2023
With growth tapering in the U.S., American streaming giants are tapping into growing European markets in countries like France.
The growth of European regional content on streaming platforms like Netflix is helping companies break into those markets.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

French cities are banning billboards

Mar 6, 2023
A number of French cities are going to war against street advertising which they say is ugly, anti-ecological and anti-social. 
Woman walks past advertising in the Paris subway. The French capital has cut 30% of its publicity billboards with more cuts planned for the future.
John Laurenson

French entrepreneurs look to agriculture and forestry for the future of aviation fuel

Dec 28, 2022
One company says it can make sustainable aviation fuel using beets, sugar cane and forestry waste.
France is Europe's largest producer of sugar beets. Now, a bioenergy company there is using bacteria from the sugar to produce sustainable aviation fuel.
Thierry Zoccolan/AFP via Getty Images

France cracks down on "dark store" meal delivery services

Dec 27, 2022
In some of Paris' neighborhoods, residents have had enough of so-called "dark stores" that offer home grocery and meal deliveries.
Scooters that make deliveries for a “dark store” in Paris are parked in a residential neighborhood. Some residents say these delivery services are noisy and have had a negative impact on their quality of life in the city.
John Laurenson

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French biogas plants recycle agricultural waste into energy for homes

Oct 20, 2022
The large metal-domed plants are popping up around the French countryside.
Methanization tanks used for biogas production in southern Paris.
Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images

French company is recycling used face masks into useful objects

Jun 10, 2022
The company takes used and discarded symbols of the pandemic and turns them into items such as coat hangers and classroom rulers.
Plaxtil co-founder Jean-Marc Neveu with used face masks in the factory where they are transformed.
John Laurenson

Victory for Le Pen in France's presidential election would have big repercussions for France — and the rest of the EU

Apr 22, 2022
The leader of France's far-right National Rally party has promised radical change if she wins the presidency.
Though opinion polls show a Marine Le Pen victory as unlikely, she was at one point only 3 percentage points behind President Emmanuel Macron.
Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images