-
All churches in France will ring their bells for seven minutes straight next Friday
Pope Leo XIV is visiting the country from September 25
-
British diver missing in cave in south-west France
43-year-old failed to return from a dive at the Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur on Friday
-
Hospital in Nouvelle-Aquitaine to make some parking spaces paid: how common is this in France?
The hospital said the measure will prevent long-term parking by non-hospital users
France’s water supplies very low
Poor winter and early spring rains have left eastern and central France aquifers at low levels, meaning little sign of prefectures lifting local sécheresse drought orders that have badly hit farmers.
Burgundy and upper Rhône had virtually no rain and aquifers were low or very low, but Berry had seen improvement, a survey by the official BRGM geological body said.
Southern Alsace is lower than normal and the Sundgau nappe is at its lowest since 1955. Without heavy rain, the situation could turn very difficult in these areas.
Levels are moderately low in Hauts-de-France, Normandy, Nouvelle Aquitaine, eastern Occitanie and western Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, but aquifers are already falling.