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Three charged with taking bribes to provide false French tests for residency cards
The charges relate to the test de connaissance du français. It is thought that more than 250 applicants could be involved in a region of west France
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DHL strike hits Christmas deliveries in France
‘All packages will be delivered even if they are a little late’, says DHL spokesperson
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French firm aims to cut food waste through 'upcycling'
Waste is taken from restaurants and turned into new products
‘Shock’ paintwork cheers up town
Normandy: Councillors give facades a fresh coat of 'shimmering' paint to get rid of ‘gloomy’ feel
COUNCILLORS in Normandy have taken a leaf out of the book of the Changing Rooms TV series and are giving their town a fresh coat of paint to give it a new lease of life.
Town-centre buildings in Evreux, Eure, are to be brightened up as part of an urban renewal scheme which will concentrate on the areas round the historic cathedral and church precincts, the Église St Taurin and belfry.
It is not new for the town to repaint its buildings and “encourage” local residents and businesses to follow suit but until this year councillors have opted for sombre colours: grey and rather austere – often described by locals as “gloomy and depressing”.
Now, after talks with the architects of the Bâtiments de France historic agency, they are developing a range of brighter colours to cheer up the town centre. Based on the town’s historic look, they include new colours that “shimmer in the changing Normandy light".
They hope for the same success as Saint-Lô in Manche where the town centre has found a new dynamism after facades were painted in bright colours – with large painted panels being described by artist-in-charge Bruno Dufour-Coppolani as giving an “electric shock” to the town’s commercial heart.
* All this week we have been looking at newsworthy events in Normandy to tie in with a feature on Normandy food festivals in this month’s Connexion.
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Photo: Ville d'Evreux