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Sabotage on rail lines in France: many TGVs to south-east cancelled
Separate fires on high-speed line near Lyon has crippled services
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Britons ordered to leave France over bad first year of work lose court appeal
Order was upheld despite their Dordogne gîte business now doing better. They say they have ‘absolutely nothing to go back to in the UK’.
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Carpenter who helped rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral allowed to marry there
Special permission was granted as private weddings are not normally permitted at the Paris landmark
Situation 'critical' at French animal rescue centres
Available places hard to find as SPA centres reach 'saturation point'
Animal refuge centres are reaching 'saturation point' as the number of pet abandonments in France reaches 'critical' levels.
As reported, more than 8,000 pets have been dumped at SPA centres across France since the beginning of summer alone - and volunteers are struggling to cope.
The SPA centre in Bordeaux is currently looking after 250 dogs and 200 cats. "It is the same every year," volunteer Gaëlle Deffez-Rault, told France 3 Nouvelle Aquitaine.
"People prefer to go on holiday and don't really care about the organisation [of accommodation] and care of their pet."
"People are on holiday, and the number of animals being brought in from the pound is not decreasing. So the situation is critical."
In 70% of cases, animals found roaming the streets and taken to the centre are eventually collected by their owners, but the Bordeaux SPA warned that it will soon run out of space to accommodate dogs.
"Some people still consider animals as objects, entertaining in winter, cumbersome in summer," the association wrote in a warning on its Facebook page.
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