News in brief France: Town name too long, new favourite French pet

No to airport plan

Leading Andorrans have called on President Macron, who is also co-prince of the principality, to help stop an airport being built on their Pyrenean land.

Opponents of the plan claim “Andorrans and the Andorran Pyrenees deserve better than this project”, saying it is a backward environmental step.

Town name too long

Online shoe sales giant Footlocker has changed its website after a teenager’s online complaint went viral.

The young woman took to social media after the site failed to recognise the name of her Alsatian town Niederschaeffolsheim (Bas-Rhin) as it was too long for its address field.

Hens are new top pet

The French have a new favourite pet – chickens, with thousands of people buying them during the pandemic.

Pet stores recorded a 9% increase in sales of chickens and related products, such as food and runs, as the domestic animal market – worth an annual €5billion – increased by 6%.

France has no fewer than 76.4 million pets, but it also holds the less welcome record of pet abandonment capital of Europe.

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