09.08.2026 15:45

Manija brings pizza and Tajik cuisine together in Paris

Paris - 09.08.2026: Manija gave up a secure career to knead dough, season tomatoes and welcome guests. The former diplomat from Tajikistan has run the small pizzeria Pizza Sorelle on Rue Saulnier in Paris's 9th arrondissement since late 2024, just a few steps from the Folies Bergere. Franceinfo is now featuring the chef in its "Cuisiniers d'ailleurs" series.The restaurant is small, but its owner's biography has taken her far. Manija left Tajikistan in 2008 and later made cooking her new profession. Opening the pizzeria fulfilled a long-held wish. Her background is by no means hidden behind a purely Italian menu: alongside pizza, she also serves Tajik specialties.In doing so, she brings a cuisine to the French capital that is far less familiar there than the culinary traditions of the Mediterranean or the Maghreb. Tajik cuisine is part of Central Asia's diverse gastronomic heritage. Rice, grains, noodles, herbs and slowly cooked ingredients shape many dishes. At Manija's restaurant, these foods sit alongside a dish that has long been part of everyday life in Paris.Pizza is as suited to a short lunch break as it is to a long evening with friends. The Tajik dishes, meanwhile, open up a different culinary horizon. They point to Manija's origins and memories of her earlier life without turning the restaurant into a folkloric setting. The chef's personal story thus becomes a natural part of the menu.The location also contributes to the establishment's distinctive character. Nearby...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 14:45

Spain checks travelers from Italy after dispute over Ceuta

Madrid - 09.08.2026: Spain has introduced checks for travelers from Italy, escalating its dispute with Rome over the migration crisis in Ceuta. Since Saturday, August 8, identity documents have been checked at key entry points for people arriving from Italy. According to Spanish media, air travelers in particular are affected. Anyone unable to present a document immediately may face a separate identity check.Madrid describes the move as a response to Italian checks on travelers from Spain. The government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had previously called on Rome to withdraw the measure. Italy refused and announced that it would continue the checks until August 15....

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 14:30

Severe thunderstorms ahead of another heatwave in France

France - 09.08.2026: France is facing an abrupt change in weather. Elevated warning levels are in effect on Sunday in 13 departments in the southeast due to powerful thunderstorms; eight departments in the southwest are affected by severe weather conditions. Large amounts of rain may fall within a short period there. Hail and severe wind gusts are also expected, with current forecasts indicating speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour.The greatest thunderstorm risk is from Sunday afternoon into the night. In such situations, it is often only possible to determine at short notice which locations will actually be affected: thunderstorm cells move across small...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 14:15

Small municipalities complain about expensive telephone contracts

Lesme - 09.08.2026: Several mayors of small rural French municipalities are making serious allegations against providers of telephone and digital services. According to a report by Franceinfo, the municipalities believed they were entering into standard telephone contracts. They later found themselves faced with high costs, long contract terms and services that did not meet their original expectations. The affected municipalities complain of a difficult-to-understand web of technology, rental and service contracts.A case from Lesme in the Burgundian department of Saône-et-Loire is now being examined by the French Senate. The municipality, with around 170 inhabitants, is said to have entered into three rental contracts for telecommunications equipment between 2023 and 2025. According to a written Senate question, this results in annual costs of EUR 21,844.80 including tax. The agreed terms range from 63 to 84 months.In total, the stated commitments add up to more than EUR 150,000. For comparable services, the author of the question estimates a standard market annual price of around EUR 3,000 to EUR 4,000 including tax. However,...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 14:00

State of Emergency in British Columbia: Wildfire Forces More Than 20,000 People to Flee

Summerland - 09.08.2026: Dense smoke hung over Okanagan Lake as the government of British Columbia declared a state of emergency for the entire province on Saturday. The trigger was the Bald Range wildfire west of Summerland, which spread to more than 100 square kilometres within a few hours. This corresponds to an area of more than 10,000 hectares. According to authorities, more than 20,000 people had to leave their homes and apartments.Summerland, with around 12,000 residents, and areas around Peachland have been particularly affected. Many families received evacuation orders during the night. Traffic backed up on the roads as the fire moved rapidly towards Okanagan Lake amid heat, drought and strong winds. Highway 97, an important route between Peachland and Penticton, was closed because of the danger.The fire had only been discovered on Friday evening. According to incident command, it travelled around 15 kilometres in a short period of time. Maps from the BC Wildfire Service showed that the flames also reached residential areas north of Summerland. The provincial government...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 13:46

More Drowning Accidents in France: 274 Deaths by Mid-July

Moselle - 09.08.2026: Following the death of a four-year-old child in a pond in the Moselle department, concern is once again growing in France over the high number of drowning accidents. The child died on Saturday, August 8. Franceinfo reported on the case on Sunday, referring to the latest national interim assessment by Santé publique France. According to the report, 274 people died at the scene of a drowning accident nationwide between May 1 and July 15.The health authority's assessment, published on July 24, recorded a total of 925 drowning accidents during this period. That was 14 percent more than in the corresponding period of...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 13:30

Houthis Claim Drone Attack on Aramco Refinery in Jazan

Jazan - 09.08.2026: The Houthi movement in Yemen says it attacked a refinery belonging to Saudi oil company Aramco in Jazan with a drone. Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry reported a fire at a refinery facility on Sunday. No one was injured, and the fire was extinguished. The ministry initially did not comment on the cause. It was therefore initially not independently confirmed whether the fire was in fact caused by the attack claimed by the Houthis.The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the operation had specifically targeted the Aramco refinery. He cited alleged Saudi drone flights over the northwestern Yemeni provinces of Hajjah and Saada...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 13:17

Actress Dominique Frot Dies at 68

Paris - 09.08.2026: French actress Dominique Frot has died at the age of 68. She was known to a wide television audience as Solange Vergneaux, the fearless school principal in the youth series "Soda". Her character brought order to the anarchic universe surrounding the student Adam Fontella, played by Kev Adams - with the dry authority that, in Frot's hands, never sounded like mere broad comedy.The death announcement recalls a career that rarely pushed itself into the foreground and remained distinctive precisely for that reason. Dominique Frot was one of those actresses whose presence immediately lends a film a sense of familiarity. With just a...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 13:00

Hunter Biden reports worsening of his father’s cancer

London - August 9, 2026: Hunter Biden has said that his father Joe Biden's cancer has spread further and is causing him considerable pain. In an interview broadcast by the BBC on Friday, the son of the former US president said that the disease had affected the bones and other areas of the body. He described the health condition of his 83-year-old father as physically very taxing.The information is based solely on Hunter Biden's account. No new medical statement from the former president's office, his treating physicians, or other family members was released in connection with the interview. It is therefore unclear which changes have...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 12:48

Near-Collision at Sydney Airport: Crew Member Injured

Sydney - 09/08/2026: Shortly after 7 a.m. on Sunday morning, a dangerous incident occurred on the apron at Sydney Airport involving two passenger aircraft. An Airbus A320 operated by Australian airline Jetstar had to brake sharply, according to consistent media reports, to avoid a collision with a Qatar Airways aircraft. The aircraft did not collide.The second aircraft is said to have been a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER that was being towed on airport grounds. The Jetstar Airbus was scheduled to operate a domestic flight to the Gold Coast. How close the two aircraft came and where their paths crossed had not yet been conclusively established.A member of the Jetstar cabin crew was injured during the abrupt braking maneuver and was examined by paramedics. No further details on the nature or severity of the injury were initially released. There was also no confirmed information on Sunday about possible injuries among passengers. According to the information available so far, minor property damage was also recorded.Airport operations continued after the incident. At the...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 12:30

Around 30 users of a Telegram channel summoned to court in Paris

Paris - 09.08.2026: Around 30 users of the public Telegram channel "Femmeblancherie" are expected to stand trial before the Paris criminal court from autumn onwards. According to the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office, they are accused, among other things, of incitement to hatred against women. All defendants are presumed innocent until a final conviction.The Gendarmerie arrested and questioned a total of 45 people associated with the channel in June 2026. According to the available information, it had 1,758 subscribers and was aimed primarily at a French-speaking audience. Investigators distinguish between merely belonging to the channel and making statements that could give rise to criminal suspicion.As part...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 12:15

ARS calls for review after six-day stay on a stretcher at CHU Orleans

Orleans - 09/08/2026: The regional health authority, ARS Centre-Val de Loire, has demanded that CHU Orleans conduct a thorough review of an unusually long stay in emergency care. The case concerns an 85-year-old patient who says she spent six days on a stretcher there in July. The authority expects the hospital to provide a precise reconstruction of the procedures, medical care and decisions made.The patient, Nino-Anne Dupieux, told local broadcaster ICI Orleans of an unacceptable and extremely distressing experience. The account, reported by Franceinfo, states that she remained on a stretcher for six days, but does not provide conclusive information as to why she could...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 11:01

Helmets and High-Visibility Vests Become Mandatory for E-Scooters in Paris

Paris - 09.08.2026: Anyone traveling on an electric scooter in Paris or the neighboring departments of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne has been required to wear a helmet as well as a reflective vest or comparable visibility equipment since Saturday, August 8, 2026. With the order, the Police Prefecture is tightening the rules for motorized personal mobility devices in the dense traffic of the capital region.In addition to e-scooters, the requirement also applies to other motorized means of transport such as Segways, electric unicycles and hoverboards. Franceinfo reported on Sunday on differing reactions among riders. Some described the additional protection as sensible, while others said they would only comply with the requirement if they faced a police check.According to the Police Prefecture, as reported by Franceinfo, a helmet that is not worn properly can result in a fine of 135 euros. Failure to wear a high-visibility vest or other permitted reflective equipment carries a fine of 35 euros. The available information does not indicate whether police will initially focus primarily on raising awareness or immediately penalize violations. No figures on initial checks or fines were available on Sunday.The order goes beyond nationwide regulations. Under French traffic law, users of motorized personal mobility devices must be at least 14 years old; carrying additional passengers is prohibited. The vehicles must be equipped with lighting, brakes, reflectors and an audible warning signal, among other things. In public traffic, they may not exceed 25 kilometers...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 10:46

France’s Summer of Heat Puts Crisis Preparedness to the Test

Paris - 09.08.2026: The heat has not let go of France this Sunday either. The third heatwave of this summer has been ongoing since July 28. According to the forecasts currently available, temperatures are expected to reach 35 to 40 degrees again from August 10, especially in the north, east and southeast. This once again makes the weather situation a test of social and political resilience: People whose homes, workplaces or care facilities offer little protection from high temperatures are particularly at risk.Several periods of heat are following one another closely this summer. The first nationwide heatwave lasted from June 17 to 30, and the...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 10:44

August 9: France Declares the Republic Unbroken

August 9 is one of those historic days on which high politics and human tragedies converge in a disturbing way. For France, the date holds special significance: in 1830 it sealed a change on the throne; in 1944, the provisional government restored the republican legal order. At the same time, Nagasaki, India's independence struggle, Singapore's founding, and Watergate are reminders of how quickly the course of world history could change in a single day. August 9, 1830, is particularly noteworthy. After the July Revolution and the overthrow of Charles X, Louis-Philippe of Orléans accepted the revised constitutional charter. He no longer claimed the traditional title...

Artikel des Tages Read 09.08.2026 10:36

Sun-ripened apricots bring a smile to the Gard

Anyone travelling through the Gard on these summer days encounters a landscape that looks southern, smells of warmth and tastes of holiday. Between vineyards, small villages and dry hills, countless orange fruits glow in the orchards. The apricots are ripe - and this year they appear to be especially sweet. Producers in the southern French department are enjoying a season that brings them joy. Plenty of sunshine and high temperatures ensured that the fruit stored abundant sugar and developed intense aromas. Anyone who breaks open a freshly picked apricot immediately smells that distinctive fragrance, somewhere between honey, a summer meadow and a childhood memory. And that is precisely what it is all about. With apricots, appearance alone is not what matters. A flawless fruit is of little use if it ends up hard and tasteless on the plate. Consumers are looking for ripe fruit that is juicy and reveals its full flavour. The harvest in the Gard meets that desire almost perfectly this summer. One producer sums up the mood...

Artikel des Tages Read 09.08.2026 10:32

Paris Rally Calls for Release of Moroccan Feminist Betty Lachgar

Paris - 09.08.2026: At a rally in Paris, supporters called for the release of Moroccan feminist and human rights activist Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar. The protest on Sunday was called by the International Feminist Front, which says it includes more than 400 organizations in nine countries. The action took place on the eve of the first anniversary of Lachgar's arrest in Rabat.The activist was arrested on August 10, 2025, after posting a photograph of herself on platform X wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "God is lesbian." The Moroccan judiciary classified the post as an insult to Islam. A court in Rabat sentenced Lachgar to 30 months in prison and a fine in September 2025. According to Amnesty International, she remains in custody.Lachgar is among the co-founders of the Mouvement Alternatif pour les Libertés Individuelles, known as MALI. The movement campaigns in Morocco for individual freedoms, the separation of religion and state, and the rights of women and LGBTI people. Her case has also drawn attention outside the country because the...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 10:16

Vollering heads into Nice Tour finale with an eight-second lead

Nice - 09.08.2026: Eight seconds separate Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney ahead of the Tour de France Femmes finale on the Côte d'Azur. Vollering wears the yellow jersey after winning stage eight from Sisteron to Nice with an attack. The Dutch rider from Team FDJ-Suez won on 8 August after 171.9 kilometres, ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini and Poland's Niewiadoma-Phinney.The situation is clear, but the race remains open: Vollering leads the overall standings after 28:10:18 hours by eight seconds. Marlen Reusser of Movistar is third, 1:12 minutes behind, while Longo Borghini trails by 3:05 minutes. The decision over the overall victory is therefore set to...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 10:15

Pregnant During the Probationary Period: In a Dispute, the Employer Must Substantiate Its Reasons

Paris - 09.08.2026: The probationary period gives employers and employees the opportunity to end an employment relationship relatively easily. However, this freedom has clear limits. If a pregnant employee is dismissed, her pregnancy must not have played any role in the decision. A recent report by the Franceinfo program "C'est mon boulot" explains how the burden of proof is allocated in such a dispute.The French Labour Code expressly prohibits terminating an employment contract during the probationary period because of pregnancy. Even during recruitment, a company may not ask whether an applicant is pregnant. The employee, in turn, is generally not required to disclose her pregnancy....

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 10:13

When Burgundy’s Vines Tell the Story of Climate Change

In the early morning, a fine veil still hangs over the vineyards of Beaune. Dew glistens on the leaves between the rows of vines, and somewhere a small tractor rattles along a farm track. The sun slowly rises over Burgundy's gentle hills. It is a scene that could have come from an old French picture book. But something is no longer right with the rhythm of this landscape. The grapes are ripening earlier. Not just a few days earlier, and not only since yesterday. An extraordinary study of historical harvest data shows how profoundly Burgundy's climate has already changed. Researchers reconstructed harvest dates in Beaune...

Artikel des Tages Read 09.08.2026 10:02

August 9: Power, Oath and the Bomb

August 9 connects two scenes that could hardly be further apart. At the Palais Bourbon in Paris, Louis-Philippe takes an oath before the chambers in 1830. In Nagasaki, an atomic bomb explodes over a densely populated city at 11:02 a.m. in 1945. Here, a monarchy reformulating its legitimacy; there, a war staggering into its final days with a destructive force previously unimaginable. Both dates are about power - and about the price societies pay when power accepts no limits.Paris, August 9, 1830: Louis-Philippe d'Orleans assumes the title King of the French. The wording was no decorative detail for lovers of official documents. The previous title,...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 07:46

French Cinemas Enjoy a Summer of the Big Screen

Paris - 09/08/2026: French cinemas are enjoying a summer in which several major narratives are finding their audiences at the same time. Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has exceeded expectations since its mid-July release, selling more than 1.8 million tickets already. The ancient epic of homecoming arrives in a release schedule catering to very different interests.Alongside Nolan, the French historical project "La Bataille de Gaulle" is holding its own. The two-part portrait of Charles de Gaulle, whose first part is titled "The Iron Age" and whose sequel bears the title "I Write Your Name", has proven to be a long-lasting theatrical draw. According to industry figures, the two films together attracted almost 3.5 million admissions - a remarkable result for an ambitious major national production.Since July 29, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" has also been showing in France. The new film featuring the Marvel character is aimed at a younger audience more familiar with film franchises than the viewers of Nolan's Homer adaptation or the de Gaulle chronicle. This diversity is sustaining...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 07:30

Four-year-old child drowns in a pond near Langatte

Langatte - 09.08.2026: A four-year-old child has drowned in a pond near Langatte in the Lorraine department of Moselle. According to initial information released on Sunday, the child had briefly slipped away from their parents and was subsequently found in the water. The child's death was confirmed. Authorities did not provide any information about the child's identity.The tragedy has shaken the small municipality in eastern France. The mayor of Langatte announced that people who witnessed the incident could receive psychological support. The offer is aimed at witnesses affected by the child's sudden death. The municipality initially did not say whether other people directly affected would...

Aktuell Read 09.08.2026 07:15

Solar Eclipse on August 12: Why 99 Percent Coverage Is Not Totality

Biarritz - 09/08/2026: The solar eclipse expected on Wednesday, August 12, will not be fully visible anywhere in France. Biarritz is particularly close to the path of totality over northern Spain: according to calculations by the French astronomy association, around 99.5 percent of the Sun's disk will be covered by the Moon there. Nevertheless, a narrow, extremely bright remnant of the Sun will remain visible. This fundamentally distinguishes the spectacle from a total eclipse.The narrow zone of totality runs over Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and a small part of Portugal. Only within this strip does the Moon completely cover the Sun's disk. There, the solar...

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