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Overcrowding in France’s prisons - Overcrowding in France’s prisons has reached a new record high. Latest figures published show a sharp increase with 76,258 people detained in France as of February 1st marking an increase of 5.5% in just one year. Faced with chronic prison overcrowding France received in July strong criticism from the European Court of Human Rights. The French government is now counting on the creation of 15,000 new prison places by 2027.
French President promises to swim in the Seine - It seems that the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, will not be alone when she takes a dip in the river Seine this summer, as announced on national television at the beginning of January, as French President Emmanuel Macron has made the same pledge. The Olympic Games will inaugurate the swimming events in the Seine as part of the Paris Olympics this year. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Macron confirmed that he wanted to take the plunge joking that he “was not going to give journalists a date” adding “you may be there”. The president's promise is similar to the unfulfilled commitment made by former French President Jacques Chirac in 1990. Since 2016, the French State and local authorities in the Ile-de-France have invested around 1.4 billion euros to make the Seine and the Marne swimmable.
Changes for 1st March - It’s all change for the 1st of March, as with every first of the month in France certain changes are introduced and March 2024 is no exception, w
