Paris officials on Monday detailed eight measures to spruce up one of the world's most visited cities after a social media campaign criticising rubbish and other eyesores.
For months, residents have been posting pictures of dirty or dilapidated urban furniture, abandoned scooters or ramshackle terraces set up by cafes during the pandemic, with the hashtag #saccageparis, or 'trashed Paris'.
It has put Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is considering a bid for the presidency, on the defensive.
"We're not doing this in response to saccageparis," deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said.
"But when we are called out by our citizens ... they deserve to be listened to and respected," Mr Gregoire said.
"The things being said by the saccageparis groups are not wrong."
He said the push for a "new aesthetic" would include repainting historic elements of public space, including the ornate iron and wood "Davioud" benches from the Second Empire.
The city will also remove or renovate recent "Mikado" benches, which often resemble haphazard piles of railroad ties, that many Parisians love to hate.
About 2,000 "useless" advertising panels will come down, Mr Gregoire said.
And he pledges "more discrete and harmonious" painting and barriers for the 60 kilometres of bicycle lanes that were quickly carved out during the pandemic.
Most of the lanes are marked with plastic yellow poles or concrete construction blocks that have not aged well.
Ms Hidalgo's right-wing critics and some residents accuse her of allowing the capital to fall into neglect while making trips to other French cities to court allies for her rumoured presidential run next year.
She has claimed the city is being hit by a smear campaign, and has promised to double spending on cleaning during her second term as mayor to €1 billion ($1.19bn).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The five pillars of Islam
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
