PODCAST: Why the US can be grateful to the French, France's tremor threat and avoiding ETA scams
We start with the tremor that shook Nice and the Côte d'Azur this week, and the prediction that France is "due a big one", plus the latest on the French government's crisis survival pamphlet.
You can listen to Talking France on Spotify or Apple, download
HERE
or listen on the link below
From literal earthquakes to political quakes - why are French and US politicians locked in a war of words over the Statue of Liberty? And is it really true that the USA has France to thank for its independence from Britain?
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Coming back to more practical matters, a southern French département is set for a world first with its plans for an 'air to water' factory, aimed at producing water in a notoriously drought-stricken area.
Some good news for foreigners as the French government says that the digital ID known as France Identité will be opened up to non-French citizens by the end of the year. We take a look a France's digital transformation, and what this means for people who either don't have internet access or aren't comfortable completing admin online.
And talking of online problems - the UK's new ETA visa waiver is open, but sadly the scammers are circling ready to pounce on unwary people using the wrong website to get their £10 visa.
Talking France is a free podcast made possible by the support of paying members of The Local - you can find out more about becoming a member
here
.
Useful websites
In this episode, we reference three websites that you may find useful.
To look at the risk of earthquakes and other natural disasters near you, try going to the French government website
Géorisques
.
To keep track of water restrictions in France, use the
vigieau.gouv.fr website.
And finally for the UK's ETA visa waiver, the genuine site can be found
here
- look out for the prefix www.gov.uk indicating a genuine UK government website
Further reading
MAP: The parts of France most at risk from earthquakes
Where to find France's 12 Statues of Liberty
Eleven things the French have given America
Drought-prone southern France to inaugurate first 'air-to-water' plant
What is France Identité and can foreigners use it?
How to avoid ETA scams for France-UK travel
Do Franco-British dual nationals need an ETA to travel to UK?
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