France's last newspaper hawker gets Order of Merit from his old
customer - President Macron
Ali Akbar has been pounding the pavement of Paris's Left Bank for more
than 50 years, papers under the arm and on his lips the latest
headline.
And now he is to be officially recognised for his contribution to
French culture. President Emmanuel Macron - who once as a student
himself bought newspapers from Mr Akbar - is to decorate him next
month with the Order of Merit, one of France's highest honours.
"When I began here in 1973 there were 35 or 40 of us hawkers in
Paris," he says. "Now I am alone."
"It became too discouraging. Everything is digital now. People just
want to consult their telephones."
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx0vvpeq9wo
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