Emmanuel Macron to honour Paris' last newspaper hawker

PARIS: A 73-year-old newspaper vendor originally from Pakistan is set to receive one of France's most prestigious honours after more than 50 years of selling dailies on the terraces of cafes and restaurants in Paris' fashionable Latin Quarter.

Ali Akbar began hawking newspapers after moving to France in 1973, employing a blend of humour and energy to charm locals and ward off falling sales.

In September, President Emmanuel Macron will make him a knight of the National Order of Merit, which recognises distinguished service to France in a civilian or military capacity.


A native of Rawalpindi in northern Pakistan, Akbar began by hawking copies of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo to students in the Sorbonne and neighbouring institutions. Kerb-side newspaper sellers were already a dying breed in Paris in the 1970s as television steadily replaced the printed word as the main source of news - a process that only accelerated with the advent of the internet. But Akbar has managed to keep the tradition alive with his ready smile, cheeky sense of humour and sheer dedication.

"I just love the feel of paper," Akbar said. "I don't like tablets and all that kind of stuff. But I do like reading. Whatever the type. Real books. But never on screens."