The prosecutor in Marseille has announced a major drugs haul. 45 kilos of cocaine and 288 kg of cannabis were seized during raids at the end of last month. On May 30, some 70 police officers were involved in operations against drugs trafficking in the 14th arrondissement in the north of the city.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said that 11,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed throughout France for tomorrow's day of protest against pension reforms. About 250 demonstrations are planned. The SNCF have said that services are expected to be only slightly disrupted tomorrow with about 90% of trains running on average nationally. However, more significant disruption is expected to flights becuse of industrial action by air traffic controllers. One third of tomorrow's departures will be cancelled at Paris Orly but flights at Charles de Gaulle are unaffected. Locally, one in five arrivals and departures are expected to be cancelled at Nice Cote d'Azur Airport.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has unveiled a series of measures the government hopes will ease the shortage of housing. At a press conference this evening she said that "we are currently going through a housing crisis". Amongst the measures announced, the PTZ zero-rate means-tested loan programme will be extended until 2027.
French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire has announced that 2.9 billion euros will be made available by the French state to a new semiconductor factory being constructed near Grenoble in the Isère department. The cost of the project is almost 7.5 billion euros. The grant of state aid is one of the largest in recent years.
Police in the Var are appealing for information about a missing person. 31 year old Charlotte Michalak hasn't been seen since yesterday morning when she left her home in Hyeres in her Toyota Aygo car. She is 1.7 metres tall and has short light brown hair and green/brown eyes. She has a tatoo on her left leg and neck. Anyone with information is asked to call 04 94 00 73 30.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has launched "Mon Ete a Nice". He said that the summer will be rich in culture and entertainment of all kinds including exhibitions, concerts, festivals, shows and more. There'll be 180 events spread over 44 sites. He said that Nice will host 10 major sculptures by the artist Richard Orlinski from June to the end of September. The Rugby World Cup and the Ironman Triathlon will be taking place in September and October.
BUSINESS
Airline body The International Air Transport Association has announced an expected strengthening of airline industry profitability in an upgrade of its outlook for 2023. It said that airline industry net profits are expected to reach $9.8 billion in 2023 which is more than double the previous forecast of $4.7 billion. Some 4.35 billion people are expected to travel by air in 2023, which is only slightly less than the 4.54 billion who flew in 2019.
The UK new car market has posted its longest uninterrupted period of expansion for eight years, as registrations grew by 16.7% in May according to the latest figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The performance marks 10 consecutive months of growth, although registrations remain 21.0% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Battery electric vehicles consolidated their position as the UK’s second most popular power train. Sales were up by 58.7% on May last year.
SPORT
Tennis... Ons Jabeur has moved into the quarter-finals of the French Open with a 6-3 6-1 victory over American Bernarda Pera. She'll play Beatriz Haddad Maia who defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo. This afternoon Kasper Ruud beat Nicolas Jarry.
Football... AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from football at the age of 41. The Swedish player scored 511 goals for clubs including Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and both AC and Inter Milan, winning league titles in four countries.
A Polish man in his forties has been hospitalized in Valence after enduring a harrowing journey between two TGV carriages from Paris. ...
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Cloudy with sunny intervals. Light rain is forecast for the Var region with moderate to strong winds. Highs of 17 degrees in Monaco and Saint-Tropez, ...
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White smoe Is billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel meaning A new pope has just been chosen! 133 cardinals have gathered in the Sistine cha...
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No new pope has been elected yet, as black smoke signalled another inconclusive vote during the conclave in the morning of Thursday the 8th of May. ...
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Unions at the SNCF have announced new strike action for June 4th, 5th, and 11th, following ongoing disruptions to train services in France during the ...
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