Evening Update Thursday 29 June 2023

The mother of a 17-year-old, fatally shot by police after he refused to stop in a car, has led a march this afternoon in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre where the shooting took place. Many were wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with "Justice for Nahel". Police estimated that about 6,200 people took part. Tear gas was used at times to disperse demonstrators. The police officer who shot the teenager has been placed under formal investigation. At a press conference this morning the local prosecutor said that the prosecution considers that "the legal conditions for the use of the weapon are not met". The 38 year old officer has been charged with intentional homicide and has been remanded in custody, according to the prosecutor. At least 180 people have been arrested so far after two nights of unrest and 170 officers were injured, according to interior minister Gerald Darmanin. He said that 40,000 police officers would be deployed across France tonight. President Macron has held a crisis meeting and called the violence on the streets "unjustifiable". Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, said that "nothing justifies the violence that's occurred". She said that attacking symbols of the Republic and public facilities is "unacceptable" and asked for the de-escalation of the violence. The commune of Clamart in south-west Paris has declared a curfew from 9pm to 6am from tonight until Monday morning. Buses and trams on the RATP system in the Ile de France have been suspended from 9pm this evening until tomorrow morning. The Metro and RER networks are expected to run as normal.

The French parliament has passed a law which requires parental consent for under 15 year olds to be able to use social networks. Under the law, which was approved by the Senate today, the operators of social networks will be required to verify the age of users and to obtain parental consent when they are under 15 years old. The EU Commission will need to approve the law before it enters into force.

Over thirty French doctors, including from our region, have been sanctioned by the Order of Physicians for practising an un-approved medical procedure know as "percutaneous hydrotomy". The procedure involves giving patients injections of saline solution. The disciplinary committee of the Order of Physicians said that scientific evidence doesn't demonstrate the efficacy of the treatment and the adverse effects of the technique are not documented.

France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, has maintained the ban on the wearing of the hijab in women's football competitions. It follows a challenge to the regulations of the French Football Federation by a group supporting the wearing of the hijab. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi welcomed the decision saying that it is "a wise decision for secularism, a principle so dear to our country that we must defend at all levels of society".

A landslide early this afternoon blocked traffic on a road in the Alpes-Maritimes. The RD6 has been cut between Roquefort-les-Pins and La Colle-sur-Loup. A contraflow system has now been put in place on the road to allow traffic to flow alternately in each direction.

 

BUSINESS

In the United States, the number of people filing initial jobless claims has dropped. There were 239,000 claims last week, a fall of 26,000 from the previous week.

Plans to start lithium mining in Cornwall have been announced. Battery-grade lithium carbonate is a key component in electric cars. A joint venture between china clay company Imerys and British Lithium aims to supply half a million electric cars per year with the component by the end of the decade. The development, in the St Austell area, could potentially create at least 300 direct jobs.

UK households withdrew a net figure of 4.6 billion pounds in May from banks and building societies according to data released today by the Bank of England. It marked the highest level of household withdrawals on record since comparable records began in 1997. The figures suggest that households may be withdrawing savings to meet increased living expenses and higher mortgage payments.

 

SPORT

Cricket... It's the second day of the England against Australia Test. In their first innings Australia were all out for 416. They lost their last seven wickets for 100 runs. England are now in to bat.

Tennis...Caroline Wozniacki has said that she's returning to tennis, three years after retiring. In an interview with Vogue, the former world number one said she wants to play at the Canadian Open in Montreal in August. She is also aiming to play in the US Open later that month, the Australian Open next January and the Olympics next summer.

 

 

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