Demonstrations have once again been taking place throughout France to oppose the government's retirement legislation. It's the 14th day of mobilisation. As usual, there was a disparity in estimates of the numbers of people attending demonstrations. According to the prefecture 1,700 demonstrators gathered in Nice, but 6,500 according to unions. The numbers from both parties are lower than those of the demonstation on 1 May. Drones were used by the National Police to monitor the demonstrations. The use of drones was authorised by a prefectoral decree. A march was held in Antibes, attended by 200 people according to authorities, but 500 according to unions. Other marches were held in Draguignan, Toulon and Marseille. In Paris, a march began at Les Invalides this afternoon. Earlier in the day demonstrators occupied the offices of the 2024 Paris Olympics organizing committee. Train services have been affected only slightly by today's day of action. However, there's been a more severe inpact on flights to and from many French airports. Locally, about one in five flights have been cancelled today at Nice Cote d'Azur airport.
President Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne have spent the day in Normandy attending ceremonies to mark the 79th anniversary of D-Day. On this day in 1944, 150,000 allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. In Colleville-Montgomery in Calvados President Macron met Leon Gautier, who at the age of 100 is the last surviving participant in the Normandy landings. This afternoon he was in Arromanches where he officially launched the preparations for the 80th anniversary of the landings next year.
The Var Prefecture mistakenly issued a tsunami alert on its social media channels this afternoon. The message told people to go to higher ground or to go upstairs in their house to a point more than 3 metres high. The error was soon rectified with the Prefecture saying that it was just an excercise and there is no tsunami.
There's been another fatal shooting in Marseille. An 18 year old was shot in the 15th arrondissement last night. The area is known for drugs trafficking.
Six people were shot in Grenoble in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes last night. Three of them are in a serious condition. Inquiries are continuing.
The bodies of three men have been found in the harbour of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France close to their capsized boat . It's believed the three had set out from the harbour on a fishing trip. Relatives had alerted authorities and reported the three men as missing. Inquiries are continuing to establish the cause of the accident.
The Menton town hall is planning to file a complaint regarding recent pollution on its beaches, according to local reports. Pellets, possibly consisting of hydrocarbon material, have been washing up on some of the town's beaches. An analysis is taking place, the results of which should be known this evening.
BUSINESS
Construction activity in the Eurozone has fallen at its fastest rate in 2023 to date according to a new survey of purchasing managers by S&P Global. New orders fell at the steepest rate since last December. However, input price inflation was at a three-year low and supply chains improved for first time since August 2012. By country, the steepest reduction in construction activity was in France, where activity has now fallen consistently for a year.
UK energy regulator Ofgem has announced that energy company SSE is to pay £9.8m for breaching its generation licence. Ofgem said the Perth-based company overcharged the National Grid Electricity System Operator. Ofgem said there was no evidence that SSE's actions were deliberate.
SPORT
Football... Ange Poste-coglou has been appointed as the new manager at Tottenham. He joins from Celtic on a four-year contract. The 57-year-old Australian arrives at Tottenham after winning a domestic treble in Scotland, where he has claimed five of the six trophies available to Celtic during his two campaigns with the club.
Tennis... In the women's quarter finals at the French Open Karolína Muchová beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-2 to move through to the semi-finals. Aryna Sabalenka beat Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-4.
Horseracing... It's been announced that Singapore's only horseceracing track will close next year, bringing to an end a 180 year history of the sport in the country. The Singapore Turf Club will hold its final meeting next year and the country's government will take back the 120 hectare site, which will be used for public and private housing.
A powerful Mistral storm has swept through Provence, with wind gusts exceeding 150 km/h in some areas. ...
Read More
France’s recently appointed Prime Minister François Bayrou has promised a new government "before Christmas" and reserves the possibility of using 49....
Read More
A four-day strike at DHL has caused delays in package processing, raising concerns about on-time deliveries for Christmas....
Read More
French judges in Avignon will today Thursday 19th December, deliver their verdicts in a mass rape case against 51 men that has appalled France and the...
Read More
Monaco Info and TV Monaco are set to make way for a new television channel on September 1st of 2025. During the debates on the 2025 preliminary budget...
Read More
