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France To Ban TikTok On Phones Of Civil Servants

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According to Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini’s tweets, TikTok will no longer be allowed on government employees’ work phones in France.

“In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants,” he said in a statement.

He continued by saying that for some weeks, a number of France’s European and international allies had implemented policies to limit or forbid their governments’ employees from downloading and installing the TikTok programme.

Guerini stated that recreational applications lack the cybersecurity and data protection standards necessary to be installed on government equipment. He also added that the prohibition is applicable right now and that government agencies will monitor compliance.

According to him, exemptions can occasionally be granted for business purposes, such as institutional communication from an administration.

In recent weeks, a number of Western governments and institutions, including the UK parliament, the Dutch and Belgian administrations, and the New Zealand parliament, have all outlawed TikTok.

The Commission and the Council, the two largest policy-making bodies in the European Union, banned TikTok on employee phones late last month because to security concerns.

Global worries have grown about the possibility that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, could provide the Chinese government access to users’ contact information and location information.

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Claude Lorius: The Glaciologist Who Proved Human-Caused Global Warming

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Claude Lorius, a renowned glaciologist known for his contributions to proving human-caused global warming, passed away at the age of 91. Over the course of his lifetime, Lorius led 22 expeditions to Greenland and Antarctica.

During one of his trips to Antarctica in 1965, he made a significant discovery after dropping ice samples into a glass of whiskey. Lorius realized the scientific potential of studying ice cores, which led to his groundbreaking research on air bubbles trapped in ice, providing evidence of global warming caused by human-made pollution.

His research gained international recognition and helped scientists study 160,000 years’ worth of glacial records. In addition to his scientific work, Lorius was an advocate for the environment and served as the inaugural expert of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1988.

He was awarded the CNRS gold medal in 2002, along with his colleague Jean Jouzel, and was the first Frenchman to receive the prestigious Blue Planet Prize.

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Violent clashes in Paris as pension age row rages

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Large numbers of people are taking to the streets in France, on a ninth day of nationwide demonstrations and strikes over pensions reform. The CGT union estimates there are up to 800,000 people protesting on the streets of Paris where clashes with police are being reported

Police have used tear gas in Nantes and water cannon in Rennes at protests over legislation to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Strikes are disrupting schools and public transport, and some demonstrators are also blockading railway tracks and stations.

Ongoing industrial action at oil refineries is affecting petrol supplies, and also of aircraft fuel.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government forced the legislation through without a vote in the lower house of parliament last week.

Yesterday he defended the changes as “a necessity” in his first public comments on the escalating row.

The vast majority of protests have passed off without violence but some demonstrators dressed in black and known locally as “Black Bloc” radicals have been out on the streets, throwing stones and bottles at police and setting fire to bins.

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France pension protests: Clashes after Macron orders rise in pension age without vote

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After the French administration opted to push through pension reforms without a vote in parliament, police and demonstrators fought in Paris. In response to the retirement age increase from 62 to 64, crowds gathered in Place de la Concorde.

Two months of vehement political debate and strikes had been provoked by the plans. The government may now avoid a vote in the Assembly by using article 49:3 of the constitution, according to Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.

There was no assurance of securing a majority, therefore the decision was made just minutes before MPs were due to vote on the contentious law. Politicians from the opposition were incensed by the action. At parliament, many booed the prime minister, performed the Marseillaise, and displayed protest signs.

Mathilde Panot, the leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), stated that Mr. Macron has thrown the nation into a government crisis without the support of either the parliamentary or popular parties.

The national anthem was sung and union flags were waved as thousands of people protested the decision in the streets of Paris and other French cities. As dusk fell, several demonstrators and police engaged in combat. The Plaza de la Concorde was set on fire, and police with shields and batons moved to clear the area while firing tear gas into it.

According to the Paris police, 120 persons had been detained by evening.

Despite the fact that Mr. Macron ran for reelection last year on a platform of retirement reforms, his ruling coalition lacks a majority in the Assembly, making Republican support for the pension changes necessary.

In an effort to approve their plan, representatives from Mr. Macron’s Renaissance party spent the morning frantically cajoling lawmakers. Because to the bill’s obvious unpopularity and the knowledge that some of their MPs may abstain, they turned to extraordinary constitutional authorities.

But, whenever a government uses the 49:3, it may be sure that it will be immediately accused of trampling on the people’s will. In fact, it has been used precisely 100 times in the more than 60 years of the Fifth Republic, and by governments of all shades.

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French bin strike: Paris holds its nose as waste piles up

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A week into a waste collectors’ strike, bins are overflowing in several parts of Paris, and hundreds of tonnes of trash are being left on the streets of the French city. One Parisian complained on French radio that it was filthy and attracted rats and bugs.

The Macron administration’s plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is the reason why the workers are on strike. Le Havre, Nantes, and Rennes are among the other cities that are impacted.

Trash collectors joined the pension strikes a week ago, and according to the Paris authorities, the action has affected half of the city’s municipal worker-served regions. A fourth station that treats garbage has been partially shuttered, while three have been blockaded.

The Paris government reported on Monday that 5,600 tonnes of rubbish still needed to be collected.

One pundit on Europe1 radio compared the scenario to a free-for-all smorgasbord for Paris’ six million rats—more than twice as many as there are people living there.

According to Paris Council, the service was operating almost normally in the 10 districts serviced by private enterprises. According to some reports, activists were attempting to stop collecting from happening.

Additionally, one private business was observed on Monday evening by news station BFMTV picking up trash in the sixth, one of the major central districts, which is typically handled by council workers. On the western outskirts of the city, two more areas had similar bin collecting going on.

Leading council official Emmanuel Grégoire said the situation was complicated but the authority was prioritising intervention for public safety, with a focus on clearing food markets, bin bags lying on the ground and ensuring pedestrian safety.

The upper house or Senate approved the measures on Saturday, and on Wednesday, a joint committee of lawmakers from both houses will deliberate on the final language. The National Assembly and Senate might receive a final vote on Thursday.

The lower house is not controlled by President Emmanuel Macron’s party, thus passage of the law is far from certain.

In order to pass the measures, the government needs 287 votes, and even if it can persuade all 250 of its MPs to support them, it still has to find 37 additional parliamentarians from other parties to support raising the retirement age.

Republicans are anticipated to make up a large portion of those extra votes, therefore the government is determined to avoid rushing the legislation through without their support.

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Teacher stabbed to death by pupil in France

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In a school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France, a high school student fatally stabbed a teacher. Olivier Véran, a spokesman for the French government, confirmed the attack on Wednesday and stated that the offender was 16 years old.

Police and the district attorney went to Saint-Thomas d’Aquin school, where the student was detained. According to the French publication Sud Ouest, the perpetrator attacked the teacher as she was teaching a Spanish class inside the classroom.

As emergency personnel arrived at the school, the teacher, who was in her 50s, passed away from a heart attack, according to local media. According to French television station BFM, the assailant locked the classroom door before stabbing the teacher in the chest.

Local police had launched an assassination inquiry, according to municipal prosecutor Jerome Bourrier, and the suspect was in jail. He continued by saying that neither the police nor the legal system knew who the culprit was.

On Thursday afternoon, the prosecutor will hold a press conference to provide additional information on the investigation. The attack was referred to as “a tragedy of exceptional seriousness” by France’s Minister of Education, Pap Ndiaye, who also offered his sympathies.

The school is a private, Catholic institution located close to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a popular French summer vacation destination. Around midday, those pupils who had been instructed to stay in their classes were permitted to go, and many were picked up by their parents.

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French protests intensify against pension age rise

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The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, is facing a second wave of strikes and protests over his proposals to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The strike, which has affected schools, public transportation, and oil refineries, is being participated in by eight major unions.  Hundreds of thousands of people are participating in marches around France after the first day of protests drew more than a million participants.

There have been more people in several cities than on January 19. Despite polls showing that two-thirds of French oppose the reforms, which start their journey through the National Assembly next week, the Macron administration is moving on with them.

Without a majority in the legislature, the administration will be forced to rely on the right-wing Republicans just as much as its own legislators from the ruling parties.

Thousands more marchers gathered in Toulouse, Marseille, and Nice in the south, Saint Nazaire, Nantes, and Rennes in the west, hours before the main demonstration in downtown Paris’ Place d’Italie. An estimated 11,000 police officers were stationed to monitor the protests occurring in 200 towns and cities.

Only two of Paris’s driverless metro lines were operating normally, and only one in three high-speed trains were operating. On one of the main overground lines in the capital, there were reportedly large crowds.

The CGT union said at least three-quarters of workers had walked out at the big TotalEnergies oil refineries and fuel depots, although the company said the number was far lower. Power plants reported reduced production after workers went on strike at the main electricity company EDF.

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France’s Brigitte Macron backs uniforms for schools

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France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, has stated that she thinks requiring kids to wear uniforms could help address social inequalities among French students.  She claimed that by not purchasing branded clothing, students would also save time getting dressed and money.

She made these remarks as the National Assembly of France was debating a law that, if it were to succeed, would require uniforms in public schools.  Pap Ndiaye, the minister of education, declared he would oppose the proposal.

Previously, Ms. Macron worked as a teacher in a school in northern France. The bill’s sponsor, French far-right National Rally member Roger Chudeau, wants all public schools to have branded uniforms.

His suggestion is that a uniform may eliminate the social divides between pupils that can be exacerbated by apparel. However, it also asserts that a mandatory uniform might stop the introduction of religious or ethnic dress in classrooms.

In a tweet, Mr. Chudeau thanked Ms. Macron for supporting his school uniforms bill and asserted that France’s secular education system was coming under increasing attack. He added: “Let’s hope MPs will vote in favour of this legislation approved by two-thirds of French people.”

The first lady was criticised by left-leaning MPs for endorsing the “backward-looking proposal” of the extreme right.

The education minister, however, asserted that he disagreed with the idea of legal uniform requirements. Instead, he asserted that individual institutions could decide to impose uniform requirements.

In France, public schools are free and open to all students, whereas private schools charge tuition, are frequently selective, and may impose uniform requirements on their students.

Smocks were typically worn at school until the 1960s in order to protect children’s clothing from ink stains. When ballpoint pens were introduced, they were gradually phased out.

However, schools in the French Caribbean regions of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana, as well as a few military high schools, continue to require uniforms.

Ms. Macron has been outspoken about the need to end cyberbullying and online bullying, and one of her videos urging immediate action on the issue will start a meeting of the Unesco in 2021.

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Snow shortage threatens Alps with wet winter season

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The Adelboden resort in Switzerland has been holding its breath as temperatures touched a record high of 20C on January 1st, the hottest recorded north of the Alps.  The normal snowy slopes were actually dirt and grass, raising concerns about whether the ski World Cup would go place the following weekend.

It was warm even at 2,000 metres (6,500 feet), which is above freezing. In the end, it was decided to use the renowned Chuenisbärgli piste for the major slalom competitions.

It required an army of snow cannons and a little drop in temperature at the top of the run to make it happen. However, they will be skiing on synthetic snow when the best male skiers in the world sprint across the finish line.

The start of the ski season has been seriously hampered by the extremely warm and rainy weather across the Alps.

It’s called a snow scarcity or Schneemangel in German. Additionally, there is a term for when there is an abundance of snow: das Weisse Gold, or white gold. It serves as a reminder of how many mountain communities rely on winter sports for their economic survival. They are being forced to reconsider in January.

The ski resorts near Salzburg last received snow in Austria a month ago. Due to a lack of water to feed them, the snow cannon at Chamonix, France, are not in service. Some resorts in Switzerland have even begun to expose their summer bicycle routes in lieu of attempting to offer winter sports. Others have simply stopped operating their ski lifts.

Experts on climate suggest that we shouldn’t be shocked by the weather this January. Winters will get warmer and wetter due to global warming, they have long predicted. The rate at which ski resorts lose their viability, however, appears to be increasing, much like the Alpine glaciers’ diminishing.

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Paris shooting: Protests after deadly attack on Kurds

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As a result of Friday’s horrific attack on the city’s Kurdish community, violence has erupted in central Paris. In addition to throwing objects at police, protesters tipped over automobiles and lit some on fire. Tear gas was used in response by the police.

The attack on Friday, which happened at a restaurant and a centre for Kurdish culture, claimed the lives of three individuals. According to a police source who spoke to AFP, the 69-year-old white male suspect claimed later that he was a bigot who detested foreigners.

The same news organisation was informed that the man used a “much-used” pistol to carry out his attack and was discovered with “two or three” loaded magazines and a box containing at least 25 ammunition. Shortly after the shootings, unrest erupted. Video captured individuals setting fires in the middle of the road and breaking car windows.

As demonstrators attempted to breach a security perimeter, police fired tear gas.

After hundreds of Kurds quietly gathered in the Place de la République to honour the three victims, Saturday’s new violence broke out.

The retired train driver is still being questioned by the police. He is currently facing an additional charge of acting with a racist motive in addition to being detained on suspicion of murder and an attempted murder.

He has a history of weapons offences, and it has come to light that the assault occurred just days after his recent release on bail.

He was accused with racist violence last year after a sword attack in another migrant camp in the French capital.

Witnesses of Friday’s shootings in the city’s 10th district said the attacker – tall, white and elderly – shot dead two men and a woman.

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