DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A Canadian lake best charts humanity’s impact on Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Fossils embedded in rock reveal intriguing details about animals, plants and other life-forms that once called Earth home. ConsequencesCrawford Lake in Ontario is the geological site that best reflects a new epoch recognizing the impact of human activity on Earth, said geologists of the Anthropocene Working Group. The Anthropocene Working Group determined in 2016 that the epoch began around 1950 — the start of the era of nuclear testing. The international research group says that Crawford Lake in Ontario best charts humanity’s impact on Earth. Back then, it took 10 hours to relay a single image to Earth — incredibly slow by today’s standards.

Persons: Crawford, they’ve, Amenhotep III, didn’t, Philippe Martinez, Mona Lisa of Egypt, Thais Rabito Pansani, —, Webb, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Conservation, Scientists, MAFTO, Sorbonne University, NASA Mariner, Mariner, NASA Jet Propulsion, CNN Space, Science Locations: Ontario, Brazil, South America, Americas

☆ These ancient Egyptian paintings were hiding a secret
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.CNN —Researchers using a cutting-edge technique have discovered hidden details in two ancient Egyptian paintings in the Theban Necropolis, near the River Nile, that date back more than 3,000 years. Using portable chemical imaging technology, the researchers identified alterations made by the artists that are rare in Egyptian paintings, commonly thought to be the product of highly formalized workflows. We want to understand how these paintings were made.”X-ray fluorescence in chemical imaging technology helps to reveal alterations made in Egyptian tomb paintings that may not seem obvious to the naked eye. “It demonstrates the potential value of quantitative data, obtained through scientific analysis, for a more comprehensive and less subjective interpretation of ancient Egyptian art,” she said. “And the adaption of portable (X-ray) instruments as mobile devices designed for use in the field is a very exciting advancement in the study of ancient Egyptian wall paintings.”

Persons: ”, Philippe Martinez, Amenhotep III, Mona Lisa of Egypt, ” Martinez, “, Menna, Osiris, Ramesses II, Martinez, I’m, ” Joann Fletcher, Lorelei Corcoran Organizations: CNN —, Sorbonne University, MAFTO, UK’s University of York, of Egyptian Art, University of Memphis Locations: Paris, Egypt, Menna, Luxor, Tennessee

☆ Nationwide protests in France after Macron doubles down on pension bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Protesters gather during a demonstration after the pension reform was adopted as the French Parliament rejected two motions of no-confidence against the government, in Paris, France, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho DocePARIS, March 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people were set to strike and demonstrate in France on Thursday after President Emmanuel Macron vowed to push on with a deeply unpopular pension reform despite escalating anger across the country. Macron drew an angry response from unions and opposition parties on Wednesday when he rejected their calls for him to heed growing popular anger. Most protests have been peaceful, but anger has mounted since the government pushed the bill through parliament without a vote last week. Polls show a wide majority of French opposed to the pension legislation and the government's decision to push it through parliament without a vote.

The country’s generous pension system and early retirement have long been a point of pride since they were enacted after World War II. Railway workers hold a banner reading "Until the withdrawal" during a demonstration a few days after the government forced the pension reform through parliament without a vote. Macron and his government have defended the retirement reform as necessary to keep the pension system funded. He also defended the decision to push through the reform as financially necessary, no matter how unpopular it was. Between opinion polls and the national interest, I chose the national interest,” Macron said.

☆ France pension reform protests turn violent following national day of action
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Aurore Laborie Dalal Mawad Oliver Briscoe Allegra Goodwin Pierre Bairin Helen Regan | Aurore Laborie | Dalal Mawad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Paris CNN —More than a million people took to the streets across France on Thursday with protests turning violent in some areas as demonstrators voiced their fury at proposed pension reforms. At least 80 people were arrested and 123 police officers injured in France on Thursday during the nationwide protests, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. The gate of the Bordeaux city hall after it was set on fire during a demonstration on a national day of action, on March 23 in Bordeaux, southwestern France. French riot police apprehend a protester amid clashes during a demonstration against pension reform in Paris on March 23, 2023. It rammed the legislation through the French National Assembly last week using a constitutional clause that allows the government to bypass a vote.

Protests against the bill have drawn huge crowds in rallies organised by unions since January. Most have been peaceful, but anger has mounted since the government pushed the bill through parliament without a vote last week. The ongoing protests could impact a planned state visit next week of Britain's King Charles, a Buckingham Palace source said. While the opposition has called for Macron to fire his prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, who has been at the forefront of the pension reform, Macron backed her and said that he had tasked her to work on new reforms. "Tomorrow we will be on the streets again to demonstrate against the pension reform and demand its withdrawal," said one of them, CFDT union member Sophie Trastour.

[1/11] Protesters take part in a demonstration against the French government's pension reform plan, as part of the eighth day of national strike and protests, in Ancenis-Saint-Gereon, France, March 15, 2023. The pension bill passed to a joint parliamentary committee on Wednesday where lawmakers from the lower and upper chambers are seeking a compromise text. If a deal is reached, a final vote in both the Senate and National Assembly will be held on Thursday. This new day of protests "is meant to tell lawmakers: don't vote this reform," he said. "In the National Assembly, there will not be an easy vote, nor will there be panic," government spokesman Olivier Veran told Europe 1 radio station.

Air France said about 20% of short-haul flights would be canceled, but long-haul services would be maintained. The reforms will gradually increase the age at which most French citizens can draw a state pension to 64, from 62. A record 1.3 million people took part in demonstrations on January 19, which brought the country to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. The government has said the pension legislation is necessary to tackle a funding deficit, but the reforms have angered workers at a time when living costs are rising. The legislation is currently before French lawmakers, with a vote on the final version of the text expected later this month.

☆ Unions seek to bring France to a halt to block pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Suburban trains are seen at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on the eve of the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against the pension reform in France with heavy disruption on French SNCF railway and the Paris transport RATP networks, France, March 6, 2023. "Together, on March 7th, let's put France to a halt! "People massively reject this reform," CFDT union leader Laurent Berger told France Inter radio. "The future of our pension system is at stake," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 5 TV on Monday. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told weekly JDD.

PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Industrial action in France over the government's planned pensions overhaul will cause heavy disruption to public transport again on Tuesday, the transport minister and several public transport authorities said on Sunday. Some unions, such as the hardline CGT, called for a rolling strike at refineries and at the national railway operator SNCF. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT, Philippe Martinez, told French weekly JDD. It is up to him to withdraw this reform," he said, referring to President Emmanuel Macron. RATP, the public transport operator for the Ile-de-France region around Paris, also said metro lines and suburban trains will be heavily disrupted, with some metro lines only running at peak hours.

The slogan reads "No to the Macron's pension reform". In what could prove a prolonged standoff, unions and their members are seeking to minimise the impact on personal finances already strained by the worst cost of living crisis in decades. French unions generally do not have permanent strike funds to help members cope, though some will set up occasional kitties financed by donations for a specific cause. While it is generally used to cover legal fees and compensate workers in local strikes, members are now clamouring for it to help cover lost pay during the pension strikes. However, even before the cost of living crisis, French unions have struggled to resist government reform plans in the decades since massive strikes in 1995 successfully forced a conservative government to drop a pension overhaul.

☆ French labour minister says raising pensions age is 'non-negotiable' despite mass protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - French Labour Minister Oliver Dussopt said on Wednesday that raising the retirement age to 64 was "non-negotiable", a day after more than a million people marched in protest at the proposed measure and a union leader called for rolling strikes. "If we do not go to 64, the pension system will not break even. What is not negotiable is the issue of returning to break-even," Dussopt told France 2 Television. "I believe in rolling strikes. They are playing the tug of war," he told France Inter radio.

Paris/London CNN —French schools and transportation networks were heavily disrupted Tuesday for the second time this month, as unions staged another mass strike against government plans to raise the retirement age for most workers. Strikes that day brought the transportation network to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. Air France (AFLYY) canceled 10% of short-haul flights but said strikes would not affect long-haul services. On Sunday, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said raising the retirement age was “not negotiable,” during an interview on domestic television station France Info. Raising the retirement age to 64 will keep France below the norm in Europe and in many other developed economies, where the age at which full pension benefits vest is 65 and increasingly moving towards 67.

☆ Strike reduces French power supply, halts refinery shipments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EDF's (EDF.PA) outage table showed a 4.5 GW nuclear supply reduction at eight reactors, 460 megawatts (MW) of reduced hydropower and 2.8 GW of lower thermal production. This is how strikes work in France : strikers are not allowed to put security of supply at risk," analyst Emeric de Vigan said. Meanwhile, deliveries of refined oil products were blocked from leaving refineries operated by TotalEnergies , the company said. There would be no disruption to fuel supplies at service stations if the unions maintained their strike timetable, TotalEnergies has said. The CGT refineries federation has called for a single day of strike this week and further walkouts next week and the week after.

Protests in major French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Nice, brought transport services to a standstill. Eight of the biggest unions had called for a “first day of strikes and protests” against pension reforms unveiled by President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Train lines across France were seeing “severe disruption,” according to French rail authority SNCF. Macron’s proposed pension reforms come as workers in France, as elsewhere, are being squeezed by rising food and energy bills. The French government has said that raising the retirement age is necessary to tackle a pension funding deficit.

☆ France contends with widespread strikes as unions take to streets against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

French unions and demonstrators have taken to the streets on Thursday in widespread industrial action against the government's projected pension reforms. The pension reform is "just and responsible" and must be carried out, Macron said Thursday, according to Reuters. The organizations will convene Thursday evening to determine convening further industrial action. Rail operator SNCF warned train travel will be "severely disrupted" by industrial action between 7 p.m. local time on 18 Jan. and 8 a.m. on Friday. He reiterated his objections to the reform plan and stressed the syndicates' willingness to continue strikes beyond the first day of industrial action, "It is a first day, therefore, we will have others."

PARIS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - France's hardline CGT union has threatened to cut off electricity supplies to lawmakers and billionaires before a nationwide strike on Thursday, in an increasingly acrimonious showdown over the government's plan to raise the retirement age. "I suggest they also go see the nice properties, the nice castles of billionaires," Philippe Martinez, leader of the CGT, France's second-largest trade union, told France 2 television on Wednesday. In recent days, Sebastien Menesplier, of the hardline CGT's energy and mine branch, has also threatened electricity cuts targeting the offices of MPs, local media quoted him as saying. Government spokesman Olivier Veran said threats to cut electricity were "unacceptable." Seven out of 10 primary school teachers will walk off their job, as will many refinery workers, unions and transport operators said.

The French will have to work two years longer to age 64 before retiring, if the reform, announced on Tuesday, is adopted by parliament. They will also need to work longer to get a full pension. "I don't understand the principle of making people work longer when there are lots of young people looking for work." Unions will in any case get the support of the left-wing Nupes coalition in parliament, which urged workers to protest on Jan. 19. Under its plan, the retirement age will be raised by three months per year from September, reaching the target age of 64 in 2030.

Paris CNN Business —French President Emmanuel Macron called a crisis meeting with senior ministers on Monday to address crippling strikes at gas refineries that has caused fuel pumps to run dry. Elsewhere, nearly one third of gas stations have run out of at least one fuel, with the situation expected to worsen this week, according to French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. But French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the strikes were “unacceptable and illegitimate,” because wage agreements had been met with the majority of workers. Transportation minister Clement Beaune told France Inter that the only way out of the crisis is an end to strikes. On Sunday, thousands marched through central Paris to protest the crisis and “climate inaction.”

☆ Some French unions call strike in test of Macron mettle on pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks after visiting the Eric Tabarly high school in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France September 13, 2022. "Wages must be increased as there is a purchasing power problem in the country", Philippe Martinez, whose CGT union is spearheading Thursday's protests, told BFM television. Striking CGT workers this week forced the shutdown of TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) Gonfreville refinery and disrupted deliveries at others. Nuclear power industry workers are expected to join Thursday's industrial action, removing some capacity from the French power grid when France already faces a record number of nuclear reactor outages. In French primary schools, the SNUipp-FSU union expects one in every 10 primary schools to close in Paris.

☆ France hit by nationwide strike as workers protest over pension reforms
▼ + stars: | 2019-12-05 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowFrance is experiencing one of its biggest strikes in decades as public sector workers protest against changes to the pension system. According to the French newspaper, Le Monde, more than 180 000 people are taking to the streets in 30 different parts of France. Prior to his election in 2017, President Emmanuel Macron vowed to reform France's pension system. watch nowPrevious attempts to change the pension system have also been met with strong opposition from public sector workers. However, transport workers argue that the new system would mean they would have to work longer into old age or see their pension reduced.

Search resuls for: "Philippe Martinez"

21 mentions found