Express parcel delivery operator Chronopost has more than tripled its sorting capacity to 35,000 parcels per hour at its Nord Ile-de-France hub following a €50m (US$52m) expansion project The upgraded facility also includes new infrastructure to help the company effectively process a wide range of packages non-standard packages and temperature-controlled food and health packages “Investments at the Nord Ile-de-France hub reflect our long-term commitment to meet the growing needs of our customers for all types of packages and for all markets,” confirmed Chronopost‘s president “Thanks to the €50m [US$52m] invested in this new site and our territorial network Chronopost has a network capable of absorbing the growth of its volumes until 2030 With a sorting capacity of more than 35,000 parcels per hour, compared with 10,000 before the work, the Nord Ile-de-France hub can process up to 600,000 packages per day during peak activity making it Chronopost’s most efficient site – the Chilly-Mazarin hub handles 546,000 parcels per day in peak and will continue to play a fundamental role in the network The increased capacity has been made possible thanks to several elements The Nord Ile-de-France site has more than 1,400m² of separate cold rooms dedicated to Chronofresh and Chronopost Healthcare for the handling and distribution of temperature-controlled food and health products the Nord Ile-de-France hub can also become a supplementary site during peak activity for controlled temperature products complementing the two Chilly-Mazarin hubs dedicated to controlled temperature Accueil > Educated choice and sustainable consumption > New Service Site Opens in Chilly-Mazarin to Boost Repairs and the Circular Economy Fnac Darty continues to invest in the circular economy with a new site in Chilly-Mazarin. With a surface area of more than 10,000 m2, it consists of 3 large spaces: a central spare parts warehouse, with more than 40,000 products and 140,000 parts in stock; a repair workshop set up to provide practical training to the group’s future technicians; and a central Second Life space to support this growing service. With the Chilly-Mazarin site, the group has the resources to meet the growing demand for repairability. Our target is to perform 2.5 million repairs per year by 2025, which will go hand in hand with the development of our Darty Max repair subscription. To achieve this, the group plans to train or recruit 500 more technicians by 2025. On November 30, Fnac Darty—France’s leading repairer—celebrated the arrival of 150 after-sales service technicians in this new strategic center in Chilly-Mazarin, ready to join the 3,000 group employees already working to bolster the repair economy. Ce site n\'est pas optimisé pour votre navigateur internetVous pouvez le mettre à jour ou utiliser un des navigateurs suivants : Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Tractors block the A6 highway during a protest by French farmers in the Chilly-Mazarin district of Paris Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pledged to continue granting concessions to protesting farmers as he seeks to move beyond a crisis that has dogged his first three weeks as prime minister We don’t flood you with panic-inducing headlines or race to be first We focus on being useful to you — breaking down the news in ways that inform We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today Farmers’ frustration over French and EU regulations are a new dimension in a longstanding problem by Ellen Ioanes The message: They can no longer earn a living due to cheap imports French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a series of concessions, including an agreement not to import agricultural products that use pesticides banned in the EU as well as new financial subsidies and tax breaks. The new policies have — for now — appeased France’s two largest agricultural unions the Young Farmers and the FNSEA (the French acronym for the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions) While farmers throughout Europe have been protesting poor wages and bureaucratic policy within their own countries and the EU the French context is slightly different from other countries It’s partly because of France’s self-conception and the place of agriculture within its national consciousness but also because of France’s politics specifically President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopularity France’s farmers seem to have won a victory, but agriculture workers in Germany, Belgium and other European countries have taken their frustration to the European Union headquarters in Brussels where the European Commission held a summit Thursday Some experts have linked the movement with Euroskepticism a political movement that questions the usefulness of the European Union and often pushes individual countries to leave it But while there are some shades of that philosophy in the protest movement there’s more nuance and complexity to farmers’ frustrations — and more of a desire for French influence in the EU French farmers’ concerns are somewhat specific to their own agricultural and political tradition, and they reflect a wide range of interests. Some farmers, like a small, un-unionized group in Toulouse credited with starting the highway blockades claimed their victory last week when the government announced a slate of reforms including easing regulations around building water reservoirs compensating farmers for crops lost due to disease and backpedaling on a proposed diesel fuel price hike There is an especially strong culture of protest and labor power in France and farmers there have been able to press their demands and secure at least some of the changes they want But what effect they’ll have on EU politics and policy remains to be seen — and they are unlikely to have a major effect on European Parliament elections this summer There are two major — and interconnected — overarching concerns in France During Macron’s tenure, tougher environmental standards both in the EU and in France have required French farmers to invest in new production methods. But because of global inflation following the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers are searching for cheaper products forcing French farmers to sell their products for little profit — or none at all Those concerns speak directly to the second problem which many farmers see as exacerbating the first: competition and free trade agreements The EU has a pending trade agreement with Mercosur that would reduce tariffs on imports from the bloc — especially agricultural products many people see it as opening the gates of Europe to foreign products which is to the competitive advantage of those countries,” Patrick Chamorel senior resident scholar at the Stanford Center in Washington Because France is the largest agricultural producer in the EU “the French will take the brunt of the competition.” The farmers argue this trade agreement and others the EU has with Chile, New Zealand, Kenya, and Ukraine — nations that don’t have the same strict agricultural production standards as the EU — increase unfair competition due to low prices Those low prices mean small if any profits bringing us back to the first problem of income drying up matters are complicated by the fact that the farmers’ unions aren’t all on the same page like the leftist Confédération Paysanne which represents more right-wing interests “The FNSEA is the union of the big farmers in France, so they don’t defend the interests of the majority of the medium-scale and small-scale farmers in France,” Morgan Ody, a farmer member of Confédération Paysanne and coordinator for the international farmers’ movement La Via Campesina International, told the BBC’s World Business Report “They defend the interests of the people who want to export .. they are not asking for a redistribution of the payments linked to the [Common Agricultural Policy] which are the interests of very wealthy men.” France is dealing with a multifaceted dilemma one that it has to solve within its borders but that significantly depends on EU policy That will include changes to the aforementioned Common Agricultural Policy that went into effect in 2023 and placing further environmental regulations on farmers in order for them to earn the subsidies the policy promises Given that the Mercosur agreement includes import quotas and that negotiations could be concluded before June just ahead of this year’s EU Parliament elections European farmers are now protesting in earnest leading to this month’s mass demonstrations in France Early in his mandate Macron pushed farming practices that aligned more closely with the environmental standards of the Left but he adjusted many of them in the face of protest And as he geared up for a reelection run in 2021 Macron sought to push back on his image as an elitist out of touch with the needs of France’s rural population With his promises to enshrine the principle of food sovereignty into French law and impose stricter import controls as well as loosen bans on certain pesticides he seems to have passed his first major political test “I think that the farmers are ready to give Attal a chance,” Chamorel said “Attal is probably cushioning the blow to Macron — that remains to be seen French farmers’ unions have also demonstrated their power. Though farmers make up only around 3 percent of the labor force January’s protests — and Macron’s responses to the agricultural sector throughout his years in power — indicate the power of France’s agricultural sector as well as Macron’s utter political weakness But it’s not going to be the main driver of change within the European Parliament this summer — that’s going to be immigration policy Still, the French protests, and the similar actions by Belgian and German protesters, have been enough to put agricultural issues on the EU summit’s agenda — although it may have taken a trash fire and the destruction of a statue to get there. Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day, compiled by news editor Sean Collins. Does anyone still believe the US would go to war to defend Europe? Georgians are trying to move toward Europe. Their government may have different plans. Dozens of other democracies have short election cycles. Can the Democrats learn something from them? The “reactionary spirit” and the roots of the US authoritarian moment. France held back the far right. No one knows what’s next. The UK is getting a new government. What is it promising to do? Brazil’s agribusiness sector also fears that the pending European Union Deforestation Regulation will outlaw the sale of forest-derived products within the EU’s 27-nation bloc if companies can’t prove their goods are not linked to deforestation Almost half of the country’s cattle is raised in the Amazon region where 90% of deforested land since 1985 has turned into pasture The date of its implementation remains uncertain Full Screen1 / 14Previous photoNext photoTractors face military vehicles on a blocked highway Farmers have captured France's attention by showering government offices with manure and besieging Paris with traffic-snarling barricades of tractors and hay bales Protesters say it's becoming harder than ever to make a decent living from their fields (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)A police officer talks to a farmer outside the Rungis international market which supplies the capital and surrounding region with much of its fresh food French farmers maintained their protests on major roads around Paris and across the country on Wednesday as police was deployed to protect the capital (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Farmers gather with their parked tractors near the highway junction Farmers have been protesting in various parts of Italy and Europe against EU agriculture policies (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)Farmers gather with their parked tractors near the highway junction (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)Police officers control the entrance of the Rungis international market (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Farmers eat croissants for breakfast after spending the night at a highway barricade in Aix-en-Provence France's protesting farmers encircle Paris with tractor barricades (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)A delegation from the Belgian Young Farmers association blocks the main highway between Paris and Brussels in Halle Like their fellow farmers from across the European Union they demand less bureaucracy and more money for their produce (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)A delegation from the Belgian Young Farmers association blocks the main highway between Paris and Brussels in Halle (AP Photo/Raf Casert)Farmers block a highway (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)French gendarmes stand by their military vehicles on a blocked highway (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)Gendarmes with armored vehicles face farmers and their tractors blocking a highway (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Tractors park outside the Rungis international market (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Farmers run with their ractors on the highway in Orte (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)Copyright 2024 The Associated Press Tractors face military vehicles on a blocked highway HALLE – Farmers blocked more traffic arteries across Belgium as they sought to disrupt trade at major ports and other economic lifelines They also moved in on Brussels on the eve of a major European Union summit in a sustained push for better prices for their produce and less bureaucracy in their work While the days of mushrooming discontent have been largely peaceful French police arrested 91 protesters who forced their way Wednesday into Europe's biggest food market Armored vehicles block entrances to the sprawling site at Rungis The protests had an immediate impact on Wednesday — the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, announced plans to shield farmers from cheap exports from Ukraine during wartime and allow farmers to use some land that had been forced to lie fallow for environmental reasons The plans still need to be approved by the bloc's 27 member states and European Parliament but they amounted to a sudden and symbolic concession “I just would like to reassure them that we do our utmost to listen to their concerns I think we are addressing two very important (concerns) of them right now,” European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said The rallies are part of farming protests across the EU and have shown how only a few hundred tractors can snarl traffic in capitals from Berlin to Paris Millions across the bloc have been facing disruptions and struggling to get to work or seen their doctor’s appointments canceled because protests blocked their way but for many companies in Flanders and Belgium," said Sven Pieters of the ECS transport company in Belgium's Zeebrugge North Sea port Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reported 100 protests around France involving about 10,000 farmers and warned farmers encircling Paris that any attempt to block the Rungis market and airports Protesters put a big banner on the A6 highway when farmers plan to protest outside EU headquarters during a summit of government leaders They will seek to get their issues on the summit agenda and win some concessions on the financial burdens they face and the increased competition from nations as far away as Chile and New Zealand “It is important that we listen to them,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said “They face gigantic challenges,” from adapting to climate change to countering environmental pollution Belgium currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, and De Croo said that he would address the issue during the summit as a late addition to an agenda centered on providing more aid to Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches nearly two years French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he wants to hold off on a free trade deal with South American nations because of the vehement opposition of EU farmers and will discuss the issue at the summit governments in the EU are treating protests Spanish farmers were also set to add their weight to the protests Three main Spanish farming associations agreed to begin protests in the coming weeks to demand changes in what they describe as overly restrictive EU policies protesting farmers sought to keep each other fed — and a sense of humor about camping out for days on hay-strewn highways en route to Paris Demonstrator Frank Chardon offered fresh croissants to some police on Wednesday near his tractor protest in Chilly-Mazarin east of Paris "So we’re going to hand out croissants and you’re going to let us through .. I see you’re not finding this funny," he said he tried again: “You open the cordon and that way we can drive through with our tractors?” rewritten or redistributed without permission TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us / Follow on Social Media Careers at WKMG Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications EEO Report Disability Assistance Copyright © 2025 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Delay to rules on setting aside land to encourage biodiversity offered as concession amid continuing protests Farmers protesting across Europe have won their first concession from Brussels with the EU announcing a delay in rules that would have forced them to set aside land to encourage biodiversity and soil health About 10,000 French farmers stepped up their protests on Wednesday with at least 100 blockades on major roads across France as 18 farmers were arrested for blocking traffic as they tried to reach the wholesale food market at Rungis south-east of Paris and 79 others were detained after they managed to get inside Belgian farmers joined protests at the French border and others blocked access roads to the Zeebrugge container port for a second day Spanish and Italian farmers also demonstrated Citing flooding, wildfires in Greece, heatwaves across southern Europe and drought in Spain which has left reservoirs in Andalucia at 20% normal levels, he said it was important to listen to farmers and “to avoid the polarisation which is making any good conversation and discussion more difficult. “We feel we are obliged to act under this pressure which the farming community [is feeling],” he said. “We have had a number of extreme meteorological events, droughts, flooding in various parts of Europe, and there was a clear negative effect on the output, on the revenue – and of course, decreased income – for the farmers.” Combined with higher energy prices, the weather-related risks to crops meant farmers were at a “persistent pain point” that was “driving up the cost of production and squeezing revenues”, Šefčovič said. Read moreUnder the rules, farmers were expected to keep 4% of their arable land free from crop production in an effort to regenerate the health of the soil and increase biodiversity farmers could have got an exemption from this “set-aside” rule if they had used 7% of their land for “catch crops” such as clover which provide cover for the soil after the main crop is harvested farmers will not be obliged to set aside fallow land The change comes as farm protests have been intensifying French farmers from the south-west of the country managed to get around police barriers south of Paris by taking back-roads or switching from tractors to trucks in order to reach the area near the Rungis food market had warned that while farmers’ protests on motorways would be tolerated police would not allow them to block airports or Rungis French farmers maintain roadblocks on key highways into Paris Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Créteil prosecutor’s office outside Paris said that 15 of the 18 farmers arrested near Rungis were in custody being questioned by police French farmers also blocked roads around Lyon At a farmers’ roadblock in Cavaillon in the south told BFMTV: “This is about the anger of country people being treated by fools After days spent calling for higher incomes less red tape and protection from foreign competition “there are huge expectations” among farmers the head of France’s largest agricultural union He added that not all of the demands could be immediately answered “so I’m trying to call for calm and reason” farmers have not been impressed with the quick fixes offered by politicians or officials in Brussels They have concerns about the high cost of land the pressure from supermarkets to sell crops at near-cost prices and the plethora of new environment rules coming in the form of EU nature restoration laws Their critics say EU farmers are among the most cosseted sectors in the industry with more than €307bn (£260bn) – 30% of the overall EU budget – earmarked for them between 2023 and 2027 Asked if Wednesday’s concession would be enough to quell the protests Šefčovič admitted that the EU had to “intensify” the dialogue with farmers to make sure they were listened to “We have to make sure that Europe will become a continent which will be habitable The European Commission will also set up measures to limit market disruption from Ukrainian products entering the EU after tariffs were lifted in response to Russia’s invasion France will oppose a trade deal between the European Union and the South American Mercosur bloc – a key grievance for protesters – being signed in its current state said there would be closer surveillance of European food trading platforms to ensure that “farmers’ income is not the first thing to be sacrificed in trade negotiations” This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page BRUSSELS — The need to have two pilots at all times in passenger airplane cockpits is being challenged by new technologies — to the dismay of pilots and their unions On Tuesday, the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published its annual update of the European Plan for Aviation Safety which sets out safety priorities while identifying risks and mitigation measures the agency waters down its previous openness to single pilot operations — adding an extra regulatory hurdle “EASA has adjusted its rulemaking program to make clear that we will focus first on evaluating the development and deployment of such advanced cockpit technologies,” said EASA spokesperson Janet Northcote Single pilot flying does not entail having only one pilot at the controls of an airliner for the duration of a flight it would allow one pilot to be alone in the cockpit when the airplane is cruising allowing the second pilot to step away from the controls aircraft manufacturers must ensure that the technology is up to snuff so safety isn’t compromised EASA would have to approve single-pilot operations called extended minimum crew operations (eMCOs) An eMCO-equipped plane would tempt many airlines which currently have to keep two pilots in the cockpit for the entire flight Four pilots are needed if the flight lasts longer than the length of one pilot shift EASA said it will set up a study to assess the impact of “new advanced flight deck technologies” and “propose a regulatory framework that ensures the safe integration of smart cockpits in commercial air transport operations.” That adds a new regulatory step before considering single-pilot operations While the previous rulemaking study was aimed at developing rules that would allow for the “safe implementation of eMCO,” the latest action announced by the regulator only looks at the smart cockpit concept EASA explained Tuesday’s shift as part of an effort to remove any doubt that safety is paramount “EASA in November last year clarified its approach to the concept of eMCO to make absolutely clear to all parties that safety comes first and must be enhanced by any changes to the cockpit or to operations,” Northcote said EASA’s more conservative approach to single-pilot operations comes after Florian Guillermet took over as executive director of the EU agency in April. He succeeded Luc Tytgat, who had been acting executive director for the previous seven months, and Patrick Ky, who led the agency for 10 years and was an open supporter of single-pilot operations But pilots aren’t reassured by EASA’s new course the agency leaned worryingly toward ‘enabling’ single pilot flying aligning too closely with industry players,” said Tanja Harter president of the European Cockpit Association pilots union “But the operational concept of flying with only one pilot during cruise is still alive and [was] explicitly mentioned,” in Tuesday's document “Manufacturers and certain airlines will keep pushing but regulators must stay laser-focused on safety.” The main impetus for the development of single-pilot capability comes from Europe — where the world leader in the sector, Airbus, is working on autonomous flight along with other manufacturers such as Dassault warning that cutting the number of pilots poses safety risks “Can you handle two emergencies at the same time?” asks a recent union ad which shows a toilet in the middle of a flight deck and no pilot in the cockpit The sudden death of a Turkish Airlines pilot during a flight from Seattle to Istanbul in October prompted pilots to underline that the additional crew was crucial in helping the plane land safely Kyiv warns it can’t guarantee the safety of those attending Friday’s Victory Day parade in Moscow Estonian Commission official Henrik Hololei faces disciplinary measures after opening of internal probe into claims of wrongdoing Brussels is also worried about the risks to air safety posed by fake and uncertified parts installed in Russian planes UPS officially opened a new 30,000-square-meter advanced technology package sorting and delivery hub outside Paris in Corbeil-Essonnes/Évry facilitates cross-border trade and enhances package delivery service in the Île-de-France area “This $100-million advanced technology facility spans four soccer fields,” says Nando Cesarone “And it’s the single biggest investment UPS has ever made in France.” The building is equipped with advanced technology and automated sorting equipment and has the potential to sort up to 37,000 packages per hour which is more than twice the capacity of the two facilities in Chilly-Mazarin and Savigny that it replaces The facility is a part of the company’s multi-year which aims to modernize and expand the UPS network across the continent UPS has been offering services in France since 1985 and established its own operations in 1988 The company currently has 56 operating facilities in France has a fleet of more than 800 delivery vehicles and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" © 2025 Inbound Logistics. Site created by Thomas Publishing Company weekly newsletter for supply chain and logistics news you can use Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" France: Bouygues Construction and Ecocem have signed a partnership to facilitate the use of Ecocem’s low-carbon ACT cement technology in Bouygues Construction’s projects The collaboration involves three stages of testing and validation Bouygues Construction will conduct independent laboratory tests to evaluate ACT’s performance structural concrete walls will be built at Bouygues Construction’s facilities in Chilly-Mazarin will be constructed to assess the in-situ application of ACT technology.  The testing programme aims to integrate ACT technology into Bouygues Construction projects following successful validation You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Emilie Boulard scoring a try against Ireland in 2021 (AFP/Getty Images) Who is Emilie Boulard: Ten things you should know about the France full-back Emilie Boulard burst onto the scene in 2021 and is known for her pace in space Boulard plays her club rugby for RC Chilly-Mazarin 3. She competed for France’s U20 team and won her first senior cap in 2021 against Wales in the Six Nations Boulard won the International Rugby Players Women’s Try of the Year at the 2021 World Rugby Awards for a score against Wales on her debut You voted Emilie Boulard's outstanding score for @FranceRugby against Wales as the 2021 @IntRugbyPlayers' Women's Try of the Year #WorldRugbyAwards ?: @Womens6Nations pic.twitter.com/XrMdYaBVRJ — World Rugby (@WorldRugby) December 6, 2021 5. She was the first Chilly-Mazarin player ever to be selected to play for France. She told Le Quotidien Du Sport: “Very few people knew me playing at Chilly which is not well known and had never had a selection before “But it’s nice to see that people appreciate what I do and to contribute to giving a good image of the team and of women’s rugby.” 6. Samuel Cherouk, who is part of the France coaching team, told The Limited Times of Boulard’s skill-set: “She goes fast skilful with the ball in hand and has a good sense of space.” 7. She is a laid-back character, telling Le Parisien: “I live from day to day without thinking about the aftermath.” A post shared by France Rugby (@francerugby) She has named several France players as her inspiration Caroline Boujard and Mathieu Bastareaud among them She is studying training and performance optimisation at the Universite Paris-Est Creteil She has spoken about competing for the French full-back shirt with Jessy Tremouliere Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door so who better to front a new look than England’s man… Italian farmers are joining protest movement which has also hit Germany PARIS/BRUSSELS: The French government on Wednesday sent armoured vehicles to protect a wholesale food market in Paris in a sign of escalating tensions as farmers blocked highways in France and Belgium and protests spread elsewhere in Europe Spanish and Italian farmers said they were joining the protest movement that aims to press governments to ease environmental rules and shield them from rising costs and cheap imports With all eyes on a summit of EU leaders set for Thursday the bloc’s executive Commission made proposals to limit farm imports from Ukraine and loosen some green regulations But that was unlikely to be enough to quell the anger of farmers who said they would continue to block highways and ports until all their demands were met “What is happening at the moment stems from the accumulation of rules that at first you accept.. till it becomes too much,” said Arnaud Rousseau While protests have so far been largely peaceful - though French farmers have sprayed liquid manure at local prefecture buildings and set tyres on fire - police arrested 18 people on Wednesday amid standoffs Those arrested were driving tractors and trying to block the wholesale food market at Rungis in Paris police had let farmers block highways without stepping in Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has warned that while farmers’ protests on highways would be tolerated police would not allow farmers to block airports or the Rungis market BFM TV showed standoffs near the river Loire with tractors stopped by police from moving closer to Paris It also showed tractors leaving roads and rumbling across fields to bypass police Farmers say they are not being paid enough are choked by taxes and green rules and face unfair competition from abroad the end of agriculture will mean the end of civilisation,” 28-year-old Belgian farmer Adelin Desmecht said farmers blocked access roads to the Zeebrugge container port for a second day A protest organiser who gave his name as Bruno said more than 100 tractors were taking part in the blockade A spokesperson for the port of Antwerp-Bruges said farmers had also started blocking trucks from leaving and entering the port of Antwerp A major highway in Belgium was also blocked farmers have blocked traffic with hundreds of tractors near motorway access points near Milan Farmers’ lobby Coldiretti said more than 1,000 of its members would travel to Brussels to take part in a demonstration on Thursday outside the European Parliament French farmers have already won several concessions including the government dropping plans to gradually reduce subsidies on agricultural diesel In another step to try to subdue farmer anger the agriculture ministry announced 230 million euros in additional aid for French wine producers The European Commission on Wednesday proposed limiting agricultural imports from Ukraine which will require approval from EU governments and the European Parliament introduces an “emergency brake” for the most sensitive products imported from Ukraine - poultry eggs and sugar - allowing tariffs if imports exceed the average levels of 2022 and 2023 It also allows EU members to set temporary measures if their markets are disrupted by a surge in imports of other farm produce The Commission also proposed exempting farmers for 2024 from a requirement to keep a minimum share of their land fallow while still receiving EU subsidies - another key request for farmers on which the EU has waived quotas and duties since Russia’s February 2022 invasion and renewed talks on concluding a trade deal with South American nations in the Mercosur bloc have fanned farmers’ discontent over what they see as unfair competition French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire repeated that Paris does not want the deal to be signed as it is now due to a lack of guarantees that imported products would have to meet EU rules But the European Commission has said it still aims to conclude the free trade agreement The protests across Europe come ahead of European Parliament elections in June in which the far right for whom farmers represent a growing constituency Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox UK mulls visa restrictions on Pakistani students Spain discovers new grid failure on day of blackout Spain blackouts: ​​Disinformation drive vs renewables Spain opens probe after cable theft halts trains XFASTINDEX Bouygues Construction is putting Ecocem’s ACT technology through its laboratories with the two companies’ research development teams collaborating Ecocem’s ACT cement replaces clinker with a range of alternative, low carbon cementitious materials including hydraulic, pozzolanic and filler materials, covering both industrial and natural sources. ACT reduces the clinker content of cement from 75% to below 25% The Ecocem-Bouygues partnership is focused on three areas designed to validate ACT technology: independent laboratory testing; initial full scale field testing; and full-scale mock-up construction Bouygues will conduct a testing program at its COFRAC (French Committee for Accreditation) accredited Materials Engineering Lab (Laboratoire Ingénierie Matériaux) to evaluate the performance of ACT technology under laboratory conditions The process will be overseen by Bouygues’ on-site production team and its Materials Engineering Lab including all structural components (slabs will be constructed by Scale One under typical site conditions This will allow for full evaluation of the in-situ use of ACT technology in parallel with the completion of the ACT technology certification process by Ecocem Edward Woods, head of R&D and innovation at Bouygues Construction, said “We are committed to making construction sustainable and less resource-intensive. Any low carbon solution deployed by Bouygues Construction must deliver the required concrete performance and must be globally scalable and cost efficient we share a focus on and commitment to innovation and finding scalable solutions that drive down emissions at speed Validating ACT technology in a variety of applications and conditions with the ambition of incorporating it into our projects is an integral part of Bouygues Construction’s R&D and innovation team’s remit in tandem with Bouygues Construction’s procurement department.” “As the construction sector accelerates its environmental transition scale and cost efficiency are what matters This collaboration highlights the convergence of technological innovation and climate commitment and will create an immediate and measurable impact on CO2 emissions.” Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk 8 hours Ebbsfleet Development Corporation is undertaking early market engagement for infrastructure works. 1 day Following a recent expansion into North America, Murphy Group has now entered Australia. 7 hours Innovative tracked carrier manufacturer among 2025 King’s Award for Enterprise recipients 8 hours Modular construction business Integra Buildings has received royal recognition for its approach to sustainability. 9 hours MTX Contracts has been selected as the preferred bidder to build a diagnostic centre in Pitsea, Essex. 9 hours House-builder Springfield Properties has promoted Darren Thomson to construction director for its north of Scotland operations. © 2025 The Construction Index [Company No ' + response[i].created_nice + ' ' + response[i].description + ' ABC News News HomeFrench police destroy more than 1 million fake luxury itemsShare French police destroy more than 1 million fake luxury itemsTopic:Crime French customs agents look on as counterfeit items are destroyed in Vertou, western France. (AFP: Frank Perry) Link copiedShareShare articleFrench authorities have destroyed more than 1 million counterfeit items, including fake Hermes bags and designer perfumes, in events staged across the country. Commerce minister Nicole Bricq, attending one such event at Chilly-Mazarin, south-west of Paris, said it was "an economic crime that hits all sectors, destroys our jobs and threatens consumers." Ms Bricq said they led to huge losses for the economy, putting the figure at 6 billion euros ($8.46 billion) annually. The items destroyed at Chilly-Mazarin and in major cities such as Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon and Rouen included fake design-wear bearing names like Dolce&Gabbana, Dior and Lacoste, counterfeit Rolex watches and shoes, telephones and toys. The market for fake goods has burgeoned. In 1994, the customs service intercepted 200,000 items and the figure ballooned to 8.3 million in 2011. French officials say nearly 70 per cent of the products came from Asia and about a third of the orders were placed through the internet. Topic:Food and Beverage Processing Industry CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) A busy weekend is forecast on French roads as millions set off or return from holidays amid the context of a national rail strike The French traffic information system, Bison Futé has warned that on Friday (February 16) and Saturday (February 17) the motorways will be particularly congested Read more: French half-term train strikes: half of TGVs cancelled Friday is the start of half-term in Zone A (Besançon and drivers should anticipate heavy southbound traffic (sens des départs) as holidaymakers head to resorts It is also the start of the holidays in several regions of the Netherlands Bison futé forecasts heavy traffic on the A6 between Wissous and Chilly-Mazarin from the end of the morning This will lead to congestion spreading along the A6B A86 and A6 motorways from the early afternoon The weight of commuter and weekend traffic will add to the load of holiday traffic leading to peak congestion by late afternoon Driving conditions on the A6 are expected to remain congested until late evening Similar conditions are expected on the A6 (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) and on the A4 (Grand-Est) The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region will see particularly heavy traffic to and from the ski resorts on the A40 and A43 Northbound traffic will also be congested around Paris from the early afternoon to the evening Greta Thunberg at protest against new motorway in south-west France Travel: How to be reimbursed if affected by strike action in France The group compared two popular EV models and considered six specialist EV offers The prefectural ban is set to remain in place until at least December 31 The geographical spread of Canadian nationals follows a similar pattern to Americans Logistics Middle East Home » Warehousing » UPS opens new Paris Hub facility to enhance Middle East connectivity and will also enhance UPS’ connectivity to major growth markets like the Middle East “Transcontinental trade and trade across borders are predicted to grow faster than global gross domestic production for the foreseeable future Europe is a key market for high growth economy such as Middle East,” says Rami Suleiman With more than 600 French companies working in the United Arab Emirates efficient connections between France and the Middle East are more important than ever “Supporting such trade potential requires high end infrastructure driven by technology and a smart global logistics network,” adds Suleiman “With US $4.2 billion in French exports to the Emirates the UAE has become France’s second-largest export destination in the Arabian Gulf UPS’s advanced technology Paris Hub will help French companies grow their businesses in Middle East.” is UPS’ single largest investment ever in France The US $100-million facility is equipped with advanced technology automated sorting equipment and has the potential to sort up to 37,000 packages per hour “This new Paris Hub facility improves efficiency and service for our customers,” says Rob Burrows we grew our export volume in France by over 10% thanks to an increasingly cross-border business Paris Hub is part of our national network of nearly sixty facilities that connects French businesses to their customers across UPS’s enhanced European network – and around the world.” The new distribution centre is a part of the company’s multi-year UPS has invested in new hubs in Lyon and Montpellier a new facility in Dijon and a combined package centre/UPS France headquarters in Paris Better connecting France to UPS’s enhanced European network offers customers in Asia Pacific Latin America and the Indian Sub-continent Middle East and Africa (ISMEA) regions attractive access to European markets