AND HERE IS THE NEWS…
….a light look at the latest local news
And the winner is – Corsica-South, then Herault in second place – but voted into 3rd place of the most attractive french departments is ….. the Pyrénées-Oriéntales! INSEE (the Department of National Statistics) mention ‘the contrasts between the very attractive coastline and the hinterland’. Unfortunately they also go on to mention that we also come 3rd when it comes to high levels of poverty – and are in 1st Place for the high rate of unemployment. The newspaper article finishes on a positive note by stating “Apparently misery is always less hard in the sun…”
Hard News – Yet more statistics, published on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Viagra, show that Occitanie (and PACA) are the regions with the highest proportion of people who have used the drug. This is possibly due to the high average age of the population here.
Traffic News – Police have uncovered a major network of car trafficking between Perpignan and the Paris region. Described as a ‘well-structured organisation’, 6 people have been arrested, 15 stolen vehicles impounded, and equipment to alter engine identification marks was also seized.
Mosquito warning – Now that the rain has stopped, conditions are ideal for a new wave of mosquito attacks. Wherever there is stagnant water, hundreds of thousands of larvae are developing (not scare-mongering, this is a quote!). Aerial treatments (dumping of insecticide) is planned to combat the ‘normal’ coastal mosquitoes on the lagoons but for the ‘urban dwelling’ Tiger Mosquito, it is up to us to act. We are advised to empty all containers of standing water – and authorities are particularly concerned that it is All Saints Day shortly when thousands of flower pots will be placed on graves…
Thank you for the music – An internet site, registered to an address in Elne, has been shut down, after it was proved that people had illegally downloaded 300,000 songs and 110,000 films. The founder of the site, which had 15,000 subscribers, has been arrested and faces charges of fraud – with an estimated 35,000€ of royalty payments being owed.
And finally:
Two lady lawyers appeared in court last week – side by side in front of a judge, facing charges of fighting. The two of them had formerly shared offices in the same building, but when the second lawyer demanded her latest rental payments, ugly scenes ensued. The second grabbed the first one by the hair pulled her from her chair and proceeded to thump her repeatedly, the first one (a martial arts expert) then put the second one in an arm lock, which resulted in a nasty bite on the arm. The second one then stormed out of the office and into the waiting room, where she threw all the toys and chairs from the children’s area, against the door. The judge fined them both 400€ and commented that it was ‘a dismal affair’.
