First snowflakes in Île-de-France, “human error” for the accident in Val Thorens, 45 tonnes of cocaine seized in 2024… The 3 pieces of information to remember at midday

Storm Caetano: after Brittany and Normandy, the first snowflakes fall in Ile-de-France

The first flakes of Storm Caetano fell on Thursday morning on Brittany and Normandy as winter descends on France. 58 departments are placed on orange alert for snow, ice and wind. This storm “will cross France from west to east and cause an early and sufficiently notable winter episode to make traffic conditions difficult in the regions concerned”, indicates Météo-France on its website.

Gondola accident in Val Thorens: a potential “human error”

The cable car accident which left two seriously injured in Val Thorens on Tuesday “could result from human error”, the Albertville prosecutor's office said on Thursday, while adding that investigations were continuing. The first observations were made by investigators and the Technical Service for Ski Lifts and Guided Transport (STRMTG).

Drug trafficking: nearly 45 tonnes of cocaine seized in 2024, already double that of 2023

Nearly 45 tonnes of cocaine have already been seized in 2024, double the seizures in 2023, the new Director General of the National Police (DGPN) said on Wednesday, noting a drop in the number of deaths linked to drug trafficking. Over the first ten months of the year, “44.8 tonnes” of cocaine were seized by the French services responsible for the fight against drug trafficking, compared to 23.2 tonnes over the whole of 2023, said Louis Laugier, interviewed by the Senate Law Committee.

Today's figure: 2.3 million

That is the equivalent in euros of the 30 kg of gold coins discovered by an Austrian plumber in a villa. While he was simply coming to do repair work in Vienna, the man got his hands on a metal box containing a real treasure, reports the local daily Heute and cited by Ouest France.

Quote of the day: what did the philosopher Hippolyte Taine say about the abolition of a government?

No matter how bad a government is, there is something worse, and that is the suppression of government.

Hippolyte Taine

The memorable photo to remember

Video of the day