Death of Michel Blanc, sad clown of French cinema
The actor and director Michel Blanc, figure of Splendid, died in the night from Thursday to Friday at the age of 72, announced the press officer for his main films, Laurent Renard, confirming information from Paris Match. He suffered a heart attack in the evening and was transported in serious condition to a Paris hospital.
“Fuck Michel… What did you do to us…”, his sidekick from Splendid and “Bronzés”, Gérard Jugnot, wrote during the night in a story on Instagram. “Michel my friend my brother my partner”, reacted on Instagram the actress Josiane Balasko, another figure of this flagship troupe of the 70s and 80s.
Green light from the 27 to tax Chinese electric cars
European Union member states have confirmed in a vote the imposition of customs duties on electric cars imported from China, despite opposition from Germans who fear a trade war with Beijing. The European Commission now has a free hand to add to the 10% tax already in place a surcharge of up to 35% on Chinese-made battery vehicles. These countervailing duties are due to come into force at the end of October. The objective is to re-establish fair conditions of competition with manufacturers accused of benefiting from massive public subsidies. This involves defending the European automotive industry and its approximately 14 million jobs against practices deemed unfair by the Commission.
Iranian attack on Israel ‘completely legitimate,’ says Khamenei
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, holding a rifle at his side, said Iran’s missile attack on Israel was “totally legitimate” during a speech to thousands in Tehran. Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 was also “legitimate” according to the guide. Iran’s allies “will not back down” despite Israel’s wave of assassinations against pro-Iranian leaders.
Our live coverage of the war
In Corsica, thousands of travelers still blocked by a strike
Thousands of travelers were still stranded this Friday morning in Corsica because of a strike launched Thursday over the future of the management of the island’s ports and airports. According to the Mediterranean maritime prefecture, five passenger ships were waiting at sea near the ports of Ajaccio and Bastia, unable to dock, with around 2,100 people on board in total. On the aircraft side, only public “territorial continuity” service flights were provided.
