Scallop fishing face-off
Some 35 French fishing boats blocked five British boats from fishing scallops off the coast of Normandy on Monday, a skirmish which has been dubbed by media as the “scallop wars”. The BBC reported that some boats suffered damage but there were no injuries. According to The Guardian, French fishermen are restricted to fishing scallops between 1 October and 15 May and have accused British of depleting stocks.
Nafta enters final leg
North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement talks between the US and Canada enter a crucial phase on Wednesday, AFP reports. It comes after Mexico agreed to Nafta 2.0 on Monday, a deal which permits the US to impose 25% tariffs on imports of Mexican-made passenger vehicles and auto parts beyond a certain threshold, Reuters says citing industry sources. The deal was nearly scuppered when US president Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Mexico would contribute towards building a wall, something Mexican foreign minister Luis Videgaray Caso denied vehemently. The Guardian said Canadian negotiators were now under pressure to reach an agreement on the trade deal before new Mexican president Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office on 1 December.
Aston Martin to float
On Wednesday, luxury carmaker Aston Maritin was expected to announce plans to float shares on the London Stock Exchange, Sky News reports. The formal launch of its initial IPO would involve selling £1b of shares. “Its shares would then begin trading publicly well before the end of the year,” Sky News writes. The favoured car of fictitious spy James Bond, was first manufactured in 1913 out of a small London workshop. Today the company is owned by Italian and Kuwaiti shareholders.
Pesticide addictive to bees
The threat of pesticides to pollinators is worsening after a study found that bumblebees get hooked on food laced with a pesticide known to harm them—neonicotinoids. AFP reports that neonics disrupt bee reproduction and lower disease resistance. But after repeated exposure to the pesticide, tests found they returned to the substance. Experts compare the phenomena to the addictive ingredient in tobacco. Neonics have been banned in several countries while three neonic-based products will be banned in the EU starting 19 December.
27 migrants in 2 trucks
Police were called to two separate incidents on Tuesday in which migrants thought to be in Europe without papers fled from lorries. Around 7 people were discovered in the back of a lorry in Potaschberg at around 8:10am. The driver pulled over when he heard knocking from the back of the truck. After stopping, the loading hatch opened and several people fled. They were later intercepted by police and taken to the foreign affairs ministry. At around the same time a further 20 people fled from a truck on the Belgian border, in Grass, just as the driver was about to unload a delivery of tyres from Hungary. Police found no trace of the people.
Netflix to woo Venice
The Mostra film festival in Venice opens Wednesday with six Netflix films among the award nods. The media streaming firm snubbed Cannes after it blocked entry for simultaneously-streamed films, euronews reports. Among the A-list contributions is “Roma”, directed by Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”), who said traditional Hollywood studios were unlikely to fund such a film. Others include the Coen brothers’ “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and Paul Greengrass’ “22 July”, a drama about the Norwegian neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik’s attack on a summer camp in 2011. The Guardian points out the lack of female film-makers among the all-star line-up.