The news not to be missed
Météo France announces this Tuesday evening an episode of notable freezing rain, followed by an episode of locally marked snow. Eighteen departments are on orange alert for "snow-ice": Manche, Calvados, Eure-et-Loir, Orne, Yvelines, Val-d'Oise, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris, Val-de-Marne, Essonne, Seine-et-Marne, Loiret, Yonne, Côte-d'Or, Haute-Marne, Haute-Saône, Territoire de Belfort. An inter-ministerial crisis unit will be held this Tuesday at the end of the day.
🔶 18 departments in Orange (https://t.co/CSYEovTI83) pic.twitter.com/PUXOWKErZF
— VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) January 16, 2024
Light precipitation will approach the orange area of the departments in the afternoon from the south, from Normandy to Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, then progress during the night further north, the meteorologist announces. In Île-de-France, the first snowflakes should appear around 22 p.m., along with freezing rain that should stop at dawn Wednesday.
On Wednesday, heavy snowfall is expected over the northern half of the country, with 34 departments announced on orange "snow-ice" alert. Snow accumulations could reach 7 to 10 cm, locally 10 to 20 cm in Haute-Normandie, Picardy, and in the south of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
Finally, Finistère and Morbihan will be placed on orange alert for "rain and flooding" on Wednesday. According to Météo France, rainfall totals of 30 to 50 mm are expected in 24 hours.
What else you need to know
- Macron's Conference. Emmanuel Macron will hold a major press conference this Tuesday at 20:15 p.m. broadcast live on television. The challenge: to set the course for his new government. Announcements "in line with the rearmament promised on the occasion of his December 31 New Year's Eve" are expected.
- Cyclone Belal is moving away into the Indian Ocean. The red alert was lifted in Reunion Island on Tuesday at noon local time (9 a.m. in Paris) after the passage of the cyclone which caused torrential rains and strong winds, and caused at least one death. Mauritius, where one death was reported, has also downgraded its maximum alert level.
- Murder of Aurélie Vaquier. Thirty years of imprisonment have been requested against the partner of Aurélie Vaquier, who was found dead under a concrete slab in Bédarieux (Hérault) in April 2021. Samire Lymani continues to proclaim his innocence before the Hérault Assize Court, which has been trying him since 9 January. The verdict is due to be announced on Tuesday afternoon.
- Oudéa-Castéra was booed when she arrived at her son's old school. The Minister of Education was booed when she arrived at the Littré public school, her son's former school in Paris (VIe). Since Friday, she has been at the heart of a controversy after justifying her choice to enroll her in the private sector by "packages of hours that have not been seriously replaced" in the public sector.
- Trump wins the Iowa Republican primary. In the midst of a snowstorm, Donald Trump is consolidating his status as the right's favourite for the US presidential election in November against Joe Biden. He won the first Republican election in the state of Iowa ahead of Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.
It's about you
The French are having fewer and fewer babies but are dying older and older, these are the main findings of the INSEE demographic report published on Tuesday. This baby crash is confirmed: births fell by almost 7% last year. The institute recorded 678,000 births in 2023, compared to 726,000 in 2022. This is the first time since the Second World War that this number has fallen below 700,000.
It was also a record year for life expectancy at birth. For the first time, it reached 80 years for men (+0.7 years compared to 2022). For women, the increase also continues, but to a lesser extent, at 85.7 years. This remains a record after the dark years of the health crisis when the life expectancy indicator fell sharply.