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All horse races cancelled in France as sector protests potential new betting law
‘This is a powerful and symbolic move…a sacrifice of €2.5m to show our determination to the government,’ said union president ahead of a march in Paris
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Associations campaign to stop culling of 500 chamois in France
Animal activists have condemned what they see as ‘slaughter’, but hunters have denied this
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Scam email alert for clients of three leading French banks
Fraudsters link to bank’s genuine website at some points, making scam look legitimate
Cigarette firms face cheat claim on tar tests
As cigarette prices rise to €8 a pack, it raises suspicions
Tobacco giants have been accused of cheating nicotine and tar tests meaning smokers are inhaling five times as much nicotine and up to 10 times as much tar as thought.
Anti-smoking group Comité National Contre le Tabagisme said its tests had shown that tiny holes in cigarette filters “falsified results” by allowing more air to pass when used on a test machine than when covered by a smoker’s fingers or lips.
It has started legal action in Paris against Philip Morris, British American, Japan Tobacco and Imperial Brands saying they are tricking “smokers who think they are smoking one packet a day but are actually smoking the equivalent of two to 10 packets”.
Tobacco is blamed for 75,000 deaths a year from cancer and cardiovascular problems in France. The industry has faced measures to cut smoking, including the introduction of plain packs and a series of price rises ending in €10 packets by 2020.