Air France cancels 30% flights on Wednesday as strike over pay continues

Striking Air France pilots and cabin staff insisted they weren't backing down, as their latest walkout forced the cancellation of some 30 per cent of the airline's flights worldwide on Wednesday.

Union members protested at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, where screens showed "cancelled" notices next to multiple flights. Staff want 6 per cent pay raises, after seven years of salary freezes as the company went through restructuring to stem losses.

The airline argues that such pay rises would threaten the turnaround effort.

Sophie Gorins, general secretary of the SNPNC flight crew union, said "we won't stop the conflict unless they give us the 6 percent."

Several meetings between workers' representatives and Air France management have already taken place since the strike started on February 22 but unions say they have not yet received a satisfactory reply to their demands.

The company has lost more than 100 million euros (USD 124 million) in sporadic strikes since February. The Air France actions are coming amid other French labour action.

World's busiest air routes: Tiny South Korean island beats London, New York

The world’s busiest air route isn’t London to Paris or New York to Los Angeles, but the trip between Seoul and a tiny island off the coast of South Korea.

Planes made 65,000 trips between the Korean capital and Jeju island -- a journey of little more than an hour -- in 2017, equivalent to 178 flights a day, according to data from OAG Aviation Worldwide Ltd. That’s almost double the 35,000 trips on the busiest North American route: Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Asian cities dominated the list, cementing the region’s status as the world’s fastest-growing travel market. Among the 10 busiest routes in the world last year, Los Angeles-San Francisco was the only North American entry and there wasn’t a single European destination. The top European route in OAG’s rankings was Dublin-London Heathrow with about 14,500 flights.
Jeju-Seoul

The beaches and resorts of Jeju, an island off the southernmost tip of the Korean peninsula, have drawn local holiday-makers for decades. These days, Japanese and Chinese tourists are joining the South Koreans on the sand.

Melbourne-Sydney

Unless you have 10 hours to spare and love driving, a 90-minute flight is the best way to shuttle between Australia’s two biggest population centers. Weekday rush-hour connections are the domain of suited bankers and business travelers. Shoppers, sports fans and tourists take the cheaper seats.

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Morgan Stanley to shift 200 jobs to Frankfurt, prepare for post-Brexit EU

Morgan Stanley has picked Frankfurt as a new temporary hub to operate in the European Union when Brexit takes effect, a person familiar with the situation said.

The New York investment bank will double staff in the German city from 200 to 400 in order to be ready to continue to operate in Europe by the March 2019 deadline for Brexit to take effect, the person said on Wednesday.

"It's a short-term solution," the person said, adding that Morgan Stanley executives continued to consider other cities for its long-term headquarters.

Morgan Stanley currently employs about 5,000 people in London but will relocate some traders as well as marketing and administrative staff to Frankfurt.

The bank also plans to shift a smaller number of banking and trader jobs to Paris, Dublin, Madrid and Milan, the person said.

Morgan Stanley plans to later take a decision on the permanent headquarters for the EU operations. French President Emmanuel Macron, among other European leaders, has been actively trying to lure bankers to Paris for the post-Brexit era.

Frankfurt has already been picked as the EU headquarters by Standard Chartered and Nomura.

JPMorgan Chase has transferred hundreds of jobs to Dublin but has not announced plans for a permanent headquarters for the EU.

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Brexit talks 'on course' and will begin next week : Theresa May

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that the timetable for Brexit remained "on course" and talks would begin next week.

Speaking at a press conference in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, May said that despite her ongoing negotiations to form a government "the timetable for the Brexit negotiations remains on course and will begin next week.
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Four reasons why the French parliamentary elections matter

The 2017 French presidential election saw the victory of newcomer Emmanuel Macron. But the French aren’t done voting. Elections for the lower house of French Parliament, the National Assembly, will take place on June 11 and 18.

Here are four reasons you should be keeping an eye on these elections:

No majority, no agenda
First, it can make or break Macron’s agenda of reforming the labor market and bringing back growth to a morose French economy. The French Constitution grants extensive powers to the president. These include, for instance, the authority to dissolve the Parliament and nominate the prime minister (the head of the government), as well as broad control of defense and foreign policy.

But, the president must have the support of a majority in Parliament to govern, pass laws and implement his campaign agenda. Macron would still be able to shape French foreign policy, even without a majority in the Parliament, but he would have limited say over domestic policy.

Unpredictable election
Second, this parliamentary election is unpredictable because of the French voting system.

The parliamentary election includes essentially 577 mini-contests – one for each district that represents an area of France – which take place over two rounds. A candidate can win outright in the first round if he or she receives more than 50 percent of the votes. If no one reaches that threshold, then there is a runoff in the second round with anyone whose score from the first round equaled at least 12.5 percent of registered voters.

Such an electoral system encourages preelection agreements between compatible parties, as well as deals between the two rounds. Thus, an eligible candidate might choose not to contest the second round to ensure the victory of an ally, or to block a rival.

Although the alliance supporting Macron has a very good shot at achieving a majority in Parliament, one cannot rule out two other outcomes that would be unfavorable to the new president. Another party or coalition could win a majority in the Parliament, which would be a major blow to Macron’s domestic agenda. Or, there could be a fragmented outcome, with no party or coalition able to achieve a majority.
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Paris police say attacker shot, wounded outside Notre Dame

Police in Paris shot and wounded a man who attacked an officer outside the Notre Dame cathedral on Tuesday, the Paris police headquarters said.

Police had earlier said they were dealing with an incident in the courtyard outside the world-famous tourist site and warned the public to stay away.

Police sources said the officers shot at the man after he had threatened them with a hammer and refused to stop.

One officer was lightly injured and the assailant was shot in the thorax, according to one source.

The motive for the attack was not immediately known.
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