Latest news with #Marseilles
Times
17 hours ago
- Times
Marseilles drug police scandal has echoes of ‘French Connection' era
When the container ship OPS Hamburg docked in Marseilles on a morning in April 2023, officers from France's elite anti-drug force were lying in wait. They were sure their cunning sting would net one of Europe's biggest narco-traffickers. The US Drug Enforcement Administration had told them that buried in a container of bananas arriving from Cartagena, Colombia, there was a massive shipment of cocaine. It had been ordered by Mohamed Djeha, alias Mimo, the feared boss of Marseilles' Castellane clan. The Marseilles bureau of Ofast, the police agency created in 2020 to spearhead President Macron's war on drugs, had spent weeks setting up Operation Trident with gang informers and infiltration by undercover officers. The plan quickly unravelled. Tipped off, Mimo's men stayed away and the police found themselves guardians of 400kg of cocaine stashed in a heavily surveilled Mercedes truck in an open lorry park.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Artists, Architecture, Beaches. This French Town Has it All, Except Crowds.
On a hot Sunday morning in July, my sister Adèle and I walked through the narrow entrance to the Villa Noailles in Hyères, the beautiful French medieval town perched above the sea and lying almost midway between Marseilles to the west and St.-Tropez to the east. We were en route to meet Jean-Pierre Blanc, the director of the villa, for a tour around the extraordinary Modernist house, designed by the French architect Robert Mallet-Stevens in the early 1920s. I had long wanted to visit Hyères to see the concrete-and-glass house. It was commissioned by Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, a superbly glamorous, deep-pocketed aristocratic pair who were friends and patrons of Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Man Ray (who immortalized the villa in his 1929 film, 'Mystères du Château de Dé') and seemingly every other member of the early 20th-century avant-garde. So when I heard that a Parisian acquaintance had moved to the town, and was renting out rooms in a lovely house she had bought almost next door to the Villa Noailles, I immediately booked for my husband and myself, suggesting to Adele that she join us. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
French officers raid importers of banned Algerian rival to Nutella
Customs agents in Marseilles were jubilant when they pried open a shipping container to find nine tonnes of contraband substance. The illicit goods were not, however, drugs or cigarettes, but 15,300 jars of sticky hazelnut spread. The port seizure in May was part of a campaign by the authorities to bar El Mordjene, a sweet Algerian spread that enjoyed explosive success last year thanks to a craze propelled by TikTok and Instagram. Across French cities, officers are raiding shops in areas with populations from the country's big 'Maghreb', or north African community, in a vain attempt to stamp out a black market in El Modjene. Despite seizures, such as a 200kg kilogram shipment confiscated in Argenteuil, a Paris suburb, in April, the supply continues, with jars selling under the counter and online for an average of €15, with some reaching €25. That is up to six times the price paid for the product in Algeria. The authorities banned the spread in September because it contains 12 per cent dried milk and Algeria has no agreement with the EU to import dairy products. Fans of the sweet spread, including many in Algeria, believe France has acted out of malice towards its former colony at a time of raised tensions and to protect Nutella, the Italian chocolate hazelnut spread. Ferrero, which produces the spread, has its biggest factory and market in France. 'The EU took action once the spread posed a threat to Nutella's market share, leading to rigorous testing and the establishment of stringent standards,' Mustapha Zebdi, the head of the Algerian Consumer Association, said. Lotfi Khammar, an official with the Federation of Algerian Exporters, said: 'Competition with Nutella was the real cause of the ban on the Algerian product entering France.' The El Modjene row has triggered claims of sinister motives from both sides of France's cultural divide. On social media, posts by Algerian-French people see another attempt by mainstream France to 'keep down' its Muslim immigrants. Some claim that the spread was banned because its logo features a woman wearing a veil. Right-wing commentators see the craze for El Modjene, which has a creamy flavour many liken to Ferrero's Kinder Bueno bars, as another symbol of a takeover of traditional white France by Muslims from the Maghreb. The Ferrero group has denied that it was involved, saying it 'refutes the reports about its supposed implication in the prohibition in France of any product'. Cebon, the company which has made El Modjene at its factory near the Algerian port city of Oran since 2021, is unhappy and bemused by the way it has been eliminated from the French market after freely importing the spread for three years. It points out that the illicit dairy product is French powdered milk. 'This is the limit because we have been exporting this product since 2021 and the powdered milk we use is bought in France and just processed in Algeria,' Amine Ouzlifi, the company's commercial director told le Parisien newspaper. The company has also promised legal action against imitators who exploited the raging demand for El Modjene by marketing taste-alike copies in France, some of them made in Turkey.
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Dacia Bigster review: This budget contender is good enough to take the ‘ultimate family car' crown
It's past midday in the mountains behind Marseilles in the Bouche-du-Rhône department of France. I'm driving towards Aix-en-Provence and the screen is filled with the yellowish rocky landscape as the engine warbles gently under the bonnet. I'm looking forward to lunch, something well-cooked but simple, comforting and tasty. Ham, egg and chips, perhaps? Welcome to the new Dacia Bigster, a funny name for a ham-egg-and-chips offering in one of the most popular classes of car in Europe, the family SUV, with more than three million sold each year, taking in excess of 23 per cent of all new-car sales. It was only a matter of time before this Romanian-based company, owned and managed by Renault since 1999, grew its version of 'essentiality' into this crossover market. The latest Duster, launched last year, is already making inroads into the smaller B SUV class, while its Sandero hatchback is Europe's best-selling car. Last year Dacia sold a record 31,704 vehicles in the UK, more than Citroen, or Cupra, Honda and Mazda could manage, almost twice the sales of Fiat and making serious inroads into parent Renault's 57,967 registrations. How come? Part of the answer is provided by Denis Le Vot, Dacia's mercurial and hugely likeable chief executive. Priced to sell 'In 2019, the average cost of a car in the C-segment SUV class was €29,000 [£25,434 in historic rates], last year it was €38,000 [£32,168]. So, it was a little bit of the Covid, a little of the supply crisis, a little of energy cost, a little of the cost of the aluminium, or whatever you want,' he says. 'But cars are too expensive and people don't want to spend money on cars any more; they make choices…'. So, like some supermarket promotion, Dacia is turning the clock back five years on prices, except this isn't a promotion; this is what Dacia does. In the UK, the range starts at £24,995, rising to £26,245 for the penultimate Journey trim level and £26,495 for the top Extreme trim. You can't spend any more than £30,000, even for the most expensive model, while PCP deals start at £350 a month with a £350 deposit. These prices are where a lot of the closest rivals start for a car stripped out like a nuclear winter. Does that also apply to the Bigster? A resounding no. From the outside this is a good-looking vehicle, unthreatening, but supermarket-tough with car park-proof grey plastic panels on the sills and around the wheel arches. Heated seats... in a Dacia? And the interior? Dacia has spent the past few years asking questions, mainly of 400 German buyers (where this C-segment SUV market is strongest) what they like, what they don't, and what might convince them to buy one. I'm looking at the results now and I can see a well-designed twin-screen facia with tiles for heated seats, heated steering wheel… Hold on, heated seats on a Dacia? Le Vot bridles. 'Heated seats? Sure. Or people just walk away. These things are the 'essentiality' of the C-segment. We're not going premium, we just coldly and bluntly looked at what three million people every year are used to, and are not ready to be downgraded in any way.' There's lots of intelligent design, such as the middle-seat armrest in the rear containing cup holders and slots for smartphones, along with neat luggage restraint brackets. There's even a camping option with a double bed, as well as versatile roof bars. There's also a rear-seat tilt control in the boot so you aren't forced to dance between rear seats and the boot lid when you have a long load. Those rear seats are comfortable and spacious, with enough room for three large teenagers across the bench, which splits 40/20/40 per cent. It all feels like the Skoda promise of 'Simply Clever', although Dacia's decision to mix up the driver's seat adjustment – forward and back performed manually, with electric height and back recline – takes a little getting used to. You also still sit rather high, and the steering wheel adjustment is rather mean, but views out are expansive, the feeling of airiness boosted in the upper trim levels by a large sunroof (along with parking aids and a rear-view camera). On the road So how does Dacia's 'essentiality' translate into the driving experience? In two words, completely unexceptional. The Bigster is perfectly suited to the job of being a family troop carrier; think school runs, seaside trips, visiting relatives, shopping and more school runs. Or as Le Vot says: 'Right in the heart of the C-segment.' The major drivetrain choices are a 1.2-litre three-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine delivering 138bhp with front-wheel drive, or 127bhp with 4x4, along with a 153bhp, 1.8-litre front-drive Hybrid 155 – the only one available at the launch. This is an update on Renault's acclaimed hybrid system, with a clutchless automatic gearbox with two motors, and gears engaged with dog gears rather than conventional synchro rings. The larger-capacity, four-cylinder engine has more torque (127lb ft) than the three-cylinder 1.2 to help smooth the gear changes. The engine still booms noisily if you floor the accelerator pedal, and it requires notice in triplicate before overtaking, but driven gently this is a quiet and companionable power unit, brisk enough for a family SUV. Over a variety of road types and surfaces (and on 19-inch wheels) the ride is acceptable, although it feels slightly crashy on very broken surfaces, and slightly floaty on smoothly undulating ones. The body rolls in corners, but it's well controlled and long journeys are comfortable. The steering isn't the sharpest, but it turns nicely off the straight ahead and feels accurate and well weighted. The brake pedal has a bit of lost movement at the top of the travel, but stopping feels strong and progressive once the pads are engaged. The handling is controlled, with fine damping and a neat, confidence-inspiring feeling at the wheel underpinned with safe-and-sensible nose-on understeer. There are no industry-standard Euro NCAP crash test results yet, but quietly Dacia is expecting four stars. The Telegraph verdict What comes across strongly to anyone who has driven earlier generations of Dacia cars is just how much thought and design has gone into the Bigster. It's simply better in every respect. There is greater refinement, with less interior noise thanks to drivetrain improvements, along with more insulation and thicker window glass. The ride comfort is better, thanks to what feels like improved damping and suspension. In the facia the screens are better designed, more spread out and easier to read. Using the 'Perso' switch, with which you can also select various dynamic settings, for also turning off lane-keeping and speed limit warnings, is excellent. In the words of a sports coach, Dacia has raised its game. I think Dacia will sell the Bigster by the bucketload. The facts On test: Dacia Bigster Hybrid 155 Journey Body style: C-segment five-door SUV On sale: now How much? range from £24,995 (£29,245 as tested) How fast? 112mph, 0-62mph in 9.7sec How economical? 60.1mpg (WLTP Combined), 58.9mpg on test Engine & gearbox: 1.8-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol, clutchless geared automatic transmission and hybrid drive system, front-wheel drive Maximum power/torque: 153bhp @ 5,300rpm/129lb ft @ 3,000rpm CO2 emissions: 105g/km (WLTP Combined) Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles (up to 7 years/75,000 miles if annually serviced by Dacia) The rivals Suzuki Vitara, from £26,949 Smaller family crossover but similar prices starting with the Motion Mild Hybrid, front-wheel drive with a 127bhp/173lb ft, 1.4-litre mild hybrid unit and manual gearbox, giving a top speed of 121mph, 0-62mph in 9.5sec, 53.2mpg and 118g/km. Equipment isn't too sparse either. There's also a 4x4 option on top models. Nissan Qashqai, from £30,135 Similarly-sized market-leading family crossover (4,425mm long) but a lot more expensive. Two powertrains are offered: a 1.3-litre mild hybrid with manual or automatic gearbox (including optional 4x4), or 1.5-litre e-power range-extending battery power. The lowest power unit gives 122mph, 0-62mph in 10.4sec, 45mpg and 142g/km. Nicely engineered – and built in Britain.
The Guardian
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Banksy posts image of new lighthouse artwork believed to be in Marseille
Banksy has posted an image of a new artwork believed to be in southern French city of Marseilles, but its exact location has not been confirmed. The characteristic image, posted on the artist's Instagram account, morphs the shadow of a street bollard into the form of lighthouse. Stencilled across the image are the words: 'I want to be what you saw in me.' Banksy fan site report that the new work is in the Panier area of Marseilles, a district near the city's port that is known for its graffiti, including several works by the French street artist Invader who uses a pixelated style. Lighthouse-shaped bollards line many of the streets in Marseilles including in the Panier area. Close to the latest work, revealed on Thursday, is a tag that appears to read Yaze, which is the mark used by a Canadian graffiti artist who also goes by the name Marco the Polo and cites Banksy as an inspiration. Banksy's works have fetched millions at auction, prompting much speculation over the Bristol graffiti artist's true identity. Inspiration for the quote in the lighthouse artwork may have come from a song, Softly, by the Tennessee-based country band Lonestar that features the lyric: 'I want to be what you see in me. I want to love you the way that you love me.' A swathe of animal-themed Banksy works appeared in London last year, including a rhino seemingly mounting a silver Nissan Micra, two elephant silhouettes with their trunks stretched out towards each other, three monkeys that looked as though they were swinging on a bridge, and a gorilla on a shutter at London zoo. Since then Banksy has also posted an image of a Madonna with the baby Jesus and what looks like a bullet hole.
