Hopes of "an end to the week-old French rail strike before the start of the Euro 2016 football tournament this weekend dimmed," according to John Lichfield of the London INDEPENDENT. A "new deal for railway workers hammered out in all-night talks" was rejected by a militant rail union. Another union "was under pressure to prolong the strike in protest against reforms in French employment law." Although the strike is weakening, with only 8% of workers absent "and fewer trains cancelled on Monday, the dispute now seems likely to drag into the first week of the European football championship." The "continuation of the rail strike would, therefore, be a serious blow to the government." Hundreds of thousands of football fans from all over Europe "may find it hard to travel around France by train" if the strike continues after Euro 2016 opens in Paris on Friday (INDEPENDENT, 6/7).
'WE NEED FOOTBALL': World Cup winner Marcel Desailly said that France "needs Euro 2016 to help repair the nation after recent economic and security troubles." Desailly, 47, said that there should be "no fears over security," adding that his "own kids are going to the fanzone." He said, "We need football. We need football to be there for us to enjoy and to have hope." Desailly "was part of the France squad that won the 1998 World Cup on home turf" (BBC, 6/8).
PROTESTERS BLOCK ACCESS: The AP reported access to a train carrying the European Championship trophy across France "has been blocked" by protesters against planned labor law reforms. The train, which traveled through 25 cities and spent three days in each of the 10 cities hosting Euro 2016 matches, reached its final stop on Wednesday morning at Paris's Gare du Nord station. Fans "are normally allowed inside the train to have their photo taken with the Henri Delaunay Cup," but it remained closed on Wednesday because of the protests (AP, 6/8).
ATTACK ALERT: REUTERS' Richard Lough reported France "launched an app to alert users to attacks on Wednesday," two days before the tournament gets underway under a "state of emergency imposed after militant Islamists struck Paris in November." The Interior Ministry app, called SAIP, flashes a warning on a user's mobile phone screen "if there is an attack close to their location or suspicion of an imminent strike." Users can also request alerts for up to eight geographic areas, including individual districts in the capital (REUTERS, 6/8).
