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The five astronauts from the 2022 intake of the European Space Agency (ESA) have always dreamed of going to space. They have now completed their first weeks of “basic” training. Extra courses in geology mean they are likely to plan missions to the Moon and perhaps even Mars. But the ESA’s most basic yet ambitious goal is to keep a foot in space and remain a key player. The aim is to ensure that Europe does not depend on other powers for telecommunications, defence and the monitoring of the Earth to manage various hazards, including climate change. FRANCE 24’s Science reporter Shirli Sitbon tells us more.

Italy’s far-right government, led by PM Giorgia Meloni, recently made a change to its immigration policy. This involves a crackdown on residence permits for asylum seekers and an increase in deportation centres, in order to discourage illegal immigration. But the government also wants to increase the number of work visas for foreign workers from about 30 countries. The goal is to help alleviate chronic labour shortages, which affect various sectors of the eurozone’s third-largest economy. Our correspondent reports.

Thousands marched across Paris and other French cities in what unions hoped would be one of the biggest May Day demonstrations in years. Galvanised by previous protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans, including raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, protesters marched with a sense of determination.