A suspension bridge spanning the River Tarn just north of Toulouse has collapsed this morning with at least one fatality reported. The driver of a Renault Clio who was crossing the bridge when it collapsed survived but her 15 year old daughter has died. Authorities have also been trying to locate the driver of a truck which was crossing the bridge. About eighty firefighters, three helicopters and two diving units have been on the scene on the departmental road 71 between Mirepoix-sur-Tarn and Bessières.
A 61-year-old man, who had been detained on Saturday in connection with an investigation into sexual assault, has been found hanged in his cell at the prison in Grasse. Firefighters intervened on Sunday morning after being alerted by prison staff but were unable to save him.
Two firefighters in the Var have suffered injuries after being attacked by the man they were attempting to treat. They were called to an incident on Saturday evening involving a 31 year old man who had overdosed on medication. He is alleged to have punched and kicked his rescuers. The head of the rescue center in Saint-Maximin, where the pompiers are based, has announced the intention to file a complaint.
500 students have been evacuated from a school in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer this afternoon. The precautionary measure was taken after 500 litres of diesel was accidentally spilled during the filling of a tank near Don Bosco College. Reports say that a dozen pupils complained of headaches but none needed hospitalization. Firefighters say that the school and a nearby retirement home will remain closed for two days because of the incident.
A court has ordered the continued detention of 3 men accused of holding up a security van collecting cash from a supermarket in Beausoleil last December. The three were arrested in a dawn raid in the Ariane area of Nice earlier this month. The perpetrators of the robbery only managed to seize empty briefcases, passing over a case containing 200,000 euros. All three deny involvement in the robbery.
Authorities have asked for the public’s help in locating a man who has disappeared from a retirement home. 61 year old André Bergonzi went missing from the home in Breil-sur-Roya at about 5pm yesterday. He was wearing white trousers and a green fleece and is diabetic and epileptic. If you have any information, you can call 04.93.04.37.00.
The villagers of Saorge in the Alpes-Maritimes have been reconnected to the rest of the Riviera following the repair of an access road to the village. The RD 40 had been closed because of a landslide on the 15th of October but was reopened to traffic this morning.
Plans have been announced for a large scale exercise in the military port of Toulon. The exercises on the 12th and 13th of December are designed to test preparations for what authorities are referring to as a “radiological event” on a nuclear submarine in the port or the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle which is stationed in Toulon. A public information meeting for local residents is being held this Friday, November 22, at the Var Prefecture. Prior registration is mandatory on the website www.ppitoulon.net
BUSINESS
Airbus has won a $16bn order for fifty A350-900 extra wide body aircraft from Emirates. Low cost carrier Air Arabia is also buying 120 Airbus aircraft of the A320 and A321 series for $12.6 billion. The orders were announced today at the Dubai Air Show.
Yahoo Japan and messaging app Line are set to merge under a deal agreed by their parent companies. Yahoo Japan is Japan’s biggest search engine and has e-commerce and online banking subsidiaries.
Software company Sage Group has confirmed the sale of its Sage Pay business to Elavon, a subsidiary of US Bancorp for approximately £232m. The transaction is due to be completed in the second quarter of next year.
In Australia, Barrick Gold Corporation is selling its 50% stake in the country’s largest open pit gold mine, Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines, to Saracen Mineral Holdings for $750m. US-based Newmont Gold will retain its existing 50% stake in the mine.
SPORT
Rugby Union… Saracens have confirmed that they won’t be contesting their points deduction and fine for breaching the Premier league's salary cap. Saracens were docked 35 points and fined £5.36m and are now bottom of the Premiership with minus 22 points.
Football… Gareth Bale says that Wales will use the "euphoria" of Euro 2016 and the pain of missing out on the 2018 World Cup as inspiration in tomorrow’s big Euro 2020 qualifier with Hungary. Wales' 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan and Slovakia's 3-1 defeat in Croatia mean that Wales will qualify automatically for Euro 2020 if they beat Hungary in Cardiff tomorrow.
Women’s Cricket… Hobart Hurricanes player Emily Smith has been suspended for three months for posting a team line-up on her Instagram account before its scheduled release. She breached Cricket Australia's Anti-Corruption Code by putting the team on social media about an hour before it was permitted. Cricket Australia acknowledged there was no intent to breach the code, but said that players are "well aware of their obligations".
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