It’s reported that an eighth body has been recovered from the rubble of the collapsed buildings in Marseille. The body of the woman was recovered earlier today. The bodies of five men and two women have already been recovered since the collapse on Monday. The authorities were looking for eight missing people in total and it appears that all those missing persons have now been accounted for. According to local reports, authorities have now identified six of the eight bodies. Many residents of the city have donated goods to help those affected by the collapse. Reports say that so many items of clothing have been donated that many storage facilities are full. Meanwhile in Draguignan, three people were evacuated from a building in the city centre last night after the mayor signed an imminent danger order for a building. Authorities had been surveying buildings in the old town area during the day in the wake of the collapse in Marseille, and identified the structure as being in danger of collapse.
A Ryanair plane has been released by French authorities after it was seized in a dispute over payments. The French civil aviation authority grounded the Boeing 737 at Bordeaux airport yesterday, before it was due to fly to Stansted with 149 passengers on board. The dispute was apparently regarding French subsidies paid to Ryanair for flights from Angoulême regional airport between 2008 and 2009, which the European Commission later deemed illegal. The plane was released this afternoon after Ryanair reportedly repaid 525,000 euros.
A Spanish lorry driver has been sentenced to three years in prison for attempting to smuggle 50kg of cannabis resin. The truck was en route from Spain to Italy when it was stopped by customs officers at La Turbie. A customs fine of just over 93,000 euros was also levied against the driver.
President Emmanuel Macron has announced what he referred to as a “drastic” drop in the cost of driving licences. He said that further details would be given when he presented his mobility strategy before the end of the year,
A motorist has been clocked doing 164 km per hour in an 80 zone on the DN7 near Pourrières in the Var. Police have reportedly decided to charge the driver of the Renault Clio with driving at 155km per hour, which is still 75 km per hour over the limit and he is expected to appear in court shortly.
A 20-year-old Algerian has been found unconscious in the snow near the France/Andorra border. He reportedly died of hypothermia. One hundred cigarette cartons were found nearby. His family identified him yesterday, after he had been missing for days. The tragic fate of the young smuggler highlights the continuing problem of cigarette trafficking on the mountain routes between Andorra and France.
BUSINESS
The UK economy grew by 0.6% in the three months to September, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Growth in July was offset by a slowdown in August and September. It’s the highest quarterly growth figure since the fourth quarter of 2016.
The Bank of England is testing the UK's ability to withstand a major cyber-attack on financial institutions. Some 40 firms, including leading banks, are taking part in a one-day "war-gaming" exercise designed to assess their resilience. The bank wants to ensure that firms are able to meet certain minimum recovery standards after a cyber-attack
SPORT
Rugby Union…There are 6 international matches tomorrow as the autumn games get into full swing. Italy play Georgia. Scotland host Fiji. England play New Zealand. Wales host Australia. Ireland play Argentina and France play South Africa.
Cricket… England completed a thumping 211-run victory on day four of the first Test against Sri Lanka to end their 13-match winless run away from home. The win puts England 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Football…In the English Premier League this weekend, on Saturday Cardiff play Brighton. Huddersfield face West Ham. Leicester host Burnley. Newcastle play Bournemouth. Southampton play Watford and Crystal Palace host Spurs. On Sunday Liverpool play Fulham. Chelsea host Everton. Arsenal play Wolves and Manchester City play Manchester United.
Motorsports… Red Bull's Max Verstappen headed Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in first practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix this afternoon. Just 0.096 seconds separated the three drivers. Mercedes are looking to add the constructors championship to Lewis Hamilton’s 5th world title. Second practice on the anti-clockwise track and qualifying are tomorrow and the race itself is at 6.10 pm on Sunday.
Speed restrictions are in place on all major roads in the Alpes-Maritimes today because of a smog alert....
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A Marseille magistrate has been sentenced on the 17th of June in Nîmes for repeatedly avoiding motorway tolls using fake license plates. ...
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A major police stop-and-search operation along France's borders is being carried out today, involving 4,000 police officers, gendarmes and customs off...
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SFR has announced automatic compensation of 100GB of free mobile data for affected customers following a major network outage on the 16th of June....
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French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a high-level Security and Defence Council meeting at the Élysée Palace today Wednesday, June 18th at 4pm, ...
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