Police have arrested a former professional boxer who was filmed at the weekend apparently punching a police officer on a bridge in Paris during the yellow vest protests. In the video, a man hits the policeman, who falls to the ground and is kicked by protesters. Authorities say that about 50,000 protesters took to the streets of France on Saturday. Three people have appeared in court in Toulon this afternoon in connection with yellow vest protests on Saturday. They appeared before the examining magistrate accused of contempt, rebellion and wilful violence against persons holding public authority. Meanwhile, early this morning, police used tear gas to dislodge about 60 protestors from a motorway roundabout at Manosque in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. After being removed from the roundabout the yellow vests then reportedly blocked roads and set fire to Christmas trees in the town itself.
Authorities have named the man who was found on the rocks at the entrance of the port of Saint-Laurent-du-Var last Friday. 34 year old Chafik Taghouzi had been missing from his home in Puget-Théniers since December 13th. The cause of death has yet to be established.
A supervisor at Nice prison has been placed under investigation after mobile phones were apparently given to prisoners. The supervisor was released under judicial supervision after her detention in police custody.
Schools in Nice which requested the presence of a police officer have had an officer deployed to their school as from today. Eighteen schools requested an officer to be present. The officers are unarmed and the effectiveness of the measures will be assessed in March and then again at the end of the school year.
Police have discovered the body of a man in a burnt out car in Cannes La Bocca. A passer-by alerted police yesterday evening shortly after 8pm. Meanwhile, police have discovered the bodies of two people in a burnt out car in Saint-Mandrier near Toulon. They believe that the deaths may be a case of suicide.
BUSINESS
US and Chinese officials have been holding a first day of talks in Beijing aimed at resolving their trade dispute. Last year, both countries imposed billions of dollars' worth of tariffs on each other's goods. The two-day talks mark the first formal meeting since they agreed to refrain from any further tariffs for 90 days.
UK car sales were down sharply last year. New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that 2.36 million new cars were registered in 2018, down 6.8% on the previous year. Diesel sales fell by 30% on worries over possible tougher restrictions.
Another major deal has been announced in the pharmaceuticals sector. Eli Lilly is acquiring Loxo Oncology for $8bn. Last week, Bristol-Myers Squibb said it would acquire Celgene.
SPORT
Cricket… Virat Kohli says captaining India to their first Test series victory in Australia is the "proudest" moment of his career. The 2-1 series win was confirmed when the fifth day of the fourth Test in Sydney was washed out by rain and the match was drawn.
Tennis… Sydney and Brisbane will be two of three host cities at next January's inaugural ATP Cup, which will feature more than 100 players. The final of the 24-nation event will be in Sydney with a third venue to be chosen.
Motorsports… Three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda is in hospital in Vienna with influenza, five months after having a lung transplant. Lauda, who is 69, received the transplant in August after doctors found he had "severe lung disease".
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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