In breaking news, several people are reported to have been stabbed or shot in Marseille. Reports say that a man stabbed four people and shot one person at about 5pm this evening. The incident took place near la Canebière in the old quarter of the city. A security perimeter has been set up and police and pompiers have been attending to the victims.
Prison guards have been demonstrating in front of the prison in Draguignan again today. Tyres and pallets were set alight and the prison was blocked by the demonstrators for about three hours before security forces moved in to dislodge them.
The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi has confirmed that the city has been given the green light to try out a facial recognition security system at Nice Carnival, a first in France. The system developed by the Monegasque company Confidentia, is based on artificial intelligence. 1,000 volunteers have given their authorization as part of the experiment which aims to improve access controls making them more effective replacing access badges with facial recognition.
About eighty graves have been vandalised at a Jewish cemetery in Alsace. According to reports, the graves, in a cemetery in a village north-west of Stasbourg, were defaced with swastikas. Marches are taking place in France today to protest at anti-semitism, including a march in Nice from the Place Garibaldi at 7pm this evening.
A homemade bomb was detonated outside a tax office near Avignon last night. The device caused no injuries and nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
A further arrest has been made in connection with the theft from an armoured vehicle driven off by a security guard in Aubervilliers near Paris last week. The suspect is reportedly the husband of a woman who was arrested in Amiens last Tuesday. At the moment, 1.7 million euros out of the 3.1 million euros in the van is unaccounted for.
Public Health France has released figures showing that alcohol consumption still remains the second leading cause of avoidable mortality after smoking in France causing approximately 41,000 deaths per year and representing 7% of the total number of deaths of people aged 15 and over in 2015. According to the figures in 2015, alcohol consumption resulted in 16,000 deaths, 9,900 from cancer 6,800 from cardiovascular diseases and 5,400 from accidents or suicide.
BUSINESS
Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died, aged 85, in Paris. The German designer, who was the creative director for Chanel and Fendi, was one of the industry's most prolific figures. He also designed collections for his own brand and collaborated with high street brand H&M.
Honda has confirmed it will close its Swindon car plant in 2021, with the loss of about 3,500 jobs. Honda said the move was due to global changes in the car industry and the need to launch electric vehicles and it had no connection to Brexit.
The number of people in work in the UK has continued to climb, with a record 32.6 million employed between October and December. Unemployment was little-changed in the three-month period at 1.36 million.The jobless rate is at its lowest since early 1975.
HSBC has reported a 15.9% rise in pre-tax profits for 2018, a figure which is lower than expected. The bank made $19.9bn before tax last year, compared with $17.2bn in 2017. Reported revenue rose 5% from the previous year.
SPORT
Rugby Union…Scotland fly-half Finn Russell has been ruled out of the Six Nations trip to France after failing a concussion test. Russell was replaced in the first half of Racing 92's match against Toulouse on Sunday after suffering a knock to the head.
Tennis…Second seed Petra Kvitova fought back from a set down to beat fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova to get through to the last 16 of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The final score was 6-7 6-4 6-4.
Formula 1…It’s day 2 of the pre-season testing in Barcelona. The Williams car has been delayed but reports say the team still hopes to have the car on the track at some point tomorrow. Deputy team boss Claire Williams said that the delay is "extremely disappointing". Daniel Ricciardo went into the gravel after his car lost part of its rear wing.
Cricket…Scotland are on a tour of Oman and have scored a decisive victory against the hosts. Scotland bowled out Oman for just 24 runs, which is the fourth-lowest score in List A cricket. They beat Oman by 10 wickets with 280 balls to spare. Six Oman players were dismissed without scoring.
It’s been reported that Uber plans to launch high-speed trains between London, Paris, Lille, and Brussels by 2029, partnering with Gemini Trains. ...
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Éric Ciotti has officially announced his candidacy for mayor of Nice in the March 2026 municipal elections, challenging current mayor Christian Estros...
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As 12 million students return to class in France on the 1st of September, several key changes are being introduced. These include mandatory sex educat...
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A stormy and rainy episode is expected tomorrow in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var, with heavy rainfall possibly reaching 100mm along the coast....
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France is preparing for a nationwide shutdown on September 10th called “Bloquons tout,” organized mainly through social media. ...
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