The French Minister of Ecological Transition and Solidarity, François de Rugy, has been visiting the Var this afternoon to assess the environmental impact of the ship collision off Corsica. The minister inspected the oil pollution at the Pampelonne beach In St Tropez before going to the port of Cavalaire. He later went to the island of Porquerolles and inspected a ship equipped with anti-pollution nets which has been operating off the coast of the Var. The maritime prefecture has said that ten communities and thirty seven beaches in the Var have been affected by oil from the incident. One hundred and fifty people are involved in the beach clean-up. In addition, fifty people from a specialist company began clean-up operations on the Pampelonne beach in Saint-Tropez yesterday.
It’s been announced that the Red Bull Air Race will return to the skies over Cannes in 2020. The first race in France was held in Cannes in April this year. The mayor of Cannes said that the event must be financed privately as it is being staged without public finance.
The French Minister of Defence Florence Parly has announced that plans will begin to replace the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle which is based in Toulon. Speaking at the Euronavel defence exhibition, the minister announced the start of an 18 month “study phase” as the first step in the renewal programme to replace the country’s flagship vessel.
A woman from Six-Fours has died after cycling accident this morning. The victim, who was 79 years old, was hit by a car on the road between Le Brûlat and Sainte-Anne du Castellet, not far from the Paul Ricard racing circuit. She reportedly died at the scene before a helicopter could transport her to hospital.
France’s Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has said that France did not want to serve as an “appeals court” for asylum seekers who have already been rejected by its European neighbours. Speaking to French media the pro-Macron minister said that the French government wanted to pursue a firm but humane immigration policy, but stressed the need for better controls. Mr Castaner, who was named interior minister last week following a messy cabinet reshuffle, added that President Emmanuel Macron’s government wanted to beef up border controls along France’s shared border with Spain.
BUSINESS
In an unprecedented move, the European Commission has told Italy to revise its budget. The Commission is worried about the impact of higher spending on already high levels of debt in Italy and said the draft budget represented a "particularly serious non-compliance" with their recommendations. The country now has three weeks to submit a new draft budget to Brussels.
Dyson has chosen to build its new electric car in Singapore. Construction of the factory in Singapore will begin later this year with the first car scheduled to roll off the production line in 2021. Dyson said the decision was based on the availability of engineering talent, regional supply chains and proximity to some key target markets.
BMW has extended the recall of some of its diesel cars over fears of a leaky exhaust cooler. It has recalled 1.6 million cars in total - including 480,000 recalled in August. There are 12 models affected by the fault, which BMW says can result in fire in “extremely rare cases”.
A court in the US has upheld a verdict that found a weed-killer product made by Monsanto was responsible for a school groundskeeper's cancer, but reduced the amount of damages. Monsanto has repeatedly insisted that its products are safe and welcomed the reduced damages but signalled its intention to appeal again.
Gilberto Benetton, a co-founder of the Benetton clothing firm, has died at the age of 77 after a short illness. With his brothers Luciano and Carlo and sister Giuliana, he founded United Colors of Benetton in Italy in the 1960s.
SPORT
Cricket…The final one day international is underway. England have already won the series.
England and Sri Lanka will play 3 Test matches next month with the first match in Galle on November the 6th.
Tennis… Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki has beaten Petra Kvitova with a 7-5 3-6 6-2 victory at the WTA Finals in Singapore. Wozniacki sealed the win in two hours and 19 minutes despite needing medical treatment on her knee during the second set.
Rugby Union…Wales have called uncapped fly-half Jarrod Evans into the squad for their autumn Tests while lock Bradley Davies has not been included because of a knee injury. Wales face Scotland, Australia, Tonga and South Africa on successive Saturdays in November.
American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first U.S.-born pope and signalling continuity with Pope Francis’...
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A Polish man in his forties has been hospitalized in Valence after enduring a harrowing journey between two TGV carriages from Paris. ...
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Cloudy with sunny intervals. Light rain is forecast for the Var region with moderate to strong winds. Highs of 17 degrees in Monaco and Saint-Tropez, ...
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White smoe Is billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel meaning A new pope has just been chosen! 133 cardinals have gathered in the Sistine cha...
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No new pope has been elected yet, as black smoke signalled another inconclusive vote during the conclave in the morning of Thursday the 8th of May. ...
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