A man has fallen to his death after apparently climbing up the front of his apartment building in Marseille. Police are working on the theory that the man in his fifties had been locked out of his apartment and was attempting to gain entry through a balcony on the third floor.
A man has been arrested in a large anti-counterfeiting operation in the Var. Authorities reportedly uncovered a large stash of counterfeit goods including perfumes, watches, leather goods and electronics. The accused has been remaded in custody and is expected to be tried in July.
Taxi drivers across France are set to stage industrial action this coming Monday. Operation escargot go-slows have been announced in Marseille and Toulon, with similar action expected in other areas. All five of the major taxi drivers' unions are supporting the action. Drivers are protesting at a proposed reduction in prices they can charge for transporting medical patients. The government proposed the new fee structure earlier this week and, unless the plan is delayed, it's scheduled to come into force from the beginning of October.
A test of an emergency public address system is taking place in Nice tomorrow morning, Saturday, May 17. There will be tests of the fire and terrorist safety public address systems at the CADAM site at 147 Boulevard du Mercantour in Nice, starting at 9:00 a.m. The Prefecture stressed that this is a test and no action is required by members of the public, who are requested not to call law enforcement or other authorities and not to spread false rumors or misinformation on social media.
The French government is filing a complaint against Iran with the International Court of Justice. The complaint, which alleges violation of the right to consular protection, is being made in respect of two French nationals being held in Iran. Speaking to French media this morning, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris had been held in undignified conditions "tantamount to torture" for three years and had been denied consular visits.
The road to the Col de la Bonette has been opened for the summer. The famous tourist route, at an altitude of 2,715 metres connects the slopes of the Alps-Maritimes with the Alps-de-Haute-Provence. President of the Nice Cote d'Azur Metropolis, Christian Estrosi, expressed his thanks to those involved, saying that "it’s a highly-anticipated opening each year that requires significant technical and human resources to clear the snow of this mythical road".
BUSINESS
The Japanese economy has contracted in the first quarter of the year. GDP fell by 0.2%, which is the first quarter of contraction since the same period last year.
Car maker Nissan has said that it is open to sharing factories around the world with its Chinese partner Dongfeng, which is owned by the Chinese govenment. Earlier this week, the company said it would lay off 11,000 workers and close seven factories. Speaking about Nissan's UK plant, company head Ivan Esp-inosa said that "in the very short term, there's no intention to go around Sunderland."
The number of UK billionaires has fallen while King Charles' personal wealth has risen, according to the latest annual Sunday Times Rich List. Topping the list for the fourth consecutive year is the Hin-duja family who own the Indian corporation Hinduja Group, who are on the Rich list with a wealth of over £35 billion.
SPORT
Motorsports... Oscar Piastri was fastest in first practice at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix today. Lando Norris was second. The top five cars were all within one-tenth of a second, as Williams driver Carlos Sainz took third place ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Cricket.... It's been announced that Australia bowler Mitchell Starc will not return to the Indian Premier League when it resumes on Saturday. Starc has played for Delhi Capitals. Australia's World Test Championship final is taking place next month against South Africa at Lord's.
Football... In the Premier League this evening, Aston Villa host Spurs at 8.30pm French time. Then at 9.15pm Chelsea and Manchester United meet at Stamford Bridge
Due to ongoing drought, the Var department has placed nearly 150 communes under water vigilance and four under official drought alert. ...
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Meteo France have placed the Var on a top-level red alert for forest fires today. Two other nearby departments, the Bouches-du-Rhone and the Vaucluse ...
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The Var department will be placed under red alert for wildfires on Wednesday the 16th of July, due to a "very high" risk, worsened by strong Mistral a...
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Commemorations took place yesterday in Nice to mark the anniversary of the attack in July 2016 in which 86 people lost their lives...
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French TV host and producer Thierry Ardisson has died in Paris at the age of 76 from liver cancer, his family announced. ...
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