A businessman has appeared in court in the Var today after displaying posters depicting President Macron as Adolf Hitler. President Macron had filed a complaint. Michel-Ange Flori had displayed the posters in Toulon and La Seyne-sur-Mer in protest at decisions made by the health defence council which he says we made without being discussed.
Local government employees in the Alpes Maritimes have joined in the national tribute to Pierre-François Bonnard, the civil security flight engineer who died in a helicopter accident. The incident happened in the Isere department on September 12 while the Dragon 38 helicopter was attempting to rescue a mountain biker.
According to data published by the French governemnt today, 25 more people lost their lives on French roads in August compared to the same month in 2020, but the figure was 23 less than in August 2019. 126 more people suffered injuries on French roads than in August 2020.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi was at the launch of the 4th edition of the Grande Braderie in the city this morning. The event is on until Sunday and the aim is to help local traders in order to support employment and local consumption, as well as providing some good oportunities to pick up a bargain. Participating shops can display their merchandise on the pavement in front of their stores.
More than 300 mosquito-catching machines have been deployed in Hyeres in the Var. The eco-friendly devices manufactured by French company Qista mimic human breathing to lure the mosquitoes and trap them in a net. The company says that the machines reduce the prevalence of mosquitoes by about 80%.
BUSINESS
Inflation in the Euro area has risen to its highest level since late 2011. EU statistics body Eurostat said that annual inflation in the bloc rose to 3.0% in August, up from 2.2% in July.
Retail sales volumes in the UK fell by 0.9% in August according to the Office for National Statistics. However, they were 4.6% higher than their pre-pandemic levels of February 2020. Food store sales volumes fell by 1.2% in August, with some evidence to suggest that the further easing of hospitality restrictions had an impact on sales with people increasing their social spending such as eating and drinking at restaurants and bars.
British inventor Sir Clive Sinclair has died at the age of 81. His ZX Spectrum computers brought affordable personal computing to the masses, selling in their millions across the world. He also invented the Sinclair C5 electric vehicle.
SPORT
Cricket... New Zealand's men's team have abandoned their tour of Pakistan. The move comes after "an escalation in the New Zealand government threat levels for Pakistan". The team were due to play in the first of three one-day internationals in Rawalpindi today before moving to Lahore for a five-match Twenty20 series. The ECB said today that it will decide in the next 24-48 hours whether England's matches in Pakistan next month will go ahead.
Football... In the English Premier League this weekend Newcastle play Leeds tonight. On Saturday Wolves play Brentford. Burnley meet Arsenal. Liverpool host Crystal Palace. Manchester City play Southampton. Norwich face Watford and Aston Villa play Everton. On Sunday Brighton play Leicester. West Ham meet Manchester United and Spurs play Chelsea.
Rugby Union...The Gallagher English Premiership season starts this evening with Bristol against Saracens. 13 teams are taking part in the competition.
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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