A new Covid-19 protocol will be tested in primary schools in the Var as from Monday. The Var is one of ten departments which are testing a protocol which aims to avoid the closure of the entire primary school class if one student tests positive. From Monday, if a pupil tests positive they will have to isolate and the rest of the class will be tested but the class will remain open.
Two teenagers who were reported missing in Hyeres have been found. They were located last night in Saint-Etienne in the Loire department where they had been visiting a relative.
There's been a special Olympics ceremony in Cap d'Ail this afternoon. The Olympic flag was passing through the town on it's tour of France before the 2024 summer games. A ceremony took place this afternoon in the Didier Deschamps stadium. The tour will continue until 2024 with regular events throughout France.
The city of Nice is displaying a large banner from today to draw attention to the plight of a French hostage being held in Mali. Journalist Olivier Dubois was kidnapped six months ago. The displaying of the banners, which will also be displayed in several other cities throughout France, is an initiative of the orgaization Reporters Without Frontiers.
The funeral of businessman Bernard Tapie has taken place in Marseille this afternoon. The ceremony at the Sainte-Marie-Majeure cathedral was led by the Archbishop of Marseille. Tapie was the former president of Olympique de Marseille football club and his coffin left the cathedral to the sound of We are the Champions being played on the church organ. He will be buried in a cemetery in the 9th arrondissement of the city.
An operation is underway in Monegasque waters to take an inventory of corb and grouper fish. Around fifteen divers, members of the GEM and the Department of the Environment are involved. Divers from the Oceanographic Museum, the Monegasque Association for the Protection of Nature and the Scientific Center of Monaco are also participating.
BUSINESS
Worse than expected employment data has been released in the United States this afternoon. The widely watched non-farm payroll figures showed that the US economy added 194,000 jobs in September, down from 366,000 in August and far lower than the 500,000 expected by economists. However, the jobless rate fell, from 5.2% to 4.8%.
The Chinese government has reportedly ordered many of China's coal mines to boost output. An energy shortage has seen millions of homes and businesses in China hit by power cuts in recent weeks.
SPORT
Motorsports... Lewis Hamilton was fastest in both practice sessions today for the Turkish Grand Prix. In first practice this morning Max Verstappen was second and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was third. This afternoon Charles Leclerc was second and Valtteri Bottas was third.
Lewis Hamilton will have a 10-place grid demotion for Sunday's race after receiving a penalty for using too many engine parts. Mercedes have taken a fourth part, which is one more than permitted, to reduce the risk of Hamilton suffering a failure.
Cricket... Several players have been awarded England central contracts for the first time. They are Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach. Ben Stokes retains his contract but Dom Sibley loses his.
Australia captain Tim Paine has said that he expects to face a "really strong" England side in the Ashes. The ECB is meeting today to decide if the tour of Australia will go ahead.
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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