A meeting is taking place today aimed at resolving the ongoing diplomatic row between the UK and French governments over post-Brexit fishing licences. Representatives from the European Commission, France, the UK and the Channel Islands are involved in the discussions. The UK and Jersey recently denied permits to dozens of French boats to operate in their waters. The UK and France are both accusing each other of not adhering to the terms of the post-Brexit trade deal. The Commission has said that it hopes the meeting will bring "a swift solution" on the outstanding issues.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been speaking at the opening of the Cop26 climate meeting in Glasgow. President Macron said that the world's largest carbon emitters must "raise their ambitions" during the next two weeks. He said that agreement at the meeting is possible if "we mobilize, decide and act". He added that trade agreements need to reflect climate committments. More than 120 heads of state and government, including President Macron and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, are attending the conference.
A decree strengthening the prohibition of the acquisition and possession of certain firearms has been published in the French Official Journal. Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, had announced the new measures in July during a trip to the Puy-de-Dôme department to pay tribute to three gendarmes who had been killed by an attacker. The new measures will enable better supervision of the possession of weapons and in particular the prohibition of the acquisition and possession of so-called "war" weapons, which have been modified by individuals.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has issued a decree banning Lazio supporters from travelling to Marseille for their Europa League match on Thursday. The reason for the decree was stated to be the "violent behaviour" of some supporters of the Italian club as well as the singing of "fascist songs" and Nazi salutes.
Police closed down an illegal rave attended by about one thousand people over the weekend. The gathering, in Finistere in north-west France, was in breach of a prefectoral decree banning such events over the All Saints weekend. Local reports say that about three hundred people at the rave received fines for a variety of offences including excessive noise and consumption of narcotics.
Two men have died from gunshot wounds in the town of Carcassonne in the Aude department at the weekend. An investigation has been opened.
Today, the 1st of November, is the first day of Tabacco Free Month in France. The annual event, which is in its sixth edition this year, aims to encourage smokers to stop smoking for 30 days. Research has shown that those who are able to stop smoking for a month have five times the probability of quitting altogether. So far, over 87,000 people have signed up on the French government's "Mois Sans Tabac" website https://mois-sans-tabac.tabac-info-service.fr/
The 1st of November is also the first day of "Movember" 2021. The men's health campaign is aimed at raising funds and mobilizing to make a difference in mental health, suicide prevention and the fight against prostate and testicular cancer. You can get more information at https://fr.movember.com/
BUSINESS
Budget airline Ryanair has recorded a loss of €48m for the second half of its financial year, to the end of September, down from a first half loss of €411m. Speaking to the BBC, CEO Michael O'Leary said that the industry was seeing a "very strong recovery" across Europe. However, he said heavy price discounting would be needed to fill aircraft this winter. The airline carried 39.1 million passengers in the six month period, which is still significantly less than the pre-pandemic figure in the same period in 2019.
The average price of diesel across the UK has hit a record high according to research by motoring organization the RAC. It reached 147.94p a litre yesterday, surpassing the previous high of 147.93p set on 12 April 2012. The record comes just a week after petrol also went above the record price of April 2012. The new record price will be an increased cost for many businesses. The UK has 4.5m vans, the vast majority of which run on diesel, and 525,000 heavy goods vehicles.
SPORT
Football... Tottenham have sacked manager Nuno Espirito Santo after only four months in charge. The club have lost five of their past seven league matches, including losing to Manchester United at the weekend. He was named Spurs manager on a two-year contract in June after spending four years at Wolves.
Hungary fans have been banned from their World Cup qualifying match in Poland. The ban, confirmed by fifa, comes after clashes with police during Hungary's recent match against England at Wembley. The world governing body also fined the Hungarian football federation 75,000 Swiss francs.
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French scientists have been developing technological tools for the past four years to help athletes optimize their training for the Paris 2024 Olympic...
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