French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said that nine arrests have been made in connection with the incidents which led to the cancellation of the Olympique de Marseille match against Olympique Lyonnais at the weekend. Speaking to French media he suggested that more arrests may be imminent. Rocks were thrown at the team bus of Olympique Lyonnais prior to the match on Sunday evening which was subsequently cancelled. He also said that five police officers had been injured.
Another child has died after a fire in Saint Raphael. An eight year old girl lost her life in the fire on Saturday as a result of inhaling toxic fumes. The public prosecutor in Draguignan has since announced that a ten year old boy has now also died.
It's been announced that a test of the emergency alert system in the event of a tsunami will be made this coming Friday, 3 November. A test of the FR-Alert alert and information system will be carried out simultaneously, between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Friday, in nine coastal departments bordering the Mediterranean - the Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, Hérault, Aude, Pyrénées-Orientales, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud. People located on the coast of the nine departments will receive a notification accompanied by a specific sound signal, even if the mobile phone is in silent mode. The government has said that no particular action is expected from the population on receipt of the FR-Alert message and no forces such as firefighters and police will be deployed. The objective is to raise public awareness of the FR-Alert system and to remind people of the reflexes to adopt when faced with a tsunami risk.
The prefect of the Var has made three decrees introducing temporary bans during Halloween evening for the use of fireworks, the consumption of alcohol on public roads and fuel retailing. The prefect said that the decrees are being made in the context of the Vigipirate plan, which has been raised to the “Emergency attack” level since October 13, and the need to guarantee order, security and public health. They are in effect from tomorrow, Tuesday, at 5pm until Wednesday at 8am. The bans cover the take-out sale of alcoholic beverages as well as the consumption of alcoholic beverages on public roads; the sale, use and transportation of fireworks and pyrotechnic articles; and the retail sale of fuel, acid, chemical or explosive products.
A man in his twenties has received stab wounds after being attacked in Nice yesterday afternoon. The incident happened in the Ariane district. The victim was taken to hospital but reportedly suffered only slight injuries.
President Macron has condemned the practice of so-called "inclusive writing", which aims to make the feminine more prominent in the French language. He said that people "should not give in to the spirit of the times". His wife Brigitte Macron has previously denounced the use of the non-gender pronoun "iel" instead of the masculine and feminine il and elle. The president was speaking at the inauguration of a new institution which is dedicated to the history of the French language.
BUSINESS
The German economy contracted slightly in the third quarter. Federal statistics office Destatis said today that GDP had fallen by 0.1% compared with the second quarter. However, GDP for the second quarter and first quarter were revised upwards slightly.
Frasers Group has announced that it is selling the intellectual property and trademarks of fashion retailer Missguided to Shein, a Chinese company. However, it said that it is retaining the brand's real estate as well as its employees, both of which it said "have now been integrated into Frasers fashion division".
SPORT
Football... Luis Rubiales, the former Spanish football federation president, has been banned from all football-related activities for three years by Fifa. Rubiales kissed World Cup player Jenni Hermoso on the lips following the team's win over England in the final. Hermoso said that it was not consensual. Rubiales has already stepped down from his role at the football federation. He says he will appeal against the Fifa ban.
Ice Hockey... Police are investigating the death of a Nottingham Panthers player who was fatally injured during a match. Adam Johnson's neck was cut by a skate during a game on Saturday against the Sheffield Steelers. Johnson was taken to hospital with serious injuries and later pronounced dead in hospital. South Yorkshire police said it was "normal procedure" to open an investigation when an incident was reported.
Cricket.... Afghanistan have beaten Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the World Cup. Sri Lanka went in to bat first and were 241 all out. Afghanistan were 242 for 3.
TGV services across much of France are gradually improving after several arson attacks affected the network in the early hours of this morning....
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Paris is getting ready to shut down it’s city centre and its airspace as well as mobilise 45,000 police and several army units in what has been billed...
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Lucie Castets, the left-wing candidate for Prime Minister, reiterated her desire to lead the government during a media appearance on July 25. A poll s...
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French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to welcome world leaders to the Olympic games opening ceremony tomorrow night and has been visiting key ...
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France will host the 2030 Winter Olympics in the Alpes, conditional on state and regional financial guarantees. President Macron confirmed his full su...
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