The man accused of slapping President Macron during a walkabout earlier this week has received a prison sentence of 18 months, 14 of which are suspended for two years. He received a warrant of commital and will go straight to prison from the court in Valence where he was on trial today. He was also banned from holding weapons for five years as well as a ban on holding public office and is deprived of certain civil rights for three years. The prosecution had earlier today asked for a full 18 months of imprisonment for 28 year old Damien Tarel. Speaking on French television today President Macron said he thought the incident was nothing more than an isolated act and had not lodged a complaint "because it was necessary to leave it to justice".
The World Health Organisation has said that the level of Covid-19 vaccination in Europe is insufficient to protect the region from a resurgance. Hans Kluge, the WHO's Europe Director, said that "we are far from being out of danger" and the Delta variant, first found in India, is "on the way to settling" in the region.
Insurance company AXA France has announced that it is offering a total of 300 million euros to 15,000 restaurant owners who have insurance policies with the company to bring an end to a legal dispute. AXA said that it is offering what it called "an amicable financial solution" which aims to cover a sum equivalent to 15% of the turnover of their catering activity during a period when restaurants were required to close from March 14, to October 29 last year.
The man accused of shooting at police and at his ex-girlfriend's partner in the Dordogne last month has been taken into police custody. Terry Dupin was the subject of an extensive manhunt at the end of May and suffered serious injuries while being arrested by police. Reports say that he has now recovered sufficiently from those injuries to be taken into police custody.
Jean-Claude Guibal, the mayor of Menton, has urged local residents to save water as the summer gets underway. He said that saving water is proving to be more necessary than ever this year, the passage of storm Alex having created significant land movements affecting the water table of the Roya valley, which partly supplies the city of Menton. The mayor suggests watering during the cooler hours, limiting the filling of swimming pools, washing your car only at stations that collect water, limiting the washing of exterior floors as much as possible, not letting the water run unnecessarily in the kitchen or bathroom and taking showers rather than baths. He said that such small gestures can together make big savings of water.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi unveiled a new work of art in the centre of Nice this morning. “Oulivié” by sculptor Laurent Bosio replaces the fountain on the Place du Palais de Justice. Later this morning the mayor also inaugurated "The Hub" on rue Papon, which is a space dedicated to innovation in Digital Communication and New Technologies and which hosts conferences, workshops and events.
BUSINESS
Altice has acquired a 12.1% stake in UK telecoms company BT, making it the largest shareholder in the company. It said that it doesn't intend to make a takeover offer. BT said that it notes the announcement from Altice of their investment in BT and their statement of support for its management and strategy.
The proportion of the UK workforce on furlough has decreased to 7% according to the Office for National Statistics. It's the lowest level since comparable records began in June 2020 but still amounts to about 1.8 million people.
UK retail footfall increased by 12% in the week to 5 June according to data company Springboard and was at 85% of its level in the same week of 2019. The week included the Spring Bank Holiday on 31 May this year.
SPORT
Cricket... James Anderson has become England's most capped Test player with 162 caps after being selected to play against New Zealand. The previous record was held by Alastair Cook. The second test between England and New Zealand got underway at Edgbaston this afternoon. England won the toss and decided to bat. Sibley was out for 32, Burns for 81 and Pope for 19 but Root was out for just 4 runs and Crawley was out for a duck.
Football... Celtic have named a new manager. Former Australia manager Ange Poste-cog-lou has been appointed on a 12-month rolling contract. He replaces Neil Lennon who resigned in February.
Rugby Union... Eddie Jones has named 21 uncapped players in his preliminary 34 man squad for the Test matches against the USA and Canada next month. The 12 England players taking part in the British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa aren't available for the Tests.
The post-mortem will take place next Monday for a 33-year-old man whose body was recently found in the Var after being missing for more than a month....
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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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Nice airport says as many as 60% of flights will be cancelled tomorrow due to a nationwide strike by air traffic controllers....
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After eight months of work and several sea trials, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has begun a six-week operation in the Mediterranean, ...
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A group of experts have come up with more than 150 recommendations for how Nice can deal with the increasing effects of climate change....
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