Two additional people have been arrested today in Normandy in northern France in connection with a knife attack at a school in Antibes yesterday. One of those arrested is reportedly the girlfriend of the alleged attacker. The school will remain closed until Monday as authorities continue their investigations. A 52 year old teacher was seriously injured in the attack, with a 16 year old student sustaining less serious injuries. The alleged perpetrator had previously been a student at the Campus Vert d'Azur horticultural school.
A man has died after being hit by a car on the A50 this morning. The man was crossing the motorway near exit 2 in Marseille. The occupants of the car were in a state of shock but were otherwise unharmed.
Racist graffiti has been daubed on the office door of the deputy mayor of Marseille. Audrey Garino said that the phrase "Death to Arabs" had been spray-painted on her door this morning. In a post on social media, she said “beyond the personal attack, our entire city is targeted by racism and hatred”. A complaint is being filed with the public prosecutor.
Two rest areas on the A57 motorway in the Var have been closed today because of the high risk of fire in surrounding areas. Three forest massifs in the Var are closed due to a “very severe” fire risk, resulting in the Lauvets and Suvé du Vent rest areas being closed. There are dry conditions with high winds in the department today. The three massifs affected are Les Maures, Centre-Var, and Estérel, which are closed to access, traffic, walking, and works. Four other forest areas in the Var are on a “severe” level of fire risk, with access not being recommended. They are the Monts Toulonnais, Sainte Baume, Corniche des Maures, and Iles Hyères massifs.
Public Health France has said that at least 280 excess deaths from all causes were estimated to have occurred during the mid-August heatwave. The excess mortality was only observed among people aged 75 and over. From August 8 to 19, mainland France and Corsica experienced a heatwave that the agency said was “remarkable for its duration and intensity”. It affected 41 departments, or 40% of the resident population of mainland France.
BUSINESS
US pharmaceutical company Merck is scrapping a planned £1bn expansion of its UK operations. The business, known as MSD in Europe, said it would move its life sciences research to the US and cut UK jobs.
Jaguar Land Rover has said its UK factories will remain closed until next week after it was hit by a cyber attack. Production was halted at plants in Solihull, Halewood and Wolverhampton with workers sent home following the hack, which came to light on 1 September.
Online ticketing business trainline has reported an 8% rise in UK net consumer ticket sales to £2.1 billion in the six months to the end of August. It said that there had been an increase in demand for leisure travel and commuting. Figures from the previous year were impacted by strike action. It said it was negatively affected by the first phase of the UK Department for Transport's rollout of the contactless payment network to more stations. Consumer revenues were flat at £107 million.
SPORT
Football… Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association with 74 alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022. The alleged rule breaches concern agents, intermediaries and third-party investments in players. Chelsea said that they had reported the potential rule breaches to the FA themselves. The club has until September 19 to respond.
Cycling….Italy's Giulio Pellizzari won stage 17 of the Vuelta a Espana with Britain's Tom Pidcock second. According to reports, some riders are considering abandoning the race if pro-Palestine protests continue. The race has so far been severely disrupted by the protest.
Storm Benjamin is on the way. It’s expected that the Atlantic coast and parts of north-west France will be worst affected, but Meteo France have yello...
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Dozens of left-wing activists have marched through Nice, protesting plans to name a public square after former president Nicolas Sarkozy, the march oc...
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Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has started a jail sentence for campaign finance conspiracy today...
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A 61-year-old British woman died of a suspected heart attack while on a cruise off the coast of Cannes during the night of Saturday 18 to Sunday 19 Oc...
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The Louvre museum in Paris remains closed today as investigations continue into yesterday’s burglary. ...
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