Nice mayor Christian Estrosi has proposed that a photo of Emiliano Sala is displayed on the screens of the Allianz Riviera stadium and that applause is started at OGC Nice's match against Lille this Saturday. It's the latest reaction by the mayor to the chanting of insults against the deceased player at a match on Wednesday evening. The club has said that it condemns the chants "in the strongest terms".
Trains between Nice and Ventimiglia have been severely disrupted this afternoon because of an accident at Beaulieu-sur-Mer. The SNCF have also said that delays and cancellations were experienced on the line between Grasse and Ventimiglia. Services were returning to normal early this evening.
The French Foreign Affairs Ministry has called for the immediate release of two French nationals detained in Iran. The ministry condemned what it called "a baseless arrest". The two weren't named but French media reports say that they are trade union members who are in Iran as tourists.
The World Health Organization has said that just over two million people have so far died from Covid-19 in its European region. The WHO said that it had recorded over 218 million cases of Covid in the region.
Monaco has accredited a new ambassador from the United Kingdom. Her Excellency Mrs Menna Rawlings joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989. She was appointed Consul General in Washington DC in 2008, then Director General for Economic and Global Affairs at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Firefighters have been battling a blaze at a travellers' caravan site in Aix-en-Provence this afternoon. The Bouches-du-Rhone firefighters said that 70 staff and 40 fire applicances were on site. At least ten caravans are thought to have been destroyed.
New anti-pollution nets have been installed on the coast at Théoule-sur-Mer. David Lisnard, President of the Cannes Lérins Agglomeration and Mayor of Cannes, and Georges Botella, Vice-President and Mayor of Théoule-sur-Mer were present to inspect the nets which filter local rainwater before it enters the sea. The nets significantly limit discharges into the sea of materials such as plastic, glass and aluminium, cigarette butts and therefore help to reduce pollution of the seabed.
The Var Prefecture has said that despite the rains of the past few days in some parts of the department, the soil remains very dry. The drought increases the risk of fire and the Prefecture called for vigilance to prevent and protect against fire. The Prefecture has a special fire prevention page on its website http://www.var.gouv.fr/prevention-feux-de-foret-a10770.html
BUSINESS
The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in March according to an estimate from the Office for National Statistics. The ONS also said today that there was no growth in February, after revising down the previous estimate of 0.1% growth. Services fell by 0.2% in March and were the main contributor to the fall in GDP, reflecting a large decrease in the wholesale and retail trade and the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles industry. However, construction grew by 1.7%.
Energy company Shell has agreed to sell its Russian subsidiary, Shell Neft, to the country's second largest oil producer, Lukoil. The deal includes more than 400 petrol stations and a lubricants processing plant.
SPORT
Rugby Union... World Rugby has announced the locations of the next five World Cup tournaments. England will host the 2025 women's World Cup. Australia are to host the men's World Cup in 2027 and the women's in 2029. The United States will host the men's tournament for the first time in 2031 and the women's in 2033.
Cricket.. England have appointed former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as men's Test coach on a four-year contract. He succeeds Chris Silverwood, who left in February.
Football... Andriy Yarmolenko is reportedly set to leave West Ham when his contract expires at the end of June. He plays at national level for Ukraine and joined West Ham from Borussia Dortmund in 2018.
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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