Police are appealing for information about the man suspected of fatally shooting two people in the village of Plantiers in the Gard department on Tuesday. They are searching for 29 year old Valentin Marcone, who they describe as dangerous and who may be carrying a handgun and a rifle. The local mayor said today that four families from the village have been evacuated from their homes as they are believed to be potential targets. Almost 300 police officers from nearby departments, including the Alpes-Maritimes, are involved in the search, supported by specialist police units, police dogs and helicopters.
Two proposed concerts in Marseille which had been organised to test the spread of Covid-19 have been prohibited by the government on health grounds. The concerts, which had been scheduled to take place on 29 May and 12 June had intended to admit people without carrying out Covid-19 tests on entry.
Two people have been hospitalised in the Var after crashing into seven vehicles as they attempted to escape a police control. Reports say that they were in a car which avoided a police control in Hyers and which subsequently crashed in La Crau. Nobody else was injured in the incident.
The collection of shellfish has been banned in parts of Brittany because of pollution. The Prefect of the Finistere department has issued orders prohibiting the fishing, collection and release for consumpton of shellfish in several areas because of contamination with lead or certain toxins.
The former Archbishop of Monaco, Monsignor Bernard Barsi, was presented with the insignia of Knight in the Order of the Legion d'Honneur at a ceremony yesterday. Those present included HSH Prince Albert II and the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi. Monsignor Barsi, who was born in Nice, was Archbishop of Monaco for twenty years, from 2000 to 2020.
Meteo France have a yellow warning for storms in the Alpes-Maritimes from midday to 4pm tomorrow, Friday.
BUSINESS
UK telcoms company BT has reported a 7% fall in revenue for the year to the end of March. Reported profit before tax was just over £1.8 billion, which is down 23% on the previous year. Profit was reduced by a bonus for frontline staff, increased costs of services and continuing investment in its fibre network. The company also said that it is speeding up its rollout of full-fibre broadband to five million more households than previously planned which it says could create up to 7,000 jobs.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has warned package holiday companies to respect the refund rights of holidaymakers ahead of the summer period. The CMA has published an open letter to the sector reminding firms of their legal obligations and of the need to ensure refund options are clear and accessible and has also written directly to one hundred travel firms. Since the pandemic began in Europe last March, the CMA has received over 23,000 complaints from consumers about refund issues relating to package holidays
SPORT
Tennis.... World number one Ashleigh Barty is through to the quarter finals of the Italian Open after beating Veronika Kudermetova 6-3 6-3. She'll play Coco Gauff who defeated Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 6-3. In the men's tournament, Novak Djokovic, Federico Delbonis, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Reilly Opelka are all through to the next round.
Football... The Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City on 29 May has been moved from Turkey to Portugal. It's been announced that the match will take place in Porto. 6,000 fans from each club will be permitted to attend. Portugal is on England's green travel list meaning that players and fans can attend the match without having to quarantine on their return.
The Premier League has agreed to roll over its existing television deal with broadcasters for a further three years. The new deal with Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video and BBC Sport will run from 2022 to 2025. The UK government has approved the deal "in principle".
There are two games in the English Premier League tonight. Aston Villa play Everton and Manchester United play Liverpool.
Rugby Union...It's been announced that Japan will be playing Scotland at Murrayfield on 20th November. Scotland also have matches against Australia on 7th and South Africa on 13th November.
A new optional regional transport tax for businesses, introduced in France’s 2025 budget, aims to fund eco-friendly mobility projects. ...
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A judge has authorised a dive to inspect the wreckage of a plane in the sea off Antibes. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean on September 11 1968...
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In France, drinking water is heavily contaminated with "forever pollutants," particularly trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), as revealed by two studies from ...
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The trial of the Tunisian man accused of the murder of three people in the Nice Basilica attack is continuing in Paris. Yesterday the families of the ...
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Four cities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region made Booking.com's 2025 list of the "most welcoming destinations in France." ...
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