A reshuffle of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's government is taking place today. Amongst the changes, the Prime Minister's former chief of staff Aurelien Rousseau is appointed to the Health Ministry, the head of the Ministry of Public Accounts and former spokesman during the pandemic Gabriel Attal is expected to be appointed as education minister. The mayor of Dunkerque Patrice Vergriete is reportedly appointed as minister for housing. Solidarity Minister Marlene Schiappa leaves the government. The first Council of Ministers meeting with the new ministers is scheduled for 10am tomorrow.
A man in his twenties has been shot in broad daylight in Marseille this morning. The incident happened early this morning in the eighth arrondissement. Initial inquiries suggest that he may have been the victim of a robbery.
Alpes-Maritimes deputy Eric Ciotti has called for the demolition of the Liserons district of Nice. In a social media post today he said that "only the destruction of this lawless zone will make it possible to stop the grip of drug traffickers on this territory".
Four police officers are appearing before an investigating magistrate in Marseille. The members of the BAC anti-crime brigade are suspected of using excessive force during the protests in the city against the death of teenager Nahel in a suburb of Paris several weeks ago.
It's expected to be another busy weekend on French roads. Government roads monitor Bison Fute has said that tomorrow will be yellow and Saturday will be red in the direction of departures. The direction of returns is green all weekend.
A couple have been arrested in northern France after falsely telling authorities that a terrorist was on board a train in an attempt to delay its departure as they were about to miss it. Local firefighters and the Nord Region are filing complaints after the incident led to two railway stations in Lille being evacuated and firefighters being on the scene for two hours.
The French Ministry of the Interior has warned against messages regarding the ordering a Crit'Air vignette. The link takes recipients to an official-looking site that asks for personal and banking information. The scam starts with the receipt of an email or an SMS indicating that the victim does not have a sticker. It specifies that the victim must quickly bring themselves into compliance under penalty of a fine. The message received always contains a link that the victim is invited to follow. The ministry reminded people to beware of such phishing attempts.
Nice airport have explained the presence of green smoke behind several aircraft leaving the airport. A video posted on social networks appears to show the smoke being released by several military planes yesterday afternoon. The airport explained that the planes were part of the Saudia Arabian acrobatic team and it was a tradition for military aircraft to release smoke to show their appreciation when departing.
BUSINESS
Easyjet has announced a headline profit before tax of £203 million for the first quarter. It’s an increase of £317 million, year on year. It said that demand for its network and services continues to be strong. Bookings for winter flights have more than doubled compared to the same period last year.
UK food producer Premier Foods has posted a 21% rise in sales in its first quarter compared to a year earlier. The company, which owns brands including Ambrosia, Batchelors, Mr. Kipling, Oxo and Sharwood's, said that it believes that food cost inflation has peaked. It said that it isn’t planning any price rises for the remainder of this year.
SPORT
Cricket... It’s the second day of the fourth Ashes Test. Australia were all out for 317 in their first innings.
Football... The women’s World Cup has got underway. The opening ceremony ended with a spectacular fireworks display. Co-hosts New Zealand beat Norway 1-0. There was a minute's silence before kick-off for the victims of a deadly shooting in Auckland earlier on Thursday. And co-hosts Australia have beaten the Republic of Ireland 1-0. Australia captain Sam Kerr has been ruled out of their first two Women's World Cup games with a calf injury sustained in training.
In other football news, Bournemouth have signed Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez from AZ Alkmaar. The club said he had signed a long term contract.
Athletics... The mayor of Australia's Gold Coast has said that it is ready to step in to stage the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the state of Victoria pulled out. The city hosted the 2018 Games and is in the state of Queensland, which is preparing to host the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
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France’s recently appointed Prime Minister François Bayrou has promised a new government "before Christmas" and reserves the possibility of using 49....
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French judges in Avignon will today Thursday 19th December, deliver their verdicts in a mass rape case against 51 men that has appalled France and the...
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Monaco Info and TV Monaco are set to make way for a new television channel on September 1st of 2025. During the debates on the 2025 preliminary budget...
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