French Prime Minister Jean Castex and several government ministers have been in Avignon this afternoon to take part in a ceremony to honour the police officer killed in the town last Wednesday. The officer, Eric Masson, was awarded the Legion d'Honneur posthumously in the ceremony. Two men are appearing in court today in connection with the shooting.
Jean Castex is scheduled to appear on the "20 heures" programme on France 2 television this evening to discuss the gradual end to lockdown as well as plans to increase penalties against those who attack the police.
Intensive care nurses across France have staged industrial action this afternoon. The nurses were on strike from 1pm to 3.30pm to protest against pay levels and a lack of recognition for their skills.
The Ministries of Culture and Labour have announced new measures to support temporary workers in the entertainment field. The ministries said today that unemployment benefits which were due to finish at the end of August will be extended until the end of December. Other measures to help the sector will be put in place for 2022.
Two people have been killed in a shooting in the Gard department this morning. The local prosecutor said that that the owner and an employee of a sawmill in the village of Plantiers were shot by a fellow employee who is now being sought by police.
The Elysee has announced the location of a memorial to the victims of terrorism. It had been suggested that the memorial should be located in Nice in tribute to those who lost their lives in the attack of July 2016. However, the Elysees said that it will be located in the west of Paris, near the France Combattante memorial which was established in 1960 to commemorate victims of the Second World War.
Anti-Covid personnel from the Regional Health Agency are visiting Antibes tomorrow, May 12, for a day of awareness and testing. They will be on the Place des Martyrs de la Resistance from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm and will be giving information and offering antigenic screening tests without appointment with results in 15 minutes.
A French civil aviation pilots union has expressed concerns about the number of helicopters available for rescue missions as the summer tourist season approaches. There are currently 25 "Dragon" helicopters in France but the union says that 29 are needed. A meeting is scheduled to be held between union leaders and Interior Minister Gerald Darmainin on 19 May.
BUSINESS
Stock markets across Europe have fallen today amid worries that inflation is set to rise. The UK's benchmark share index, the FTSE 100, fell more than 2% today.
Morrisons, the UK's fourth-largest supermarket group has said that like for like sales increased by 2.7% in the 14 weeks to 9 May. Online sales were up 113%. Chief Executive David Potts said the company is seeing "encouraging recent signs of a strong rebound" of food-to-go, take-away counters and salad bars as coronavirus measures in the UK are eased.
Producer Price Inflation in China, which measures prices at the factory gate, rose by 6.8% in April compared to the previous year, according to government data. China's National Bureau of Statistics said that the prices of international commodities such as iron ore used in manufacturing rose and prices in the production sector continued to rise.
SPORT
Tennis.. Andy Murray will be playing doubles at the Italian Open. He hasn't played in a tournament since early March. Murray was a late addition into the doubles draw at the Italian Open as he and fellow British player Liam Broady were entered as alternates.
Football... Veteran Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has said that he will leave the club at the end of the season. The 43 year old has won 10 Serie A titles and four Italian Cups with Juventus and holds the record for the most Serie A appearances with 656 games.
There are two games in the English Premier League tonight. Manchester United play Leicester and Southampton play Crystal Palace.
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White smoe Is billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel meaning A new pope has just been chosen! 133 cardinals have gathered in the Sistine cha...
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No new pope has been elected yet, as black smoke signalled another inconclusive vote during the conclave in the morning of Thursday the 8th of May. ...
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