Six people have been stabbed at a train station in Paris. A man has been arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack early this morning at the Gare du Nord. Two off duty police officers intervened along with a border police officer and shot the attacker who is in a serious condition in hospital. The border police officer is one of the injured. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin visited the station later in the morning and said that a home-made weapon was used in the attack. He said that the alleged attacker was not carrying identity papers and at that point had not been identified. A security perimeter has been established but trains are reported to be running normally at the station.
Two people have been arrested after a large amount of drugs were discovered in an apartment in Hyeres in the Var. About 60kg of drugs as well as firearms and cash were seized in a raid on the premises by authorities.
Heavy rain is expected in parts of north-west France, with two rivers in the Pas-de-Calais being placed on an orange alert for flooding by Meteo France. Several other rivers are on a yellow alert.
Brigitte Macron has been in Nice today. She visited the Woman, Mother and Child department at the CHU hospital this morning and this afternoon launched the Pieces Jaunes charity campaign for 2023 at the Kiosque in Nice. The First Lady was accompanied by Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi and French national football manager Didier Deschamps, who is a patron of Pieces Jaunes alongside Brigitte Macron.
The winter sales have got underway in most of France today and will continue until 7 February. Some areas of France, mostly in the north-east and in overseas territories, began their legal sales periods earlier this month. Speaking to French media the managing director of retail business organization the Alliance du Commerce said that December had been a good month for retailers and the hope is to maintain this momentum during January despite questions over purchasing power in the current economic climate.
BUSINESS
All US domestic flights were grounded for several hours today because of a problem with a flight control system. The Federal Aviation Administration said that there was a problem with its Notice to Air Missions System which alerts pilots to potential hazards on flight routes.
UK newspaper publisher Reach is reportedly planning job cuts as it aims to save at least 30 million pounds this year. In a trading update issued today it said that circulation revenue in its fourth quarter grew by 1.8% but digital revenue and print advertising declined by 5.9% and 20.2% respectively. It said that it expects the challenging market to continue in 2023. The company publishes titles including the Daily Express, the Daily Mirror, the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo.
Heathrow Airport has said that Christmas and New Year reunions fuelled passenger growth during December, with more than 5.9 million passengers travelling in the month, which is up 90% compared with the same time last year. It said that transatlantic travel was a key driver behind last month’s high passenger volumes, with New York's JFK airport taking the top spot as the airport’s busiest route. In total, 61.6 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in 2022 which was just over 42 million more than in 2021 but still only 76% of 2019 levels.
SPORT
Football... Chelsea have signed Felix from Atletico Madrid on loan for the rest of the season for a fee of 11 million euros. He's also signed a one-year extension to his Atletico Madrid contract until June 2027.
Rugby Union... England captain Owen Farrell could be available for their Six Nations opener with Scotland despite a four-week ban for a dangerous tackle. His ban will be reduced to three weeks if he completes the World Rugby coaching intervention programme, meaning he would be available to play in the game against Scotland scheduled for 4 February.
Tennis... Novak Djokovic has cut short a pre-Australian Open practice match because of a hamstring issue. The match was against Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic stopped playing after one set and said that he "didn't want to risk anything" before the Open. He's aiming for a record-extending 10th title win at the tournament.
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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Some communes in the Alpes-Maritimes will be plunged into darkness this Monday evening. For the third year running to mark Earth Day, mayors in the Al...
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Gendarmes in the Var have appealed for information after a 34-year-old man went missing in Cavalaire-sur-Mer....
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A man from Nice used a stolen bank card to make purchases in Monaco, spending over €1,700 in various shops, mostly on airpods that he planned to resel...
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