The French Ministry of Agriculture has said that a case of rabies has been detected in a puppy in the Var. The case was confirmed on January 5 by the National Rabies Reference Laboratory in Nancy. The animal, which was illegally imported from Morocco, died thirteen days after it arrived in France. The Ministry said that all people exposed to the animal were contacted by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Health Agency and taken care of by an anti-rabies centre.
French government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot has said that the remaining members of Gabrial Attal's government will be appointed sometime next week. Speaking after a Council of Ministers meeting this morning, she said that she was not stating a precise date but the appointments will be announced within the next ten days.
About 8.7 million people watched Emmanuel Macron's press conference last night, according to media research company Mediametrie. The event was carried live by many of the main French TV channels.
Former French Minister of Labour Olivier Dussopt has been acquitted by a criminal court in Paris. He had faced trial over alleged favouritism in a public contract in 2009 when he was mayor of the town of Annonay in the Ardeche.
New French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati has announced her candidacy to be Mayor of Paris in 2026. She is currently mayor of the 7th arrondissement of the capital. Under current legislation, the mayor of Paris is not directly elected by the population. Each arrondissement has its own council and mayor. A selection of members from each arrondissement council form the Conseil de Paris which elects the mayor of Paris.
The Cannes Town Hall has announced that it will be distributing tickets to attend various concerts taking place at MIDƐM+24. Invitations are reserved for Cannes residents, high school students and certain students attending establishments or living in Cannes and will be available on a first come, first served basis at the Cannes Town Hall from 9am on Friday 19 January. There are detailed instructions on how to apply which you can find on www.cannes.com
The Monaco government has released information about arrangements for the celebration of Sainte Devote, next Friday January 26. Various organizational and security measures will be put in place in terms of vehicle traffic, as well as public access to areas near the ceremonies. The arrangements will affect the port area, including the Quai Albert 1er, Place Sainte Devote and the Quai des Ameriques starting early in the evening. In particular, the pedestrian access to the railway station at Sainte Devote will be closed from 5.30pm and there will be disruptions to bus lines 1, 2 and 6 as well as ZOU line 607 and the line 80 airport bus. More information is available on www.gouv.mc
BUSINESS
There's been a surprise rise in inflation in the UK. Annual inflation in December rose by 0.1% from November to 4%. Economists had expected it to fall to 3.7%. The Bank of England's target is 2%. The Office for National Statistics said that the main reasons for the increase were a rise in tobacco prices due to higher taxes and a rise in the price of alcohol.
Apple has overtaken Samsung in its share of the mobile phone market. Research by International Data Corporation showed that Apple accounted for more than a fifth of phones shipped last year. Samsung had a market share of 19.4%. Chinese phone makers Xiaomi, OPPO and Transsion were the next largest. IDC said that almost 1.2 billion smartphones were sold last year, which is down more than 3% compared to the previous year.
SPORT
Rugby Union...England have named Jamie George as captain for the Six Nations. Owen Farrell had previously captained the side but has ruled himself out of this year's tournament to prioritise his and his family's mental wellbeing. Henry Slade and Luke Cowan-Dickie are recalled. There are a total of seven uncapped players named in the squad.
Tennis.... Ons Jabeur is out of the Australian Open after being defeated 6-0 6-2 by teenager Mirra Andreeva. Defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka is through to the next round after beating Czech player Brenda Fruhvirtova. Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic eventually beat Alexei Popyrin. The final score was 6-3 4-6 7-6 6-3.
Cricket... New Zealand have beaten Pakistan by 45 runs in the third T-20 international in Dunedin. Finn Allen made 137 from 62 balls, which is the highest ever T20 score by a New Zealand player. The win means that New Zealand have an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
TGV services across much of France are gradually improving after several arson attacks affected the network in the early hours of this morning....
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Paris is getting ready to shut down it’s city centre and its airspace as well as mobilise 45,000 police and several army units in what has been billed...
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Lucie Castets, the left-wing candidate for Prime Minister, reiterated her desire to lead the government during a media appearance on July 25. A poll s...
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French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to welcome world leaders to the Olympic games opening ceremony tomorrow night and has been visiting key ...
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France will host the 2030 Winter Olympics in the Alpes, conditional on state and regional financial guarantees. President Macron confirmed his full su...
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