The French state has been ordered to pay 75,000 euros to the heirs of Corsican activist Yvan Colonna. The court ordered the payment for “culpable failings of the prison administration”. Colonna died in Arles prison three years ago after being attacked by another inmate. He was serving a sentence for the assassination of the Prefect of Corsica Claude Erignac in 1998.
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a nightclub bouncer in Marseille. The bouncer was shot in the early hours of a Sunday morning in January after reportedly refusing admission to a customer at the club in the 11th arrondissement in the east of the city.
The month of January saw an increase in accidents in the Alpes-Maritimes department compared to January 2024. Each month, the departmental road safety observatory reports on the number of accidents that have occurred in the department. During the month of January, 342 license suspension orders were issued. The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes has tightened the scale of driving license suspensions since February 1 this year due to what the Prefecture said is the constantly increasing accident and mortality rate.
Meanwhile, a motorway security vehicle belonging to motorway operator Vinci Autoroutes has been hit by a lorry on the A8 in the Var. The incident happened yesterday between the junctions for Saint Maximin and Trets in the direction of Aix-en-Provence. The vehicle was badly damaged but nobody was inside it at the time of impact and the lorry driver was unhurt.
A former world champion skier has been appointed president of the organising committee for the 2030 Winter Olympics. Edgar Grospiron was a medal winner in the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and was Chef de Mission for the French team at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics. The 2030 Winter Olympics will take place in the French Alps, with Nice being the venue for ice sports except for speed skating.
The Principality of Monaco has been named Best European Destination 2025 by European Best Destinations, a leading tourism promotion organization and partner of the European Commission. Each year, European Best Destinations selects the most attractive destinations in Europe and submits them to the vote of travelers from all over the world. More than a million people participated in this edition. The Principality took second place in last year’s survey.
A European declaration of animal rights has been signed by several French cities. It was drawn up by French academics and researchers and is supported by dozens of associations involved in animal welfare. The charter, which is symbolic and has no legal effect, has been signed by cities including Strasbourg, Annecy, Toulouse and Brest.
BUSINESS
UK utility company Thames Water has won a High Court battle to secure a £3bn rescue loan, staving off the prospect of the company coming under government control. Thames Water was set to run out of cash by the end of March and there was the prospect of it being placed into temporary nationalisation. The court decision has given the company time to undergo a major restructuring, but its future remains uncertain as it struggles with £19 billion of debt. Certain creditors have also been given permission to appeal against the ruling.
Investor sentiment in Germany has risen at the fastest pace in two years according to a new survey. The head of ZEW which carried out the research said that the rising optimism is probably due to hopes for a new government in Germany.
German automotive supplier Continental has announced further job losses. It said it will be cutting 3,000 jobs by the end of next year, largely from natural turnover such as retirement. The losses are in addition to plans previously announced by the company a year ago to cut about 7,000 jobs.
SPORT
Rugby Union... Ollie Chessum has been named in the England squad for Saturday's Calcutta Cup match against Scotland. George Martin is on the bench in the only change to the squad that beat France in round two. Marcus Smith is still at full-back, with Fin Smith still at fly-half.
Several Ireland players have been ruled out of Saturday's Six Nations game against Wales in Cardiff. They are captain Caelan Doris, Ronan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong. Doris has a knee injury, Kelleher has a neck problem while Furlong missed Ireland's wins over England and Scotland, but is "making good progress" according to the Ireland team.
Tennis... It’s been announced that a women's competition will be held at the Queen's Club in London in June. It’ll be the first women’s tournament at the venue since 1973. Players who have committed to taking part include Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, Madison Keys and Naomi Osaka.
Novak Djokovic has said that the partnership with Andy Murray as his coach will continue "indefinitely". Murray started working with Djokovic on a trial basis at January's Australian Open. Murray retired as a professional player last August.
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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The French state has been ordered to pay 75,000 euros to the heirs of Corsican activist Yvan Colonna. The court ordered the payment for “culpable fail...
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