Lunchtime News Wednesday 23rd December 2020

News

France’s police force mourns killing of three officers - France’s national gendarmerie is in mourning after three officers aged 21, 37 and 45 were shot dead and a fourth injured. The officers were intervening shortly after midnight following an incident of domestic violence, near Saint-Just in the Puy-de-Dôme. The alleged perpetrator a 48-year-old man was found dead. France’s Minister of the Interior is expected on site.

The first two officers were targeted by shots, when they tried to approach the house, where the threatened woman had taken refuge. One of them died from his injuries, while the second, injured in the thigh, was taken to hospital his life is not in danger. After setting fire to his house, the alleged author fired again at the gendarmes present in the vicinity of the house, killing two more officers.

French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the officers as has Prime Minister Jean Castex who expressed his support of the police on the social media.

Eurostar services resume - On the condition of having been tested in time, French people who were stuck in London have taken advantage of the Eurostar resuming its services this morning to spend Christmas with their family.

Shortly before the first train left St Pancras station at 9:06 am local time, the terminal was much quieter than it usually is two days before Christmas. It was not until Tuesday evening, 48 hours after banning arrivals from the United Kingdom due to a more contagious strain of the new coronavirus, that the French authorities paved the way for the return of their nationals.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic in France – Meanwhile France’s Ministry of Health has unveiled a new estimate on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in France. Data shows that since the start of the epidemic, 6.33 million French people aged 15 and over have already been infected with Covid-19. The survey shows that 4.5% of the French population were infected with Covid-19 during the first wave of the epidemic.

Macron’s dog to promote new measures to stop pets being abandoned in France - Nemo, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron's dog, has starred in a video clip to promote a law against cruelty to animals. The bill aims in particular to create an awareness “certificate” from next year that would be mandatory ahead of acquiring a pet.

In the video posted on social networks Nemo, adopted by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron upon their arrival at the Elysee Palace is accompanied by subtitles. Nemo was adopted in 2017 from a SPA refuge and sometimes appears alongside Emmanuel Macron when he receives leaders at the Elysee Palace.

Yacht catches fire in port of Antibes - A 75-meter "giga-yacht" has caught fire in Antibes. Firefighters received several calls shortly after 2 am this morning after the yacht located on the port of Antibes caught fire. 9 people were evacuated. The flames which were located on the first lower deck in the laundry room were quickly extinguished. No injuries were reported.

Single released to help victims of Storm Alex - The Department of the Alpes-Maritimes has launched a song “nos vallées” to support the victims of Storm Alex. The single released this week sees several artists, athletes and celebrities participate including Noëlle Perna, Priscilla Betti, Medi, Baby J and even Didier Deschamps along with players of OGC Nice and AS Monaco.

The single costs 1.29 euros and all profits from the sale of the single are donated to the affected villages. Since Storm Alex hit the region in early October nearly 2 million euros have been collected thanks to the generosity of individuals, associations, businesses and communities across France.

Saint Tropez council plans to sell cinema - Due to financial difficulties the city council of Saint-Tropez has announced plans to sell the Star cinema. The cinema which has never attracted crowds’ costs more than 700,000 euros to run per year and was created in 2013.  

Freediving under ice - Arthur Guérin-Boëri from Nice is embarking on a world record for freediving under ice without a wetsuit. Three years after his world record in Finland he has decided to take on a new challenge this time without a wetsuit trying to beat the 102 metre record he previously set. The 36-year-old will start 15 months of intense training attempting the challenge in March of 2022.

And Finally 

Scientists believe they have stumbled on the answer on how to look younger. And it is all down to the company we keep.

They claim that hanging around with younger friends can knock up to two years off someone’s age. A UK study suggests that men and women get a boost by being surrounded by fresh-faced individuals. Experts say anyone looking at a group is likely to ‘average out’ the faces, so that an older person’s wrinkles and slightly sagging features are smoothed out by the general impression.

The conclusion to the research is that olders seen with younger people can knock up to two years of your appearance however being seen with older people appeared to ‘age’ an individual.

 

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