French Villa Holiday News

French News Thurs 30 April 2009
SWINE FLU OUTBREAK

A-M prepared for outbreak

Health authorities in the Alpes-Maritimes say they are prepared for an outbreak of swine flu. The major hospitals in Nice say they have emergency plans in place which they are ready to launch if required.

15 false alerts

In the past week 15 people have been tested at the l’Archet hospital for swine flu, but all cases were false alerts. However, doctors believe there will be more suspected cases as school classes resume next week.

Two "probable" French cases

Health Officials in Paris say there are two “probable” cases of swine flu in France. A man and a woman in their 30s, both of whom had recently visited Mexico, have shown symptoms of the virus. Confirmation of test results is expected within 48 hours.

Flight ban campaign

Meanwhile, France says it will request an EU-wide ban on all flights to Mexico, source of the swine flu outbreak. Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot says France will push for the flight ban at today’s meeting of EU health ministers. However World Health Organization officials say a ban may be pointless. Madame Bachelot said there was no suggestion yet of stopping flights from Mexico back to the EU, which would leave Europeans stranded there or force them to find other ways home.

May Day marches

In other news, unions are preparing for mass rallies tomorrow, May Day. Marches are planned in Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Grasse and Toulon. A mass show of force is not anticipated as tomorrow is also the final day of the school holidays.

Kidnap/torture trial underway

The alleged leader of a kidnap gang has gone on trial in Paris accused of torturing and killing a Jewish man - a crime that shocked France in 2006. Youssouf Fofana - who admits kidnapping 23-year-old Ilan Halimi but denies killing him - shouted "God is great" in Arabic as he entered the courtroom. Some 26 of his alleged associates are also on trial for lesser offences. The trial, due to last until July, will be held behind closed doors because of the young age of two of the defendants.

French tourists killed

At least five people were killed and dozens injured when a bus carrying French tourists overturned yesterday on a California highway. Several passengers were ejected from the bus directly onto the road. The tour bus, carrying around 40 passengers, was on its way from San Francisco to southern California when the crash happened yesterday afternoon. An investigation has begun into the cause of the accident.

Internet bill put to vote

A controversial French bill which could disconnect people caught downloading music illegally three times returns to parliament on Wednesday for debate. The legislation, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, was surprisingly rejected in a vote earlier this month. If passed, the bill would set a tough global precedent in cracking down on internet piracy.

SPORT

Football - Manchester United will take a one goal advantage into the second leg of their Champions League semi final against Arsenal following last night’s first leg at Old Trafford.

Steven Gerrard should be fit to play for Liverpool against Newcastle this weekend. The midfielder has been undergoing treatment on a groin injury which has kept him out of action since April the 8th.

Formula 1 - McLaren have escaped with a suspended 3 race ban after admitting breaching the rules at a special enquiry by the World Motorsport Council in Paris. The team admitted 5 charges of breaching the rules following the incident involving Lewis Hamilton and Jarno Trulli under the safety car towards the end of the Australian Grand Prix. The full penalty will only be enforced on the team if any further facts emerge about the incident or if there is any further breach of the rules. McLaren described the verdict as very fair.

Athletics - Two Olympic medallists are among 6 athletes who have failed drugs tests after the re-testing of samples from the Beijing Olympics. The International Olympic Committee says that re-testing for the hormone Cera has led to 7 positive tests. The Bahrain athlete Rashid Ramzi who won gold in the 1500 meters and the Italian Cyclist Davide Rebellin who won a silver medal at the games have both been named as having tested positive and are set to be stripped of their medals.

Cricket - Graham Onions celebrated his call up into the England squad with a six wicket haul for Durham in the county championship against Somerset on Wednesday. Onions took 6 for 31 as he was selected for England ahead of his Durham teammate Steve Harmison. There was no place in the squad either for Michael Vaughan or Ian Bell. Ravi Bopara will almost certainly play at number 3 in the first test against West Indies which starts on May the 6th.

Tennis - Andy Murray has crashed out in the second round of the Italian Open in Rome after being beaten in 3 sets by Juan Monaco of Argentina. World number one Rafael Nadal is through to round 3. He beat Andreas Seppi of Italy in straight sets while Roger Federer beat Ivo Karlovic 6-4 6-4.

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And finally, in a development that Darwin himself could not have foreseen, a beagle has become the world's first transgenic dog - and it glows in the dark. The dog called Ruppy - short for Ruby Puppy - has been created by scientists in South Korea. The puppy was bred to produce a fluorescent protein that glows red under ultraviolet light, but it's red skin colour can also be clearly seen in daylight. Byeong-Chun Lee, of the Seoul National University, headed the team that created Ruppy and her four beagle siblings, each possessing the bizarre fluorescent bodies.