Police in France have arrested nine people and seized guns and ammunition in anti-terrorism raids in the south of the country, officials say. The arrests were made in the port city of Marseille and the nearby town of Avignon, AFP news agency reported.
Posts Tagged ‘Marseille’
Rihanna Falls VIDEO
April 22nd, 2010 |
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Oh dear — Rihanna carried on like a pro after almost falling flat on her face during a live show in France this week. The “Rude Boy” star was performing at Le Dome in Marseille Wednesday night when she lost her balance, slipped, and fell to the floor while sprinting across stage in high heels. Not [...]
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra: Tour/Album
February 23rd, 2010 |
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Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra Premiere Video and Announce U.S. Tour
in Support of New Album, Kollaps Tradixionales
 Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra |
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (SMZ) returns with its sixth full-length recording and first since the band’s lineup change in summer 2008. Having shed three members and recruiting a new drummer, the group officially dropped the “Tra-La-La Band” from its name, played a debut performance as a newly minted quintet at All
Tomorrow’s Parties in upstate NY, and embarked on an extensive European tour through the Fall of 2008. As Kollaps Tradixionales ably demonstrates, the band has lost none of its raw and frazzled anthemic power and continues to forge bold new ground in its search for a unique hybrid of punk, blues, psych, folk and modern orchestral idioms.
Kollaps Tradixionales is available on standard CD (in a custom gatefold paperboard jacket) and limited-edition deluxe CD (which is packaged together with a 6″x9″ 16-page perfect-bound art book and poster). The album also comes in a deluxe first pressing on double 10″ vinyl, with the art book, a CD copy, and two different posters
inside. The album is also available digitally. You can purchase the album here.
Kollaps Tradixionales Track List:
1. There Is A Light
2. I Built Myself A Metal Bird
3. I Fed My Metal Bird The Wings Of Other Metal Birds
4. Kollapz Tradixional (Thee Olde Dirty Flag)
5. Collapse Traditional (For Darling)
6. Kollaps Tradicional (Bury 3 Dynamos)
7. ‘Piphany Rambler
Tour Dates:
Europe
03/16 – Bristol, England – The Fleece
03/17 – Birmingham, England – Asylum
03/18 – Dublin, Ireland – The Button Factory
03/19 – Glasgow, Scotland – The Arts School
03/21 – Manchester, England – Academy 3
03/22 – Leeds, England – TJ’s Woodhouse Club
03/23 – London, England – Electric Ballroom
03/24 – Nottingham, England – Rescue Rooms
03/25 – Sheffield, England – Corporation
03/26 – Oxford, England – The Regal
03/27 – Brighton, England – St. George’s Church
03/30 – Rennes, France – Ubu
03/31 – Paris, France – Alhambra
04/01 – Reims, France – Cartonnerie
04/02 – Brussels, Belgium – Botanique
04/03 – Zottegem, Belgium (Dunkfestival)
04/04 – Munich, German – Feierwerk
04/06 – Padova, Italy – Unwound
04/07 – Rome, Italy – Circolo Degli Artisti
04/08 – Bologna, Italy – Locomotive
04/09 – Torino, Italy – Spazio 211
04/10 – Arezzo, Italy – Karemaski
04/11 – Varese, Italy – Twiggy
04/13 – Toulouse, France – Le Bikini
04/14 – Marseille, France – Espace Julien
04/15 – Nice, France – Theatre Lino Ventura
04/16 – Montpelier, France – La Taf
94/17 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Impetus Festival
04/18 – Luzern, Switzerland – Schurr
04/20 – Zurich, Switzerland – Rote Fabrik
04/21 – Lyon, France – Grnd Zero
04/22 – Paris, France – Alhambra
04/23 – Lille, France – Le Splendid
04/24 – Groningen, Netherlands – Vera
04/25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
North America
05/13 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Downstairs
05/15 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall Of Wiliamsburg
05/16 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
05/17 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church Sanctuary
05/18 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
05/19 – Washington DC – Black Cat
05/20 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
05/21 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle Tavern
05/22 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
05/24 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
05/25 – Newport, KY – Southgate House
05/26 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
05/27 – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s
05/28 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom
05/29 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
05/31 – Ottawa, ON – Mayfair Theatre
Leonard Cohen Reschedules Europe Dates Due to Injury
February 9th, 2010 |
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Leonard Cohen Reschedules European Performances Due To Injury
 Leonard Cohen |
AEG Worldwide has announced that a run of performances by Leonard Cohen have been rescheduled to allow proper time for a sports-related injury sustained by the artist to heal.
While exercising recently, Mr. Cohen suffered a compression injury in his lower back. He has been advised by physicians to follow the typical four to six month regime of physical therapy prescribed for athletes with similar injuries.
“Doctors have confirmed that Mr. Cohen is otherwise in terrific shape, thanks to years of exercise and careful diet, and simply needs appropriate time to recover from the lower back injury,” stated Cohen’s manager, Robert Kory.
Since his return to the stage in May 2008, Mr. Cohen has played 191 sold out shows around the world, headlined the 2009 Coachella Music Festival and was hailed by Spin Magazine as the “Comeback of the Year” for 2009.
On January 30, Mr. Cohen received the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Special Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) and was honored the following night on the Grammy Awards broadcast.
The rescheduled dates below will be amended shortly to reflect all thirteen rescheduled dates:
09/15/10 Caen @ Zenith
09/17/10 Grenoble @ Palais Des Sports
09/19/10 Strasbourg @ Zenith
09/21/10 Marseille @ Le Dome
09/23/10 Tours @ Parc Des Expositions
09/25/10 Lille @ Zenith Grande Palais
10/04/10 Katowice @ Spodek
10/07/10 Moscow @ Kremlin Palace
10/13/10 Bratislava @ Sibamac Arena
The xx: N. American Dates
January 27th, 2010 |
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THE XX RETURN TO THE U.S IN MARCH AFTER FEBRUARY EUROPE TOUR
Following an extensive European tour that stretches through February and into early March, The xx return to North America for a slew of shows, including stops in New York City, Montreal, and California’s Coachella festival.
The xx Tour Dates
 The xx |
02/03/10 Wed Corner Hotel Melbourne, AU
02/11/10 Thu Grand Mix Lille, FRA
02/12/10 Fri La Nef Angoulême, FRA
02/13/10 Sat Olympic Nantes, FRA
02/14/10 Sun Midi Festival Marseille, FRA
02/16/10 Tue The Paradiso Amsterdam, NL
02/17/10 Wed Ancienne Belgique Brussels, BEL
02/18/10 Thu La Cigale Paris, FRA
02/20/10 Sat La Route Du Rock Saint Malo, FRA
02/21/10 Sun La Laiterie Club Strasbourg, FRA
02/24/10 Wed Magazzini Generali Milan, IT
02/25/10 Thu Backstage Werk Munich, GER
02/27/10 Sat Essigfabrik Köln, GER
02/28/10 Sun La Cigale Paris, FRA
03/01/10 Mon Komedia Brighton, GB
03/02/10 Tue Shepherd’s Bush Empire London, GB
03/03/10 Wed Shepherd’s Bush Empire London, GB
03/05/10 Fri Academy 2 Birmingham, GB
03/06/10 Sat Academy 2 Manchester, GB
03/08/10 Mon Stylus Leeds, GB
03/08/10 Mon The Cockpit Leeds, GB
03/09/10 Tue Studio 24 Edinburgh, GB
03/10/10 Wed The Kazimier Liverpool, GB
03/22/10 Mon Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA
03/23/10 Tue BottleTree Birmingham, AL
03/24/10 Wed Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA
03/25/10 Thu Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC
03/26/10 Fri Big Ears Festival Knoxville, TN
03/28/10 Sun Sixth and I Historic Synagogue Washington, DC
03/29/10 Mon First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
03/31/10 Wed Webster Hall New York, NY
04/02/10 Fri Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
04/03/10 Sat Le National Montreal, QC
04/04/10 Sun Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, ON
04/05/10 Mon Wexner Center Columbus, OH
04/06/10 Tue Buskirk-Chumley Theater Bloomington, IN
04/08/10 Thu Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL
04/09/10 Fri Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
04/12/10 Mon Nightlight Bellingham, WA
04/13/10 Tue Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC
04/14/10 Wed The Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
04/16/10 Fri Fox Theater Oakland, CA
04/17/10 Sat Coachella Music Festival (Empire Polo Grounds) Indio, CA
04/19/10 Mon The Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL
04/20/10 Tue Kool Haus Toronto, ON
04/22/10 Thu Terminal 5 New York, NY
04/24/10 Sat 9:30 Club Washington, DC
05/25/10 Tue Aula Magna Lisbon, POR
05/26/10 Wed Casa da Musica Porto, POR
06/14/10 Mon Olympia Paris, FRA
Milan and Madrid draw to move closer to qualification
November 4th, 2009 |
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AC Milan and Real Madrid took a small step towards qualification for the Champions League knock-out rounds following a 1-1 draw at the San Siro on Tuesday.
Ronaldinho’s convertion of a dubiously-awarded penalty cancelled out Karim Benzema’s opener for the visitors as the stalemate left both teams a point clear of Marseille, who thrashed FC [...]
King Aleksandar murder anniversary
October 9th, 2009 |
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Today marks the 75th anniversary of the murder of King Aleksandar Karađorđević I in Marseille, France. The anniversary of the assassination is being commemorated both in France and in Serbia.
Confusion over cruise flu claims
July 31st, 2009 |
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A cruise ship carrying dozens of victims of swine flu among its 5,000 passengers and crew has docked in the south of France, officials have said.
Sixty crew members have so far been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, while 70 of their colleagues were also showing signs of being infected, they added.
They will be treated on board the ship while it docks at Villefranche-sur-Mer.
On Thursday, officials said a 14-year-old girl infected with H1N1 had become France’s first fatality from the virus.
However, they cautioned that it did not appear that her death, at a hospital in the north-western city of Brest, had been directly linked to the virus.
"This young girl suffered from a serious illness, complicated by a severe pulmonary infection," the Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) said.
Neighbouring Belgium also reported its first swine flu death on Thursday when a 34-year-old woman passed away after developing "a double viral pneumonia".
Deaths have now been recorded in five European nations – Belgium, France, Hungary, Spain and the UK, where 31 people have died.
The cruise ship docked at Villefranche-sur-Mer – the Voyager of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises – had travelled from the Italian city of Naples as part of a Mediterranean tour.
The ship’s 3,600 passengers have been allowed off to visit the town before the boat leaves on Friday night for Marseille, officials say.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Hundreds evacuated as Med wildfires spread
July 26th, 2009 |
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In pictures: Med coast wildfires
Summer wildfires have forced more than 1,000 people from houses and holiday homes along the Mediterranean coast this weekend.
At least 10 people – including six firefighters – have died in fires in Spain, France, Greece and the Italian island of Sardinia in recent days.
Thousands of firefighters are still working around the clock to bring blazes under control.
Six people have died in Spain, which has been hardest hit, with at least seven big fires in the south and east of the country.
Several are now rated as stable, but British holidaymakers planning to visit the region have been advised by the Foreign Office to check its website before they travel.
Strong winds have fanned flames in the hot, dry weather, where temperatures have reached 39.1C. Authorities hope that forecasted cooler conditions will ease the crisis.
Anne Kirkbride, 55, who plays Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street, was one of dozens of British tourists caught in the Spanish fires. She was among some 1,500 people evacuated from the coastal resort town of Mojácar in the south-east of the country.
“It’s like a horror film around here,” said Benjamin Jackson, a 23-year-old British expatriate. “For as far as you can see, basically everything has burned down.”
Sharon Pressley, who lives in Mojácar, said: “Police are saying they think it could be arson rather than the temperatures, but that is just speculation. The area where I live is free of fire at the moment, but the smoke and devastation is still there for all to see.”
Local authorities have deployed thousands of people and more than 30 aircraft to combat the flames in tinder-dry pine forest regions, and Spain has been placed on maximum fire alert. Lightning bolts from an electrical storm that hit the Aragón region caused several of the blazes, El Pais reported.
Fires in the Mediterranean bring destruction to hundreds of thousands of hectares of land every year. Wildfires are still burning on the French island of Corsica, while three suspected arsonists have been arrested in Greece and Italy. On the Italian island of Sardinia, 10 water-dropping planes helped fight a series of bush fires that killed two people, including a shepherd who had been trying to rescue his flock. Helicopters and boats were used to rescue more than 120 people trapped on a beach at Capo Pecora in the south-west.
The island’s prison also had to be evacuated, with inmates temporarily transferred to the beach.
In France, an inquiry is under way into how a military exercise sparked a major wildfire on the outskirts of Marseille. The blaze, which threatened homes and destroyed 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of brush, provoked an angry reaction from officials and residents.
• In southern Japan, heavy rains have destroyed homes and set off floods and landslides that left at least five people dead on the island of Kyushu. In a week of downpours, a mudslide buried a nursing home in Yamaguchi prefecture on the main island of Honshu last Tuesday, killing 14 people.
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Charlie Crist’s Office Mistakenly Praises Nazi Film
July 25th, 2009 |
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Despite the content of a letter bearing his signature, Gov. Charlie Crist does not want to share an anti-Semitic movie with all Floridians.
Crist’s office sent a letter thanking John Ubele for providing the governor …
Wildfires rage in southern Europe
July 24th, 2009 |
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Thousands of firefighters are battling to bring under control summer wildfires that are spreading across parts of southern Europe.
At least seven people have died in the blazes that have struck Spain, France, Greece and the Italian island of Sardinia in the past few days.
Prisoners in Sardinia were reportedly moved to a beach when their penitentiary was threatened by fire.
Strong winds have fanned the flames during the hot dry weather.
Spain has suffered the heaviest death toll, losing five firefighters in the last four days.
Four were killed in Catalonia on Tuesday, and the driver of a firefighters’ truck lost his life in Teruel province on Thursday.
Parts of the Mojacar region in south-east Spain were being evacuated on Friday as fires continued to rage. Community halls were being used as makeshift shelters for residents at risk.
A series of bush fires across Sardinia claimed two lives there, including that of a shepherd who was trying to rescue his flock.
Helicopters and civil protection boats were used to rescue more than 120 people trapped on a beach at Capo Pecora in the south-west of the island.
The penitentiary complex of Is Arenas had to be evacuated, and the inmates temporarily transferred to the beach, Ansa news agency reports.
French inquiry
In Greece, firefighters continue to tackle blazes that have hit the southern Peloponnese region and the island of Evia.
Strong winds coupled with high temperatures had caused the fire to spread rapidly, fire officials in Evia said.
Five French firemen were injured battling flames from three fires on the island of Corsica, the AFP news agency reports.
The fires, which have destroyed some 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of forest and bush, are believed to have been started deliberately, the regional government said.
Meanwhile, an inquiry is under way in France after a military exercise sparked a major wildfire on the outskirts of Marseille.
The fire, which threatened homes and destroyed 1,300 hectares (3,211 acres) of brush, provoked an angry reaction from both officials and residents.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon called it a "professional mistake" and local prefect Michel Sappin accused the military of "imbecilic" actions.
The officer in charge when soldiers fired tracer bullets during a training exercise has been suspended.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Foreign Legion causes Marseille blaze
July 24th, 2009 |
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Drill instructor suspended after blaze forces evacuations in Marseille
A French Foreign Legion drill instructor was suspended today amid political fury over an “imbecilic” shooting practice that started one of France’s biggest wildfires in recent years.
The fire broke out during a shelling exercise by the First Foreign Legion Regiment on their base outside Marseille yesterday after soldiers fired non-regulation tracer bullets that caught fire on scrubland in summer temperatures.
The fire tore through more than 1,000 hectares of scrubland, swept along by 40mph winds, destroying several hill cabins and damaging nearby houses. It reached the edge of Marseille’s densely populated residential neighbourhoods as clouds of thick smoke clouded the skyline of France’s second city.
Hundreds were evacuated from homes in eastern Marseille overnight, after spraying their doorways with water to try to keep the fire back. Residents of a retirement home were evacuated in their pyjamas and wheelchairs in the early hours of the morning. Seven firefighters and police were injured but no one was killed and the fire was brought under control today .
It was the second time a military exercise had started a wildfire in the area.
Today the prime minister, François Fillon, visited the military camp at Carpiagne between Marseille and Cassis. The prime minister said the tracer bullets, which contain an incendiary substance to make them visible, were banned on bases in the south of France all year round, not just during periods of heightened fire danger.
A Foreign Legionnaire was suspended today and a military inquiry and judicial investigation were launched. “We’re waiting for the results to make decisions but there will be sanctions against those who have committed these serious professional mistakes,” Fillon said, adding that rules would be tightened to avoid future lapses.
Earlier the local prefect, Michel Sappin, condemned the exercise as “imbecilic”, given the previous episode and the high fire risk in the scrubland.
Marseille’s centre-right mayor, Jean-Claude Gaudin, slammed the military’s “incredible stupidity”. He said: “It’s staggering that they could have been carrying out exercises in 32C [90F] heat with violent winds. This is stupidity that could have become criminal stupidity.”
The government promised that the army would take part in the clear-up.
In Spain high temperatures and strong winds were complicating efforts to put out fires raging across the northern region of Aragon. Spain called for help from its European neighbours.
A fire-truck driver was killed today and four firefighters were killed yesterday in Tarragona province – the worst fire service death toll in four years.
Across Spain thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes this week as fires tear through hills and countryside. The Madrid-Barcelona high speed railway reopened after two fires forced its closure.
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Madge breaks down in tears meeting stage collapse victim’s family Madge breaks down in tears meeting stage collapse victim’s family
July 24th, 2009 |
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Queen of Pop Madonna reportedly broke down in tears when she met the mother of a deceased construction worker, who died when the singer’s stage collapsed in France on July 16.
Madge, 50, was to hold a concert at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, but had to cancel after Charles Criscenzo, 52, and Charles Prow, 23, died after [...]
Toulon warms to Jonny Wilkinson
July 23rd, 2009 |
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• Fly-half ready for debut in pre-season friendly against Brive
• ‘Special person’ already making a big impact in adopted city
With temperatures nudging 35C, the beaches bulging with holidaymakers, and fires in the hills above nearby Marseille, the French rugby season, and arguably an important part of England’s as well, kicks off on the Côte d’Azur tonight.
Toulon versus Brive at the Stade Félix-Mayol is the first of the season’s friendlies and between them the clubs share so much English talent that Martin Johnson could make a decent argument for a couple of days by the Mediterranean. After the spring signing season Brive now have Riki Flutey, Jamie Noon and Shaun Perry on their books alongside Andy Goode and Steve Thompson, while Toulon did the biggest deal of the lot, persuading Jonny Wilkinson to switch from Newcastle.
For English rugby, the deal was seismic. Forget the money, forget the injuries, forget that he is now 30, Wilkinson commands attention like no other player. Much rides on the deal struck between Toulon’s colourful owner, Mourad Boudjellal, and the man who kicked the points that won England the World Cup, but so far things look better than promising.
Wilkinson says he feels a “decade younger”, and it looked that way last night when Toulon went through their final training session before tonight’s kick-off. After summer he looks tanned and super- fit and if the early start to the season and the heat are strange he seems unworried. “It’s a little different to rugby in England,” he says. “In England, we start [the season] at the beginning of September. Here, it’s a little earlier but the friendlies will be important for the team and for me in terms of finding form before the season starts.”
Wilkinson and his girlfriend Shelley Jenkins have found a house which the club will rent and the two cars that came as part of the contract worth about ¤750,000 (£645,000) a year arrived this week. Club and city are clearly satisfied with what they have seen. “He’s a special person,” says the team manager Tom Whitford. Ask around at one of the many harbourside restaurants and you will hear how important it was that Wilkinson had started his French lessons long before signing on M Boudjellal’s dotted line.
From day one Wilkinson has impressed everyone here. More than 5,000 turned out for his first training session and they have since heard him say repeatedly – and in French – that while he is a proud Englishman and very happy to be back in Johnson’s elite squad, it is Toulon and the start of the season proper, the 14 August game against Stade Français, that is dominating his thoughts.
He is even hinting at an early departure from the England training camp in London next month. “As far as I know at the moment, I’ll be going to the training camp in England. It’s a great pleasure for me. I’m very proud to be there with that team but I will be able to finish the camp a little early to be back here in plenty of time to prepare.”
That was what Toulon wanted to hear. The port city, home to France’s Mediterranean fleet, was once a rugby stronghold as well. They were champions three times, the last time in 1992, before a hole was found in the club’s books and in 1999 they became the first to suffer relegation for financial irregularities. Since then they have been unable to stay up when promoted to the Top 14.
Boudjellal, a rugby-mad son of Toulon who made his money from comic books, took over four seasons ago, launching into a series of high-profile signings. Coachloads of galácticos, some at the wrong end of their careers, were hired and others like Dan Carter were approached. Victor Matfield, George Gregan, Jerry Collins and Anton Oliver did not hang around long. Oliver checked in the second half of his two-year contract. “Madness? Yes, that’s a good word for it. It’s a train wreck,” said the former All Black hooker, while exonerating his former New Zealand captain Tana Umaga, then still the coach, from blame. “It’s not a reflection on Tana, but powers greater than that.”
Wilkinson and his advisers looked closely before agreeing a deal which is for one year, but which could extend to three. After 12 years with Newcastle he did not sign until Toulon were guaranteed promotion and by then it was known that Umaga would be making way for Philippe Saint-André as head coach, with the former All Black captain looking after the backs.
In fact, Saint-André has been steering Toulon since before Christmas which accounts for the more level-headed signings of the summer. From Saint-André’s Sale, Toulon brought Juan MartÃn Fernández-Lobbe and Sébastien Bruno, while Felipe Contepomi moved from Leinster along with Premiership stalwarts Tom May, Rory Lamont and Kris Chesney.
Whitford says Wilkinson’s arrival offers more to the project than a quality No10. “He’s the perfect professional. He not only works hard at his own game but we’ve got a 19-year-old fly-half [Romain Barthélémy] on our books and he has been working with him every day.” In Pierre Mignoni, the 32-year-old scrum-half from Clermont Auvergne, Wilkinson clearly sees a soul-mate. “I have always been a perfectionist but now my definition of perfection has changed. When I was younger I had specific aims and goals to achieve, but now I just want to get the best out of myself every time I train or play. It’s not as goal-orientated as it was.
“He [Mignoni] is motivated by the same things as I am, be it working hard, wanting to be the best and wanting to win. It doesn’t take much effort to play with someone like him because he’s very professional. He’s very precise and he’s got a habit of doing the important things all the time, day after day.
“I need to learn a lot here but I am fit and it’s not hard to play with these guys.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Yemenia crash survivor goes home
July 23rd, 2009 |
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The young girl who was the sole survivor of the Yemenia plane crash last month has left hospital in Paris.
Baya Bakari, whose age has been given as between 12 and 14, had been in hospital since 2 July, suffering from burns and a broken collar bone.
The plane, going to the Comoros from Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, came down in bad weather with 153 people on board.
Meanwhile, a French navy ship has pinpointed the location of the plane’s flight recorders.
Baya’s mother was among those who died in the crash.
Baya was thrown from the plane, and was found hours later clinging to wreckage. She was barely able to swim, and her father described her survival as "a miracle".
On Thursday, he said Baya had been "impatient" to leave hospital. The family lives in Paris.
Clues
The signal from the plane’s "black box" flight recorders – which should give clues as to what caused the Yemenia plane to crash – was detected on 5 July.
Since then, the navy ship "Beautemps-Beaupre" has been mapping the ocean floor in order to find their exact location.
In a news conference in Moroni, the capital of the Comoros, the French ambassador Luc Hallade said the flight recorders were at a depth of more than 1,000m (3,200ft).
Yemenia flight IY626 crashed on its way from the capital of Yemen, Sanaa, to Moroni. Passengers travelled on an Airbus A330 from Paris and Marseille, but switched to an older Airbus A310 in Sanaa.
Many of those who died were Comoran. Comorans living in France staged a series of demonstrations against the airline, alleging that the older plane was not airworthy.
Yemenia says the crash was probably caused by bad weather. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Fury at French army over wildfire
July 23rd, 2009 |
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French firefighters have been tackling a major wildfire sparked by a military exercise on the outskirts of Marseille.
The blaze threatened some 400 homes and forced the evacuation of a retirement home and centre for disabled people.
Officials say the fire is now "under control", although some 500 firefighters remain at the scene.
A senior regional official said he was "furious" at the army and that trops should have taken more care while carrying out artillery practice.
"It’s completely unacceptable that the army keeps up these activities during this period as though there was no problem," Michel Sappin told RTL radio.
Wildires are common in southern France in summer. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Foreign Legion drill triggers huge wildfire
July 23rd, 2009 |
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Drill instructor suspended after blaze forces evacuations in Marseille
A French Foreign Legion drill instructor was suspended today amid political fury over an “imbecilic” shooting practice that started one of France’s biggest wildfires in recent years.
The fire broke out during a shelling exercise by the First Foreign Legion Regiment on their base outside Marseille yesterday after soldiers fired non-regulation tracer bullets that caught fire on scrubland in summer temperatures.
The fire tore through more than 1,000 hectares of scrubland, swept along by 40mph winds, destroying several hill cabins and damaging nearby houses. It reached the edge of Marseille’s densely populated residential neighbourhoods as clouds of thick smoke clouded the skyline of France’s second city.
Hundreds were evacuated from homes in eastern Marseille overnight, after spraying their doorways with water to try to keep the fire back. Residents of a retirement home were evacuated in their pyjamas and wheelchairs in the early hours of the morning. Seven firefighters and police were injured but no one was killed and the fire was brought under control today .
It was the second time a military exercise had started a wildfire in the area.
Today the prime minister, François Fillon, visited the military camp at Carpiagne between Marseille and Cassis. The prime minister said the tracer bullets, which contain an incendiary substance to make them visible, were banned on bases in the south of France all year round, not just during periods of heightened fire danger.
A Foreign Legionnaire was suspended today and a military inquiry and judicial investigation were launched. “We’re waiting for the results to make decisions but there will be sanctions against those who have committed these serious professional mistakes,” Fillon said, adding that rules would be tightened to avoid future lapses.
Earlier the local prefect, Michel Sappin, condemned the exercise as “imbecilic”, given the previous episode and the high fire risk in the scrubland.
Marseille’s centre-right mayor, Jean-Claude Gaudin, slammed the military’s “incredible stupidity”. He said: “It’s staggering that they could have been carrying out exercises in 32C [90F] heat with violent winds. This is stupidity that could have become criminal stupidity.”
The government promised that the army would take part in the clear-up.
In Spain high temperatures and strong winds were complicating efforts to put out fires raging across the northern region of Aragon. Spain called for help from its European neighbours.
A fire-truck driver was killed today and four firefighters were killed yesterday in Tarragona province – the worst fire service death toll in four years.
Across Spain thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes this week as fires tear through hills and countryside. The Madrid-Barcelona high speed railway reopened after two fires forced its closure.
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Hundreds of homes threatened in French blaze
July 23rd, 2009 |
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A wildfire sparked by practice shelling by the military raged on the outskirts of Marseille early Thursday, threatening hundreds of homes but claiming no victims, rescue services said. The blaze, one of the worst to hit France in recent years, which forced the evacuation of a retirement
Hundreds of homes threatened in French blaze
July 23rd, 2009 |
No Comments
A wildfire sparked by practice shelling by the military raged on the outskirts of Marseille early Thursday, threatening hundreds of homes but claiming no victims, rescue services said. The blaze, one of the worst to hit France in recent years, which forced the evacuation of a retirement
Madge refuses to co-operate in inquiry over death of two crewmembers
July 22nd, 2009 |
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Queen of Pop Madonna has refused to co-operate in an ongoing inquiry into the death of two of her crewmembers.
Madge, 50, had been set to perform in Marseille, but had to cancel the concert after the stadium roof collapsed, killing two of her crew and injuring many others.
Leeds technician Charles Prow, 23, had been [...]