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Destructive Japanese scarab beetle gains ground in France
Sightings of Popillia japonica should be reported. It was recently seen in the Bas-Rhin, Alpes-Maritimes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
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Recreation of a missing scene from the Bayeux Tapestry reaches halfway point
The woven work measuring 25m² is on track to meet next year’s deadline marking the millennium of William the Conqueror’s birth in Normandy
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France wildfires: Var blaze spread stops after burning 1,800 hectares
Extreme heat and wildfire risk remain high in south
Pétanque set for Paris Olympics
Pétanque could be made an official Olympic sport for the 2024 Paris Games with the French Olympics sports federation looking at proposing it along with other ‘traditional French sports’ such as billiards/snooker as well as squash.
Each host country is allowed to propose new sports for their games and CNOSF president Denis Masseglia said these three events plus water-skiing were on their list. The final proposals will be decided in 2019.
The 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo will have five new sports added, with baseball/softball, sport climbing, karate, skateboarding and surfing.
Paris already has 95% of the facilities needed for 2024 and is to build the athletics village in the troubled suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. After the games it will be used for housing and, along with the new aquatics centre also to be built there, will be part of the area regeneration.
Many events are being held on historic sites with beach volleyball and five-a-side football under the Eiffel Tower and riding events at Versailles.
