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Increased fire safety audits are forcing bars across France to close
Inspections follow deadly blaze in Swiss nightclub on January 1
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Photos: widespread flooding in Brittany as warnings continue
Storm Ingrid causes rivers to overflow across much of the region
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More bank branches in France are closing
Some 3% of branches are shutting every year, reports banking union
Besson’s Valerian bombs
French cinema is attracting audiences around the world but results have been dented by Luc Besson’s $180million sci-fi epic Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets bombing in the US.
Industry figures show Valerian took $44m in the US, about $65m in China and only $202m worldwide. Despite much of its cost being covered by pre-sales it is still heading for a loss.
However film hits have come with the animation Ballerina in Spain and Mexico, Omar Sy’s Demain tout commence in Germany and Italy while Raoul Peck’s James Baldwin docu-film I Am Not Your Negro has been seen by a US audience of a million.
