Latest news with #FrenchAlps
The Sun
14 hours ago
- Climate
- The Sun
I fell 9,000ft & LIVED after my paraglider wing collapsed during a flight… but I can't wait to get back in the sky
A GRANDAD has told how his paraglider's wing collapsed 9,000ft above the French Alps. Retired counter-terrorism cop Steve Barnett, 57, flew into a storm cloud, saturating his glider. 5 5 5 The wing caved under the weight of water as he tried an emergency landing — sending him falling 30ft through trees. Steve broke his pelvis when he hit the ground at 40mph. He called fellow paraglider Matt Roach, 47, for help. The pal, in the air at the time, tracked him down and alerted a rescue helicopter. Steve was airlifted from Passy, in south eastern France, to a hospital near the Italian border. He was allowed to head home to Seaford, East Sussex, just two days later. Steve recalled: 'There was a big cloud and I started hearing a pitter patter on the wing. "It came down heavier. 'Then all I could hear was this snapping, crackling and rippling. "I bounced on the ground and rolled. Shock vid shows half-frozen paraglider who was sucked 5 MILES into sky by vortex & left shivering in -40C conditions 'It was like someone had kicked me really hard.' Unfazed, he added: 'I can't wait to get back into the sky.' 5 5
Scottish Sun
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
French taxi driver says David Lammy ‘acted like a thug' in £600 fare row as first pics of his trash-strewn car emerge
The cabbie has said he was left 'scared' by the Foreign Secretary's behaviour so quickly drove away LAMMY DODGER French taxi driver says David Lammy 'acted like a thug' in £600 fare row as first pics of his trash-strewn car emerge FOREIGN Secretary David Lammy has been accused of "acting like a thug" after he "lost it" during a furious £600 taxi fare row. Cab driver Nassim Mimun, 40, claims Lammy refused to pay for the six-hour drive to a French ski resort - and he has now shown off pictures of his trash-strewn car. 8 Cab driver Nassim Mimun, 40, has accused David Lammy of 'acting like a thug' after he 'lost it' during a furious £600 taxi fare row in France Credit: Ed Southgate 8 The driver also shared an image of trash in his car which he claims was left by Lammy Credit: Ed Southgate 8 Foreign Secretary David Lammy and wife Nicola Green were both involved in the taxi row Credit: Getty 8 Lammy, 52, spent three days with the King and Queen on a state visit to Italy last month before he and his wife were driven from Forli, to Flaine, in the French Alps. Chaos quickly erupted as the cab driver alleged Mr Lammy "became aggressive" when asked to pay the £588 fare. Mimun accused the Labour member of "snatching the receipt from his hand" when asked to pay for the taxi. Lammy has publicly said he "totally refutes" these allegations as he said the fare was paid in full. The driver has now added that the couple left his car "in a filthy state". Pictures taken from Mimun show the back seats of his cab left with several pieces of rubbish. He told The Sun the images were taken just after Lammy and his wife left the taxi as he blasted them for not showing any respect. A sandwich packet, plastic fork and a discarded coffee cup can all be seen in the photo. The initial dispute is said to be over the amount of money owed. The transport company who booked the cab paid for the fare at the rate they were offered prior to the journey. I was scared of Mr Lammy's behaviour, I drove off from them Nassim Mimun But Mimun claims this was before he realised who he was driving due to Lammy's senior position within the British government. The driver has now said: "I requested an extra 700 euros, because I realised when they got in that they were VIPs. There luggage made that clear. "When I found out who Mr Lammy was, later on, I also realised that he had put my life in danger. There were no bodyguards or anything." This meant when Lammy exited the car and Mimun requested the extra payment a bitter row broke out. The driver clarified it was up to the passengers to pay £600 out of the £1,306 total fare. 8 The moment the driver went to the police in France Credit: Ed Southgate 8 Lammy denies the allegations and has counter-sued Credit: PA Mr Lammy and artist wife Nicola Green, 53, insist didn't owe any money. The driver then accused Lammy of turning into a "thug". He said: "When I dropped the couple off in France, and asked for the extra money, Mr Lammy lost it. He was acting like a thug. "Because I was scared of Mr Lammy's behaviour, I drove off from them. "The doors of the car were open, and I had no idea their luggage was still in my car. "It was only when I got to the police station that I realised that the luggage was still there. It wasn't stolen, I handed it to the police." Officers investigating are said to have found two diplomatic passports, two licence plates, and a coded briefcase in the boot of the taxi. When I found out who Mr Lammy was, later on, I also realised that he had put my life in danger. There were no bodyguards or anything Nassim Mimun The driver filed a formal complaint, leading the Bonneville prosecutor's office to open up an investigation. But prosecutor Boris Duffau has since confirmed that the taxi driver is being charged with theft following the investigation. This is said to be due to him driving away with valuable goods belonging to Lammy. Mimun will now face a court hearing on November 3 to face the charge of "fraudulently removing luggage and cash". Duffau said: "The stories between the two parties are not the same. "Of course, the passengers are not saying the same thing as the driver when he filed a complaint. "The passengers have assured that the driver had already been paid. The driver said the opposite." 8 Lammy took the taxi to the French ski resort of Flaine Credit: Alamy
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was a super fit cyclist until I had the Moderna Covid vaccine... what happened next left me wishing I was dead
Just a few years ago, Danielle Pieton was a super fit road cyclist who had just achieved her long-held dream of moving to France. The Brit, now 51, was excitedly beginning her new life abroad, having just set up a successful business with her partner. That was until January 2022, when she underwent the Moderna vaccine for Covid and had her world turned upside down within a matter of hours. Rushed to hospital with chest pain, the cyclist spent two weeks in intensive cardiac care, and was left needing a permanent pacemaker having suffered complete heart block, she said. Now Ms Pieton, from Cornwall, revealed she is still learning to live with her 'damaged body', having recently been diagnosed with Post Vaccine Syndrome (PVS), for which there is no cure. She told MailOnline: 'I spent over two years wanting to be dead as the symptoms were so dreadful. 'Just today my head felt like I was being injected with helium. 'Previous to this I was a very fit 48-year-old road cyclist, full of energy and dreams.' Have YOU got a story? Email Ms Pieton, who now lives in Séez, in the French Alps, said she still suffers from intermittent chest pain and breathlessness, but is finally able to walk most days and ride an e-bike. Less than 12 hours after the vaccine she suffered 'intense dizziness, breathlessness and chest pain', she explained, before being rushed to hospital where she spent a fortnight in intensive cardiac care. The then 48-year-old was left with a permanent pacemaker, having been diagnosed with complete heart block, she said. The cyclist left hospital unable to walk unaided, she added, with no answers as to what had happened to her. 'The dizziness was almost unbearable, with intense head pressure (I thought my head was going to explode),' she said. 'Constant fatigue, pins and needles in my hands and legs, numbness in my feet and face, blurred vision, severe muscle loss, ongoing chest pain and breathlessness.' Ms Pieton was then given six months of vestibular rehabilitation, she said, as well as six months of 'vision re-education, endless physio and muscle rehab'. 'My doctor and various consultants tested me, keeping me in hospital for lumbar punctures, MRIs [...] and tried countless meds to try and help me,' she said. 'Three years on I'm learning to live with my damaged body, still dizzy with intermittent chest pain and breathlessness and determined to live my best life and do as much as I can. I'm now able to walk, and ride an e-bike.' Ms Pieton had already had two Pfizer vaccines prior to her Moderna jab, with seemingly no side effects. 'There are days where I'm bed ridden,' she revealed, explaining what her life is like now. 'I would just want to exit my body. 'I just cannot cope with the sensations going around in my body.' MailOnline has contacted Moderna for comment. While Covid vaccines have unquestionably prevented millions of deaths, studies in recent years have linked them to chronic conditions affecting an undetermined number of people worldwide. Last month, it was reported that experts at Yale University have discovered an alarming syndrome linked to the mRNA Covid vaccines. The previously unknown condition - dubbed 'post-vaccination syndrome' - appears to cause brain fog, dizziness, tinnitus and exercise intolerance. The findings, from a well-respected institution, suggest more research on post-vaccination syndrome is needed, independent experts said. The next phase of the research will be to ascertain how widespread the condition is and who is most at risk. Thousands of people have said that Covid vaccines injured them since the shots were rolled out in 2021.
Reuters
09-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
IOC countersigns 2030 Winter Games contract with French organisers
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 9 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday it had countersigned the 2030 Winter Olympics host contract with French organisers after all financial guarantees were met. In October 2024 France had provided financial guarantees to the IOC that still needed parliamentary ratification, after being picked conditionally in July last year to organise the 2030 Winter Games. "We are extremely happy with this. The contract was to be signed at this stage. There were a number of conditions discussed," Olympic Games Executive director Christophe Dubi told a press conference. "Those conditions have been met, with additional guarantees provided," he said. "This has allowed for the signature to take place." The French Alps bid had been the preferred choice since June last year but due to elections and political instability, it had been unable to deliver the necessary state and regional financial guarantees in time. France previously staged the Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992.
