News of all that transpired on and off the football field
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Uncorking the business of vintage wines and spirits.
A round-up off all transpired on and off the football pitch
"Few shots from 30,000 feet! Mid air refuelling of #RafaleJets on their way to #India," the Indian Embassy in France tweeted
The aircraft flew out from the airbase in the French port city of Bordeaux and will cover a distance of nearly 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates before arriving at Ambala airbase on Wednesday, officials said.
Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been handed a four-game suspension for insulting match officials, the French League said on Thursday.
Tottenham Hotspur trounced a sorry Inter Milan 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday while last year's European champions Chelsea were humbled 1-0 by Steaua Bucharest after being stung by a Raul Rusescu penalty.
The defence minister sat in the rear cockpit of the customised Rafale fighter jet with tail number RB-001 and was flown by Philippe Duchateau, head test pilot of Dassault Aviation.
Factbox on the 20 Premier League clubs after the transfer window closed.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been summoned by the French League's (LFP) disciplinary commission to explain derogatory remarks he made after Paris St Germain's 3-2 defeat at Girondins Bordeaux last weekend.
The French government plans to raise the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60.
The season-openers for champions Paris St Germain and Olympique Lyonnais were postponed after both teams reached the Champions League semi-finals.
France midfielder Alou Diarra has joined Olympique Marseille from Girondins Bordeaux on a three-year deal, the 2010 French champions said on Monday.
England manager Roy Hodgson and captain Wayne Rooney have appealed to fans to behave around Thursday's Group B game against Wales after European soccer chiefs threatened to throw the country out of Euro 2016 following three days of violence in Marseille. In a video posted on the Football Association's Twitter page, Hodgson and Rooney expressed their concern that further flashpoints could lead to an early end to their tournament. "As the England manager, I am obviously now very concerned about the threat that is hanging over us and the sanction that could possibly be imposed upon the England team," Hodgson said.
A round-up of Saturday's football action in La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
The value of an in-form striker was underlined as Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao needed goals from pivotal front men to grab vital wins that booked places in the Europa League last 32 on Thursday.
A typical drug user's transition to addiction could result from a persistent impairment of synaptic plasticity (the ability of the connection between two neurons to change in strength) in a key structure of the brain, suggests a new French study.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Spain winger Pedro is frustrated by the lack of opportunities he has been given so far in his country's opening two fixtures at the European Championship in France. The 28-year-old, who has been capped 58 times by Spain, came on after 82 minutes in the 1-0 win against Czech Republic in their Group D opener and was an unused substitute in the 3-0 victory over Turkey on Friday.
Wales boss Chris Coleman is considering deploy Gareth Bale as a striker against England on Thursday after he played a similar role in their European Championship opener against Slovakia.
Champions Olympique Marseille lost ground in the Ligue 1 title race after being held to a 0-0 draw at struggling Monaco on Sunday.
The heatwave, brought on by a mass of hot air flowing north from Africa to Europe in recent days, has enveloped Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and northern Italy, and is expected to last several days and extend further north.
Kane began the night level on 19 goals with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in the race for the Golden Boot.
Olympique Lyon's Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez scored twice to help his side beat Girondins Bordeaux 3-1 in a lively first leg of the Champions League's first all-French quarter-final on Tuesday.
Andy Schleck snatched his second stage win of the Tour de France on the last mountain leg of the race on Thursday as leader Alberto Contador took a big step towards clinching a third overall victory.
Bayern Munich and Fiorentina, two teams moving in opposite directions, clash in the Champions League on Wednesday with the Bavarians firm favourites to progress to the last eight.
Laurent Blanc will replace the controversial Raymond Domenech as France coach after the World Cup, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Thursday. A prominent member of France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad, although he was suspended for the final, Blanc will take over from Domenech after the June 11-July 11 World Cup in South Africa.
Indian wines are getting better all the time, says Alok Chandra.
Stephane Mbia struck two minutes from time to give Olympique Marseille a 1-0 win at lowly Sochaux which sent them five points clear at the top of Ligue 1 on Wednesday.
Disciplinary proceeding have been opened by UEFA against Hungary, Belgium and Portugal after there was further crowd trouble at three Euro 2016 games on Saturday, the governing body said in a statement.
Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyonnais were knocked out of the French Cup 3-2 at Nantes on Tuesday with Vincent Bessat grabbing a hat-trick in the last-32 game on a night of upsets.
Austria's Hungarian-born defender Gyoergy Garics has decided to stay at Euro 2016 despite his father's death last week, saying his last words were to carry on. The 32-year old's father, Gyoergy Garics Sr, died from cancer at his home in Hungary last Friday. Garics said he would have wanted him to stay at the tournament as Austria prepare to take on his native Hungary in Group F on Tuesday.
Brazilian Malcom, who started in place of Lionel Messi, curled home in the 58th minute to pull Barcelona level after Lucas Vazquez had fired Real Madrid ahead early on.
Manchester United have completed the signing of Frenchman Gabriel Obertan on a four-year contract, the Premier League champions said on Wednesday.
Manchester United have completed the signing of Frenchman Gabriel Obertan on a four-year contract, the Premier League champions said on Wednesday. The 20-year-old, who can play in a number of different attacking positions, has joined United from French club Girondins Bordeaux.
Bayern Munich general director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has urged the troubled German side to lift their game or face elimination at the Champions League group stage.
Didier Drogba scored twice on his return from a three-match European suspension as Chelsea drew 2-2 at Atletico Madrid to seal their place in the knock-out round of the Champions League on Tuesday. They were joined in the last 16 by Manchester United, Porto and Girondins Bordeaux, although four-time European champions Bayern Munich are on the brink of elimination after losing at home to the French champions.
A late Bafetimbi Gomis goal gave Olympique Lyon a 2-1 home win over Toulouse to send the seven-times champions to the top of Ligue 1 on Saturday.
