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REUTERS: The French Open, unlike its U.S. counterpart, will be held with fans when it takes place from Sept. 27-Oct. 11, the head of the French tennis federation (FFT) said on Wednesday. "It will absolutely not be behind closed doors. There is no final decision yet on the number of spectators, which will be decided on with the public authorities," FFT president Bernard Giudicelli told reporters. Usually held at the end of May, the French Open was first moved to a Sept. 20-Oct. 4 slot but the main draw has been pushed back another week. The qualifying tournament, which had been discarded from previous plans, will be held as usual and will start on Sept. 21 in a boost for lower-ranked players who have been especially hard hit by the lack of earning opportunities since tennis was shutdown in March. Giudicelli said tickets would be sold around the end of the month or at the beginning of July. With three Masters tournaments and two Grand Slams in the space of seven weeks, … [Read more...] about French Open to be held with fans – French federation president

French luxury label Christian Dior said on Monday (Jun 22) it would press ahead with a calendar of fashion shows for this year starting in July with an Italian catwalk display: But without the celebrated front-row audience of A-listers. The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated a rethink among high-end brands of how collections are presented, with some opting out of costly events and restricting the number of clothing ranges they produce. Dior, one of the LVMH conglomerate's biggest labels, said it was maintaining its calendar of industry fashion weeks that brings buyers and bloggers to Paris, and would produce other collections in between. It will premiere a mid-season "cruise" range in the Italian city of Lecce on Jul 22 with a streamed live show, Chief Executive Pietro Beccari said, after a presentation planned for May was postponed. "We would like to send a message of support, of hope, of optimism and of rebirth," Beccari said. "I'm thinking about big suppliers but also the … [Read more...] about French luxury label Christian Dior revives fashion shows – but with no front row

REUTERS: Former world number one Andy Murray says he is looking forward to competing at the U.S. Open and French Open later this year but only if it is safe enough amid the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the sport in March. The U.S. Open will be staged without fans as scheduled from Aug. 31-Sept. 13 in New York while the postponed French Open will be held from Sept. 27-Oct. 11. Earlier this month, world number one Novak Djokovic said strict health protocols at the U.S. Open would prevent players from bringing more than one person on their support team to the venue but Murray said that was an arrangement he was fine with. "Playing the Grand Slams would be my priority," Murray was quoted as saying by British media on Monday. "I think the schedule is tricky and I understand the reason why it is like that. "I don't mind what the situation is, providing it is safe. If I was told I could take one person with me... you can make that work. I'd probably go with a physio and some … [Read more...] about Murray says priority is to play at US Open and French Open

Judges on Monday found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption after he tried to bribe a top lawyer with the promise of a job in Monaco. He will serve a one-year prison term. The 66-year-old has faced multiple graft accusations since leaving office in 2012 and prosecutors successfully argued he tried to obtain information about a separate probe into alleged financial impropriety in his party. He did so by offering to help judge Gilbert Azibert secure a well-paid legal adviser role in the principality of Monaco. Nicolas Sarkozy is the first modern French head of state to actually appear in court Sarkozy told the court he had "never committed the slightest act of corruption." The graft and influence-peddling charges — among several legal cases against him — carried a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to €1 million ($1.2 million). 'Paul Bismuth' and the tapped phone calls The case for the prosecution rested on conversations between … [Read more...] about French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to prison over corruption case

PARIS: Finland's Nokia Oyj plans to cut 1,233 jobs at its French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent International, equivalent to a third of the unit's workforce, the group said on Monday, confirming an earlier Reuters report. The announcement has political resonance in France as Nokia bought the unit five years ago on condition it would keep jobs. Nokia, which competes with Ericsson and Huawei on lucrative 5G networks, said in a statement the staff reduction was needed because of significant cost pressures. Nokia said in April it aimed to cut costs by 500 million euros (US$560.30 million) by the end of this year compared with full year 2018, with 350 million euros targeted to come from operating expenses and 150 million from sales costs. When Nokia bought Alcatel-Lucent International, it committed to preserve jobs in France for two years and expand research and development teams in the country to make it a resource within the group for the next generation of mobile internet … [Read more...] about Nokia to cut a third of jobs at French arm Alcatel-Lucent