An emergency simulation drill is underway in Paris, to see how the French capital would cope if the Rivers Seine and Marne burst their banks. They are preparing for the possibility of a major flood – on the scale of city’s Great Flood of 1910.

The exercise will test decision making and coordination between city’s authorities.

Nobody knows when, or even if, another big flood will happen.

Another Paris flood could cover up to 500 square kilometers, affecting more than 800,000 people. Power cuts would plunge over a million families into darkness and thousands would need to be evacuated to emergency shelters.

In 1955 the Seine and Marne overflowed onto the streets of Paris, and more recently in 1979 the rivers rose to near record highs.

If the rivers burst their banks today, repairing the damage would cost in the region of 20 billion euros.

The French authorities need to make sure that, if another great flood does hit, their emergency plans will run as smoothly as possible.

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Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova has announced she has tested positive for a banned substance. Maria Sharapova announces failed drug test at…








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What a way to mark Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom!

Sunday saw Britain’s Royal Family release rare footage, from 1949, of tiny toddler Prince Charles playing with his mum, the then Princess Elisabeth.

The intimate archives show Britain’s future king and current queen were always naturals in front of the camera.

Today, we’re sharing this video of The Queen and The Prince of Wales having fun at home in 1949. Happy #MothersDay!https://t.co/U4S33GVkaH

— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) 6 mars 2016

And keeping the next generation in the picture, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed suit by releasing photographs of their young family on a first skiing holiday together, as a family of four.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to share new photos of their family enjoying a short ski break http://pic.twitter.com/p9WU0h2H8E

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 7 mars 2016

This was their first holiday as a family of four and the first time either of the children have played in the snow http://pic.twitter.com/BXYjM0bdXs

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 7 mars 2016

The Duke and Duchess hope people enjoy these photos http://pic.twitter.com/lAfu7jRxdG

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 7 mars 2016

PA Royal Photographer John Stillwell was invited to take the photographs of this happy family moment. http://pic.twitter.com/lLWONup8Wy

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 7 mars 2016

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Turkey is offering to step up its help to tackle Europe’s migrant crisis, but it wants more money and faster visa-free travel.

Ankara is reportedly demanding an extra three billion euros, doubling the amount already pledged by the EU.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has come up with new proposals to help stem the flow of migrants, as he meets leaders in Brussels.

“The summit itself shows how indispensable Turkey is for the EU and the EU for Turkey. We have many challenges in front of us, the only way to respond to this challenges is solidarity,” Davutoğlu told reporters as he arrived for the emergency summit.

“I’m sure these challenges will be solved through our cooperation and Turkey is ready to work with the EU, Turkey is ready to be a member of the EU as well.”

Davutoğlu has reportedly told EU leaders that, from a set date, Ankara is willing to take back migrants who have come from Turkey and are refused asylum in Europe.

The EU would then take in one Syrian refugee directly from Turkey for each one sent there from Greece’s Aegean islands, according to a draft document.

“Someone in the hands of a trafficker who arrives on a Greek island, and who is transferred back to the other side of the shore, and they officially register there, could be eligible to be sent back to Europe under a relocation scheme,” said Martin Schulz, European Parliament President.

“It’s targeting the traffickers, it’s not against the refugees.”

Davutoğlu is understood to be demanding that Turkish nationals get visa-free travel from June, earlier than originally planned. Ankara also wants accelerated EU membership talks.

The half-day Brussels summit has been extended into the evening, so that Ankara’s new proposals can be fully discussed.

Before the meeting, EU leaders told Davutoğlu of their concerns about human rights after the Turkish government seized control of a critical newspaper, the top-selling daily Zaman.

The seizure of #Zaman is yet another blow to #pressfreedom in #Turkey. I intend to raise this issue on Monday Ahmet_Davutoglu

— Martin Schulz (MartinSchulz) 5 March 2016

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Aksaray Square in Istanbul has been called “smugglers square”. It is there that migrants gather almost every day at sundown in the hope of buying a place on a boat to Greece.

Their belongings are stuffed into plastic bags so too are life jackets which they buy at the square..

The park is central to the human trafficking business and the trade is good despite pressure on Turkey to crack down on it.

Among the smugglers are Syrians, including Ali.

“Smugglers agree on the place where the buses are and ask the people to go there to avoid any problems or to avoid the police capturing the bus. They take them to places where there are no police. They monitor the area and when there is no police they will make phone calls among themselves then they gather and leave on the bus. Within 15 minutes everything is ready and the bus is on its way,” he explained.

Sometimes the buses are intercepted on the road. A fine is imposed, the bus and passengers turned back. But mostly the journeys end in Turkish coastal towns which lie a short risky boat trip away from the Greek islands. Ali admits some smugglers don’t care about the dangers to life.

“There is mostly pressure on the departure points at the coast because the Turkish coastguard in particular has upped the ante. Of course there are smugglers who do not care if there are high waves or no waves. The moments the migrants get to him, he wants to send them off in any way possible,” he said.

The average fare is around the equivalent of 900 euros for departures from those prime locations which are short distance from the Greek islands.

Those caught smuggling face between three to eight years imprisonment while the sentence for human trafficking can be up to 12 years. Ankara has stepped up law enforcement and introduced a raft of measures in cooperation with the EU in a bid to stamp out illegal migration.

“Right now it’s winter, between January and February and despite unfavourable weather conditions, compared to the same time last year the number of apprehensions, the number of migrants rescued, the number of smuggler arrests is much higher,” Bahadir Yesiltepe, Izmir Police Department, anti-smuggling crimes branch said.

It’s believed legislation is likely to be amended to introduce more severe penalties. But despite the current efforts the large crowds which gather at smuggling hubs in Istanbul or Izmir is proof the deterrents are at the moment ineffective.

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Monday was moving day for dozens of migrant families near the northern French city of Calais.

The country’s first international-standard refugee camp has opened in Grande-Synthe, near Dunkirk. Families are now being relocated there from a nearby shantytown where they were living in dire conditions.

This new camp lies around 40 kilometres from the largest refugee camp on the outskirts of Calais, nicknamed the “Jungle”, which is being gradually demolished by the authorities.

It features some 200 heated wooden cabins and proper toilets and showers, and was built by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) with the support of the local town hall — despite opposition from the French government.

UPDATE: MSF_France's camp at #GrandeSynthe is complete. People can stop living in the mud and move in as of today. http://pic.twitter.com/7F8I86T8Hk

— MSF Sea (MSF_Sea) March 7, 2016

Still, some were skeptical with the move. “This camp is not a solution,” said Belgian volunteer Margaux Desmet. “It’s only temporary, like a new beginning, but is this really a new beginning?”

In Calais, a dozen Iranian refugees have started a hunger strike and protested against the dismantling of the Jungle.

Many fear increased police presence and tighter security measures in the new camp might stop them from reaching Britain, where many hope to move on and start a new life.

Calais Jungle refugees have sewn their mouths shut in protest at the camp clearance https://t.co/CM9CV5lM6K http://pic.twitter.com/N0wC8cBdgM

— The Independent (@Independent) March 5, 2016

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Tunisia’s government said dozens of Islamist militants attacked army and police posts in the town of Ben Guerdan.

It said at least fifty people were killed in the raid, including civilians.

Bodies of dead fighters lay in the streets near the town’s military barracks.

Ben Guerdan lies close to the border with Libya. Authorities closed two border crossings are the attack.

Tunisian forces have been poised for possible militant attacks since a US air strike last month targeted mostly Tunisian ISIL fighters across the border in the Libyan town of Sabratha.

Tunisia’s president addressed reporters after the attack.

“Today’s attack on the army, the guards and security in Ben Gerdane since 5 a.m. is unprecedented, organized and was probably meant to control the area and declare a new state (territory),” said Beji Caid Essebsi. “In fact, I would like the Tunisian people to be proud that the Tunisian army, guards, and security personnel were vigilant in response to previous events. Reinforcements were in place and were poised for an attack.”

Western military advisers have been training Tunisian border forces to better protect their frontier. Authorities have dug a trench and built a barrier to help stop militants crossing from Libya.

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As EU leaders and Turkey seek solutions to the migration crisis, far from the comfortable conference rooms of Brussels, blocked at a border marked by cold, filth and despair, at least 13,000 men, women and children wait.

Macedonian authorities are allowing only a handful of refugees through each day to continue their journey to northern Europe.

The rest remain at Idomeni on the Greek side of the frontier – now a giant, ever-growing holding pen for people who thought they had left hell on earth behind.

“I escaped from the war in Syria, not to find another death here in this camp, under the rain and in the cold” said one young man.

“We sleep on the ground. It is a miserable situation. I don’t know…why we are here?”

With food in short supply, the daily routine means standing for hours for a sandwich and an orange. And then back to the tent to wait – and hope.

Weary, one little girl said: “There is nothing in the tent. There are queues everywhere. You have to queue for everything. To eat, to get washed, you have to queue.”

Many children are getting sick.

Two month old Rimaz from Syria is sick with a cold from a week spent outside living in a tent at Idomeni, #Greece http://pic.twitter.com/Ih0CtgdYW9

— UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) 7 mars 2016

But the courage and resilience of the young is astounding, with the simplest of pleasures such as basic drawing materials, brightening up their day.

“We watch a lot of children here who play in the garbage. So we do this with a pen and a piece of paper. We play with them and they are so happy with that,” said volunteer Rober Astorgano.

It is a brief light in the darkness for children who have already been through so much.

Children, and their parents, who are still going nowhere.

Let's move #EU Summit to #Idomeni, where govt leaders can face their collective shame & listen to #refugees' stories http://pic.twitter.com/4viTw0NYwl

— Lotte Leicht (@LotteLeicht1) 5 mars 2016

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