France win over Italy
Nice, June 2: France prevailed 3-1 over Italy here in the hosts' penultimate international friendly before heading to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Facing an Italian side that is rebuilding after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years, the French looked solid overall in front of the roughly 35,000 spectators at Nice's Allianz stadium on Friday evening, reports Efe news.
After giving his subs plenty of minutes in Monday's contest against Ireland, France coach Didier Deschamps fielded a squad very much like the one expected to start in Russia, led on offence by Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe with N'Golo Kante presiding in midfield and Samuel Umtiti anchoring the back line.
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, meanwhile, made his bid for a starting position with a burst of individual brilliance in the second half.
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1,600 Indians travel to India on 5 Qatar Airways flights amid airspace curbs
Doha (PTI): Around 1,600 Indian nationals travelled to India on five Qatar Airways flights on Tuesday, even as the airline continues to operate limited services due to restrictions on Qatar's airspace, the Indian Embassy here said.
The flights included two services to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, the embassy said in a social media post.
"In total, about 1600 Indian nationals travelled on Qatar Airways flights today," it said.
The mission noted that Qatar's airspace remains largely closed and Qatar Airways is currently operating only limited, non-scheduled flights.
The airline has announced services to nine Indian destinations starting Wednesday, and passengers can make bookings through the Qatar Airways website, mobile application or authorised travel agents.
The embassy said it continues to facilitate temporary Saudi transit visas for stranded Indian nationals wishing to travel to India via Saudi Arabia by crossing the Salwa land border.
The mission will remain open on all days in the coming week to provide consular services, including issuance of passports, while its control room and helplines through phone, email and WhatsApp will continue to function on a 24/7 basis.
It urged the Indian community to follow instructions issued by Qatari authorities and exercise responsibility in sharing information to help maintain public safety and community stability.
The embassy and Indian community organisations have also collaborated to support members of the Indian fishermen community in Qatar by providing dry rations to those in need.
Tensions in West Asia continue to escalate following the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28.
