Sextape: match-Benzema-Valbuena in court

Karim Benzema guilty of an attempted sextape blackmail on Mathieu Valbuena? After years of debates and twisted blows, the criminal court of Versailles plunges from Wednesday into the "case" that shook French football. Real Madrid's star striker, declared candidate for the Ballon d'Or in the wake of his performances with the Blues that he found in the spring, Benzema, 33, compared with four co-defendants, accused of being the actors of this blackmail attempt. Will he be present at the hearing the day after a Champions League match in Ukraine? Contacted by AFP, Benzema's lawyers did not respond. Valbuena will be there, according to his lawyer. At the announcement of the dates of his trial for "complicity in attempted blackmail", the player had reacted by writing on Instagram: "Here is finally vamonos (we go), that the masquerade is extinguished forever".

Climate in Africa: threat to the survival of millions of people, according to the UN

More than a hundred million extremely poor people are threatened by the acceleration of global warming in Africa where the few glaciers are expected to have disappeared by the 2040s, the UN said less than two weeks before the opening of COP 26 in Glasgow. "By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people (i.e. living on less than $1.90 a day) will be exposed to drought, flooding and extreme heat if adequate measures are not taken," says the UN. For his part, Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey called on central banks to prepare as soon as possible for climate change, highlighting the effects that a rise in temperature would have on the financial system. "The window of opportunity to respond to climate change is closing," he said.

IN BRIEF

The property tax increased by just under 28% on average between 2010 and 2020, "three times more than inflation or rents", according to figures from the National Union of Property Owners.

The Metz prosecutor's office on Tuesday requested two years of suspended prison against an ex-doctor prosecuted for sexual assault on 17 young recruits of the national police between 2016 and 2018 during medical visits in the Grand Est.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has raised her voice by threatening to sanction Warsaw after a controversial decision by the Constitutional Court, in the face of the Polish Prime Minister who denounced "blackmail" before the Strasbourg Parliament.

Foot: Lionel Messi's first Parisian double, brought by a super Kylian Mbappé, allowed PSG to topple RB Leipzig (3-2) and keep the lead of its Champions League group, on the 3rd day.

The Olympic flame arrived Wednesday morning in Beijing which will host the Winter Olympics in February 2022, state media reported.