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A party of seven men and three women of several nationalities who arrived from Britain in a chartered jet at Marseille-Provence airport, where helicopters were waiting to fly them on to a luxury villa in the Rivierra resort of Cannes, were told by airport police they were breaching regulations to contain the Cofid-19 virus epidemic and ordered to return to the UK.

Before turning 40 next Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday held early celebrations at the sprawling Loire Valley Renaissance castle of Chambord, once a residence of France's 16th-century king François 1st, prompting sarcasm and accusatons of haughtiness from political opponents. 

Christophe Castaner, 51, who last year swapped political allegiance to join Emmanuel Macron's centrist bid for the French presidency has been appointed as head of the latter's fledgling political party in a move driven by the president and which has been criticised as ignoring traditional democratic party practices.

Her Front National party faces probe over misuse of company assets and conspiracy to commit fraud at national elections in 2012.

Defeated UMP leadership candidate Francois Fillon says he and followers are splitting from the party to form their own parliamentary group.