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DRAGUIGNAN, France - Flash floods caused by torrential rain killed 18 people and left about 10 missing near France's Mediterranean coast, officials said on Wednesday, after the worst downpours the region has seen since 1827.

More than 350 mm (14 inches) of rain fell on the Var department in southern France in a few hours on Tuesday.

"Draguignan was the worst-hit town, with hundreds of vehicles swept away and several neighborhoods under water," the local prefect Hugues Parant said.

More than 1,000 people found refuge in schools and other buildings after their homes were swamped. Helicopters flew over 450 rescue missions and some 100,000 households were without electricity.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said about 10 people were still missing and he feared the death toll could rise.

Television pictures showed scores of stranded people packed on the raised terrace of a holiday camp, with surrounding land and low-lying buildings submerged under muddy water.

Locals said people were surprised by the speed at which the waters rose, turning streets into torrents and carrying away cars as if they were toys.

"It was dramatic," said Draguignan mayor Max Piselli. "The town is in a terrible state, with rocks, stones, mud and cars blocking the roads."

The airport in Toulon, closed late on Tuesday because its runways were flooded, reopened on Wednesday morning. Train services along the coast were expected to return to normal on Thursday, railway officials said.

Meteo France, which said the region had not seen floods like this since 1827, warned of more storms on Wednesday night.

In February, a ferocious storm and surging tide killed 53 people in southwestern France.

Copyright 2010 Reuters Click for restrictions.

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There's a lot of red carpet in Monte Carlo at the moment. The Grimaldi Forum is the venue for four days of the television festival.

The statuette awarded is in the form of a Golden Nymph, by the sculptor François-Joseph Bosio. Monsieur Bosio was born in Monaco and was the official portraitist to Napoleon. His works can be found in the Louvre in Paris.

http://monte-carlo-daily-photo.blogspot.com/

By Jim Farber
DAILY NEWS MUSIC WRITER

Monday, June 7th 2010, 1:44 PM
Marvin Isley  of The Isley Brothers has died at the age of 56. The New Jersey-born musician left the band in 1997 over his severe diabetes, which resulted in his legs being amputated.

Marvin Isley, whose muscular bass lines propelled the hits of his classic sibling band The Isley Brothers, died Monday in Chicago at age 56.

The cause of death has not yet been announced, though Isley suffered from diabetes severe enough to have caused him to leave the band in 1997. Later, his condition led to the amputation of both legs.

Isley will be remembered for the resilience and power of his bass work, which, for one thing, formed a crucial hook in the undulating '70s hit "Fight The Power." The bassist also played on the smash "Who's That Lady," as well as on prominent songs like "For The Love Of You" and "Harvest For The World."

Isley, who grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, wasn't old enough to join the first incarnation of the Isley Brothers, who have a history snaking back to the mid-’50s and who scored hits in the '60s like 1966’s "This Old Heart Of Mine" and the funky, 1969 track "It's Your Thing." By the late '60s, while still of high school age, Isley formed a trio with older brother Ernie and brother-in-law Chris Jasper. By the dawn of the '70s, those three pacted with the other Members of the group to create the classic "3+3" album, which went Top Ten in 1973.

In 1984, the Isleys fractured again. The original group continued to perform under their brand name while Marvin, Ernie, and Chris became Isley-Jasper-Isley. With that group, Marvin scored a No. 1 R&B single with "Caravan of Love."

For the '90s, Marvin once again became an Isley Brother. But by '97s, his illness forced him to quit.

In 1992, he was inducted, along with the other key Isley Brothers, into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

Two early members of the group have also died: O’Kelly Isley Jr. in 1996 at age 48 and Vernon Isley, who died back in 1955, at the age of just 13, after being hit by a car on his bicycle.

The group’s two best known members - singer Ron Isley and guitarist Ernie Isley - continue to perform under the group’s name.

jfarber@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/06/07/2010-06-07_marvin_isley_of_the_isley_brothers_dies_at_age_56_in_chicago.html#ixzz0qCjhDRn4

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All roads lead to the Principality of Monaco this weekend for the 68th Grand Prix. We are at the roundabout at St. Roman which is where Monaco meets France on its Eastern border. I'm standing in Monaco and photographing France

And to greet the visitor, why a Formula One car made of flowers, of course.

See more great photos like this at Monte-Carlo Photo by Jilly Bennett

Monte-Carlo's Historic Grand Prix was introduced in 1997 and is held every two years, just before the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

It takes place on the same track as the Formula 1 Grand Prix, inviting you to take a step back in time for the duration of a race for veteran cars. With each new edition, the public turns up in ever greater numbers to watch this splendid race.

Reserve your table as of now, with an unimpeded view of the Historic Grand Prix :

Café de Paris
- Saturday, May 1st : Buffet lunch 80 € per person. Drinks included.
- Sunday, May 2nd : Buffet lunch 120 € per person. Drinks included.

Enquiries / Reservations :
+377 98 06 36 36

Hôtel de Paris
Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd : Buffet lunch 155 €. Half-bottle of wine included.
City attire - Car valet

Enquiries / Reservations :
+377 98 06 36 36 ou  +377 98 06 89 89