I just picked this up from the internet wires when I got in this evening.

Apparently, a French military show has gone horribly wrong as live rounds have been fired during a showpiece demonstration in place of blanks.

16 cilvilians are reportedly wounded, four of them critically, including a young child.

The incident occurred at a barracks in Aude near Carcassonne during a hostage-freeing demo scenario. The scenario had been acted out several times before hand and on the sixth run, apparently live rounds were in use.

The incident seems like a terrible mistake where live rounds have been accidentally issued to a soldier involved in the display. Police however are not discounting the possibily of ‘foul-play’ at this time.

Those injured are in hospital care in Toulouse.

It appears to be flashing all over the newswires that an Israeli Border Policeman has shot himself at Ben Gurion airport in Israel as French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his new wife Carla Bruni were leaving to return to France.

The incident occurred during a farewell ceremony in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres. French bodyguards rushed the French president and his wife onto the waiting aircraft wile the situation was secured.

The Israeli PM and President returned to Sarkozy’s aircraft after the incident to bid final farewell prior to the flight leaving.

Update: Jerusalem post reports the man shot was a Border Policeman. Also noted is a comment from Israeli policeman Micky Rosenfeld who denied reports that there had been an assassination attempt on the French president.

Update: Although it’s still not 100% clear as to whether it was an accident or suicide, the Border Policeman has now been confirmed as having died from his injuries.

Update: BBC News has a video clip of Sarkozy and Bruni being hurried on to the plane although Sarkozy appears to stop for a moment to wave a brief apollogy for leaving so suddenly. Most of the security ’suits’ appear to be reaching for weapons including one ‘heavy’ who looked like he just might have an ‘automatic briefcase’.

A merchantman, Westward Venture has fired warning shots at a small boats, thought to be Iranian in the Persian Gulf.

The Westward Venture is reportedly under contract with the US military.

On the approach of the Iranian boats, Westward Venture first attempted to raise them by radio, then fired a pyrotechnic flare and when the boats continued to approach, the ship’s security crew opened fire with automatic small arms. It is not immediately apparent whether the gunfire was directly toward the Iranian boats.

SS Westward Venture is a 17,500 gross tonnage 744 foot long freighter launched in 1977 and registered in Tacoma (US)

According to ULS, there would be a maximum of 45 people on board.

SS Westward Venture can be tracked online in near-real-time.

It is expected that the news of this tension-increasing event in the Gulf will apply further upward pressure on oil prices.