The president of the Calanques National Park has asked for the launch of the Polmar maritime pollution plan. The park lies between Marseilles and La Ciotat and it’s feared that oil from the ship collision off Corsica may reach the coastal creeks of the national park shortly. Reports say that oil has already been seen on islands off Marseille. The Polmar plan was originally instituted in 1978 after the Amaco Cadiz disaster off the coast of Brittany.
Two hikers have been rescued by helicopter from a ravine in the Paillon valley. The two retirees from Nice got into difficulties when one of them fell about ten metres while hiking near Coaraze. The helicopter took them to nearby Levens where they were reported to be safe and in good health.
The foundation stone for the new IKEA store in Nice has been ceremonially laid by the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi, along with other high profile personnel involved with the project. Demonstrators who are opposed to the project unfurled banners at the ceremony at Nice St Isadore this morning. The IKEA store will have a commercial area of 24,000 square metres and there will also be housing, offices and other stores constructed as part of the development, which will eventually be served by Line 3 of the tramway. The opening of the IKEA store is scheduled for the spring of 2021.
A trial date has been set for eight people allegedly involved in disruption while filming a video in Nice last Sunday. According to reports, about fifty people had gathered in the St Augustin area of the city letting off smoke, with some carrying baseball bats. Traffic was seriously disrupted. The defendants are scheduled to appear in Nice Criminal Court next May.
A second man suspected of involvement in the Nice attack has been released after two years in prison. 38 year old Hamdi Zagar was arrested on July 25th 2016 suspected of having helped the perpetrator of the attack. The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi requested that the French government provide answers to address the legitimate concerns of the families of the victims.
A reminder that there are no trains running between Menton and Ventimiglia stations, nor between Toulon and Cannes La Bocca this weekend. The trains between those stations are cancelled due to engineering works until the end of the month. Replacement bus services are in operation.
And also a reminder that the clocks go back one hour in the early hours of Sunday morning. The clocks go back at 3.00am on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Chinese telecoms company ZTE has reported a net profit of 564 million yuan (that’s about $81.2m) for the third quarter, down 65% from the same period last year, according to media reports. In July, the US lifted an order that blocked ZTE from doing business with US companies, allowing it to resume operations. Despite this, the firm still reportedly expects a full-year loss of between 6.2 billion yuan and 7.2 billion yuan.
British Airways owner IAG has reported third quarter pre-tax profits of £1.4bn, slightly less than for the same period in 2017. IAG says it was hit by rising fuel prices and currency exchange rates. Yesterday, BA revealed that it had discovered a second hack attack on its website. It believes more than 185,000 people may have had their payment card details stolen.
Private equity group Blackstone has sold the former Stock Exchange Tower in the City of London to a Singaporean investor for £385m. The 27-storey freehold building is located close to the Bank of England at 125 Old Broad Street.
SPORT
Tennis…Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki says that she was "shocked" to be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, but wants to become a role model for people with the condition. Wozniacki, who is 28, discovered she had the auto-immune disease in August and said that “it has been a lot to take in".
Football…In the English Premier League this weekend, on Saturday Brighton play Wolves, Fulham host Bournemouth, Liverpool play Cardiff, Southampton are at home to Newcastle. Watford host Huddersfield and Leicester play West Ham. On Sunday Burnley play Chelsea, Crystal Palace host Arsenal and Manchester United play Everton. Spurs play Manchester City on Monday.
Rugby Union…There are four games in the Guiness Pro 14 tonight. Southern Kings play Scarlets, Zebre face Edinburgh, Ulster play Dragons and Opsreys host Connacht.
Golf… Rory McIlroy dropped 16 shots off the pace at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai after scoring a five-over 77 in today's second round.
Gabriel Attal announced new measures In response to recent acts of violence among young people during a visit to Viry-Châtillon. Attal highlighted the...
Read More
The owners of a vast floating artificial island that had been planned for last summer off the coast of Mandelieu have won a legal battle to be allowed...
Read More
The Monegasque State has successfully conducted its first national voluntary surrender operation, with 123 firearms being handed over by private indiv...
Read More
A hospital in Cannes has had to postpone all non-urgent consultations and operations after falling victim to a cyberattack....
Read More
Potential presence of broken glass in pizzas. A recall has been issued for several pizzas distributed by Auchan Avallon in France due to the potential...
Read More
