Evening News Update Monday 26 November

President Emmanuel Macron has today denounced what he called “scenes of war” which took place during the yellow vest protests in Paris. There was chaos on the Champs-Elysées on Saturday as police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters. More than 100,000 people took part in about 1,600 protests across France on Saturday, the interior ministry said. Most passed off peacefully - except in the capital, where 8,000 demonstrators gathered. In our region, there was a blockade of the A8 in Antibes, filtering in Bandol and gatherings in Nice, Le Muy, Fréjus and Hyères. The president is due to address the nation tomorrow and it’s thought that he may announce new measures as part of a speech on ecological transition. Meanwhile, the yellow vest movement has appointed eight spokespersons to communicate with the authorities. They were appointed after consultation with protestors on Facebook. A statement says that they are asking for a referendum on various issues including the reduction of taxes and the creation of a citizen’s assembly.

Eight people have appeared in the criminal court in Marseille this afternoon after protests at the payage at La Ciotat on the A50 motorway over the weekend. At about 9pm on Saturday evening, yellow vest protesters finished their protest at the toll but according to authorities, about 150 people then moved into the area intent on engaging the police in violence. Seventy police officers arrived to control the crowd and the confrontation went on for nearly six hours. Eleven people were arrested and placed in custody.

An armed robbery took place at a supermarket in Nice over the weekend. According to witnesses, several people entered the Leader Price supermarket in the Ariane district just after closing time on Saturday evening, carrying a gun and an iron bar.  No injuries were reported.

In the first case of its kind in France, the captain of a cruise ship has been fined 100,000 euros for an air pollution offence. Inspectors discovered a non-compliant fuel oil when the Azura was docked in Marseille in March. The court ordered that 80,000 euros of the fine be paid by the liner’s owner, Carnival. The court also ordered the captain to pay 5,000 euros to three organizations.

The city of Nice has announced that the traditional tourist train is to go green as of January 2019. The train which tours the city covering 9 kilometers will be electric. The price of a ticket will remain the same at 10 euros.

The prize for the best hotel in Europe for 2018 has been awarded to the Hotel Cap d'Antibes. The hotel was awarded the accolade by the British magazine Ultratravel which specializes in luxury travel and is distributed in Europe and the Middle East.

BUSINESS

Mitsubishi Motors has dismissed Carlos Ghosn as its chairman. The company, which forms part of an alliance with Nissan and Renault, said that its board had voted unanimously to remove Mr Ghosn following his arrest last week over allegations by Nissan that he under-reported his pay and misused company funds. Mr Ghosn denies the allegations. Mitsubishi Motors said that its chief executive would become temporary chairman.

Airbnb has named a new Chief Financial Officer. David Stephenson is joining the rental site after being with Amazon for 17 years.

WPP is merging its J Walter Thompson and Wunderman agencies, according to newspaper reports. The advertising company is said to want to streamline the services it offers clients in the face of a new generation of competitors.

SPORT

Cricket…England have completed a first series whitewash in Sri Lanka with a 42-run victory in the third Test in Colombo. England's 3-0 victory is the first time they have won every Test in a series in Sri Lanka.

Rugby Union.. Joe Schmidt is to stand down as Ireland's head coach after the 2019 World Cup and will be replaced by current defence coach Andy Farrell. He has been with Ireland since 2013 and this year guided them to their third Grand Slam and a first victory on home soil over New Zealand.