Authorities and residents in the Var are assessing the damage caused by yesterday’s storm. The body of an elderly man was discovered in a car in Saint-Antonin-du-Var this morning. A woman who was a passenger in the car has been taken to hospital in Draguignan. A witness is reported to have seen the car fall into an area of water. More than six hundred people have been evacuated from their homes and taken to emergency shelters in the Var. Authorities evacuated several campsites near Frejus and residents of land along the course of the Argens river. Meteo France have said that the Var received seventy per cent of its annual rainfall just in the month of October. More than 2,000 lightning strikes were recorded in the department yesterday. The RN202 going north from Nice to Grenobles has been affected by a landslide early this morning in a section of the road in the Alpes de Hautes Provence. Local diversions have been put in place. The road is expected to re-open at midday on Saturday.
Oil residue continues to be washed up on some of the area’s beaches almost four weeks after the collision of two ships off Corsica. Oil pellets were found today on a beach in the Calanques National Park near Marseille. Oil has also been washed up at La Ciotat.
The Prefecture of the Var have announced their Plan Grand Froid for the winter. The aim of the plan is to provide accommodation for all homeless people when the temperature falls below zero. 565 places are available under the scheme, plus additional hotel accommodation if necessary.
Customs officers in Avignon have seized 480kg of cannabis in a truck on the A9 motorway. Reports say that the Dutch registered vehicle had travelled from Spain. The haul is estimated to have a market value of 900,000 euros.
The region’s bus network Ligne d’Azur has announced strike action planned for tomorrow. 24 bus routes in and around Nice are expected to be affected by the strike. However the tramway will be running as normal.
BUSINESS
The Bank of England voted nine to zero to leave interest rates unchanged at 0.75%. The central bank has also reduced growth forecasts to 1.3% in 2018 and 1.7% in 2019. It said UK growth would be driven more by consumer spending as business investment remains weak.
Spotify has reported a 5% increase in premium subscribers in the third quarter. Paying subscribers rose 4 million to 87 million compared with the three months to June, while total users rose to 191 million.
A closely watched survey of UK manufacturing has reported a fall in activity. The IHS Markit/CIPS Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell sharply to 51.1 in October. That followed a reading of 53.6 in September. The survey found that new orders and employment both contracted while foreign demand fell.
SPORT
Rugby Union… Luke Morgan will get his first cap in Wales' opening autumn international against Scotland in Cardiff on Saturday. Morgan joins George North and Leigh Halfpenny in the back three. He is one of two uncapped players in the squad along with Cardiff Blues fly-half Jarrod Evans.
Tennis… Second seed Novak Djokovic has reached the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters after his opponent retired with a back injury. He will now face Marin Cilic after he beat Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov.
Cricket… India thrashed West Indies by nine wickets, after bowling the tourists out for 104, to complete a 3-1 one-day series victory. Meanwhile, England's preparations for the Test series in Sri Lanka were disrupted as the opening day of their final warm-up match was completely washed out. The England players didn’t even travel to the ground in Colombo, where they are due to face a Sri Lanka Board President's XI in a two-day game.
The Monegasque State has successfully conducted its first national voluntary surrender operation, with 123 firearms being handed over by private indiv...
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The Riviera's ski resorts are celebrating a record winter season.
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The Monegasque government informed its residents today that a fraudulent call campaign is currently targeting the Principality, mainly the most vulner...
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