At least two people have lost their lives in the storms that hit our region overnight. The bodies of two people, thought to be a local couple, were recovered from a car in Sainte-Maxime this morning. It’s thought that the car was carried by the River Garonnette into the sea, where it was found about 15 metres from the beach. The gulf of St Tropez appeared to have been worst hit by the bad weather. Firefighters in the Var attended more than 200 incidents in total because of the storms and 26 people were rescued. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has issued a statement in which he said his thoughts were with the families and loved ones of the two people who died in Sainte-Maxime and that he wished to give his full support to them in these painful circumstances.
A case of Dengue Fever, also called “Tropical Flu”, has been reported in the Alpes Maritimes. The authorities have not released the location but have stated that the affected person has been cured and the surrounding neighbourhood has been fumigated. The patient had apparently not been in a risk area for the disease within the recent past and authorities therefore say that he or she must have received a bite from a tiger mosquito, which carries the disease, in mainland France. Dengue was initially present in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world but has now spread to Europe, where the first cases were recorded in 2010.
Operations at the Simone Veil Hospital in Cannes have been disrupted today because of industrial action by some staff. Reports say that about sixty workers are protesting about their working conditions and an alleged lack of staff.
Today’s activities in the 35th edition of the Roc d'Azur mountain bike race have been cancelled due to the bad weather. Organisers were forced to cancel races planned in Frejus today following severe flooding in the region. They are however, hoping to maintain races scheduled for Friday. Since 1984, the event has grown steadily, now gathering 20 000 participants, and 300 exhibitors.
A man posing as a doctor at a hospital in Bordeaux has been placed in police custody. The man had spent the past two weeks at the hospital before being spotted by the security services. The man in his fifties was arrested by the police on Tuesday, posing as a doctor. He later acknowledged his actions claiming to police that “he had always wanted to become a doctor”. An investigation has been opened to determine how he had managed to go unnoticed for so long.
An arrest has been made after a traffic warden was assaulted in the centre of Nice this afternoon. Reports say the incident occurred near the rue de l'Hotel-des-Postes
BUSINESS
European stocks have fallen sharply today after falls in Asian markets. Investors have highlighted concerns about a trade war and higher US bond yields.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to meet at the G20 summit in Argentina in late November, according to reports citing officials in both countries. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters that a meeting between the two leaders at the meeting in Buenos Aires is under discussion.
The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, has confrimed that Pakistan has formally asked for a bailout package to overcome its financial crisis. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have reportedly plummeted to about eight billion dollars in recent weeks which is barely enough to meet its external debt payments.
In the UK, The Competition and Markets Authority has announced that it is to investigate British Airways' revenue-sharing partnership on trans-Atlantic routes. British Airways, American Airlines, Iberia and Finnair are part of the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement – which is a revenue-sharing joint venture. The CMA said its investigation was at an early stage and no assumption should be made that BA had infringed competition law.
SPORT
FOOTBALL…Tottenham full-back Danny Rose and Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy have withdrawn from the England squad for this month's Nations League matches with minor injuries. England fly out to face Croatia on Friday. The two players reportedly will not be replaced in the squad.
TENNIS… British number one Kyle Edmund is through to the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters. He beat Chile's Nicolas Jarry 7-6 6-3. Edmund will play fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the last eight. Novak Djokovic beat Italy's Marco Cecchinato 6-4 6-0.
CRICKET… The Australia against Pakistan test match has ended in a draw. Usman Khawaja scored 141 for Australia in their second innings.
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