Evening Update 02 Oct

Meeting - The Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has met with President Macron in Paris, where the President’s agenda is a plan to merge the municipal authority of Nice with the department of the Alpes-Maritimes. The objective is to better coordinate public policies by avoiding duplication, and bringing the strengths of the two bodies together.

Rape - Police are questioning two men from Vence, both in their thirties, in relation to the kidnapping and double rape of two teenage girls on Saturday night. The pair had been intending on staying at an overnight party in the town, but decided to make their way home after midnight, without contacting their parents for help. It was on their way home, they were taken by the two men, who threatened to kill them both if they did not comply.

Yacht - One of the worlds most distinctive and beautiful luxury yachts has berthed in Nice this afternoon. The 88 metre Maltese Falcon, estimated to be worth €100m, includes a gym, mini-submarine and a projector which shows movies on the boats sail for the ultimate open-air cinema.

BUSINESS

French multinational, Peugeot SA, has warned of dramatic consequences for its UK Vauxhall and Opel plants if there is a no-deal Brexit. They say they need free trade to operate, and if those conditions don’t exist, they will have to adapt, despite the dramatic consequences for UK operations.

Facebook’s latest security bug, which allowed hackers to access 50 million accounts, could be investigated by European regulators. If found guilty, Facebook could face a fine totalling 4% of annual global turnover. Last year, the social network made over $40 billion, so that fine could be around $1.6 billion.

SPORT

Formula 1 - Red Bull boss Christian Horner has said Max Verstappen’s spectacular crash in Monaco was this year’s turning point for the 21 year-old driver. The practice session crash in May, which kept Verstappen out of the main race, was a wake-up call and since then Verstappen has been enjoying a spectacular season where he is now out-performing his more senior teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

Football - Police in Las Vegas have re-opened a sexual assault investigation from 2009 against Cristiano Ronaldo. It follows a report in a German magazine saying the woman in question, reached an out-of-court settlement with Ronaldo, after she received a payment of $375,000 to never to go public with the allegations. Ronaldo has dismissed the claim as ‘fake news’ and said he intends to take the magazine to court.

Tennis - World number one Simona Halep has suffered a slipped disc that puts her participation in this month's WTA Finals in doubt. The French Open champion says she doesn’t know how long she will be out but hopes her injury will not force her to miss the end-of-season WTA Finals in Singapore, which start in just over two weeks.

Rugby - Wales prop Rob Evans is set to miss Scarlets' Pro14 derby with Ospreys on Saturday because of a shoulder injury. The loose-head has not played since being taken off during last month's win over Leinster but did not require surgery.