Evening Update 15 Oct

Tax Fonciere in Nice has risen 52.2% in the last ten years alone.  A new study shows the city is one of only five in France where tax increases have exceeded 50% in the last decade. Top of the list is Paris with an 80% increase, while Cannes did not feature at all, as they not increased municipal taxes since 2014.

Health authorities are warning of sausages imported into France from a German factory, which has filed for bankruptcy, could be contaminated with listeria. It’s believed sausages from the factory may have led to the deaths of three Germans in the last year. All the sausages came from the Wilkes factory but the French Ministry of Agriculture has stressed that there were no human cases in France.

The Riviera is recovering from this morning’s stormy conditions, which saw 70mm of rainfall in the early hours, leading to extensive delays on trains and motorways. At one-point access to the A8 was blocked north of Nice due to flooding, while in the Bouches du Rhones a mini-tornado hit Arles around 5am leading to sixty people being evacuated. In Cannes the Lochabair school had to be closed due to flooding in the canteen. This afternoon Meteo France lifted its Orange Weather Alert for the Var & Alpes Maritimes with weather returning to normal this evening.

The Paloma gourmet restaurant in Mougins has announced its immediate closure today with a loss of twenty jobs. The Czech owners said the restaurant has never been profitable, losing millions over the last five years. The closure is a blow for Mougins who are working to become the gastronomic capital of the region.

Finally, living in France could be good for your life expectancy. The country’s oldest man Roger Auvin has just died aged 111 years old. His family say the only reason he passed, is because he decided himself it was time and two weeks ago refused to eat. His death makes Marcel Meys the country’s oldest man at 110, while France’s oldest woman, who lives in Toulon, is 115 years old. Experts estimate that by year 2070 France will have a quarter of a million people over the age of 100.

BUSINESS

The IMF have said the global economy is growing at its slowest pace since the financial crisis hit a decade ago, with growth slowing to 3% this year, down two percentage points from its July forecast. The IMF annual report blamed the slowdown on trade fights, Brexit uncertainty and other geo-political crises, adding that at 3% growth, there is no room for policy mistakes.

Equity analysts at Barclays say the immediate future for Airbus looks brighter than ever thanks to a mature portfolio offering reliable cash-flow over the next five years. They say Airbus’s range of planes should outgrow Boeing’s by 2024, as Boeing contends with problems over its grounded 737 Max plane as well as challenges getting the new 777X into commercial service.

SPORT

Cycling - The route for next years Tour de France was revealed today with the world’s most famous cycle race starting with two days around Nice during the last weekend of June before moving on to Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and further north. The Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has promised the Tour will be marked by three days of celebration in Nice!

Football - UEFA’s President has said football needs to ’wage war’ on racists after last nights England game was stopped twice due to racist chants. Following the abuse from Bulgarian fans, the President of the Bulgarian Football Association resigned after being told to quit by the country's prime minister.

MA NOLANS RUGBY WORLD CUP REPORT

England's preparations for their World Cup quarter-final against Australia have been given a significant boost with the news that Billy Vuni.pola is now very likely to be fit to start. The number eight injured his ankle against Argentina 10 days ago.

Meanwhile Dan Biggar, Jonathan Davies and George North are on course to return for Wales in their World Cup quarter-final against France, according to assistant coach Stephen Jones.

Scottish Rugby Union CEO Mark Dodson is in trouble for criticizing World Rugby, for considering cancelling the Scotland/Japan match due to typhoon weather conditions and threatening legal action should that happen. Today the competition organisers have referred Scottish Rugby and Mr Dobson to its disciplinary committee over the comments.