A ceremony has been held in Marseille this morning to mark one year since the collapse of buildings in the old town area. At 9.05 this morning, eight minutes silence was observed, one minute for each of the victims who lost their lives in the collapse of numbers 63 and 65 rue d’Aubagne on the 5th of November last year. Eight torches were also lit in their memory.
Firefighters were called to a gas leak in Juan-les-Pins this morning. A security cordon was established while pompiers brought the leak under control in the Pinède Gould area. The area was re-opened to vehicles and pedestrians at around midday.
French farmers have announced action today in the Alpes Martitimes region. According to figures there are only 1,400 registered farmers in the Alpes Maritimes compared to 11,000 twenty years ago. Unions argue that poor pay, difficult conditions, long hours and poor pension schemes along with lack of support from the State are to blame for the decrease in the number of people going into farming.
Teachers at Saint-Exupéry high school in Saint-Raphaël have staged a surprise strike today. They were protesting at the implementation of various reforms.
Police in the Alpes Maritimes have launched an appeal following the disappearance of a man in his seventies. Reported missing in Breil sur Roya since Monday Jean-Luc Felicks was last seen wearing dark blue trousers and a blue jacket. Anyone who may have any information is invited to contact police on 04.93.04.40.24.
A court in the Eure department in north-east France has sentenced 14 animal rights activists. The members of Abolition Boucherie had entered 3 farms in December last year and April this year during which they had released turkeys from the farms, allegedly resulting in the deaths of 1,500 of the birds. The activists, including a man from Nice, received suspended prison sentences ranging from 2 to 11 months and will have to financially compensate the affected farmers.
A motorist has been clocked doing 243 km per hour on the A8 motorway in the Bouches-du-Rhône. The 24 year old, who was driving a rented Audi RS3, had reportedly already had his licence suspended for excessive speed within the past few weeks. The two offences will now be heard together when he appears in court.
Work has begun on the construction of the home of the 2024 Olympic Games, to be hosted in Paris. The development is part of a broader government plan to improve the poorest urban areas in the country. The Olympic village, which will house some 15,000 athletes and officials, is being built in the Seine-Saint-Denis area north of Paris, part of the urban fringe which has suffered from social tensions and neglect for years. But the project is controversial locally because it will force the relocation of residents, businesses and even schools in the area where the village is to be constructed.
BUSINESS
UK Car registrations have fallen 6.7% in October, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. It said 10,348 fewer cars were registered than in October last year, which it said reflected “a tough environment for businesses and consumers as economic and political uncertainty continued to impact confidence".
The UK services sector, as measured by the PMI survey, has shown that the sector stagnated in October. Services registered no change in output - showing a reading of 50. Any reading higher than 50 is regarded as showing growth.
Facebook is introducing new branding for its products and services to distinguish the company from its app and website. Instagram and WhatsApp are among the services that will carry the new FACEBOOK brand in the next few weeks. The new logo, which is in capital letters, uses "custom typography" and "rounded corners".
Spanish telecoms company Telefonica has said that operating income before depreciation and amortisation fell by 32% in the three months to the end of September.
SPORT
Football… Italian club Hellas Verona have been ordered to close part of their stadium for one game following the racist abuse of Mario Balotelli. Brescia striker Balotelli kicked the ball into the crowd and threatened to walk off the pitch after the abuse during Sunday's match against Verona.
Gareth Bale has been named in the Wales squad for their decisive Euro 2020 qualifiers. Aaron Ramsey is also included after missing October's internationals with injury.
The European Champions League is back in action tonight with 8 group games. Liverpool play Genk in Group E while Chelsea host Ajax in Group H.
Rugby Union… Premiership champions Saracens have said they will appeal against a 35-point deduction and £5.36m fine for breaching salary cap regulations in three seasons. The club described the sanctions as "heavy-handed". Premiership Rugby said in a statement that both punishments would be suspended if Saracens chose to review the decision. Had the points deduction been applied immediately, the club would be bottom of the Premiership with minus 26 points.
Tennis… Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have been drawn in the same group at the ATP Finals tournament, which starts on Sunday at London's O2 Arena. Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini are also in the group.
Cricket… Aaron Finch and Lauren Winfield will captain Leeds-based Northern Superchargers in The Hundred. Finch is the current captain of the Australia one-day and Twenty20 teams, while Winfield was a World Cup winner with England in 2015. The 100-ball competition begins next year.
After eight months of work and several sea trials, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has begun a six-week operation in the Mediterranean, ...
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A group of experts have come up with more than 150 recommendations for how Nice can deal with the increasing effects of climate change....
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Some communes in the Alpes-Maritimes will be plunged into darkness this Monday evening. For the third year running to mark Earth Day, mayors in the Al...
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Gendarmes in the Var have appealed for information after a 34-year-old man went missing in Cavalaire-sur-Mer....
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A man from Nice used a stolen bank card to make purchases in Monaco, spending over €1,700 in various shops, mostly on airpods that he planned to resel...
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