Local
Missing - Police have launched an appeal following the disappearance of Audrey Ria from Antibes. The 32-year-old woman was hospitalized on the 18th October following a road accident in Marseille. Hospital staff say Ria left the premises on October 18th around 4.30pm and has not been seen since. Ria from Antibes was a resident of Roquebrune Cap Martin and reportedly requires daily medication. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police.
Road accident - A 90-year-old woman has died after being hit by a car near the MAMAC museum in Nice. The accident occurred on Wednesday lunchtime when a vehicle lost control hitting the woman who died at the scene. The driver is being treated for shock at Nice Pasteur Hospital.
Road works - Motorists have been advised to avoid the dual carriage way between La Trinité and Nice which runs along side the bank of the River Paillon. Following torrential rainfall at the weekend work is being carried out on the road and has led to long tail backs in the morning and evening rush hour. The work is expected to be finished by December 3rd.
Strike - The Riviera is bracing for a national strike beginning next Thursday December 5th. The strike is expected to affect trains, schools, postal services and flights. It’s been reported this morning that the SNCF has already suspended sales of all tickets from the 5th to 8th December. It’s also thought ‘yellow vest’ protesters will join the action with demonstrations at motorway toll stations. Workers are protesting pension reform among other issues. President Macron has said the government will remain strong in the face of any unrest.
Albania earthquake - His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco has expressed his “deepest condolences to the victims, their families and loved ones” following the earthquake in Albania. On Wednesday rescuers from several countries were still scrambling to find survivors of the earthquake which hit Albania on Monday, killing 30 people and injuring hundreds more.
National
French farmers - Hundreds of French farmers have protested in Paris against falling revenues and growing instability, adding to a number of social issues facing the administration of President Emmanuel Macron. More than 1,000 tractors approached Paris in the early hours of Wednesday morning, slowing traffic on the périphérique ring road and causing 340 kilometres of backed-up traffic. Farmers also blocked the Champs-Elysees Avenue and dumped hay outside the avenue’s famous Fouquet’s restaurant, symbolic as a dining place of the rich and powerful. Elsewhere, highways were blocked around the city of Lyon in response to farmers unions’ calls for nationwide protests.
French chef - The Michelin Guide has labelled French chef Marc Veyrat a " diva" ahead of the opening of his legal action against the red guide over claims he used cheddar cheese in a soufflé. It is the first time a chef has taken the prestigious guide to court. Michelin stripped his flagship restaurant La Maison des Bois in the French Alps of its third star in January. Veyrat claims that an "incompetent" Michelin inspector mistakenly thought he had modified a soufflé by using English cheddar cheese instead of using French Reblochon, Beaufort and Tomme varieties.
Business
US economic growth picked up slightly in the third quarter according to a Commerce Department report issued on Wednesday with unemployment claims falling last week after standing at a 5 month high for two straight weeks.
The US economy is now into its 11th straight year of expansion and the latest data suggests a more upbeat picture than has been recently depicted with trade wars and an end to the effect of Republican tax cuts making the headlines.
On the downside-consumer spending appears to be in decline but the report suggests that strength in the labor market should help to offset that.
Economists have now boosted their estimates for growth in the 4th quarter which appears to validate comments made earlier this week by Fed chair Jerome Powell who said that he “sees the glass as more than half full”.
A report by the BBC says that former Netflix customers who cancelled their subscriptions months ago had their accounts reactivated without their consent.
The corporation’s “You and Yours” programme on Radio 4 said that it had learned that cybercriminals can log into dormant accounts and reactivate them without knowing a users’ bank details.
Netflix has said that it wants it to be easy for customers to rejoin the service which is why account data is held on the site for 10 months including billing details.
Some former subscribers have said that they cancelled their accounts but then found that they were still being charged.
Netflix says that the security of customer accounts is its top priority and that anyone who notices any unusual activity should contact the firm immediately.
And-Oil prices have fallen back in Asian trade today after official data showed that US crude and gasoline stocks rose against expectations and production hit a record.
Brent Crude futures were down 16 cents or 0.3 percent a little earlier at 63 dollars 90 with US West Texas Intermediate down 21 cents or 0.4 percent to 57 dollars 90.
Crude stockpiles in the US grew by 1.6 million barrels last week as production hit a record high of 12.9 million barrels per day.
Analysts had forecast a drop of 418,000 barrels.
Sport
Football-Liverpool and Chelsea both drew in the European Champions League last night putting their qualification for the last 16 of the tournament on ice.
Liverpool were held to a 1-1 home draw by Napoli while Chelsea drew 2-2 away at Valencia.
Lyon of France lost 2-0 at Zenit St Petersburg.
In the Europa League tonight Wolves are away at Sporting Braga in Group K.Manchester United travel to FC Astana in Group L. Arsenal host Eintracht Frankfurt in Group F as rumours swirl about the future of manager Unai Emery while Celtic host Rennes in Group E and Rangers visit Feyenoord in Group G.
In the English Championship last night Blackburn beat Brentford 1-0.Hull beat Preston 4-0.Middlesbrough were 1-0 winners over Barnsley.QPR were beaten 4-0 at home by Nottingham Forest.Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham drew 1-1 and West Brom beat Bristol City 4-1 which puts the Baggies back to the top of the table 2 points clear of Leeds.
Formula 1-Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says that Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel know that their crash at the Brazilian Grand Prix was “unacceptable” and that the incident has been thoroughly discussed.
The pair collided while battling for 4th place at Interlagos and Binotto says that the team knows how to “move forward”.
He added that the two drivers enjoy a “good and harmonious” relationship off track which he said was not what you might think given the media coverage.
Cricket-The England captain Joe Root says that paceman Jofra Archer is “just fine” ahead of the second Test against New Zealand which starts in Hamilton tonight.
Archer said that he was subjected to racist taunts by a man in the crowd on the final day of the 1st Test at the Bay Oval but Root says that he knows that everyone in the England camp is supporting him and that he’s dealt with it very well.
The cricket boards of both countries are investigating the incident and New Zealand have apoligised to the England players and staff.
The second Test starts at 11pm French time tonight with England needing to win to square the two match series.
Weather.
Partially cloudy with a moderate to strong westerly wind across the region.
Top temperature 17 degrees.
Overnight lows of 12 degrees on the coast and 9 degrees inland with partially cloudy skies.
Friday and the start of the weekend-Partially cloudy with highs of 16-18 degrees.
Finally
A study has found that many users of Tinder do not meet their potential mate in-person and the chances of finding someone interested in a long-term relationship are very slim.
Tinder claims to have made 30 billion matches to date, but many of those connections did not go beyond the digital world.
Researchers discovered that users need a very large number of matches in order to have just a few meetups - as only 50 percent of users met one match face-to-face.
Tinder is a location-based mobile dating service app that presents users with pictures, name, age and other information of potential mates.
Users swipe either left (not interested) or right (interested) on the screen, and provided both users swipe right they are matched and can begin messaging.
Tinder has boasted that it sparks more than 26 million matches per day, but a new study finds most of these matches do not form outside of the app.
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