Evening News Update Monday 12 November

Several hundred teachers, administrators and supervisors gathered on the Place Massena in Nice this morning as part of a national day of action by education unions. The teachers are concerned about their job security and the abolition of teaching posts. In Marseille, the rally was held in the Old Port and a demonstration was also held in Toulon.

 

A couple have been sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder today by the Alpes-Maritimes Assize Court.  The body of a German man was found in a villa in Eze in September 2011 and was initially thought to be a case of suicide, but police investigations led them to suspect that the couple, one French national and the other a German national, had been involved in the man’s death.  The Advocate General had asked for a sentence of thirty years' imprisonment.


An employee of the Bouches-du-Rhône Department of Social Affairs in Marseille died this morning after falling from a building. According to reports, the incident occurred just before 8.00 this morning when the woman apparently jumped from the 9th floor of a government building. It is believed at this stage that the woman took her own life. 

 

The French government has said that protests planned for the 17th November against the rise in petrol prices won’t be allowed to cause a total blockage of traffic. The Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior said today that the demonstrations must be declared and supervised and cannot produce a total blockage. He said that police would monitor the situation. According to unions, 1,600 demonstrations are planned across France. The main protest in our region is due to take place on the A8 motorway at Saint Isidore on the 17th.  

 

The Olympique de Marseille football team has paid tribute to the victims killed when two buildings collapsed in the city last Monday. Players wore black armbands as a minutes silence took place on Sunday afternoon ahead of their match against Dijon. The club has also made a donation of 40,000 euros to the Red Cross to help the victims.

 

The No Finish Line has begun in the Principality and it’s open to everyone. The 24 hour, 8 day event consists of running or walking a 400 meter circuit and with every kilometer covered a euro is donated to a children’s charity. Last year 436,980 km were covered. This year’s event kicked off on Saturday with 13,463 participants registered and just over 49,000 km already covered despite the rain.

 

BUSINESS


The Bank of France has forecast that the French economy will grow by 0.4% in the fourth quarter of the year, which is the same rate seen in the third quarter. It means the economy is unlikely to meet the 1.7% growth rate for the full year that the French government has forecast.


The recent series of American Football matches held at Wembley led to a 9.1% increase in passengers from North America arriving at Heathrow airport last month. That helped the total number of passengers travelling through the airport to reach nearly seven million, up 4.4% from a year earlier. 
Spirits company Diageo has sold 19 brands to US company Sazerac in a deal worth $550m. Diageo said the net proceeds after tax and transaction costs, will be returned to shareholders through a share buyback programme.

 

SPORT


Ruby Union…Scotland have called up Newcastle flanker Gary Graham, who was picked for England's 2018 Six Nations training camp, for their final autumn Tests. The uncapped 26-year-old was born in Stirling. He comes in as an injury replacement for Scarlets flanker Blade Thomson, who is still recovering from concussion.


Football.. Former France midfielder Samir Nasri is reported to be undergoing a medical at West Ham before a proposed move to the club. Nasri is allowed to start training again this month after completing an 18-month doping ban. The former Arsenal and Manchester City player will be able to play from 1 January, 2019.

Real Madrid are set to appoint Santiago Solari as the club's permanent manager. The Spanish Football Association says it has received Solari's contract from the La Liga club, although there has not yet been an announcement from Real. Solari took over on 29 October on an interim basis.

 

Tennis..In the ATP World Tour Finals, Germany's Alexander Zverev has beaten Croatian rival Marin Cilic 7-6  7-6 at the O2 Arena in London. World number one Novak Djokovic takes on American John Isner in this evening’s match.

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