Evening News Update Wednesday 24 October

It’s been announced that Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of HRH the Princess of Hanover, Princess Caroline, has given birth to a baby boy.  The statement from the Palace in Monaco said that both mother and child are doing well.


Traders in Old Nice on the Rue Rossetti have expressed their concern at a wave of gang rivalry and drug related offences in the area. Some have spoken to the local press of dealer gangs claiming their “territory” with threats to local businesses. Earlier this month a violent fight broke out in front terraces packed with tourists. Many business owners fear reprisals for speaking out but have appealed for action to be taken.

 

It’s been confirmed that Nicolas Sarkozy will be in Nice next month.  The former president has accepted the invitation of mayor Christian Estrosi to inaugurate two roads named after politicians Charles Pasqua and Philippe Séguin.


Two local mayors in Marseille have reportedly threatened to stop allowing weddings to take place if the participants take part in what they refer to as “urban rodeos”.  In their letter addressed to the prefect of police, the mayors give examples of anti-social and illegal behaviour such as blocking traffic, driving in the wrong direction, going through red lights, and revellers travelling on car bonnets. The mayors say that their local citizens no longer support the tolerance of such behaviour.


More than 19,000 red weevil insects have been captured in traps Antibes/Sophia Antipolis since April as a result of an initiative by local authorities. The insect is a major threat to the region’s palm trees and owners of palm trees are required to perform a monthly visual inspection to detect the presence of the weevil as soon as possible. The traps, on both public and private properties, are emptied every week and the insects counted to assess the progress of the measures.


The furniture store “Fly” has announced the closure of its stores in Riquier and Saint-Isidore. 23 out of the 54 stores in France are due to close after the group was placed in receivership and taken over by a discount brand. Stock will be liquidated but the group says the transition, which will lead to a name change, will not affect employees.


The UN Human Rights Committee has criticised France's so-called burqa ban, saying the law "violated" the rights of two women who were fined for wearing full-face veils in public. The committee called for the women to be compensated and for a review of the 2010 law that forbids people from publicly wearing clothing that conceals their face. It added that it was not convinced by France's claim that the ban was necessary for security and social reasons.

 

BUSINESS


In the UK, the National Audit Office has said that thousands of UK exporters do not have enough time to prepare for new border rules in the event of a no-deal Brexit. It said that criminal gangs could exploit any border weaknesses and added that queues and delays were likely at border crossings.


Barclays has reported increased profits for the third quarter. The bank posted £1.5bn in profits before tax for the three months to the end of September, up from £1.1bn a year ago. Group Chief Executive Jes Staley said the bank was doing well, despite Brexit uncertainty "weighing heavily on market sentiment".


Third quarter profits at airline maker Boeing have risen 30% to $2.4bn. Revenue also increased, to $25.1bn, driven by higher defence and services volume. The company secured training contracts for the US Navy and Royal Australian Air Force in the period.


Ford has appointed a Chinese automobile veteran to head its China division. Anning Chen has been appointed as the new president and chief executive of Ford China. In September, Ford reported that its sales in China sunk by 43% compared with the same period in 2017.

 


SPORT

Cricket… England coach Trevor Bayliss has said that the team’s fielding and attitude were "nowhere near up-to-scratch" in their record 219-run defeat by Sri Lanka. He said that they had “got some hard work to do going forward”.


India captain Virat Kohli has become the fastest batsman to reach 10,000 one-day international runs.  The record was achieved during India’s match against the West Indies. Kohli achieved the feat in his 205th innings, surpassing India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who reached that target in 259 innings in 2001.


Shane Warne has been appointed to the MCC world cricket committee. The committee is an independent panel of former and current players and umpires that can propose changes to the sport's laws.

 

Football.. Marcos Alonso has signed a new contract at Chelsea that will keep him at the club until 2023. The Spain left-back moved to Chelsea from Fiorentina in 2016.

 

Rugby Union.. Former South Africa player Jean Deysel is to retire from professional rugby with immediate effect. He’s played 16 times for his current team Ulster since joining at the start of the 2017-18 season. The 33-year-old was capped four times by the Springboks and played for the Lions and the Sharks in South Africa.

 

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