Evening Update 14 Oct

The Var has been put under a yellow weather alert for thunder and possible flooding overnight tonight. The storms follow a very warm weekend where temperatures were five to ten degrees above normal. The bad weather is expected to move through the Alpes-Maritimes tomorrow.

Over a ton of waste was removed from the bay at Villefrance-sur-mer yesterday as 120 people took part in a massive clear-up operation. Divers recovered tyres, metal beams, fibreglass, batteries and electric wires from the sea floor. A barge equipped with a crane assisted with the clean-up.

A French court has ruled free access to public higher education should continue to be made to international students. It means students from outside the EU, which includes post-Brexit students, will pay the same tuition fees as French students which start at €170 for a bachelor’s degree. Last year 340,000 foreign students came to France, making it the leading non-English speaking destination for overseas students.

As Climate Change continues to dominate the headlines, the Principality of Monaco is to invest €3 million in the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund. Monaco have reaffirmed their commitment to the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions locally, as well getting involved in the Nature Based Solutions’ coalition, and participating in the recently released IPCC report on oceans.

Pamela Anderson’s former husband Rick Salomon was in court in Grasse today to claim €2.5 he won in a poker game in Théoule-sur-Mer. However the Saudi Prince he was playing against has denied any debt is due saying the law does not give any action for the payment of a gambling debt. The court will hand down a decision in December.

BUSINESS

The FitLane chain of gyms across the Riviera has been bought by growing national brand Fitness Park. The amount paid for the 23 outlets was not disclosed. Fitness Park who have 195 branches nationwide, and a turnover in excess of €220m, say they have yet to decide if they will rebrand the local clubs.

Facebook’s plans to launch its own currency face another key test this evening as the 22 remaining backers meet in Geneva to set out the structure of the organisation and appoint a board of directors. The currency, which Facebook calls Libra, has seen key backers including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Stripe withdraw in the last few days.

SPORT

Euro 2020 - The Bulgarian coach has accused England of having a bigger racism problem than his own country. The build-up to tonight’s game has been overshadowed by fears England's players could be subjected to racial abuse by fans with the entire England team threatening to walk off the pitch if it does happen.

Meanwhile, France take on Turkey in a contentious game in Paris tonight. Both teams lead Group H with 18 points but France will be looking to settle an embarrassing 2-0 defeat when they last played Turkey in June. Kick-off for both those games is at 8.45.

In Spain, the Catalan Football Federation has suspended all matches in the region tonight after nine Catalan separatist leaders were jailed. The federation says the suspension is to show solidarity with the leaders and their families and covers all of its official matches except La Liga or the Spanish national team.

MA NOLANS RUGBY WORLD CUP REPORT

Ireland’s Bundee Aki will miss the rest of the World Cup after receiving a three-week ban for his red card against Samoa. The Ireland centre was sent off in the 47-5 win over the Samoans for a high tackle. Ireland will not be able to call up a replacement for him, which leaves Chris Farrell, Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw as Schmidt's only options at centre.

England's cancelled game with France will not derail their World Cup momentum as they get ready to face Australia in the quarter-finals. Fly-half Gerald Ford says the squad will be in peak condition despite the fact they haven’t played any games in the last two weeks.

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