Following yesterday's day of industrial action against the government pension reforms, another day of strike action is planned for tomorrow Saturday 11th January with a march organized in Nice. The organizers of the inter-union strikes have said that they are considering more industrial action next week - on the 14th, 15th and 16th of January - but will make a decision on the details after measuring the success of tomorrow's day of action. Unions are calling for a march to leave the main railway station in Nice at 11am tomorrow to head to the Place Massena. It’s expected that Line 1 of the Tramway will be disrupted because of the march. Demonstrators have been protesting this morning in front of the prefecture in Toulon. One protestor was arrested after allegedly lighting a smoke bomb.
Three hikers were rescued by helicopter near Roquebrune-sur-Argens in the Var last night. The hikers, who were all from Italy and under the age of twenty, were in a difficult to access area when night fell and requested help by calling emergency services by mobile phone. A civil security helicopter was used to take them to safety. No injuries were reported.
The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has announced that Corsica Ferries vessels arriving in Nice will be using low sulphur fuel to reduce pollution on the coast. The company's ships will be using fuel containing 0.1% sulfur on the approach to Nice.
According to Météo France, December 2019 ranks 4th nationally for the mildest December on record. The average temperature for the Var in December was 9.6 degrees, which is 2.8 degrees above the normal temperature for that time of year and in the Alpes Maritimes it was 6 degrees which is 2.4 degrees above normal. Some cities even had their mildest December ever, with record average temperatures - for example Hyères in the Var saw a record high of 12.6 degrees, Cannes 11.7 degrees and Nice 12.5 degrees.
A 26 year old woman was trapped in her car after an accident in icy conditions in the Var this morning. The woman's car came off the road in Comps-sur-Artuby. She was slightly injured and was taken to hospital nearby. A rescue vehicle arriving on the scene was itself in collision with an oncoming vehicle but there were no injuries.
Police in the Var have launched a missing person appeal following the disappearance of 45 year old Jérome Fabre who was last seen on Wednesday in Vinon sur Verson in the Haut Var. Wearing a checkered “lumberjack” type shirt and a red windbreaker his wife said he had gone for a long walk along the river Verdon and had not taken his mobile phone with him. Anyone who may have any information or have seen Jérome Fabre can contact the police on 04.94.80.30.34.
BUSINESS
Revenues at fashion retailer Superdry fell 15.8% over the 10 weeks to 4 January, according to the company. As a result, Superdry said it now expected full-year profits to be between zero and £10m, compared with analysts' expectations of about £40m.
Lidl, the discount retailer, has reported an 11 per cent rise in sales at its UK business over the festive period, in the 4 weeks to December 29th. It said that sales of wine rose by 20 per cent. Lidl has a market share of about 6 per cent, making it the UK 7th largest supermarket chain.
SPORT
Cricket... Shane Warne has raised one million Australian dollars for the bushfire appeal after his "baggy green" Australia cap was sold at auction. He wore the cap throughout his 145-Test career. Australia's Commonwealth Bank was responsible for the winning bid which came in the auction's final minute. Warne said he was "blown away" by the generosity and the final figure was way beyond his expectations.
Tennis... Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki are through to the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic. Williams had a straight-set victory over Germany's Laura Siegemund. Wozniacki beat the 2019 champion Julia Gorges. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has put Serbia through to semi-finals of the ATP Cup in Sydney. He's so far won all of his singles rubbers at the ATP Cup.
Football... In the English Premier League this weekend, tonight-Sheffield United play West Ham and then on Saturday Crystal Palace play Arsenal. Chelsea host Burnley. Everton play Brighton. Leicester face Southampton. Manchester United play Norwich. Wolves play Newcastle and Spurs play Liverpool. On Sunday Bournemouth play Watford and Aston Villa host Manchester City.
Rugby Union... There are two games in the European Champions Cup tonight. La Rochelle play Sale in Pool 2 and Bath play Harlequins in Pool 3.
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