The Var is under a Meteo France yellow warning for heavy rain and flooding from 4am until midday tomorrow. Meteo France have said that a rainy episode will affect Mediterranean regions tonight and during the day on Saturday. It said that the rains may be temporarily intense and mixed with thunderstorms. The heaviest rains will affect the departments ranging from Hérault to the Alpes-Maritimes, as well as the western part of Corsica. More settled weather is expected to return on Sunday.
The bodies of an elderly couple have been found at their home in Saint Raphael. Reports say that they were discovered by their son this morning. The local prosecutor has said that no theories have been ruled out as to their deaths but they may have been the result of the murder of one partner followed by a suicide.
A man has drowned at Golfe-Juan today. Firefighters intervened and brought the man in his thirties back to shore but he couldn't be revived.
The French Navy evacuated a passenger from the cruise ship Norwegian Epic about 60 km off Nice in the early hours of this morning. The operation was supervised by staff at CrossMed. Support was given on board by a medical team from Sainte Musse hospital and the patient was then transported to the Sainte Anne Hospital in Toulon at about 5 a.m.
Firefighters in Cannes tackled a blaze in a garage in Mandelieu-la-Napoule last night. Local reports said that explosions were heard as gun ammunition in the garage was detonated by the fire. The blaze was, however, quickly brought under control.
A meeting was held in Paris this morning bringing together staff from the interior ministry to take stock of the organization of forthcoming major sporting events. These include the Rugby World Cup next year and the Paris Olympics in 2024. In particular the security of the opening ceremony of the Olympics and the torch relay were discussed.
BUSINESS
UK Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years, as he hailed a "new era" for the UK economy. Income tax and the stamp duty on home purchases will be cut and planned rises in business taxes have been scrapped. Mr Kwarteng said a major change of direction was needed to kick start economic growth. But the opposition Labour party said it would not solve the cost-of-living crisis and was a "plan to reward the already wealthy". The pound fell against the dollar and the euro after the announcement.
It was also announced today that the UK government will launch a consultation on the possible reintroduction of VAT free shopping for international visitors. The previous scheme was scrapped by former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in early 2021.
Plane maker Boeing is to pay $200m over charges that it misled investors about two fatal 737 Max crashes. The US Securities and Exchange Commission said the company and its former chief executive Dennis Muilenburg made false statements about safety issues.
SPORT
Football… Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged by the Football Association over footage which appeared to show him knocking a phone out of a fan's hand. A video was shared on social media alongside comments claiming he smashed the device as he left the pitch after Manchester United’s defeat at Everton in April. Ronaldo later apologised on social media.
Motorsports... Nicholas Latifi is leaving Williams at the end of the year. The 27-year-old Canadian has raced with the team since the start of 2020. He said "although we have not achieved the results we hoped we would, it's still been a fantastic journey."
Rugby Union...The Rugby Football Union has defended its decision to fly the England's women’s team to the World Cup in New Zealand in economy class. England's men travelled business class to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The RFU said that because the women's side is loss making, "we have to make challenging decisions around what we can invest in".
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