Two people have been injured after gunfire in the Moulins area of Nice this afternoon. The town hall said that municipal police officers on patrol noticed a vehicle leaving the scene at high speed. The vehicle was followed using security cameras, which allowed the arrest of two individuals on rue Trachel. The driver of the vehicle was suffering from serious injuries.
There's been a serious accident involving a van and a heavy goods vehicle on the A8 motorway this afternoon, 1 km after interchange no. 37 Puget-sur-Argens, on the carriageway towards Aix-en-Provence. Two people have lost their lives and one is injured. The accident caused a traffic jam of around ten kilometres which reached the Fréjus-Est interchange. VINCI Autoroutes said early this evening the evacuation operations for the vehicles involved have begun but traffic is likely to remain very difficult in this sector.
French Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Bechu has been in Nice today. Amongst several engagements, he attended a ceremony commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of public housing organization Cote d'Azur Habitat. Along with Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi he also visited the development site of the Lattre de Tassigny esplanade, part of the extension of the Promenade du Paillon which features eight hectares of green space.
The Ironman World Championship is taking place in and around Nice this weekend. A variety of road closures and diversions will be in place. They include changes to traffic patterns in Saint Laurent du Var, La Gaude, Saint Jeannet, Vence, Le Broc, Carros and Gattieres because of the cycle race on Sunday. Details of the restrictions can be found on https://www.nice.fr/fr/actualites/bien-circuler-et-stationner-a-nice?type=articles
The heatwave continues in many parts of France, with many departments in central and north-west areas still under Meteo France orange or yellow warnings for heat. Temperatures of 37 degrees are expected in the Centre-Val-de-Loire region. Meteo France said that this is the first time orange level warnings for heat had been issued outside the summer period since the current system of warnings began in 2004. Locally, temperatures are expected to reach about 29 degrees in the Alpes-Maritimes this weekend and up to about 34 degrees inland in the Var.
The president of the charity Restos du Coeur has stated that he is delighted at the level of funds donated since he appealed for financial assistance for the organization last weekend. Over the past few days there have been several major donations including 10 million euros from French billionaire Bernard Arnault and his family, and 15 million euros from the French government.
Today is the first day of the 10th edition of the National Days of Action Against Illiteracy in France. Two and a half million adults in France are unable to read. This year's campaign, which runs until the 15th of September, aims to get people to talk freely about the subject of illiteracy, in order to make it a subject of public conversation .
BUSINESS
Industrial action has started at two major liquefied natural gas facilities in Australia, despite many weeks of negotiations over pay and conditions. Two of Chevron’s plants in Western Australia are affected. They account for more than 5% of global LNG capacity.
A key UK government auction for offshore wind projects has attracted no bids. Potential applicants have argued that the price set for electricity generated was too low to make offshore wind projects viable. However, there were applicants for solar, tidal and onshore wind projects.
SPORT
Cricket...England are facing New Zealand in the first One Day International. New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl. It's the first game in the four-match series. In their innings England were 291-6 after 50 overs.
Rugby Union.... Fiji have named Teti Tala at fly-half for their World Cup opener against Wales in Bordeaux on Sunday. Georgia, Australia and Portugal are also in Pool C.
Athletics... The Commonwealth Games Federation has said that it is "open" to the 2026 Games being postponed by a year to allow time for a new Australian host to come forward. The state of Victoria withdrew as hosts in July and no other state government has since submitted a bid.
Train traffic is completely halted after 5:30pm today, Thursday 17th of October.
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A 26-year-old biker has died following a road accident behind the Eze-Village tunnel.
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Thirteen departments in southern France are under orange weather alert for rain, flooding, thunderstorms, and/or river surges. ...
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All schools in the Alpes-Maritimes will be closed today Thursday 17th October, due to the orange weather alert which is to be reinstated from 9am this...
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The Alpes-Maritimes and Var regions were placed under an orange weather alert for storms and rain-induced flooding on Wednesday, the 16th of October,...
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