Meteo France has weather warnings in operation for the Var and the Alpes Maritimes this evening. An orange level alert is in place for storms and heavy rain and flooding in the Var until 6pm, after which they become yellow warnings until 8pm. As far as the Alpes-Maritimes is concerned, there's a yellow warning for storms until 8pm this evening. The prefects of the Var and Bouches-du-Rhone have announced the postponement of the start of the school year until tomorrow because of the bad weather today.
The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes has issued the first so-called "bans on appearing" at the department's drug dealing points. A new anti-drug trafficking law at national level introduced new administrative police measures to combat drug trafficking under which prefects can prohibit anyone involved in drug trafficking activities, such as sellers, lookouts or suppliers, from going to the places where they operate. The bans in the Alpes-Maritimes concern 17 individuals who are now prohibited from appearing in a specific area in Nice, Cannes, and Grasse identified as a drug dealing point. Failure to comply could result in imprisonment of up to six months and a fine.
Firefighters waited for a fire on the fourth floor of a seven-story building in Nice. nineteen people were treated for smoke inhalation, including two firefighters. The Prefect's Chief of Staff, Aurélie Lebourgeois, attended the scene. The Prefecture described the fire as “widespread” but no serious injuries were reported.
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is meeting political leaders today, as part of his bid to win the no-confidence vote set to take place in the National Assembly next Monday. He has invited the leaders of all parties to meet with him, but the leaders of La France Insoumise and the Ecology party have refused. The Prime Minister has been interviewed by many French media outlets in the past few days and has attempted to put the case for his planned budget cuts for the next financial year, saying that they are necessary to reduce the French deficit.
A replica of the famous Place de la Concorde obelisk in Paris has been unveiled in Le Luc-en-Provence. The replica is a tribute to local engineer Jean-Baptiste Lebas, who was responsible for transporting the monument to Paris in the 1830's. It's part off a beautification project of the village square, to which the prefecture has contributed €220,000.
BUSINESS
Royal Mail has made a profit of 12 million pounds in its last financial year. It's owner, International Distribution Services, said Royal Mail had “significantly improved its financial and operational performance”, following significant losses in the previous two years. The company said that this was achieved “despite an increasingly competitive and challenging trading environment”.
UK house prices fell slightly in August, according to the Nationwide Building Society. It said that prices fell by 0.1% in August compared to July. On an annual basis, prices were still up by 2.1% compared to a year earlier. Nationwide said that affordability remains stretched relative to long-term norms, that house prices are still high compared to household incomes, and servicing mortgages has become more difficult due to increasing interest rates over the past few years.
Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has reported a drop in profits. Its profit fell by 30% from a year earlier. The company blamed "increased price competition".
SPORT
Football… Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just two league matches in charge. The 55 year old was previously with Manchester United, which he left last October.
Newcastle have reopened talks with Brentford over a deal for Yoane Wissa. The player issued a statement yesterday saying he wished to leave Brentford. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is aiming to strengthen his forward line. The club signed striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart last week.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal to sign England centre-back Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace and Spurs have agreed to a season-long loan for PSG's Kolo Muani.
Boxing… Former heavyweight boxer Joe Bugner died at the age of 75. He twice held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles. He was also a three-time European heavyweight champion.
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