Evening Update Monday 18 December 2023

A woman in her fifties has died in an apartment fire in Nice. Firefighters were called to the premises on rue Edouard Beri, just off Boulevard Dubouchage in the early hours of this morning but the woman’s life couldn’t be saved.

Prison guards in Nimes in the Gard department have been taking industrial action. They are demanding action be taken about alleged overcrowding and a lack of staff. The prison in Nimes is the most overcrowded in mainland France.

Several hundred people have been evacuated from premises in the Charente-Maritimes in western France because of heavy rain and flooding. The prefect of the department has said that victims will receive compensation rapidly.

Ten people have gone on trial for the international trafficking of waste between Belgium and France. In the highly unusual case, the defendants are accused of transporting waste from construction sites in Belgium and dumping it in France and also of having produced false papers regarding the contents of transported waste.

Industrial action has been affecting some public transport services in Paris today. Staff on the RER B have been protesting at disciplinary procedures against a driver. However, the action doesn’t affect the interconnection between RER and SNCF services at the Gare du Nord.

 

BUSINESS

Business sentiment in Germany has declined in December according to a new survey. The Ifo Institute said that its business climate index fell in December from November. It said that business sentiment had “clouded over” and that the German economy “remains weak”.

The UK government has announced that it will introduce a new carbon levy on imports from 2027. The levy is part of the UK’s decarbonisation plans. The government said that the levy will make sure that carbon intensive products from overseas such as steel and ceramics “will face a comparable carbon price to those produced in the UK”.

 

SPORT

Cycling…. Track cyclist Emma Finucane has been announced as the BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year for 2023. Finucane claimed her first major title as she took gold in the women's sprint at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow in the summer.

Athletics… The French handball team have won the world title after defeating Norway 31-28 yesterday. The team is being received by President Macron at the Elysees today.

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