Evening Update Tuesday 21 January 2020

Lignes d'Azur have announced that they will compensate some customers who have been affected by disruption to the tram service in Nice on several days recently because of industrial action. According to reports, the compensation will be for season ticket holders who will receive an extension to their subscriptions. Details will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, it's been announced that regional transport will once again be disrupted by industrial action on Friday with no trams running in Nice, a limited bus service and the SNCF planning to operate 80% of regional trains.

Part of Cagnes sur Mer experienced a power outage this morning after a fire at an electricity transformer. Employees from Enedis had been working on the transformer which apparently caught fire when it was switched back on. The fire was extinguished by pompiers and electricity supplies were expected to be re-connected during the course of this afternoon.

Authorities have identified the body of the man who was found in the sea at Sanary in the Var yesterday. Local reports say that the victim was a 75-year-old local man who is believed to have died from a heart attack.

A large demonstration has been held by lawyers in Toulon today. Lawyers from all over the region gathered in front of the courthouse at midday to begin a march through the city. They were protesting at proposed pension reforms affecting their profession.

A man has suffered serious injuries after falling about 6 metres from a tree he was pruning. The accident happened this morning at La Martre in the Var. He was airlifted to hospital in Toulon.

Storms are affecting the Pyrénées-Orientales department on the Meditteranean coast next to the Spanish border. Extra police and firefighters have been deployed in the region which is under a Meteo France Orange alert for rain and flooding as well as several Yellow level alerts. There’s been heavy snowfall at high elevations and the department is also on an Orange alert for avalanches. A Météo France forecaster told media that the storm is the worst to have hit the region in the winter period since January 1982.

France has agreed to delay collecting a new tax on multinational technology firms until the end of 2020, according to reports quoting a French government official. The US had threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on French goods, including champagne and cheese, after the tax was passed in July 2019. The postponement was the result of a conversation between President Trump and President Macron yesterday.

A French publisher has apologised after a history textbook suggested that the 9/11 attacks were probably "orchestrated by the CIA". The debunked conspiracy theory was apparently highlighted on social media initially by a group of schoolteachers. The book “History of the 20th Century in Flash Cards” is aimed at undergraduate students. On its website, the publisher said the phrase should never have appeared.

BUSINESS

Facebook has announced that it intends to create 1,000 new roles in London over the course of this year, including adding to its team tackling harmful online content. More than half of the new jobs will be technology-focused, with roles in software engineering, product design and data science. The expansion will take Facebook's UK workforce to more than 4,000 people.

Uber has sold its food delivery service in India to local rival Zomato. Uber will get a 9.99% stake in the Indian start-up, helping it maintain its presence in the sector.

SPORT

Football.... Manchester United have been charged by the Football Association for failing "to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion" at Liverpool on Sunday. The charge relates to an incident when United players confronted referee Craig Pawson after he had initially allowed a Liverpool goal. United have until Thursday to respond.

There are 6 games in the English Premier League tonight. Aston Villa play Watford. Bournemouth host Brighton. Crystal Palace play Southampton. Everton face Newcastle. Sheffield United play Manchester City and Chelsea play Arsenal.

Tennis… World number one Rafael Nadal is through to the Australian Open second round with a win over Bolivia's Hugo Dellien. Nadal will play Federico Delbonis of Argentina next. Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova lost 6-3  6-4 to Croatian 19th seed Donna Vekic.