The Alpes Maritimes, Var and Vaucluse could be in line for a repeat of the storms which hit the Gard and Herault departments last night. At one point, over 100mm of rain fell in one hour at Nimes. While the Alpes Maritimes is on yellow alert right now, Meteo France says they could upgrade this later this evening. They have already put the Var on Orange alert. In the case of heavy rain tonight, advice is to stay away from trees, waterways, bridges or underground passages. Authorities also warn that only takes 30 cm of water to wash away a car. A return to calm is expected by tomorrow morning.
SNCF say they plan to make further reductions in the number of ticket desks kept open for travellers. While closed offices are now common at smaller stations, SNCF says they will now cut back in larger stations such as Nice Ville, where they intend to have one grande lignes counter, instead of the existing seven. The train operator says they are merely following customer preference, where 85% of sales are made online or at ticket machines.
The Mayor of Cannes David Lisnard has launched an appeal for companies in the capital, to relocate to the Cote d’Azur. His call comes after the marie in Paris announced plans to increase city taxes on successful companies. M Lisnard said Cannes is a perfect city offering fiscal attractiveness, quality of life and an ideal base for creating jobs and wealth.
Finally, private jets are the hot topic in France this week. The coach of Paris St Germain made headlines yesterday, for sarcastically asking if the team was expected to ditch private flights for ‘sand yachts’. He was referring to a story where the team flew by jet to Nantes, which is only two hours by train from Paris. Today, a Brussels-based campaign group has slammed French regulation on private jets as being largely insufficient. Nice Cote d’Azur and Cannes Mandelieu are two of the most active airports in France for private jets of the rich and famous. A survey published in Le Monde today, says the Nice Paris route is the most frequent trip, with 425 private flights this year alone. The French Minister Delegate for Transport has said the regulation of the private jet sector was on the agenda, and that the question would be examined at a meeting of European Ministers next month.
BUSINESS
The European Central Bank is expected to frontload a series of rate hikes and sacrifice growth within the EU, due to the rising cost of living. With inflation in the eurozone projected to rise to at least 10% in the coming months, investors are bracing for a potential rate hike of 75 basis points when the ECB meet tomorrow Thursday.
Meanwhile, on Friday, EU Energy Ministers are to hold an emergency meeting on how to tackle the energy crisis. They are proposing a price cap on Russian gas, just hours after President Putin threatened to halt all supplies if they take such a step. The move raises the risk of rationing across Europe this winter.
American technology companies, that receive federal funding, are to be barred from building any advanced technology facilities in China. The new regulation is part of a $50bn plan to build up the semiconductor industry in the US, after a global microchip shortage which has slowed production.
SPORT
Football - Chelsea have sacked manager Thomas TwoHill after the teams' third defeat of the season. It’s believed the former Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain boss, who led Chelsea to the Champions League title in his first season, had lost the confidence of the squad and become less communicative. It’s likely Chelsea will make a swift appointment, with top tips for the new manager being Brighton boss Graham Potter, former PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino or former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
Champions League - Marseille face up against Tottenham tonight in London. The French champions are spurred on by a flying start to their Ligue 1 season, sitting unbeaten with five wins and a draw after six games. Other games tonight include Ajax against Rangers, Napoli playing Liverpool and Barcelona taking on Viktoria Plzen.
Tennis - Frances Tiafoe, the man who knocked Nadal out of the US Open, is back on court for his quarter-final match against Andrey Rublev tonight. The last time the pair met was at last year's US Open, when they played one of the most memorable matches of the competition, with the American outlasting his opponent in a five-set, late-night thriller in the third round. This year, the stakes are even higher as they play for a place in the semis. The game can be seen in France on Eurosport or on Amazon Prime Video.
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