Evening Update Wednesday 1 March 2023

A French union has called for industrial action by its members who refuel aeroplanes. The CGT union said that the action should begin next Monday evening, the 6th of March. The union said that it was aiming to disrupt or stop the onboarding of fuel. The action is being taken because, according to the union, the job of refueller is arduous and involves working "atypical hours".

The dispute between a circus and the city of Nice is continuing. The Zavatta circus has been installed for the past few days on land in the west of Nice which the city says it doesn't have the right to occupy. According to reports in French media today, the circus is disputing the ownership of the land and is also filing a complaint against Nice deputy mayor Anthony Borre over recent comments made regarding the welfare of animals in the circus.

French minister for Territorial Communities and Rurality, Dominique Faure, has said that the level of rainfall in France "for the next two months will be critical". She said that France "is experiencing a worrying drought" with five departments subject to restrictions. She added that other departments will be subject to decrees in the coming days.

President Macron is visiting Gabon in east Africa today. He's attending the One Forest Summit which aims to highlight the importance of the world's rain forests. Today is the first day of a four day tour of east Africa by the President.

French government spokesperson Olivier Veran has said that the TikTok app is not installed on the phones of any government ministers. There have been concerns expressed by several national governments about the security of data on the app, which is owned by a Chinese company. Olivier Veran added that in any event no social media apps are able to run on the professional phones of French ministers. He said that it's being considered whether the ban should be extended to other branches of government.

Divers from the Marine Nationale have been involved in removing munitions from the sea bed off the Ile Sainte Marguerite. The historic ammunition was retrieved by specialist divers because it was believed it may pose a danger to life.

The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture has launched its new website. The site has a new modern design which the prefecture says enables a clearer presentation of information. It can be found at the usual address, www.alpes-maritimes.gouv.fr

 

BUSINESS

UK house prices fell by 1.1% in the year to February, according to data from the Nationwide Building Society released today.  Except for a small drop at the start of the pandemic, this was the first annual fall in property values since November 2012. Prices also fell on a monthly basis, declining by 0.5% from January.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally cleared the merger of satellite companies Viasat and Inmarsat. It said that they will continue to face significant competition from other competitors, including Elon Musk's Starlink, as well as established firms like Intelsat and Panasonic, in the coming years.

 

SPORT

Cricket... England have beaten Bangladesh by three wickets in the One Day International Series. The win means they take a 1-0 lead in three-match series. Dawid Malan hit a century off 134 balls and finished the day on 114 not out.

India were bowled out for 109 on the first day of the Third test against Australia. Australia were on 156 for 4 in reply at the end of the day.

 

 

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