Access to the prison in Draguignan was blocked by supervisors this morning. About one hundred staff staged a demonstration outside the prison starting at about 6.00 this morning. They were eventually removed by police during the course of the morning. The supervisors are protesting at the level of serious assaults on staff and have staged several demonstrations recently.
About a hundred teachers have been staging a demonstration in Nice today. They were protesting outside a meeting of the committee responsible for deciding on the level of teaching posts in the Alpes Maritimes. They were protesting against the proposed elimination of teaching posts in the department next year.
Police in Hyeres in the Var, have confirmed that the body discovered near the A57 motorway in Solliès-Villes is that of a 17 year old boy who was reported missing on Sunday following a night out. Worried relatives had alerted police following his disappearance and his scooter was later discovered abandoned on the side of the road. The investigation continues.
A motor car overturned on the tracks of Line One of the Nice tramway this morning bringing the service to a halt. The incident happened on boulevard Gorbella in Nice Nord.
A worker has been seriously injured in an accident at a construction site in Monaco. Reports say that the man was hit by a falling metal slab at the site on rue Grimaldi. The slab, thought to weigh about 20kg, apparently fell about 30 metres before striking the 45 year old worker. He was taken to the Pasteur Hospital in Nice.
Cannes city council has announced plans for a new cinema complex. The project, planned for 2024, will see the enlargement of the roof of the Palais des Festivals, where the new project is to be located.
Two of the three climbers who died in an avalanche on Ben Nevis in Scotland on Tuesday are understood to have been from France. Their identities have not yet been released by authorities. The third victim was from Switzerland.
Daily newspaper Le Figaro has published a list of the best towns and cities in France in which to spend one’s retirement. The Cote d’Azur does well in the rankings with Cannes at number 3, Mandelieu-la-Napoule at number 9, Antibes taking the 15th place and Nice at number 24. The list was drawn up using a large number of criteria including hours of sunshine, access to medical care and real estate prices. The number one place for retirement in France according to the survey is Arcachon in the Gironde.
BUSINESS
The UK government has announced that most imports into the UK would not attract a tariff in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Under a temporary scheme 87% of imports by value would be eligible for zero-tariff access. Tariffs would be maintained to protect some industries, including agriculture. Beef, lamb, poultry and some dairy products would receive protection.
Prudential has a reported a 6% rise in 2018 operating profit to £4.8bn, driven by its Asian business. The insurer said it was making "continued progress" in separating its UK business M&G Prudential through a stock market listing.
In the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority has fined Carphone Warehouse £29m for failings that led to the misselling of mobile phone insurance and technical support. The FCA said that the investigation was sparked by whistleblowing reports.
SPORT
Cricket...Australia have beaten India by 35 runs in the One Day International Series. Meanwhile it’s been South Africa against Sri Lanka. South Africa won by 6 wickets.
Football…West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has been named in England's squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro in March. Rice switched his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England in a move recently ratified by Fifa. Callum Wilson has also been included in the squad. England host the Czechs on 22 March and are away in Montenegro on 25 March.
Cycling… Danish rider Magnus Cort Nielsen has won the 4th stage of the Paris-Nice today. Britain's Mark Cavendish withdrew from the race yesterday after a "challenging" two days in severe weather conditions including high cross-winds.
Rugby Union…England centre Manu Tuilagi has rejected a lucrative offer from French club Racing 92 and signed a new deal with Leicester Tigers, where he’s been for the whole of his professional career. His contract ran out in the summer and he had been to France to discuss terms with Racing. The length of his new deal with Leicester has not been revealed.
American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first U.S.-born pope and signalling continuity with Pope Francis’...
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A Polish man in his forties has been hospitalized in Valence after enduring a harrowing journey between two TGV carriages from Paris. ...
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Cloudy with sunny intervals. Light rain is forecast for the Var region with moderate to strong winds. Highs of 17 degrees in Monaco and Saint-Tropez, ...
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White smoe Is billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel meaning A new pope has just been chosen! 133 cardinals have gathered in the Sistine cha...
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No new pope has been elected yet, as black smoke signalled another inconclusive vote during the conclave in the morning of Thursday the 8th of May. ...
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