A 78-year-old man with Alzheimer's who went missing after boarding a TGV at Cannes station on Sunday has been found safe and well in Toulon. The man was due to travel to Paris, where a relative waiting for him at the Gare de Lyon raised the alarm when he did not show up. His family say the man had been entrusted to the SNCF's special assistance team and should have been accompanied throughout the journey - but this doesn't appear to be the case. He had alighted from the train in Toulon, where he had been wandering the streets confused for two days, with passers-by mistaking him for a homeless person. Firefighters eventually took him to hospital after he suffered a fall and he has now been reunited with his family.
The stepfather of a seven-year-old boy who died at his home in La Seyne sur Mer has been charged with his murder and remanded in custody. The boy's mother was the first to have been arrested after the tragic incident last week, but investigators then turned their attention to her partner. Police arrested him this weekend in Brignoles. An autopsy found the seven-year-old boy had suffered several beatings. The boy had been followed by child welfare officers since 2018.
Three family members have gone on trial over a fatal dispute between neighbours in Cagnes-sur-Mer in which a 43-year-old man was shot dead in 2018. A 21-year-old man is charged with murder and has spent the past three-and-a-half years in pre-trial detention. His mother and sister, who are also claimed to have been involved in the argument, face charges of violence and failing to assist a person in danger. The accused were having lunch in their garden when they became angry about the noise and dust from their next-door neighbour, who was busy renovating their home ahead of a sale. The brawl was filmed on a mobile phone. The verdict is expected tomorrow evening.
Self-service electric scooter operators in Nice have reported a surge in demand due to the ongoing fuel shortages. Cityscoot, which has operated in the city for the past four years, says it's seen a peak in activity in the past two weeks - and the scooters are being used for longer journeys than usual. Meanwhile, faced with ongoing fuel shortages, the Paca region has announced that train travel on the TER local network will be half price from today until Friday. The 50% discount applies to weekly season tickets and same-day return tickets.
Parents at a nursery school in the north of Nice have expressed their disappointment after being told that the school will be permanently shut down due to the building's poor condition. Last week, all the residents at the Mont Gros apartment block, just off the Grande-Corniche, were told not to go out on their balconies after one collapsed. The nursery school on the ground floor of the building was closed as a precautionary measure, with the 25 children ferried by bus to another school about a kilometre away. The City of Nice has now decided to make the move permanent, saying the conditions there are substantially better.
All 1,800 places on this year's Nice to Villeneuve-Loubet 20k have now sold out. The race is on Sunday 30th October. It's still possible to sign up for the full marathon from Nice to Cannes on the same day - and the 2-by-21 kilometre relay. In total 10,000 runners are expected to take part, across the various race lengths. Registrations close next Monday. You'll find details at marathon06.com
And details of next year's lemon festival in Menton have been announced. The 89th edition will have the theme of "rock and operas". The event's mascot, John Lemon, will sport an Elvis Presley hairstyle, a Rolling Stones mouth and tongue and a mask inspired by the band Kiss. The lemon festival will run from 11th to 26th February.
BUSINESS
Soaring food prices in the UK have pushed the increase in the cost of living back up to the 40-year high seen in July. Inflation - a measure of prices - accelerated to 10.1% in September as rising living costs continued to hit household budgets. The biggest jump in food prices since 1980, with bread, cereals, meat and dairy prices all climbing, official figures show. The Bank of England has said inflation could peak at 11% this year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said inflation had hit 10.1% in the 12 months to September, after seeing a slight dip to 9.9% in August.,
Online fashion retailer Asos has reported a big loss as its customers spend less on fashion due to the rising cost of living. The firm saw a loss of nearly £32m in the 12 months to August, compared with a profit of £177m last year. The firm expects shoppers to cut back further this year as living costs soar. Asos, which owns Topshop and Topman, said it was facing "an incredibly challenging economic environment" at the moment.
SPORT
Cricket - England bowler Reece Topley is set to be ruled out of the T20 World Cup with an ankle injury, three days before his side's tournament opener on Saturday. While it is yet to be confirmed, it is understood scans, taken after Topley rolled his ankle at training on Monday, have revealed significant damage. It is a serious blow to England's World Cup hopes, given the 28-year-old left-armer's fine form this year. England are waiting for organisers to ratify his replacement.
Ireland kept alive their hopes of progressing at the Men's T20 World Cup with a stunning comeback to beat Scotland by six wickets in Hobart. After the Scots were lifted to 176-5 by 86 from Michael Jones, Ireland managed 180-4 to get the side home with an over to spare. The result means both teams will have a chance of reaching the main draw in Friday's final first-round games. Scotland and Ireland will have a shot at progressing if they can beat Zimbabwe and the West Indies respectively.
Athletics - A large crowd at Tehran airport greeted an Iranian sport climber who competed without a headscarf at a competition in South Korea, calling her a "heroine". Elnaz Rekabi broke Iran's strict dress code - but later said her hijab had fallen off "inadvertently". Many are sceptical about the reason she gave in an Instagram post and repeated in a state TV interview at the airport, believing it was made under duress. Iranian women are required to cover their hair with a headscarf and their arms and legs with loose clothing. Female athletes must also abide by the rules when they are officially representing Iran in competitions abroad. Rekabi flew in from South Korea on Wednesday, where she had been competing at the IFSC Asian Championships.
The 10,000m records set by Eilish McColgan in the 2022 Great Scottish Run have been invalidated after the course was found to be 150m short. The Commonwealth Games champion, 31, ran what was a new British record and surpassed her own European mark by finishing in 30 minutes 18 seconds. But human error meant an area was not laid out in line with agreed plans. It is the second time the Great Scottish Run has fallen short after the half-marathon course in 2016 was found to be about 150m shy in distance.
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