Evening Update Wednesday 27 April

President Marcon has been targeted with rotten tomatoes at a walkabout near Paris today. It was the president’s first public outing since winning the election at the weekend. Marcon was not directly hit by the flying tomatoes and no one was arrested.

La France Insoumise and the Socialist Party report successful talks, negotiating an agreement ahead of the legislative elections coming in June. After the meeting, they said there were no insurmountable points between them. La France Insoumise are hoping to win a majority in the elections, installing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister.

Pineappli, a start-up supported by the MonacoTech incubator, has managed to secure Monaco Telecom as its first major client. Pineappli helps companies make the transition to digital, providing secure solutions for the digitization of documents. For Monaco Telecom they will begin with the digital transition of payslips covering nearly 250 employees each month. The partnership will mean Monaco Telecom will save significant time and money through a simplified system, while eliminating paper usage and helping to protect the environment.

There has been disruption to internet access in several French cities after fibre cables belonging to the Free and SFR networks were deliberately cut. Police are investigating to decide if the incident is vandalism or something more sinister. Meanwhile, Free and SFR report service has been restored to those affected.

The old go-karting pits on the Promenade at Juans-les-Pens are to be converted into restaurants. The city said it was a good balance of increasing tourism on the promenade without encroaching further on the beach. It’s expected conversion work will begin after the summer.

French authorities have frozen another yacht belonging to a Russian billionaire on the Mediterranean. The Rahil, which has been docked in Marseilles since March, belongs to Arkady

BUSINESS

The euro has tumbled against the US dollar today amid concerns that Gazprom, the Russian state energy firm, has halted natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. It’s the first time since 2017 the euro dipped below $1.06. The American currency has surged in recent weeks due to its safe-haven appeal, as traders fear a growth slowdown or even a recession.

Shares in Tesla have dropped 12.2% after Elon Musk announced his purchase of Twitter. Investors fear the billionaire is spreading himself too thin, trying to run Tesla, Space X, the Boring Company and now a social media outlet. Ironically, the slump in Tesla value may pose problems for a $12bn loan, Mr Musk has secured against Tesla, in order to buy Twitter.

The fall in Tesla value, mixed with new Coronavirus lockdowns in China and the continuing conflict with Russia, has seen the NASDAQ fall to its lowest level since 2020.

SPORT

Football - In the Champions League, after last night’s thrilling 4-3 first leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid, we have another huge night ahead, with the second semi-final of the week between Liverpool and Villareal. 

The Spaniards have already knocked out two heavyweights Juventus and Bayern Munich and tonight Liverpool is next in line. They will have a tough match though, as Jurgen Klopp’s side is still in the running to win three more competitions, in addition to the domestic cup they picked up earlier in the campaign, putting them on the brink of history.

The game kicks off in Anfield at 9pm tonight.

Tennis - World number one Iga Swia-tek has withdrawn from the Madrid Open with a shoulder injury. The Polish 20-year-old had won her fourth consecutive title at the Stuttgart Open at the weekend and was due to start her Madrid campaign tomorrow. Despite withdrawing, she has confirmed she is hoping to play at the Italian Open in May followed by the French Open, where she is the favourite for the title.

Snooker - Six-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has moved into the semi-finals of the World Championship with a comfortable 13-5 win over Stephen Maguire. His win sees him reach a 13th Crucible semi-final, one more than Stephen Hendry's tally of 12. He will now face either four-time winner John Higgins or Jack Lisowski.

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