Train services on the Riviera are expected to be disrupted from this evening because of industrial action. SNCF have said that services will begin running down from about 7pm this evening and will only get back to normal at about 8am on Friday. Timetables will be available online, on the SNCF app and at railway stations each day from 5pm. Various local TER trains and some TGV services throughout France are expected to be disrupted. Tram and bus services will also be affected, as will some schools. The strikes are part of a national day of industrial action in France tomorrow. Demonstrations are planned throughout the country, including on the Promenades des Anglais in Nice.
French customs officers have seized 19kg of herbal cannabis. The haul was allegedly found in a vehicle being driven by a Spanish national when it was stopped at a toll booth near Saulce in the Hautes-Alpes. The local prosecutor said that a man accused of the possession and transportation of narcotics would be appearing before a court in Gap today.
The body of a man has been found in the boot of a car in Aix-en-Provence. The corpse was discovered early this morning near the centre of the city. Tests are being made to establish the man's identity and an investigation is being carried out by departmental security services in Marseille.
Investigations have been opened after a man was shot by police in Marseille. Local reports say that the man walked into a police station in the 15th arrondissement and threatened to stab himself before running towards a market. Police then confronted him and shot him in the abdomen. The man is now in hospital but his life is not in danger.
Nice mayor Christian Estrosi has held a meeting with Her Excellency Denise Campbell Bauer, Ambassador of the United States of America in France. In a post on social media the mayor said that "no other country better embodies an ideal shared beyond its borders than the United States: freedom".
BUSINESS
The Bank of England has said it will step in to calm markets after the government's tax-cutting plans sparked a fall in the pound and caused borrowing costs to surge. It warned that if the market volatility continued there would be a "material risk to UK financial stability". The Bank said that it will start buying government bonds at what it called an "urgent pace" to help restore "orderly market conditions". The Bank said that is monitoring developments in financial markets very closely in light of the significant repricing of UK and global financial assets. It said that "this repricing has become more significant in the past day" and is particularly affecting long-dated UK government debt. It added if this "dysfunction in this market" were to continue or worsen, "there would be a material risk to UK financial stability" which would lead to an "unwarranted tightening of financing conditions and a reduction of the flow of credit to the real economy". A Treasury spokesperson said that it will work closely with the Bank in support of its financial stability and inflation objectives.
The Chinese yuan has hit record lows against the surging US dollar. The internationally traded yuan fell to its lowest level since data first became available in 2011. China's domestic currency also reached its weakest since the 2008 global financial crisis.
SPORT
Rugby Union....England's women's team will play their first standalone fixture at Twickenham when they face France in the 2023 Women's Six Nations on 29 April. The tournament will take place after the men's event. The Red Roses host Scotland at Newcastle's Kingston Park on 25 March and Italy at Franklin's Gardens in Northampton on 2 April.
Motorsports... Lewis Hamilton says he doesn’t "think it is the end of the world" if Mercedes don't win a race this season and that the team "will get back to the top". He said that he doesn't look at this season as a dry spell, saying that he feels it has "been a year of growth". Mercedes are still challenging Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship and Hamilton said that the team's goal is to achieve second place.
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