News
Calls for rallies against the current wave of antisemitism in France -The Association of Mayors in France has called for rallies to be held against the current wave of antisemitism in France. Elected officials plan to gather in front of regional prefectures this Sunday afternoon to coincide with the march planned in Paris. The move comes after some where left surprised to not see any action being taken on a regional level in departments across France following the call from the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly to march on Sunday in the French capital.
Meanwhile, after having not given an answer as to whether they would attend the march in Paris France’s far-left political party La France Insoumise has announced plans to participate in another gathering “against the war and for a ceasefire” on Saturday in Paris. Speaking to French media a member of the party said "we are organizing this march to demand, as we will do every Saturday, that there be an immediate ceasefire and that the President of the Republic demands this ceasefire following in the footsteps of the Secretary General of the United Nations and even the Pope." Before adding that while “the LFI will no participate in the march against anti-Semitism on Sunday due to the participation of the far-right National Rally, they will be present at all initiatives to combat all forms of racism, hatred, discrimination, but without the far right, out of principal”. Sunday’s march between the National Assembly and the Senate is expected to see former French Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande attend as well as former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
Macron rejects Israeli plans to push civilians into safe zones - It was on Thursday that French president, Emmanuel Macron, rejected Israeli plans to push civilians into safe zones in the south of Gaza adding that the world must pursue a humanitarian ceasefire which is the only way to save lives in the territory. Macron made the comments whilst opening a hastily assembled humanitarian conference in Paris attended by politicians, NGOs and leaders of the UN humanitarian movement. Macron described the proposal for safe zones in the south of Gaza as a very bad idea that would not guarantee safety because no political agreement existed for them. The conference did, however, hear support for a maritime humanitarian corridor from Cyprus to Southern Gaza. Israel rejected Macron’s invitation to the Paris conference, but the Palestinian prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, attended and asked those present whether killing six children an hour was a sufficient bloodbath, saying: “this war was not against Hamas, but against all Palestinian people”, and urging the international community not to endorse the Israeli plan to force the people of Gaza to the south. Macron said he would speak to Israeli officials at the end of the conference.
Train traffic disrupted this weekend due to work being carried out on the line - Regional train traffic will be disrupted this weekend in the Var and the Alpes Maritimes due to work being carried out on the rail network. Three maintenance and modernization projects are being carried out by SNCF Réseau in Marseille and Cagnes-sur-mer impacting rail traffic on November 11 and 12. A coach service will be in place and to find out more about traffic conditions, during the work passengers are adviced to check on the SNCF website: https://www.ter.sncf.com/sud-provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/se-deplacer/info-trafic/travaux/interruptions-week-ends and www.sncf-connect.com. You can also call on 0 800 11 40 23.
Fire destroys chalet in the hinterland of Nice - A fire has destroyed a chalet in the hinterland of Nice. Firefighters intervened on Thursday evening shortly after 7.30pm in Valdeblore. The blaze ravaged the top floor and the roof of the chalet and is believed to have been started by a chimney fire. Luckily the occupants managed to escape, no one was injured and the fire did not affect any neighbouring properties.
Snowfall - The first snowflakes have fallen on the peaks of the Southern Alpes from Auron to Isola 2000 via Valberg. Thursday 9th November, saw snow cover the hilltops ahead of the season. Skiers will have to wait until December 2nd, before taking to the slopes, the planned date for our regions resorts to open.
World record for the largest oyster - The largest oyster in the world has been discovered near Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône. While the people of Marseille are affectionately known to occasionally exaggerate, Daniel Castejon was genuinely taken by surprise and at first thought it was a rock! Weighing 2.360 kg, 31 cm in length, 12 cm in width and 10 cm in thickness it is indeed an oyster. Speaking to local media he said, « we are facing the largest specimen in the world and against all expectations, in the Mediterranean, in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône”. Oysters in the Mediterranean are not common and the record for the largest oyster in the world, was until now held by an oyster farmer from Finistère.
Business
In the long-running saga between the EU, Apple and the Irish government a legal adviser to the European Court of Justice has argued that a ruling which allowed Apple to avoid paying €13bn (£11bn) in back taxes should be overturned. Three years ago, a ruling which found Apple had been given illegal tax breaks by the Irish government was overturned. But General Giovanni Pitruzzella at the Court of Justice said the case should be reviewed again arguing that a series of legal errors had been made.
Meanwhile, Apple has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a Department of Justice case alleging that the company illegally discriminated against US citizens during their hiring process. Apple was accused of not advertising positions on its external website and erecting hurdles such as requiring mailed paper applications.
US actors are expected to resume work after their union agreed a tentat
