Uber drivers to strike next week - Uber drivers on the Riviera are planning a strike next week in protest against a big increase in the commission charged by the ride-hailing app. The chauffeur-driven vehicles union, VTC 06-83, says drivers will refuse to accept any rides to and from Nice airport or railway stations next Thursday and Friday. Drivers are angry after Uber increased its commission from 25% to 45% on the most popular routes, without any prior consultation. The union says driving for Uber is becoming an increasingly precarious job. The Alpes-Maritimes has 7,500 registered private-hire car drivers, about half of whom work for apps like Uber, Bolt and Heetch. As part of next week's so-called "Uber blackout", drivers are planning to protest at Terminal 1 at Nice airport from 6am on both Thursday and Friday. If you're due to fly, it may be worth allowing extra time to get to the terminal. The strike also coincides with an SNCF train strike next Thursday.
Man dies while hiking in Mercantour - Mountain rescue workers have found the body of a man from Menton who went missing while out hiking in the Mercantour. The alarm was raised when the 40-year-old failed to return home from a walk near the Franco-Italian border north of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, at an altitude of more than 2,500 metres. Mountain rescue dogs and a helicopter spent seven hours searching for him overnight. He'd suffered a fatal fall and his body was found at the foot of a rocky ledge. The advice from gendarmes for hiking enthusiasts is to prepare and share your planned route and, if possible, turn on location-sharing on your phone before setting out.
Monaco grand prix deal extended - It's been confirmed that Monaco will continue to host the Formula One grand prix until at least 2031 after signing a new six-year extension to the agreement between the Automobile Club and Formula One's organisers. Created in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix is renowned as one of the most famous sporting events in the world. The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix will take place over the weekend of 24th and 25th May next year - the eighth of 24 races in the season.
Customs seize cannabis pollen in truck - Customs officers in Menton have seized a tonne and a half of cannabis pollen hidden in 30 suitcases in the back of a truck. The suitcases were hidden behind potted plants and bags of soil. The value of the seizure is estimated at nearly €14 million. The discovery occurred during a routine spot check at a service area on the A8 motorway. Two people were arrested. They said they had come from Spain and were driving to Italy.
Picard customer data leak - Frozen food supermarket Picard says the personal data of some of its loyalty card customers has been leaked. About 45,000 of Picard's 11 million loyalty card members are affected. Leaked data includes names, dates of birth, email and postal addresses and phone numbers - but not banking data. Picard has emailed those affected and has urged all its customers to regularly change their passwords.
Voie Mathis tunnel almost complete - Building work has nearly finished on a new tunnel at the western exit of the Voie Mathis in Nice. After three years of construction work, it's expected that the first cars will be able to use the new 800-metre-long tunnel from next spring, near the former site of Nice Saint-Augustin station. It's hoped that the new €180 million tunnel will save motorists up to 10 minutes sitting in traffic jams during rush hour, making an easier connection between the expressway and the A8 motorway while relieving neighbouring roads of 20,000 vehicles per day. You can see it for yourself tomorrow. A public visit is being organised at 11am.
BUSINESS
British chancellor Rachel Reeves has laid out plans to create pension “megafunds” in a drive to increase infrastructure investment. Reeves told the City that she will introduce a new pensions bill next year, to pool assets from the 86 separate local government pension schemes (LGPS) into larger vehicles. Those 86 defined-benefit schemes cover 6.5 million members and £360bn in assets. Putting them into larger pots would create a set-up similar to those in Australia and Canada, where single large pension funds managed by professional investors invest more in infrastructure.
UK and European gas prices have risen to their highest levels in a year. The European gas benchmark rose by 4.5% yesterday to €45.65 per megawatt hour, the highest since November 2023. The price of next-day gas in the UK is also trading at its highest since last November
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency has predicted that the oil market will run a surplus next year. In its latest monthly report, the IEA says that concerns over the health of the global economy have hit the oil price in recent weeks, with Chinese demand contracting for a sixth straight month in September.
P&O Ferries spent more than £47m on sacking hundreds of UK seafarers in 2022, according to its long overdue accounts that will be published in the coming days. The filings confirm the financial cost of the company’s actions two and a half years ago when it outraged the public and parliament by dismissing 786 mainly British ferry workers – and then largely replacing them with low-cost agency staff from countries including India, the Philippines and Malaysia.
And luxury fashion group Burberry has announced a turnaround plan that aims to revitalise its sales and cut costs. Burberry’s new CEO, Joshua Schulman, told the City that his ‘Burberry Forward’ plan will “reignite brand desire”, improve performance and drive long-term value creation.
SPORT
Athletics - World Athletics president Lord Coe says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) needs to improve rules on transgender and differences in sex development athletes to "protect female sport". Britain's two-time Olympic 1500m champion Coe is one of seven confirmed candidates hoping to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president next March. His comments come after Algeria's Imane Khelif won women's welterweight boxing gold at the Paris Games in the summer, a year after being disqualified from the World Championships for reportedly failing gender eligibility tests. In a wide-ranging interview, Coe also spoke of how he has been "in training for life" for the presidency of the IOC, the fundamental challenges facing the Olympic movement, prize money in sport and building a relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump - with the next Games scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in 2028.
Football - Harry Kane has revealed his disappointment with the number of withdrawals from the England squad this week, suggesting some England players have forgotten the importance of representing their country. Nine players pulled out of England's squad to face Greece yesterday and the Republic of Ireland this weekend. Three Lions interim boss Lee Carsley will be without a string of senior players.
Among the Nations League action tonight, Scotland play Croatia with an 8.45pm kick-off French time. Wales play Turkey tomorrow at 6pm. England face the Republic of Ireland on Sunday at 6pm.
WEATHER
Fine and sunny today with a gentle breeze and temperatures getting up to 18 degrees Celsius on the coast and 16 inland. Clear skies tonight with light variable winds. Overnight temperatures going down to 9 on the coast and 3 inland.
The outlook for the weekend: more of the same, fine and sunny on both Saturday and Sunday, some occasional strong winds on Sunday in the Var. Temperatures over the weekend again reaching 18 degrees Celsius.
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