News
Red weather warning lifted - A red weather alert issued on Thursday evening saw train travel suspended between Les Arcs Draguignan and Ventimiglia and Cap 3000 shopping centre abruptly closed. Following an announcement from the prefecture several security measures were put in place at 6pm yesterday. 700 firefighters were mobilized in the department and campsites were evacuated. The red warning, which also led to schools being closed, has now been lifted. Schools are open today, however school transport will not be provided in the Tinée and Vésubie as access is complicated due to road closure following flooding, falling trees and landslides.
Rhône and Loire hit hard by bad weather – Meanwhile, the bad weather appeared to hit hard the region of the Rhône and the Loire with several roads blocked, due to flooding. On the A47 motorway trucks were at a standstill for several kilometres on Thursday. In the Ardèche, water engulfed a bridge, destroying part of it and other structures were carried away by the current. Train traffic was interrupted between Saint-Étienne and Lyon.
Fatal road accident - A 26-year-old motorcyclist has been killed in a road accident in Eze. The fatal accident occurred on the Moyenne corniche on Thursday afternoon. Emergency service at the scene were unable to save the victim who crashed in front of the tunnel and ahead of the bridge which leads to the village of Eze. The exact circumstances remain to be determined.
A traffic light stuck on red is causing havoc - Residents and parents have demonstrated in front of their school in Marseille in protest against a traffic light which is stuck on red. The faulty light has been stuck for the last six months and the situation is causing problems with motorists and pedestrians during peak hours. Parents have denounced the situation. Just a few days ago a four-year-old child was knocked over by a car on her way to school.
Family of brands reunion held by Sir Stelios in Monaco - A family of brands reunion with a famous orange origin and an ongoing bright future, has taken place here in the Principality as the creator and owner of the famous easy family of brands, a familiar face here in the Principality, Sir Stelios hosted the traditional Autumn family of brands reunion. The two-day event took place at the easyGroup premises in Monaco. All the members of the easy family were represented, as well as associates who work closely with the Group. Over two days business updates were given as well as social opportunities to allow the brands to interact, exchange ideas, and explore potential collaborations as well as an update from the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. For members that couldn’t attend in person there was also an online Zoom session hosted by Sir Stelios. A unique “family reunion experience”.
Twinning of Marseille and Naples – The cities of Marseille and Naples are to be officially twinned. Both as Latin as each other and crazy about football and pizza. Today, Friday 18th October, the city of Marseille will sign a twinning oath at the city council. The move will allow solutions to be shared in terms of culture, economy, tourism, youth and the environment.
Pâté-croûte championship – Finally, the chef of the Monaco Yacht-club Simon Ganache is to represent the Principality at the world pâté-croûte championships. Taking place in Lyon in December Ganache will be there to fly the flag for Monaco. In the Principality, pâté-croûte or meat pies, are a very serious matter. So much so that a pre-selection competition was organised this week with 10 chefs working in Monaco, gathering at the One Monte-Carlo to present their creations to the 11 members of the jury. The jury was composed of Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline, but also great chefs such as Christian Garcia of the Prince's Palace. On December 2nd Simon Ganache will face 14 others in a battle to bring home the cup.
Business
Official figures have shown that China's economy expanded in the third quarter, the slowest pace since early last year, as the country struggles to boost flagging growth. On an annual basis, gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 4.6% in the three months to the end of September, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. That is less than the previous quarter and below the government's "around 5%" target for this year.
Meta has reportedly fired workers for abusing the tech firm's meal voucher system, such as using it to buy toothpaste and washing powder. Other breaches of the policy included sharing the vouchers with others or going over budget. There are differing accounts over how much warning, if any, the owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp gave the workers before firing them. Separately, the company has reportedly cut jobs across the business.
A 237-year-old copy of the US Constitution has been sold at auction for $9m. The rare document was discovered in a historic building in North Carolina in 2022. The copy was printed in 1787 after delegates from the colonial states met for the Constitutional Convention and drafted what would become the founding document of the US federal government. There are believed to be only eight copies like this one left in existence, and seven of them are publicly owned. The identity of the buyer - who placed bids by phone - was not disclosed. The sale on Thursday took just seven minutes.
Sport
Formula One – Ahead of this weekend’s US Grand Prix Formula One Driver Max Verstappen has said that he will continue his stance of giving minimal answers in official Formula 1 news conferences. The Red Bull driver instigated his policy at the last race in Singapore after he was punished by governing body the FIA for swearing in a news conference.
Cricket – On day three of five of the Second Test match England need 261 runs to win against Pakistan. England are staring at defeat following a terrible start to their run chase on the third evening of the second Test against Pakistan.
Football – In the English Premier League at the weekend tomorrow, Tottenham are at home to West Ham. Fulham play Aston Villa, Ipswich face Everton, Manchester United are at home to Brentford, Newcastle face Brighton, Southampton play Leicester, and Bournemouth are at home to Arsenal. On Sunday Wolves are at home to Manchester City and Liverpool play Chelsea.
Weather
The red weather warning has been lifted in the Var and the Alpes Maritimes with an orange warning in place due to rain and the risk of flooding. The warning is in place until this afternoon. Unsettled with sunny intervals and showers. A gentle breeze. Highs of 20 degrees in Monaco and Nice. 21 degrees in Cannes and 22 degrees in Saint-Tropez. This evening going down to 16 degrees and cloudy.
The outlook for the weekend, should remain dry with sunny intervals and highs of 23 degrees.
Sunrise 07.48am
Sunset 06.41pm
Weather elsewhere
London Foggy 17°
Paris Light rain 17°
Liverpool Drizzle 15°
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