News
Fatal shooting in Vallauris - Police have opened an investigation and are appealing for any witnesses, after a thirty-year-old man was shot dead in Vallauris on Thursday. The shooting took place at around 6pm near the Vallauris football stadium. When emergency services arrived on scene, the victim had already succumbed to his injuries.
Storm Ciaran - Storm Ciaran has brought chaos to western Europe on Thursday. Six people were killed, schools were closed, hundreds of flights cancelled and the shutting down of train services. A truck driver was killed after a tree fell on him in northwestern France and a second death was reported in Le Havre. Falling trees killed a woman in Madrid and another woman in the Netherlands, while two people, a five-year-old and a 64-year-old from Germany, died due to falling branches. In France, 1.2m households were left without electricity and 15 people, including seven firefighters, were injured.
In Britain, the Channel Islands were among the worst affected areas, with reports of windows blown in and a roof ripped off. KLM, the Dutch airline, cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Amsterdam and international trains from the Dutch capital to Paris were cancelled. Shipping lanes in the south-west of the Netherlands were closed.
Floods caused heavy damage in Italy, in the Tuscany region with several rivers bursting their banks. Several hospitals were flooded, notably in Florence and Pisa and many roads and schools were closed.
Locally in the aftermath of Storm Ciaran several roads in our region have been closed due to landslides and will remain closed until further notice. They are the RD17 in the Estéron, the RD 91 in Tende along with the RD 6204 at the Tende tunnel, the RM 2205 in Isola and several roads in the Vallée Tinée and the Vallée Vésubie. Traffic is alternated in Grasse on the RD 2085.
Emergency test cancelled – Meanwhile, the test of the French emergency telephone alert and information system scheduled for today has been cancelled. The test would have involved the sending of a tsunami alert message to the mobile phones of people in coastal areas of the nine French departments bordering the Mediterranean. The exercise has now been cancelled because of the possibility of confusion between the test and any alert regarding the current weather conditions. Authorities said that the cancellation will also allow personnel to concentrate on their duties relating to the current weather.
State of natural disaster - A state of natural disaster has been recognised for two communes in the Alpes-Maritimes. Pégomas is recognised for the flooding/mudslide phenomenon that occurred on June 15 this year and Menton for the drought/soil rehydration phenomenon for the year 2022. The Prefecture issued a reminder on Thursday that victims have 30 days from the publication of the decree which was on October 20th, to submit an estimated statement of the losses they have suffered with their insurance companies in order to benefit from the compensation system. Further details can be found on the prefecture's website www.alpes-maritimes.gouv.fr
Product recall - pre-prepared meals branded by the supermarket chain Casino have been recalled due to chemical contamination. Customers are being told to not consume the product and to return it to the point of sale. The recall has been published on the Rappel Conso website.
The products concerned are shredded carrots 300g Casino (GTIN 3222477061255, lot 330001, use-by date 14/11/2023), celery remoulade 300g Casino (GTIN 3222477061279, lot 330001, use-by date 14/11/2023), Macedonia vegetables 300g Casino (GTIN 3222477059702, lot 330001, use-by date 12/11/2023) as well as grated carrots 1kg Casino (GTIN 3222477059603, lot 330001, use-by date 14/11/2023). The recall process will end on November 19.
Drug trafficking - Police in Nice have seized 4 kilos of cannabis in an apartment in the Pasteur district. Officers arrested two 20-year-olds found to be in possession of 4 kg of drugs and a loaded handgun. The two suspects will appear in court in December for drug trafficking. Both were placed in pre-trial detention.
Court rules in favour of Nice city council - A court has ruled in favour of Nice city council after the Allianz Riviera claimed €18M for lost profits during Covid. The Nice Eco Stadium company which manages the Allianz Riviera claimed €18 million from the city of Nice during the health crisis. The court rejected the request in a decision announced on Thursday.
Fake parking fines - Fake parking tickets have been placed on windscreens in Toulon over the past few days. A QR code is on the ticket to supposedly enable payment of the fine. The Prefect reminded motorists to never pay a fine from a QR code.
Twinning ceremony - The official twinning ceremony between the Monaco and Dolceacqua is set to take place today. The two mayors Georges Marsan and Fulvio Gazzola will sign the twinning oath during a ceremony in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II and local dignitaries. It will take place at Monaco Town Hall. In the afternoon, a second twinning signing ceremony will take place in Dolceacqua, on the Church Square. The festivities will continue in the presence of the Monegasque and Italian delegations, as well as the local population. The history shared between the two communities’ dates back to 1491.
Nice -Cannes Marathon - Finally, this weekend will see runners from beginners to professionals take part in the Nice-Cannes Marathon. On Sunday 5th November, the French Riviera Nice-Cannes Marathon will celebrate its 15th edition! Nearly 150,000 runners since the first edition in 2008, have run on one of the most beautiful routes in the world. The day before the race, everyone is invited to participate in the Breakfast Run! A last free training session over 4 or 5 km on the famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice in a friendly environment! Open to all, all the runners will start at 10am in the morning on Saturday 4th November opposite the Palais de la Méditerranée in Nice!
Business
Former billionaire, 31-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried, who once ran one of the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, has been found guilty of fraud and money laundering. The month-long trial in New York delivered its verdict after just four hours of deliberations. Bankman-Fried was arrested last year after his firm, FTX, went bankrupt. He now faces decades in prison. His sentencing has been set for 28 March 2024.
Apple sales have continued to fall, despite strong demand for its iPhones and services like streaming platform Apple TV+. The tech giant says revenues dipped 1% to $89.5bn (£73.3bn) in the three months to 30 September when compared with the same period last year. Sales of its Mac computers and iPads struggled after a post-lockdown surge in interest.
Ride-sharing firms Uber and Lyft have been ordered to pay $328m to settle claims they "systematically cheated" New York drivers out of pay and benefits. It resolves a long investigation by the New York attorney general, who called it the largest wage theft settlement in her office's history. The agreement also means that drivers in the state will receive guaranteed paid sick leave. Uber called it a "landmark", while Lyft said it was "a win for drivers".
And - The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has held a highly unusual "in conversation" event with the X and Tesla owner Elon Musk at the end of this week's summit on artificial intelligence. The pair talked about how London was a leading hub for the AI industry and how the technology could transform learning. But the chat took some darker turns too, with Mr Sunak recognising the "anxiety" people have about jobs being replaced, and the pair agreeing on the need for a "referee" to keep an eye on the super-computers of the future.
Sport
Football - Sources connected to Manchester United football club have told reporters that the club’s ownership situation needs “a quicker resolution to bring greater clarity to the club’s manager Erik ten Hag's and his position”. The Dutchman is under pressure following successive 3-0 home defeats by Manchester City and Newcastle. United face a run of "must-win" games.
In the Premier League tomorrow Manchester United are away to Fulham kick off is at 1.30pm French time. In the afternoon Premier League action with a 4pm kick off, Brentford face West Ham, Burnley play Crystal Palace, Everton are at home to Brighton, Manchester City play Bournemouth and Sheffield United face Wolves. The last match of the day will see Newcastle face Arsenal at home with a 6.30pm kick off French time.
On Sunday Nottingham Forest play Aston Villa and Luton Town are at home to Liverpool.
Cricket – Hosts India reach the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup by thrashing Sri Lanka by 302 runs in Mumbai.
Tennis - Italian Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Paris Masters due to fatigue. Sinner beat American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round but did not start play until after midnight and finished at 02:37 local time on Thursday.
Cycling – Lizzi Jordan is aiming to be part of the GB Para-cycling team at next year’s Paris Paralympics. Jordan has come far and fought for her survival after contracting a rare strain of E.coli bacteria, through a fast food meal after a night out in 2017 which left her blind. After hitting what she describes as "rock bottom" Jordan, from Guildford, has set herself new challenges and one of them is to compete at the Paris Paralympics.
Formula One – Formula One driver Fernando Alonso has made it clear that he is annoyed with rumours that he could be switching from Aston Martin to Red Bull. Following the Mexico City Grand Prix some reports claimed he could be set to replace Sergio Perez. Alonso is under contract to Aston Martin until the end of 2024. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has said it is their "intention" for Perez, who is also under contract, to stay with the team next year.
Weather
Mainly fine with highs of 16 degrees in Monaco, Cannes and Nice. Strong winds. This evening going down to 9 degrees along the coast with clear skies. Highs of 15 degrees inland with the possibility of some scattered showers.
The outlook for the weekend. Saturday, heavy rain and sunny intervals with a moderate breeze. Sunday, strong winds and clear skies highs of 19 degrees.
Sunrise 07.08am
Sunset 05.18pm
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