News
One minute silence in schools as tribute - Schools across France will hold a minute’s silence today, Monday 16th October, at 2pm in tribute to the teacher who was murdered as well as the three who were injured, in a knife attack in a high school in Arras, northern France. Classes will not start until 10am to prepare the tribute. France’s education minister has said that “no provocation will be tolerated during the planned tribute”. Nine people remain in police custody following the attack on Friday.
Bedbugs invade cinema - Cinema goers in the Var have had to leave the screening of a film in a hurry, after the room was reportedly found to be invaded by bedbugs. The Pathé cinema on Avenue 83, near Toulon, in the Var, had to close following the incident. The director of the cinema, Jérôme Cleveland, has since said that while he “understands” the concerns of customers, he denies any accusations of a “lack of action” on his behalf. Adding that the emergency was managed, and no risks were taken with the immediate closure. For several weeks, France has experienced a resurgence of bedbugs which is making the news. The insect, which feeds on human blood and whose proliferation is fearsome, has reportedly already infested dozens of cinemas across France.
Marseille to rename avenue in memory of historic march - The Mayor of Marseille Benoit Payan, has announced the renaming of an avenue in the city to mark the historic “march for equality and against racism” which took place on October 15th, 1983. 40 years after the event Payan has decided to recognise the march which took place across the country with the creation of the “avenue de la Marche pour l’egalité et contre le racism”.
Crack down on public transport in Nice - The City of Nice has announced it is taking tougher action against passengers who use public transport without a valid ticket. Lignes d'Azur has recently recruited 17 extra ticket checkers, bringing the total to 71. At the moment, ticket checks are focused on the busiest times of the day - the morning and evening rush hour, and over lunchtime. The reinforced team will make it possible for more surprise checks to be carried out off-peak - including late at night and first thing in the morning. Lignes d'Azur estimates that one in 10 passengers on the Nice public transport network travels without a valid ticket - a figure that's nonetheless been in sharp decline in recent years. If you have a valid subscription but fail to validate it, the fine is €10. If you wait until you see the ticket checkers before scanning your ticket, the fine is €40. And not having a ticket at all costs €60 if you pay on the spot.
AS Monaco football club is continuing a programme that lets local schoolchildren meet and be inspired by some of the club's star players. The red van of the AS Monaco Kids Tour has travelled 250 kilometres around the region so far this season, stopping off in eight places, with players taking it in turns to meet local children. More than 700 kids have benefited so far.
Weather - Météo France has warned of possible storms and heavy rainfall during the middle of this week across the south of France. The so-called Mediterranean episode is characterised by intense rainfall over a short period of time, accompanied by storms. The forecaster says the Var, Alpes-Maritimes and Bouches-du-Rhône are likely to be affected from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
Business
The chief executive of JP Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon has told investors that he is concerned about the risks to the economy from rising geo-political tensions saying that the world may be facing "the most dangerous time... in decades". He said wars in Ukraine and Israel could hit energy and food prices, and global trade. Mr Dimon, who leads America's biggest bank, was speaking as the firm revealed its latest quarterly results. It reported $13bn (£10.7bn) in profit over the three months to September, up 35% from the same period in 2022.
In the gaming industry’s biggest ever deal, Microsoft has completed its $69bn (£56bn) takeover of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. It comes as Microsoft, which owns the Xbox gaming console, was given the green light for the global deal after UK regulators approved it. The Competition and Markets Authority said its concerns had been addressed, after it blocked the original bid.
And - TikTok has said it "immediately" took action to counter misinformation after the EU warned the platform following the attack by Hamas on Israel. The EU had called, last week on TikTok to "urgently step up" efforts, and "spell out" within 24 hours how it was complying with European law. Social media firms have seen a surge of misinformation about the conflict. TikTok said it had removed "violative content and accounts".
Sport
Rugby World Cup - South Africa have beaten France by one point in a thrilling quarter-final match in the Rugby World Cup beating them 29-28. South Africa's three titles make them the joint most successful side in World Cup history, with the All Blacks. For hosts France it’s the third time that they have been knocked out at the quart-final stage.
The other match on Sunday saw England beat Fiji 30-24 and on Saturday Wales were knocked out by Argentina with a 29-17 win and Ireland, considered as one of the favourites lost 24-28 to New Zealand.
Next weekend will see Argentina face New Zealand in the semi-finals on Friday and England play South Africa on Saturday.
Football - Scotland have qualified for Euro 2024 with two games to spare thanks to Spain's 1-0 win over Norway.
Cricket - England suffered a major shock at the hands of Afghanistan in Delhi as a sorry 69-run defeat left their World Cup defence in real jeopardy. Their first loss to Afghanistan in any format does not end England's chances but leaves them with little room for manoeuvre in their final six group stage games.
Formula One - Formula 1's governing body is reassessing a penalty Lewis Hamilton received at the Qatar Grand Prix for crossing the track without permission. Hamilton was fined 50,000 euros (£34,700), with half of it suspended, and given a formal reprimand. The incident happened after Hamilton had crashed out of the Qatar Grand Prix on the first lap in a collision with his Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
Golf - France's Matthieu Pavon secured his first DP World Tour victory at the Spanish Open in Madrid in his 185th start.
Weather
Cloudy with rain forecast this afternoon. Highs of 22 degrees in Nice, Monaco and Saint-Tropez. 23 degrees in Cannes and 20 degrees inland. This evening going down to 17 degrees along the coast and 11 degrees inland with clear skies.
The outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday sunny intervals should remain dry in the Alpes Maritimes, rain forecast for the Var region. Wednesday sunny intervals with scattered showers in places. Highs of 21-22 degrees.
Sunrise 07.45am
Sunset 06.45pm
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