News
Calls for Israel to stop strikes again Lebanon - France says Israel must stop strikes in Lebanon. European foreign ministers have stepped up calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, amid concern of seriously destabilising the region. Even as Israeli defence officials continued to raise the prospect of a cross-border operation into southern Lebanon, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the UK voiced alarm over the latest escalation on the Israeli side. French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said Israel must “immediately stop its strikes in Lebanon”, adding that his country was opposed to any form of ground operation by the Israelis.
1st of the month changes in France - As with every first of the month in France certain changes will be introduced from tomorrow Tuesday 1st October. These will include an increase in housing benefits, to align with the increase in rents. An increase in certain pensions, with around 850,000 pensions being revalued and an increase in the price of gas. In addition, there will be a new system for telephone operators in an attempt to stop scam phone calls and the speed limit of the Paris ring road will change from 70km an hour to 50km an hour.
Another road incident in our region - Yet another road incident has occurred in our region when a motorist refused to stop for police in Fréjus in the Var. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning after a forty-year-old motorist refused to stop for a police check at a roundabout and tried to knock down a national police officer. After being ordered to slow down, the driver chose to accelerate, before turning around to charge the officer. The police officer managed to avoid the vehicle, jumping onto the pavement. Arrested by the police the driver later tested positive for alcohol and cannabis and has been placed in police custody.
Strike action - Strike action planned for tomorrow on France’s train network will not affect TGV traffic but will cause some disruption on regional and intercity trains. The strike action calling for an increase in wages and pensions will see unions gather in the French capital. The SNCF advises passengers to check on its website for any changes to the train timetable.
Poisonous mushrooms sold on market – Mushrooms, which are probably poisonous, have been sold by mistake on a market in Vence. Anyone who bought the mushrooms from the market stall between Friday and Sunday should not eat or touch them. The town hall and the police have issued an alert on social media and are asking people to call 15 if they have any symptoms. The police have opened an investigation.
End of an era for French accordions - Finally, it’s the end of an era for France’s last artisanal accordion manufacturer Maugein which has been placed into judicial liquidation. The oldest French accordion manufacturer, founded in 1919 in Tulle, Corrèze, has been facing increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers and could simply not survive.
Business
A landmark artificial intelligence safety bill has been blocked by the governor of California in the US. Gavin Newsom says that the bill would stifle innovation and prompt AI developers to move out of California. The proposed legislation would have imposed some of the first regulations on AI technology in the United States. Its author said that the veto will now allow technology companies to continue developing an “extremely powerful technology” without any government oversight.
Southern Water, one of the UK's largest water companies is considering shipping supplies from Norway to the UK. The company said that the idea was a "last-resort contingency measure" in case of extreme droughts in the future. Under the proposals up to 45 million litres could be brought to the UK per day. The Financial Times, which first reported the potential move, said the water, from melting glaciers in the Scandinavian country, would be transported by tankers. It comes as fears grow over the future of water services in the UK following droughts in the summer of 2022 when some areas of the country came close to running out of supplies.
And – France’s former Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin has distanced himself from the current government, announcing that he "could not back a government that would increase taxes". His comments come ahead of the 2025 budget project which is to be presented this week to the National Assembly by Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Darmanin added that whilst he was in favour of Barnier's appointment as Prime Minister by the President of the Republic, the suggested tax increase goes against everything positive that the former government has done for the French people. He concluded that he “understand that the tax increase would only concern the wealthiest of the French, but in his view, the money of the wealthiest must go into job creation, not into public funding”.
Sport
Football – In the English Premier League Manchester United suffered a dismal 3-0 home defeat at Old Trafford against Tottenham on Sunday evening. Former United captain Gary Neville blasted United’s performances as ‘disgusting’. Meanwhile Ipswich drew 2-2 against Aston Villa. This evening in the Premier League Bournemouth are at home to Southampton.
Cricket – Australia have beaten England in Bristol to win the deciding fifth one-day international. England’s bid for a comeback series victory failed as the tourists beat the rain and took the lead.
Tennis - British number one Jack Draper is out of the Japan Open after retiring from his quarter-final. The 23-year-old lost the first set 7-5 and trailed 2-1 in the second against France's Ugo Humbert in Tokyo.
Weather
A cloudy start with hazy sunshine by the afternoon. Gentle to moderate breeze. Highs of 22 degrees in Nice and Monaco. 23 degrees in Cannes and Toulon. 25 degrees in Saint-Tropez and 26 degrees in Draguignan. This evening going down to 13 degrees along the coast in the Var and 15 degrees in Nice.
The outlook for tomorrow and Wednesday. Tomorrow much the same as today with sunny intervals. Wednesday showers are forecast in the morning clearing by the afternoon and highs of between 23-24 degrees.
Sunrise 07.27am
Sunset 07.12pm
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