News
White march for mother and daughter killed on the sidelines of protests by farmers - A white march is being organised on Saturday, for the farmer and her daughter killed in Ariège southwestern France. The 35-year-old mother and her 12-year-old daughter were mowed down by a car while taking part in a agricultural protest at a roadblock her 40 year old husband Jean Michel is in hospital in a serious condition. A man and two women of Armenian descent were the three occupants of the car, they have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into aggravated manslaughter and aggravated injuries.
Farmers to protest in the Var today - Meanwhile, more than 300 angry farmers are planning action today in the Var with go slow operations on the road to the prefecture in Toulon and the sub-prefecture in Draguignan. Three convoys are planned and in addition to tractors nearly 600 sheep will also be present. In the Alpes-Maritimes, farmers are planning to meet on Friday at the MIN des fleurs in Nice.
French president calls for sanctions after overnight train breakdown - French President Emmanuel Macron has called for sanctions after an overnight train between Paris and Clermont Ferrand broke down leaving 700 passengers stranded. The incident occurred on January 19 and the 700 passengers were left without heat or light while temperatures dropped. The train was finally mended arrived seven hours late to its destination. Macron has demanded "immediate explanations" from the SNCF and that "sanctions" be taken to "guarantee that such an incident doesn’t happen again”.
Man shot dead in the street in Nice - Police have opened an investigation after a man in his thirties was shot dead on Wednesday evening on rue Charles-Cauve, just a stone's throw from the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The drive by shooting occurred shortly after 6pm. Police soon cordoned off the area and the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, was also at the scene. Police believe it to be a settlement of accounts and thanks to video surveillance a manhunt is currently underway. Little is known about the victim apart from being of Tunisian nationality and known to police for drug-related offenses. A little later in the evening, a burnt-out car was discovered on avenue Henri-Matisse, a few hundred meters from the crime scene. Police have not yet confirmed if it was linked to the incident.
Hospitalized inmate escapes from hospital in Nice - A hospitalized inmate has escaped from L’Archet 2 hospital. The 23-year-old Tunisian, who is in an irregular situation, escaped on Tuesday evening from the fourth floor of the Nice hospital after being placed in a detention centre. Police are still actively looking for the individual. Two police officers were monitoring him when he fled the premises in a white coat.
Motorway pay tolls to increase on February 1st - France’s motorway operator “Vinci Autoroutes” has announced a 2.7% increase on paytolls from February 1st. The annual increase in motorway tolls is traditionally implemented on February the 1st. At the end of November France’s transport minister Clément Beaune, had assured that it would be “less than 3%” in 2024. Vinci manages nearly 4 and a half thousand kilometres of motorways in France through different companies, competitors have not yet revealed their prices, which must be published in the Official Journal after approval by the public authorities.
Mild weather - Finally, a wave of mild weather is sweeping our region with record temperatures for this time of year in the Var on Wednesday. 23.3°C was reported in Collobrières and 22.6°C in Castellet. Temperatures have never been so mild in Collobrières for this time of year. The previous heat record recorded over the same period dates from January 10th, 2015, with 23.1°C. Temperatures which are 10 degrees above seasonal norms. Bormes-les-Mimosas, Sanary-sur-Mer and Cuers also noted temperatures above 22 degrees. According to Météo France forecasts, temperatures could reach 23°C in the coming days in Toulon. The 20-degree mark should be well exceeded in several municipalities in the Var today Thursday January 25th.
Business
The US aviation regulator has announced that Boeing's 737 Max 9 have been cleared to fly following inspections. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the planes after an unused door broke away mid-flight. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines plan to start returning the jets to service in the coming days. But the FAA says it will not yet allow Boeing to expand production of its best-selling narrow body family of jets, which includes the 737 Max 9.
Tesla is forecasting a sharp sales slowdown this year. Elon Musk's electric vehicle (EV) maker said growth would be "notably lower" than in 2023, when deliveries rose 38%. The company's shares fell by almost 6% in extended trade in New York after the announcement. Mr Musk also warned that Chinese rivals "will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world" unless trade barriers are put in place. Tesla slashed prices repeatedly last year in a bid to keep demand up.
And - UK billionaire Joe Lewis, whose family trust owns Tottenham Hotspur football club, has pleaded guilty to insider trading in a US court. 86-year-old Lewis was accused of passing on information about his companies to his private pilots, friends, personal assistants and romantic partners. US authorities say that the fraud netted millions of dollars in profit. Lewis founded the investment firm Tavistock Group. He was ranked 39th in the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, with an estimated worth of more than £5bn ($6.4bn).
Sport
Football – Liverpool drew 1-1 last night against Fulham setting up a League Cup final against Chelsea. This evening in the FA Cup fourth round Bournemouth play Swansea City. Kick off is at 8.45pm French time.
Rugby Union – Speaking ahead of the Six Nations Finn Russell has said that Scotland are "desperate to win a trophy" after failing to live up to "high expectations" in recent tournaments. Their last title was the 1999 Five Nations and their last two World Cup campaigns have ended at the pool stage. Meanwhile, as the 2024 Six Nations draws ever closer, Netflix has released an eight-part documentary series taking viewers behind the scenes of last year's competition.
Tennis - Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the Australian Open by Alexander Zverev.
Weather
Mainly fine and sunny with a gentle breeze. Highs of 15 degrees in Nice and Vence, 14 degrees in Monaco and Saint-Tropez. This evening going down to 7 degrees with clear skies.
The outlook for Friday and heading into the weekend. Fine with some cloudy patches in the Var. Light winds. Highs of 15-16 degrees.
Sunrise 07.54am
Sunet 05.30pm
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