National News
Teachers' strike – Teachers in France have called for strike action today Tuesday 10th September. The strike is in protest against educational reforms led by the former Minister of Education Gabriel Attal and current minister of education Nicole Belloubet and were presented to teachers in December of last year. In response unions are calling for the reform entitled “choc des savoirs” to be abandoned. The reform would see the introduction of level groups in 6th and 5th grade students. Belloubet, has defended the reform saying that the groups would improve students' results in French and maths. But for teachers' unions, the assessments would do more harm than good. Each year, according to INSEE, from CP to CM2, the gaps in success between children increases by 10%.
Local News
Rail services in France - In other news, a survey carried out by Que Choisir has shown that regional rail services in France have a poor performance compared to our European neighbours. Results showed that since 2023, 9.6% of TERs were cancelled or rescheduled and, among those that ran, 11.2% arrived at their destination at least 5 minutes late. In other words, a passenger using the TER daily experiences an average of two cancellations or delays per week. The punctuality of regional trains is also different depending on the region; for example, in Brittany 93.2% of trains run on time compared to 84.7% in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The PACA region is indeed the one with the poorest results, which is perhaps why the Regional Council has chosen Trandev instead of the SNCF from next year. The operator will start operating in the summer of 2025 and promises a significant improvement in the quality of service. In the countries compared by Que Choisir, Italy and Germany come out on top with only Belgium and Sweden performing worse than France.
Two people saved from drowning in Menton – Lifeguards have saved the lives of a man and a woman on Monday afternoon, on the Sablettes beach in Menton. The two separate incidents occurred at around 5pm both individuals suffered heart problems whilst out swimming. Emergency services were quick to intervene and both individuals in their seventies, were taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Fifteen beaches in Antibes banned from swimming until Wednesday – Meanwhile, following the bad weather at the weekend, the town hall of Antibes has closed 15 of its beaches until Wednesday morning. The beaches of Fontonne Est, Fontonne Ouest, Fort Carré, Gravette, Ponteil, Salis, Garoupe Est, Garoupe Ouest, Cap D'Antibes, Ondes, Square Gould, Promenade du Soleil, Ponton Courbet, the large beach of Juan-les-Pins and Pont Dulys are all concerned. The ban currently runs until Wednesday at 8am as checks are carried out, in order to guarantee "excellent water quality”.
Two-wheeled riders are still the first victims of road accidents on the Côte d'Azur – So far it’s been another fatal year on our region’s roads with recent data revealing that 42 people have been killed on the roads in the Alpes-Maritimes since the beginning of the year. 21 of those deaths concerned two wheelers, two were cyclists, eleven pedestrians and eight motorists (including three passengers). The prefecture added that since January 1st the prefect has suspended 2,642 driving licenses and confirms that they will continue to increase controls against offenders, in particular those who test positive for drugs and/or alcohol and speeding.
More money than sense? – Finally, on vacation in Cannes, a group of holidaymakers have treated themselves to a sangria made with Petrus resulting in an eyewatering bill of 120,000 euros. The video of probably the most expensive sangria in the world, was published on social networks and then deleted but was there long enough to not go unnoticed. The group of individuals were at the time in a restaurant located on the island of Sainte-Marguerite, off the coast of Cannes. In the video the famous Spanish drink, usually made with red wine and fresh diced fruit, showed several people pouring bottles of Petrus into a bowl filled with ice cubes, orange pieces and citrus juice. The mixture required about thirty bottles of the 2006 and 2011 vintage wine, sold respectively for 3,800 and 3,200 euros each. One internet user reacted to the post writing "I don't know what's worst. Paying €120k for a sangria or sacrificing a Petrus for it”. Whilst another wrote "Stupidity at its best”.
Business
Apple is relying on artificial intelligence to boost sales of the iPhone 16. With a recent slump in business the technology giant has been under pressure to show what it will offer buyers to jumpstart a new wave of iPhone sales. The iPhone 16 was revealed on Monday and boasts a camera button on the outside of the handset. Apple's chief executive Tim Cook said the upgrades would "push the boundaries of what a smartphone can do" but the firm has tough competition, as other brands have already integrated generative AI features into their handsets.
And – Research in the UK by the broadcast regulator Ofcom has shown that for the first time online news services have overtaken television news bulletins. The annual survey revealed new news habits in the UK with 71% of the population saying they used online services for news versus 70% for TV news bulletins. Over the last year, online sources have grown from 68% to 71%, while social media also saw a rise from 47% to 52%. For people aged between 16 and 24, the number saying they use social media for news was 82%. The most commonly mentioned online news sources were Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Sport
Football – England will play Finland in the Nations League at Wembley this evening. Captain Harry Kane will become just the 10th man to make 100 England appearances in this evening’s match. 31-year-old Kane made his debut in 2015 and is his country's all-time top scorer with 66 goals in 99 games. In other Nations League matches tonight the Republic of Ireland play Greece.
In last night’s Nations League France got their campaign up and running with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Belgium. France captain Kylian Mbappe started on the bench for this game. Wales were also winners last night against Montenegro beating them 2-1.
Tennis – Following his second Grand Slam victory of the year at the US Open on Sunday, Italian Jannik Sinner says it "means so much" to have won the tournament after a "very difficult" period following the controversy over his positive tests for a banned substance.
Meanwhile Britain’s Andy Murray has revealed retirement has been "the complete opposite" to what he expected and that he is not missing tennis like he thought he would. Murray a three-time Grand Slam champion, called time on his 19-year career after the Paris Olympics in August.
Formula One - Adrian Newey will be unveiled as Aston Martin’s new trophy signing today confirming reports that the revered technical boffin has joined on a £20million-a-year deal. It is understood that the 65-year-old will also take a 2.5 per cent stake in the company, which is valued at beyond $1billion.
Weather
Sunny with highs of 29 degrees in Cannes, 28 degrees in Monaco and Nice, 27 degrees in Antibes and Saint Tropez. 25 degrees in Marseille. Strong winds in the Var with gusts of up to 60km/hr. Going down to 19 degrees in the Alpes Maritimes and 16 degrees in the Var with clear skies.
The outlook for Wednesday, remaining fine highs of 26 degrees. Strong winds persisting in the Var. Thursday sunny intervals strong winds across the region.
Sunrise 07.04am
Sunset 07.49pm
Beach weather
Sea temperature Saint-Tropez 25°
Air temperature 30°
UV level 6
Strong winds
Weather elsewhere
Bordeaux 21° sunny intervals.
Venice 25° sunny.
Palma 28° sunny.
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A union representing French airline pilots has called a strike for this Thursday which could affect flights....
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