News
Petrol shortages - Filling jerrycans with petrol will be banned throughout France. Until now the ban has only been introduced in the Var region. On Monday France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne met with four ministers to "take stock of the state of discussions" between companies and unions concerning the shortages. Strike movement has been renewed until today Tuesday 11th October, when nearly a third of the stations, all groups combined, are affected by fuel shortages.
Hunting accident - There has been a new hunting accident in the town of Pommiers, in the Beaujolais. On Sunday an 80-year-old hunter accidentally shot and injured a 33-year-old mother and her 7- and 10-year-old children. They were hit in the legs by pellets, while the family was walking through the vineyards in the early afternoon. All three were airlifted and hospitalized suffering slight injuries. The man was taken into custody for a few hours on Sunday. He explained that he was dazzled by the sun. Meanwhile another hunting accident also took place on Sunday in the Drôme, in Vinsobres when a 62-year-old man, who was picking mushrooms, was seriously injured in the stomach and taken to hospital.
West-Nile virus - Two inhabitants of the Var and one in the Bouches-du-Rhône have been infected with the West-Nile virus which is transmitted by mosquitoes. In a press release the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Health Agency (ARS) said three people have been infected with the West-Nile virus. Two live in the Var, in La Garde and Pradet and another in the Bouches-du-Rhône, in Eguilles. The virus is transmitted by the bite of the "common mosquito in metropolitan France", and not the tiger mosquito, which transmits in particular dengue fever, of which several dozen cases have been identified in recent weeks in the region. Mosquitoes can transmit the West-Nile virus when they come into contact with birds infected with this disease. The ARS specifies that “there is no human-to-human transmission, nor transmission of the virus from human to human via the mosquito”. The three infected people are recovering. Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, muscle aches but can go also cause a skin rash or even neurological complications. Action has been taken in the areas concerned.
Franco-Ukrainian association denounces the Russian bombings - A hundred people have gathered in Nice following a call from the Franco-Ukrainian association of the Côte d'Azur, denouncing the Russian bombings of Ukraine. The gathering took place on Monday evening at Place Masséna.
Emergency G7 meeting - Following the Russian bombardments Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to attend an emergency virtual G7 meeting scheduled for midday today. Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the "massive" bombings by kyiv's "terrorist" attack the day before against the bridge connecting Russian territory to Crimea (south).
Trial of the July 14 attack in Nice – As the trial for the July 14th Nice attack continues, associations have demanded another hearing on the security system. The League of Human Rights, the Syndicate of Lawyers of France, the Collective Citizen 06 and the association All Citizens demand that the "complaints filed" be the subject of a second trial. Associations are demanding that the question of possible flaws in the security system on the evening of July 14, 2016, for access to the Promenade des Anglais also be the subject of a hearing.
Boat catches fire - A 16-meter sailboat has caught fire in the port of Cavalaire in the Var. The incident occurred at around 5pm on Monday. Firefighters intervened for a boat moored at the port. The fire caused no injuries. The cause of the blaze is still to be determined.
Couple regain access to their home after two years - The couple in Marseille who had been forced to live in a motorhome for more than two years after a tenant illegally occupied their accommodation have been able to return home. Police intervened on Monday morning expelling the mother and her 15-year-old daughter who have since been housed in a hotel while waiting for a long-term solution.
High school students act in favour of the environment - As part of European Sustainable Development Week 637 students of Les Chênes high school in Fréjus have been acted in favour of the environment. Six organizations offered fun workshops for students to raise awareness of sustainable development, focusing on small daily gestures through their workshops.
Mild temperatures set to continue - Météo France has forecast that the milder temperatures are set to continue and could even gain in intensity, forecasting highs of above 25°C in the South-West of France from next Monday, with 26°C expected in Tarbes and Bordeaux, 25°C in Biarritz and even 24°C in Perpignan. More generally, temperatures should not drop below 18°C across the country.
NRJ Music Awards - Voting has opened for this year’s NRJ Music Awards which will take place on Friday November 18th in Cannes and will be broadcast live on NRJ and TF1 from the Palais des Festivals. For the first time in its history, voting will be open until the very last moment. You can therefore vote on nrj.fr and mytf1.fr until Friday, November 18th at noon, the day of the award ceremony. For the 2022 edition, four new categories have been added, bringing to 17 the number of prizes that will be awarded that evening.
Business
The NGO has warned that 263 million additional people will have fallen into extreme poverty by the end of the year. In a report published today, NGO Oxfam says that the inaction of governments in the face of inequalities which have worsened sharply since the pandemic is "shocking". They show that “the poorest and most vulnerable have been hardest hit by the disease and its profound economic repercussions”. The 2022 version of the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (ERI, which measures the efforts of different countries around the world), published every two years, "clearly shows that most governments have not taken far-reaching concrete measures to reduce the dangerous increase in inequality". The NGO goes on to say that worse still is the fact that “while this is the worst health emergency the world has seen in a century, half of low- and middle-income countries have reduced their health spending during the pandemic” and 70% their spending in education. Furthermore, “despite huge tax shortfalls and huge increases in the wealth of the wealthiest people and businesses during the pandemic, 143 out of 161 countries have not increased taxation of the wealthiest people and 11 countries have even cut taxes on the most advantaged”. Norway, the best student, tops the rankings, followed by Germany, Australia, Belgium and Canada. France has fallen five places in two years and finds itself 12th, after reducing corporate tax rates and slashing its wealth tax in 2019, ahead of Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. The top-ranked countries are all developed countries, which have more resources to devote to public policies to reduce inequality. The NGO recommends that governments "increase social spending, not reduce it", "protect the rights of workers and provide them with wages allowing them to live" above the poverty line.
Shares in major Asian computer chipmakers have slumped after the US announced tough new measures to restrict sales of technology to China. The US said it will ban American firms from selling certain chips used for supercomputers and artificial intelligence to Chinese firms. The rules, also target sales from non-US companies that use American equipment. Technology firms are also seeing demand fall as the global economy slows.
The bosses of Airbus and Air France have been greeted with cries of "shame" at the opening of a long-awaited trial in Paris connected with a deadly 2009 plane crash off Brazil. The firms deny involuntary manslaughter in the loss of the Airbus A330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Investigators found the pilots had lost control when air-speed sensors froze, and all 228 people on board died. Families of the deceased have campaigned for years for a trial.
And - Amazon has abandoned its delivery robots. The e-commerce giant had launched its delivery robots in 2019. Scout, the delivery robot has indeed been removed from the sidewalks in the US. The size of an icebox and equipped with six wheels, the autonomous robot was supposed to facilitate deliveries, especially during the first wave of covid. The delivery robot also had the advantage of emitting few greenhouse gases, which was part of the company's policy in terms of ecology. But what was intended to be a major innovation in terms of delivery turned out to be a failed experiment. Speaking to Bloomberg Amazon spokeswoman Alisa Carroll said "we've worked to create a unique delivery experience. But we've learned from customer feedback that some aspects of the program didn't meet their needs”.
According to Bloomberg, Amazon Glow, a product dedicated to children for video calls, and Amazon Care, a connected health service (two programs not available in France), have also been stopped by the multinational.
Sport
Formula One – The FIA has found Red Bull guilty of breaking its Formula 1 budget cap. The FIA said that Red Bull had exceeded the $145m (£114m) limit during 2021, adding that the offence was "minor", the lower of the two categories of breach. This means the team exceeded the cap by less than 5%, or $7.25m. Both Red Bull and Aston Martin were also found guilty of a procedural breach of the cap. Red Bull said in a statement that they noted the FIA's findings "with surprise and disappointment". Both teams have the possibility of appealing against the decision.
Football - Following a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last night Steven Gerrard says he needs his Aston Villa players to become "headline writers" if they are to improve on their disappointing early-season form.
Villa missed the opportunity to move up to ninth in the Premier League with Monday’s result. While Villa are unbeaten in four, they have managed just seven goals from their nine top-flight matches so far.
In the Champions League Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Paris St-Germain's fixture with Benfica this evening due to a calf injury. PSG top Group H on seven points, level with Benfica, with Juventus third.
Tennis - Emma Raducanu has been chosen to lead the Great Britain team in next month's Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow. The 2021 US Open champion withdrew from this week's WTA event in Romania with a wrist problem, but is still hoping to play in the 12-team Finals.
Golf - Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson has received $18m (£16.2m) after being announced as the winner of the inaugural LIV Golf championship. The American, 38, claimed victory at the LIV Golf Invitational in Boston in September among five top-10 finishes in the six events of the series to date.
Weather
Sunny with a gentle breeze. Highs of 23 degrees in Cannes, Nice, Monaco and Saint Tropez. Sunny intervals in Toulon with light winds. This evening going down to 13 degrees in the Var and 15 in Nice and the Alpes Maritimes.
The outlook for Wednesday and Thursday. Sunny intervals tomorrow clearing by Thursday. Temperatures remaining the same with highs of 23 degrees and lows of 15.
Sunrise: 07.39hr Sunset: 18.53hr
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