News
Poll shows 52% of French are satisfied with the appointment of Michel Barnier - A poll carried out by Ifop and commissioned by the French weekly Journal du Dimanche has found that 52% of French people are satisfied with President Macron's choice of Michel Barnier as French Prime Minister. Emmanuel Macron named Barnier as Prime Minister after two months of political deadlock. The poll also found that almost three out of four respondents believed the conservative prime minister would quickly be toppled by a no-confidence vote. The French are largely satisfied with the appointment of the centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister but believe he will not last long in his new post. By comparison, 53 percent of respondents approved the nomination of Barnier's predecessor, Gabriel Attal, when he was appointed prime minister in early January, becoming France’s youngest-ever prime minister at 34.
Speed limit on vital Paris ring road - The speed limit on the ring road that surrounds the city of Paris will be limited to 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour starting on October 1st. The decision, which immediately drew criticism for having been taken "unilaterally", is facing pushback from the transport ministry and some opposition parties. A lower speed limit has been on the cards since January, when city hall said it would come in after the July-September Olympic and Paralympic Games that ended Sunday. But the transport ministry has insisted that only the government can officially change the speed limit by issuing a decree, as the city's power does not extend to the nationwide rules of the road.
Eiffel Tower - The family of the legendary engineer behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris has said they have spoken to a lawyer about blocking the mayor Anne Hidalgo’s with her plans to leave the Olympic rings on the Paris landmark. The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has announced plans to keep the multicoloured rings that were attached to the "Dame de Fer" for the Paris Olympics until at least 2028, when the next Games will be held in Los Angeles. The family of the legendary engineer Gustave Eiffel said they "oppose any alteration that negatively impacts respect for the work" of their ancestor, adding they had already consulted lawyers about blocking the change. The Eiffel Tower is the world's most visited monument according to its website, attracting around seven million people every year and around three-quarters of them from abroad.
Local
Beach closed to bathers - The Veillat beach in Saint-Raphael in the Var has been closed to swimmers due to poor water quality. The Regional Heath Agency closed the beach, which is located in the centre of Saint-Raphael on Tuesday afternoon. The ARS will carry out testing however it is not yet known when the beach will reopen. It was in July of this year that a similar measure was taken for the same reason.
Tree falls in school playground - School children in Castellar had a lucky escape on Tuesday after a chestnut tree several meters high, fell into their playground, at the time, pupils were eating in the school canteen. No injuries were reported. The premises has been secured and the tree will be evacuated as soon as possible.
Train network – The Monaco government has expressed its concern at changes to the train services affecting people wishing to travel to or from Monaco. The SNCF has announced significant construction work which is expected to start on the regions train network impacting the TER train service between Nice and Ventimiglia from September 15th, 2024, to June 26th, 2025. Train services will be suspended during this period, between 9pm and 6am from Sunday to Thursday. Apart from the introduction of an “exceptional bus service from Monaco to Nice” for SNCF subscribers, no specific alternative solutions have been proposed for employees who commute daily. While the Principality welcomes the planned construction work to improve the service, the Government has requested an urgent meeting with SNCF Réseaux and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region to resolve the situation and ensure a better service for all those traveling to and from Monaco.
Train traffic interrupted – Meanwhile, train traffic has been interrupted between Toulon and Les Arcs. Services came to a standstill on Tuesday evening after a train broke down in Solliès-Pont. The SNCF announced delays and cancellations on its X account with train traffic resuming later in the evening.
Temperatures to Drop Sharply – Temperatures are set to drop sharply from tomorrow Thursday 12th September, with a polar air mass bringing cold and strong Mistral winds, making it feel like November in the South-East of France. The Mediterranean Sea temperature is expected to fall drastically to 17°C, colder than the Atlantic. The abrupt change marks the end of summer, though temperatures may normalize by next week.
Brigitte Macron to appear in Netflix series - French first lady Brigitte Macron is to make a cameo in Netflix’s series Emily in Paris. Despite criticism of the series in France, Brigitte Macron will appear as herself in the show’s fourth season when the new episodes are released on Thursday. It is the second time Brigitte Macron has played herself on screen. In 2018, she appeared in Vestiaires, a French comedy series following two disabled swimmers. Earlier this year, it was announced that a six-part biopic titled Brigitte, une femme libre (Brigitte, a free woman) was in production.
Business
Europe has ruled that tech giant Google must pay a €2.4bn fine for abusing the market dominance of its shopping comparison service. The company had appealed against the fine, which was originally levied by the European Commission in 2017. Google said it was "disappointed" with the ruling.
Meanwhile, Apple has been ordered to pay Ireland €13bn in unpaid taxes by Europe's top court, putting an end to an eight-year row. The European Commission accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax advantages in 2016, but Ireland has consistently argued against the need for the tax to be paid. The Irish government said it would respect the ruling. Apple said it was disappointed with the decision
And - Billionaire Jared Isaacman has taken off in a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for what he hopes will be the first ever privately funded spacewalk. The mission is the first of three funded by the founder of payments processing business Shift4. The spacecraft, called Resilience, will go into an orbit that will eventually take them up to 870 miles (1,400km) above the planet. No human has been that far since Nasa's Apollo programme ended in the 1970s.
Sport
Football - England captain Harry Kane has become the first player to score two goals on his 100th appearance for England as he fired the Three Lions to a 2-0 victory over Finland in the Nations League at Wembley on Tuesday. He becomes just the third player to score on his 100th England appearance, after Wayne Rooney (versus Slovenia in 2014) and Bobby Charlton (against Northern Ireland in 1970).
Meanwhile, Republic of Ireland defender Nathan Collins says that they are "sick" of losing after their 2-0 defeat by Greece in the Nations League.
Cricket - Batter Dan Lawrence has been dropped by England for the tour of Pakistan. Captain Ben Stokes returns for the three Tests in October after missing the 2-1 series win against Sri Lanka with a hamstring injury. Opener Zak Crawley is also back after missing the same series with a broken finger.
Rugby Union - More than 40 staff will be laid off by the Rugby Football Union as it seeks to stem "unsustainable" losses. The move comes as part of a restructuring with 64 roles at risk and 22 new posts created.
Weather
Sunny with highs of 26 degrees in Monaco and Nice, 27 degrees in Saint Tropez with moderate to strong winds. Going down to 18 degrees along the coast this evening, with clear skies.
The outlook for Thursday, light cloud with a possibility of light rain in places and a fresh breeze with a drop in temperatures. Friday, a risk of thundery showers in the morning in Nice, otherwise mainly fine with a cooler 23 degrees.
Sunrise 07.05am
Sunset 07.47pm
Beach weather
Sea temperature Marseille 25°
Air temperature 23°
UV level 6
Strong winds
Weather elsewhere
London 15° light showers.
Paris 16° light rain.
New York 25° sunny.
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