Nice approves six-year plan to improve access to housing - The towns that make up the Nice metropolitan area have approved a wide-ranging six-year plan to improve access to housing on the Riviera. The housing policy commits the Nice region to putting an extra 2,800 apartments on the rental market each year between now and 2029, the majority of which will be social housing. Most of those will be new-builds, but the housing plan will also target vacant properties, with the goal of getting 900 of them renovated and occupied again each year. Last week, Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said he wanted to impose tougher quotas on the number of Airbnb rentals in the city, because affordable long-term rentals for working residents were becoming increasingly scarce.
Two Marseille drugs arrests - Police in Marseille have seized almost 200 small bags of cocaine and €13,000 in cash in a drugs raid which saw two people arrested. Officers had kept the couple under surveillance for several hours and followed them back to a hotel room where the drugs were stored. Each bag contained about t69hree grams of cocaine, with an estimated value of about €200. The pair were taken into custody.
New radar on A57 - A new speed camera is up and running on the A57 motorway heading out of Toulon from this week. The radar has been placed on a stretch of motorway where speeding is common, in the direction of Nice only, near the junction for the A570 in La Valette, where the speed limit is 70.
Mandelieu to use CCTV to stop bad parking - Meanwhile, Mandelieu will start using its network of CCTV cameras to fine drivers who are badly parked - and catch other traffic violations. The municipal council has unanimously voted in favour of extending the scope of the town's 360 surveillance cameras, from public safety to now include breaches of the highway code, obstructive parking and also fly-tipping of bulky items.
First snowfall at Riviera ski resorts - Yesterday's cold snap brought the first snow of the season to the Riviera's ski resorts. Residents in Valberg and Isola woke up to about 10 centimetres of snow yesterday morning. The snowfall continued for most of the day in the hills above about 1,300 metres.
Bardella to visit Nice and Toulon - The president of the far-right National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, is visiting Nice this weekend. He'll attend a book signing session at the Boscolo Hotel on Saturday morning, for his newly released book, called Ce Que Je Cherche (what I'm looking for). He’ll also visit Toulon on Friday evening.
New Monaco culture website - A new website has launched in Monaco bringing together all of the principality's cultural venues in a single portal. Culture.mc aims to provide a comprehensive overview of every cultural and artistic activity in Monaco, with a detailed agenda, search function and links to buy tickets. The site will also include videos and audio recordings of previous performances.
Former prison chef jailed for moped theft - A former prison worker in Monaco has returned to his former workplace - this time behind bars after he was jailed for stealing a moped from a shop. The 49-year-old man had asked to take a 15-minute test drive from a scooter dealership in La Condamine last June - but failed to return. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was caught at a restaurant in Larvotto four months later. Judges handed down a three-month prison sentence for breach of trust. The man returns to the prison where he had worked for five years as a chef until 2020.
25th edition of No Finish Line - 10,000 people have registered to take part in this year's edition of No Finish Line in Monaco, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The non-stop charity running (or walking) event around a 1.1 kilometre circuit in Fontvieille will take place over eight days, starting this coming Saturday. Last year, the participants clocked up a grand total of 315,000 kilometres - and this year the organisers hope to hit 330,000. The event raises money for a children's charity and has raised more than €5 million since it began in 1999. While most participants will dip in and out of the event over the days, about 40 professional athletes will spend the whole eight days on the circuit. The record for a single participant is a distance of 1,041 kilometres.
BUSINESS
Metro Bank in the UK has been fined £16m for poor money laundering controls. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the challenger bank failed to have the right systems and controls to adequately monitor more than 60 million transactions, with a value of over £51bn, for money laundering risks. The regulator identified failings between June 2016 and December 2020 and said they occurred despite concerns being raised by junior staff as early as 2017. Metro, which was rescued in a recapitalisation deal just over a year ago, had since put in place processes to satisfy its obligations, the FCA added.
The struggling genetic testing company 23andMe says it will cut 40% of its workforce, or 200 jobs, as it fights for survival. The once-popular DNA-testing site will also halt work on therapies it was developing. Last year, the company said hackers had managed to gain access to personal information of millions of its users. 23andMe's share price has fallen by more than 70% this year, as its co-founder and chief executive tries to turn the business around.
SPORT
Cricket - India has informed the International Cricket Council it will not travel to the Champions Trophy, according to hosts Pakistan. Ongoing political tensions mean the two countries have not played each other outside of men's major tournaments since 2013, while India have not played in Pakistan for 16 years. Pakistan are due to host a global event for the first time since 1996 in February and March next year, the eight-team, 50-over Champions Trophy. But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the Board of Control for Cricket in India has told the ICC the India team will not cross the border.
Football - Doug King, the Coventry owner, has revealed that Frank Lampard is a contender to replace Mark Robins as the Championship club’s next manager. King has said the former Chelsea, Derby County and Everton coach is among a large number of interested parties in the vacant post. Robins was dismissed last week after seven years in charge of the club, with Rhys Carr handed the interim head coach role until a permanent successor is confirmed. Coventry are 17th in the Championship, a point above the relegation zone, after a 2-2 draw with Sunderland on Saturday. Lampard has been out of management since the end of his spell as Chelsea’s interim manager last year, his second stint at the London club where he made 648 appearances as a player.
Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers has been called up to England's squad for November’s Nations League internationals after eight players withdrew through injury. England face Greece on 14 November and the Republic of Ireland on 17 November.
And captain Seamus Coleman has been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland's Nations League fixtures with Finland and England. Ireland host Finland tomorrow before taking on England at Wembley in their final Nations League fixture on Sunday.
WEATHER
Generally fine and sunny today with light variable winds and temperatures this afternoon reaching 18 degrees Celsius on the coast and 15 inland. It'll be a party cloudy night with a gentle breeze and overnight temperatures going down to 10 degrees Celsius on the coast and 4 inland. The outlook for Thursday: another fine and sunny day, some strong winds on the coast and up to 18 degrees Celsius.
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