Local
Bad weather which has hit the Var and the Alpes Maritimes has resulted in four people being killed, one other person is still reported missing and two others have been seriously injured.
The first body was found in Le Muy in the Var, after a rescue boat capsized on Saturday night, while three firefighters were transporting three people. The second was that of 50-year-old man from Antibes who was found dead next to his vehicle in a flooded vineyard in Cabasse in the Var. And a couple were found dead in Tanneron in the Var following a mudslide as they were on their way to visit their son.
One of the injured was a 40-year-old French woman who was at the time participating in the No Finish line here in Monaco. The woman was submerged by a wave on the port of Fontvielle. Immediately taken to hospital in Nice her condition was reported to be stable on Sunday morning. The secound was a 70 year old man who was injured after a tree hit his bungalow in Cagnes sur mer.
Many parts of the Var were particularly badly hit with flooding as both regions were put on a red weather alert on Sunday. Nice airport stopped all flights, the A8 motorway was closed between Villeneuve Loubet and Frejus and 4,000 homes were left without electricity. Firefighters intervened around the clock to rescue those who had become trapped in their homes in flood hit areas and local councils opened community halls to accommodate those who were evacuated ahead of the weather warning as a precaution.
The local rail network came to a standstill finally resuming on Sunday at noon with the objective of having 80% of trains running by today.
This morning traffic restrictions remain in place on some of the regions roads with two interchanges of the A8 motorway remaining closed at Mandelieu and Villeneuve Loubet.
And several schools will remain closed until Wednesday In the Var, schools in Hyères, Muy and Roquebrune-sur-Argens will be closed and in the Alpes-Maritimes, two schools remain closed on Monday and Tuesday.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, the president of the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region announced to release "an exceptional aid package, of up to 500,000 euros per municipality”
The French Prime Minister arrived in Le Muy in the Var on Sunday afternoon to show his support to both victims of the bad weather and emergency services.
Meanwhile in Italy a road collapsed near the Italian city of Savona. No causalities have yet been reported.
Rue Jaques Médecin – Despite the bad weather the Mayor of Nice Chrisitan Estrosi paid tribute to former Mayor of Nice Jacques Médecin by renaming a street in the old town after him. The ceremony was held on Sunday. The decision had been met by a petition as some locals object to “the former mayor being honoured in this way”.
Calendar scam - Police in the Var have warned of a “calendar scam” ahead of the festive season. Members of the public are being advised to if in doubt, ask for the ID of any door to door calendar salesmen or women.
“Sans Abri 06” launched to help the homeless - Four friends from Nice have launched “Sans Abri 06” a street magazine sold by the homeless. Money made from the sale of the magazine will go towards helping the homeless in the region. A crowd funding campaign has been launched. The monthly magazine will be available in early December.
National
Domestic violence - Marches have been held in dozens of French cities to condemn femicide and other forms of gender based violence. Measures to tackle domestic violence are expected to be unveiled by the government today. France has one of the highest rates of murders linked to domestic violence in Western Europe, with at least 115 women killed by their partners or ex partners this year alone.
Anti waste bill - An anti waste bill is to be discussed by the National Assembly in France today in an attempt to end “cash receipts in shops” making them optional for purchases below 30 euros from January 2022. The measure could also be extended to bank card receipts.
Red panda returns home - A zoo in central France has said it has found a runaway red panda, a week after it escaped by scaling branches broken by snowfall. The zoo said a man discovered the endangered furry mammal in his garden. A team headed immediately to the site and recovered the red panda. The three-year-old male escaped from the park last Thursday.
Business
The Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg has officially announced that he’s running for the White House.
The former Mayor of New York said that he was standing to “defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America”.
The 77 year old said that the stakes “could not be higher” and that he must “win this election”.
Mr Bloomberg joins 17 other candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Mr Trump next year.
He enters the race following months of debate over wealth inequality in the United States with two of the other Democrat candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren announcing plans for steep tax rises on billionaires.
Michael Bloomberg is the 8th richest person in the United States with a net worth of 54.4 billion dollars according to Forbes.
He started out in business as a Wall Street banker before going on to create the financial publishing and media empire that bears his name.
Tesla says that it’s received some 150,000 orders for its new pickup truck despite an embarrassing gaffe at its launch.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk was caught out on stage when the windows of the new Cybertruck shattered during a demonstration intended to show their durability.
Tesla shares dived by 6.1 percent following the demonstration and the new pickup truck received several negative reviews.
The industrial style vehicle is covered in a stainless steel alloy and will be able to go from 0 to 100 km/h in around 3 seconds.
The pickup market represents a significant opportunity for Tesla as it improves battery technology which means that carrying heavy loads over longer distances is now practical.
And-An ambitious “phase 2” trade deal between China and the United States is looking unlikely as the two countries struggle to strike a preliminary agreement according to sources close to the talks.
In October ,President Trump said that he expected to move quickly into a new round of talks with his Chinese counterpart once “phase 1” had been agreed.
However ,it now appears that difficulties including next year’s US Presidential election and the White House’s reluctance to work with other nations to put pressure on Beijing are dimming hopes for anything more ambitious in the near future.
The 16 month old trade war is having a serious impact on the global economy and last week it was reported that even the signing of a “phase 1” agreement could slide into next year as the two sides disagree over Beijing’s demands for more extensive tariff rollbacks.
Sport
Cricket-New Zealand have beaten England by an innings and 65 runs to win the first Test at the Bay Oval.
England were bowled out for 197 in the second innings just before tea on the final day.
The tourists couldn’t compete with the home side’s massive first innings score of 615-9 declared and failed to bat out the final day’s play for a draw.
Neil Wagner too 5-44 for New Zealand.
The second Test starts at 11pm on Thursday night French time.
Football-There was one game in the English Premier League on Sunday.Sheffield United and Manchester United shared a thrilling 3-3 draw.
There’s one game tonight.Aston Villa host Newcastle.
In the Scottish Premiership on Sunday Rangers were 3-1 winners at Hamilton and St Johnstone and Aberdeen drew 1-1 while in the English Championship Middlesbrough and Hull drew 2-2.
Tennis-Spain have won the new look Davis Cup in Madrid after beating Canada in Sunday’s final.
Rafael Nadal clinched the tie for Spain with victory over Denis Shapovalov which gave his team an unassailable lead over Canada and a 6th Davis Cup title.
Golf-Jon Rahm of Spain has won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai after birdying the final hole to end on 19 under par.
Rahm just pipped Tommy Fleetwood of England who finished on 18 under and the victory also means that he beat Fleetwood in the Race to Dubai and ends the season as Europe’s top golfer.
Rahm is the second Spaniard to achieve the feat after Seve Ballesteros who won it 6 times.
Rugby Union-There were two games in the European Champions Cup on Sunday.Sale beat La Rochelle 25-15 in Pool 2 and Montpellier beat Gloucester 30-27 in Pool 5.
Boxing-Deontay Wilder has said that he’s the “hardest hitter” in the sport after his 7th round knockout win over Luiz Ortiz in Las Vegas.
Wilder struggled in the opening 6 rounds but floored his opponent with a crushing right hander in the 7th.
Afterwards he confirmed a rematch with Tyson Fury which has been pencilled in for February the 22nd.
Motorsport-The first two Formula E races of the season in Saudi Arabia have been won by Sam Bird of Great Britain and Alexander Sims.
Bird ,driving the Envision Virgin won the first race on Friday ahead of Andre Lotteter in the Porsche and Stoffel Vandorne in the Mercedes.
The second race on Saturday was won by Alexander Sims of Great Britain in the BMW i Andretti with team mate Max Gunther crossing the line in second but he was demoted for overtaking under the safety car and Lucas de Grassi in the Audi Sport ABT Shaeffler was promoted to second with Stoffel van Dorne third.
Sims leads the drivers’s championship by 8 points from Sam Bird.
The next race is in Santiago on the 18th of January.
Weather
Partially cloudy with light northerly or variable winds.
Top temperature 17 degrees.
Overnight lows of 11 degrees on the coast and 8 degrees inland with clear skies.
Tuesday and Wednesday-Mainly fine tomorrow with a high of 16.Rain on Wednesday with a high of 15.
Finally
The BBC is to broadcast silence on Radio 3 to help listeners relax and switch off from 'today's frenzied world'.
A radio programme featuring the ‘all-consuming silence’ of a walk along the coast of Greenland, is among the BBC's audio highlights this Christmas.
The Radio 3 show, Greenland – An Arctic Sound Walk, is an example of ‘slow radio’ which helps listeners detach themselves from ‘today’s frenzied world’ with more restful content.
It will follow a walk along the west coast of the world’s biggest island. Author Horatio Clare will hike through the ‘vast emptiness’, experiencing ‘the silence and brutal force of the elements’.
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