News
Teenager still missing - Police in northeastern France have appealed for witnesses following the worrying disappearance of 15-year-old Lina who hasn’t been seen since last Saturday. The teenager was last seen walking from her home, in Plaine in the Bruche valley, to the train station of Saint-Blaise-la-Roche, three kilometres away. She had planned to go by train to visit her boyfriend in Strasbourg, located sixty kilometres away. Lina has shoulder-length blonde hair and on the day of her disappearance, she was dressed in a grey dress, a white jacket and white Converse shoes. Anyone with any information is invited to call the police on 03.88.97.04.71.
Campaign against school bullying - The French government has announced plans to launch an advertising campaign on school bullying. The move comes following two separate, highly mediatised cases, where two teenage pupils, victims of school bullying, took their own lives. Both cases exposed a lack of response from the education board. The government’s new campaign hopes to put children’s speech into perspective, to ensure that students' words are taken more seriously.
The news comes as locally two cases of school bullying have been reported in a middle school and a high school in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, in the Var with an official complaint being filed with local authorities.
Pedestrian dies after being hit by a lorry in Saint-Laurent du Var - A woman has died after being hit by a truck in Saint-Laurent-du-Var. The fatal accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at around 5pm on boulevard Marcel-Pagnol. Police have launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances.
Train strike - A second consecutive day of strike action today Wednesday 27th September, is expected to affect the train services in the PACA region. The SNCF invites passengers to check the circulation of trains and connections on their website. Traffic is expected to be disrupted on the Marseille - Aubagne - Toulon - Hyères line, with half of the trains on this line being cancelled.
State of natural disaster - Six municipalities in the Var have been recognized as being in a state of natural disaster due to differential land movements following drought and soil rehydration in 2022. They are Bandol, Barjols, Le Cannet-des-Maures, Chateaudouble, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer and Signes. The decree was published in the Official Journal on Tuesday 26th September, and those affected have 30 days from that date to declare damage to their insurance companies.
Marseille Metro - The Metro system in Marseille will be closing by 10pm on weekdays from 23rd October. The early closure, which is to allow the testing of new equipment, will be in place for at least a year. However, the Metro will be open later in the evening for special occasions such as local events during next year's Olympics and matches at the Velodrome.
Business
After nearly five months Hollywood writers will end their strike today Wednesday 27th September. In a statement the Writers Guild of America (WGA) said that union leaders "voted unanimously to lift the restraining order and end the strike". Its 11,500 members will then vote on whether to approve a three-year deal that offers pay raises and protections around use of artificial intelligence.
The attorney of former US President Donald Trump has called a recent ruling by a judge as “a miscarriage of justice”. The statement issued on Tuesday comes after a New York judge ruled that Mr Trump "repeatedly" misrepresented his wealth by hundreds of millions of dollars to banks and insurers. Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing and on Tuesday dismissed the case in New York as another political "witch hunt". He accused the judge of being "highly politicised".
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has made history by becoming the first sitting US president to join striking cars workers in Michigan during a visit to their picket line. Mr Biden said that the workers "deserve" raises and other concessions they are seeking. The visit comes a day before his would-be challenger, Donald Trump, is due to arrive.
And – According to a European Commission study, X, formerly known as Twitter, has the biggest proportion of disinformation of six big social networks. The study examined over 6,000 unique social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, and YouTube analysing content in three countries deemed particularly at risk to disinformation - Spain, Poland and Slovakia. X has yet to comment on the findings.
Sport
Rugby – There is a sigh of relief from many French rugby supporters as forwards coach William Servat, said that there was "no doubt" that captain Antoine Dupont could recover to play for France in a Rugby World Cup quarter-final. Dupont suffered a fractured cheekbone in Thursday's 96-0 win over Namibia. France face Italy next on 6 October and, should they top Pool A, will play their quarter-final nine days later. Meanwhile the Namibia captain Johan Deysel, who was sent off for making head-to-head contact in a tackle on Dupont, will miss his team's next five matches.
Football – It was a comfortable 3-0 win for Manchester United in the League Cup against Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening. Manchester United are now into the fourth round. In the third round action this evening Aston Villa play Everton, Blackburn Rovers face Cardiff City, AFC Bournemouth play Stoke City, Brentford play Arsenal, Chelsea play Brighton, Fulham play Norwich, Lincoln City play West Ham, Liverpool face Leicester City and Newcastle United play Manchester City.
And in the Women’s Nation League England lost to the Netherlands 2-1.
Cricket – Once again rain stopped play on Tuesday in the third one-day international between England and Ireland. Meanwhile in the other men’s one day international New Zealand beat Bangladesh by seven wickets.
Formula One - Britain's Jessica Hawkins has become the first woman in almost five years to test a Formula 1 car. Aston Martin announced on Tuesday that Hawkins completed 26 laps in their 2021 car last Thursday.
Weather
Clear skies and sunshine with a gentle breeze. Highs of 27 degrees in Nice, Monaco, Cannes and Marseille. 28 degrees inland in the Alpes Maritimes. Reaching 30 degrees in part of the Var. This evening going down to 15 inland and 23 degrees along the coast. Tomorrow, Thursday, cloudy to begin with between 17 and 22°C degrees. Clouds should clear with temperatures ranging between 24 and 28 degrees in the afternoon. Friday fine and sunny highs of 26 degrees.
Sunrise 07.22am
Sunset 07.19pm
And Finally
A study has shown that practicing Nordic walking twice a week could slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The keep-fit craze has becoming increasingly popular in recent years among those wanting to stay active in old age and ward off heart disease. Several studies have found it is better than other forms of activity at preventing cardiac decay, as it strenuously exercises both upper and lower body parts.
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