Local
Violence in Vidauban - Violence has broken out in Vidauban in the Var following clashes on Wednesday afternoon between two gangs of Kurdish and Turkish communities. Two people suffered stab wounds and were taken to hospital. An investigation is underway to identify those involved as well as the reason for the altercation, which police believe could be related to an incident the day before in which vehicles were set alight.
Missing person reported dead - The son of 53 year old Eric Viglione who was reported missing since Sunday has confirmed his death on social media. Police had appealed for witnesses after Mr Viglione disappeared from his home in Nans-les-Pins in the Var on Sunday. It was his son Cédric who announced his death on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile police in the Var have launched an appeal for missing 17 year old Julien Zeitoun. The young man has not been seen since leaving his high school in Toulon on Tuesday afternoon. At the time he was wearing black jeans and a dark blue jacket. Described as having brown curly hair and dark eyes anyone with any information is invited to contact the police in the Var.
French driver and creator of an international luxury brand dies at Paul Ricard Circuit - Philippe Charriol has died in an accident on the Paul Ricard circuit in the Castellet in the Var. 77 year old Charriol was a distinguished driver and was best known for having founded in 1983 the international luxury brand which bears his name, specializing in watches, jewelery, leather goods and perfumes with a network of 285 stores and 3,800 outlets distributing his creations worldwide. It was director of the Paul Ricard circuit Stéphane Clair who announced his death on Wedenesday afternoon following the accident.
Association to help those with bipolar - 61 year old Veronique Labedade has created an association for sufferers of bipolar in the region. Labedade from Nice has suffered from the illness for nearly 20 years and hopes that through her association "Phare des 2 pôles“she can reach out to others who live with the illness and help break the silence which surrounds many sufferers. Information about the association is available on her facebook page Phare des 2 poles”.
Earth tremor - A small earthquake was registered in the sea off Marseille on Tuesday night. The earthquake was about 60km off the coast and took place at a depth of 8km according to the authorities. It measured 3.5 on the Richter scale.
Campaign against anti-social behavior - Local authorities in La Seyne-sur-Mer have launched a poster campaign against anti-social behaviour. The campaign aims to discourage night time noise, drunkenness, the dropping of cigarette ends, inconsiderate parking and many other activities. The campaign lasts until the end of April after which fines will be introduced for infractions.
Death Penalty Congress –Representatives from Monaco are participating in the 7th World Congress against the Death Penalty in Brussels. The international meeting, organized by the NGO and in partnership with the "World Coalition Against the Death Penalty" takes place today and tomorrow. In 2013, Monaco signed with a large number of states the "Common Call for Abolition of the death penalty "Monaco joins international initiatives in support of the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances and all over the world. The death penalty was abolished in Monaco by the Constitution on 17th December 1962.
Neuroplanete Forum in Nice - The “Neuroplanete Forum” dedicated to neuroscience and extraordinary powers of the brain, organized by Le Point, is taking place in Nice on March 15th and 16th. The forum invites leading scientists and personalities from all walks of life to meet the public for two days of lectures, debates and workshops. All are united in the same desire to share their knowledge and experiences with the general public. To register visit Neuroplanete.com
National
Brexit - French President Emmanuel Macron has said France will block a Brexit delay unless there is a “new choice” by Britain, as Spain’s prime minister said that merely postponing the no-deal deadline would not be “reasonable or desirable”. Both leaders signalled their disapproval of Theresa May’s suggestion of a last-minute request for a two-month extension if her deal is voted down again. The French president said there would need to be a clear purpose to delaying the UK’s exit from the EU.
Warm weather - Météo France has reported that France beat its record for the hottest afternoon in February on Wednesday, with a maximum average temperature of 21 degrees. The previous record dates from February 28, 1960 with an average of 20 degrees. An exceptional wave of warm weather has covered Western Europe over the past few days, which according to experts is a likely sign of global warming.
Football - Paris Saint-Germain have continued their bid for a fifth straight French Cup title with a comfortable 3-0 quarter-final win over Dijon at the Parc des Princes.
Business
The United States Congress has told President Trump that any trade deal with China should contain substantial policy changes.
Reports say that there’s growing concern in Congress that Mr Trump will fail to resolve underlying differences with China over intellectual property and unfair trading practices.
Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have urged the top US trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer to continue taking a tough approach at the talks.
Members of Congress have said that they agree with the President’s stated goals but have urged the administration to resist the temptation to strike an easy deal.
A number of airlines operating flights from East Asia to European destinations are being forced to reroute planes away from Pakistan and Northern India.
Local airspace is closed as a result of escalating tensions between the two countries following the shooting down of two Indian military jets.
Flights via Pakistan have been cancelled while others are being rerouted.
Singapore Airlines and British Airways are among those who’ve been forced to reroute flights while Thai Airways has taken the more drastic measure of suspending all of its flights destined for Europe.
Pakistan and India are involved in another row over the disputed region of Kashmir which started on the 14th of February after a suicide car bomber killed 40 Indian paramilitary police.
And-The toymaker Lego said that it returned to profit last year as a result of the popularity of its Star Wars,Harry Potter and Jurassic World lines.
Lego said that profits increased by 4 percent to 10.8 billion Danish Kroner with sales up 4 percent to 36.4 billion Danish Kroner.
The results are a rebound from 2017 when Lego reported its first fall in sales and profits for 13 years,blaming too much stock in stores and warehouses.
Sport
Football-There were 6 games in the English Premier League last night and Liverpool maintained their 1 point advantage at the top of the table thanks to a 5-0 thrashing of Watford at Anfield.
Manchester City remain in second following a 1-0 win over West Ham but Tottenham’s chances of winning the title look to be all but over after they were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea.
In the other results Arsenal thrashed Bournemouth 5-1.Southampton beat Fulham 2-0 and Manchester United were 3-1 winners at Crystal Palace.
In the Scottish Premiership last night,new Celtic boss Neil Lennon watched his side win 2-1 at Hearts.Aberdeen lost 2-0 at home to Hamilton.Rangers beat Dundee 4-0.Hibs were 2-1 winners at St Johnstone and the match between Kirmarnock and Motherwell was abandoned because of thick fog.
Cricket-England edged West Indies in the 4th one day international in Grenada on Wednesday in another high scoring game that gives the tourists a 2-1 series lead with one to play.
England batted first and made a massive 418-6 from their 50 overs which included centuries from Buttler and Morgan while Chris Gayle was in scintillating form for West Indies again.He made 162 but it wasn’t enough as his side were bowled out for 389 in 48 overs.
The final match is on Saturday.
Formula 1-Sebastian Vettel escaped unhurt after crashing his Ferrari at high speed in pre-season testing in Barcelona on Wednesday.
Vettel lost control on turn 3 of the circuit and crashed into the barriers at 150mph.
The team described the issue as a “mechanical problem”.
Carlos Sainz in the McLaren set the fastest time of the day with Racing Point’s Sergio Perez second quickest and Vettel third.
The Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were 8th and 9th.
Weather
Mainly fine with moderate easterly winds.
Top temperature 15-18 degrees.
Overnight lows of 9 degrees on the coast and 6 degrees inland with clear skies.
Friday and the start of the weekend-Mainly fine with highs of 15-19 degrees.
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