Local
Yellow vest movement - In a televised interview on TF1 on Monday evening the French prime minister Edouard Philippe has pledged to bring in laws to crackdown on the violent elements infiltrating the yellow vests protests which have crippled cities and businesses in France for two months. Philippe told TF1's 20 heures that around 80,000 police and gendarmes will be on duty for the ninth round of demonstrations expected on 12th January throughout the country. He said the government would discuss proposals to bring in a law restricting unauthorised protests and forcing those convicted of vandalism to pay for the damage they have caused. More than 5,500 people have been held in police custody and 1,000 sentences passed since the first demonstrations on 17 November 2018.
Meanwhile three men arrested in Toulon on Saturday during the demonstrations have been released on bail.
Missing person found dead in Saint Laurent du Var - The body of a man discovered on the rocks near the port of Saint Laurent du Var has been identified as that of Chafik Tagnouzi who had been reported missing since December 13th. Fisherman made the discovery on Friday afternoon. An autopsy is yet to be carried out to determine the exact circumstances of his death.
Madame Jeanne Augier - The famous Negresco hotel in Nice has lost its star following the death of Jeanne Augier on Monday night. 95 year old Augier died in her apartment, on the 5th floor of the emblematic palace of the Promenade which she reigned for more than 60 years. Tributes have been paid to a daring entrepreneur, a strong-headed woman, who built an extraordinary empire.
Comedian to return to the stage after being called a “dirty black” - Comedian Donel Jack’sman has announced that he is to return to the stage in Nice at the end of the month. Jack’sman had received messages of support after being called a "dirty black" during one of his shows in a theatre in Nice in December. All profits from the show will be donated to associations in France which fight against racism and discrimination.
Nice International Airport - In an interview on French radio the CEO of the Airports of the Côte d’Azur Dominique Thillaud has announced that the second largest airport in France Nice International Airport has produced record figures with 13.85 million passengers in 2018 an increase of 4.1%. Nice Airport is connected to 30 countries during the winter period and soon plans to open a direct line with China.
National
Rugby player dies following tackle - 23 year old Nathan Soyeux, a student in engineering school in Dijon, has died from his injuries following an amateur rugby tournament in November. Soyeux died on Sunday. He had been admitted to hospital after a tackle during a rugby match in an inter-school tournament. For several months, the debate on the dangers of rugby has been discussed in France after the death of a young hopeful from the Stade Français. The French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the National Rugby League (NRL) organized an exceptional meeting dedicated to safety proposing to lower the authorized shoulder- tackle to the waist. A proposal which has not yet been put into practice.
Changes to school in the Paris region - The French Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer has said he was "willing to consider" the idea of high school students in the Paris region starting lesson an hour later at 9am. The change had been suggested by the Republican President of the region Valerie Pécresse in an attempt for improved learning condition and to help desaturate public transport in the area. According to an American study, lowering the daily hours for teenagers improves their results and reduces absenteeism and lateness.
Most shared tweet - The Japanese billionaire and future space tourist Yusaku Maezawa has broken the record for the most-shared tweet. The forty-something had published, on Saturday, a tweet in Japanese offering a million yen (8 061 euros) to 100 of his followers. The tweet had reached over 5.55 million retweets by Monday afternoon making his message the most shared tweet, according to the entrepreneur. The previous record was set in 2017 by an American teenager attempting to win a year’s delivery of chicken nuggets, offered by Wendy's restaurant chain.
Business
The former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn has appeared in court in Japan for the first time since his arrest last year.
Mr Ghosn has been in custody since November and is facing allegations of financial misconduct.
He told the court that he had been “wrongly accused and unfairly detained” in a prepared statement.He added that he’d never previously been accused of wrongdoing and had dedicated two decades of his life to “reviving Nissan”.
Lawyers representing the accused had called for the court hearing owing to the lengthy time that he’s been held in custody.
The judge at the hearing ruled that Mr Ghosn’s continued detention was justified as he posed a flight risk and also that there was the risk of evidence tampering.
A report by Bloomberg says that banks,insurers and money managers are planning to move some 800 billion pounds of assets from the UK to Europe as a result of Brexit uncertainty.
Bloomberg says that research carried out by the consulting firm EY has estimated that the figure may even be on the low side as many firms haven’t publicly declared the value of assets being transferred.
EY said that its “conservative” estimate was based on statements from 20 companies that have announced a transfer of assets out of London.
The report also says that more than 7,000 jobs could be relocated from the City soon .
Big banks started transferring essential staff from London last year as regulators toughened demands for how many people and IT resources should be based in the euro area.
And-Samsung has said that from the spring of this year its new smart TVs will include iTunes software made by rival Apple.
The move was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday with the new service offering sales and rentals of films and TV shows but not music.
Analysts say that the move will benefit both firms and comes as Apple prepares to launch a rival to Netflix.
It’s not yet clear whether Apple is paying Samsung to add iTunes.
Sport
Football-Wolves have dumped the Premier League leaders Liverpool out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory in their 3rd round tie at Molineux.
Wolves led 1-0 at half time and although Liverpool pulled level just after the break through a Origi own goal,Neves scored the winner on 55 minutes.
Wolves will play the winners of the 3rd round replay between Stoke and Shrewsbury in round 4.
In other interesting 4th round ties Arsenal will play Manchester United,the holders Chelsea will be at home to Sheffield Wednesday or Luton and non league Barnet will host Brentford of the Championship.
The first of the English League Cup semi finals is being played tonight.Spurs host Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
Formula 1-Ferrari have replaced team principal Maurizio Arrivabene with former technical boss Mattia Binotto.
Arrivabene held the role for four years and Ferrari said that the decision to replace him was made following “lengthy discussions”.
Binotto takes immediate charge of team affairs with all technical areas reporting to him directly.
Ferrari failed to win either title last year despite an initial challenge to Mercedes who continue to dominate the sport.
Rugby Union-Good news for Ireland with Robbie Henshaw set to resume training this week although Johnny Sexton may miss Leinster’s game against Toulouse at the weekend.
Henshaw suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up before Ireland’s game against Argentina in November and he could now be fit in time for the 6 Nations opener against England next month.
Sexton has a leg injury and is rated as doubtful for Saturday’s European Champions Cup game.
Weather
Mainly fine with light variable winds in the Alpes-Maritimes and a moderate to strong Mistral affecting the westernmost parts of the Var.
Top temperature 14 degrees.
Overnight lows of 7 degrees on the coast and 2 degrees inland with clear skies and a widespread frost.
Wednesday and Thursday-Mainly fine with highs of 12-14 degrees.
A group of experts have come up with more than 150 recommendations for how Nice can deal with the increasing effects of climate change....
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Some communes in the Alpes-Maritimes will be plunged into darkness this Monday evening. For the third year running to mark Earth Day, mayors in the Al...
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Gendarmes in the Var have appealed for information after a 34-year-old man went missing in Cavalaire-sur-Mer....
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A man from Nice used a stolen bank card to make purchases in Monaco, spending over €1,700 in various shops, mostly on airpods that he planned to resel...
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Electric bike-sharing firm Pony says all of its vehicles will be back out on the streets of Nice no later than June, after they were withdrawn last mo...
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