Local
Storm Ciara - Several fires have broken out in Corsica following storm Ciara which hit parts of France and the Mediterranean island on Tuesday. Firefighters were deployed throughout the night with one village remaining severely threatened by the flames. Firefighters were also tackling fires in the Alpes Martimes and 130 regional firefighters have been deployed to help the services in Corsica. The weather warning of violent winds was lifted at 9pm on Tuesday.
116th birthday celebrations - Sister André, Lucille Randon celebrated her 116th birthday on Tuesday in Toulon in the Var. Born on February 11th, 1904 in Alès, sister André was surrounded by her family for the celebrations along with reporters. Speaking at the celebrations Sister André said, “It feels like Cannes”.
Carousel for Place Garibaldi in Nice – A new carousel is currently being installed on Place Garibaldi in Nice. The attraction will operate outside of the school holidays from Tuesday to Sunday for a minimum of four hours in the afternoon. The city council announced the idea back in September of last year to honour the square with a colourful carousel of wooden horses.
Nice Carnival goes haute couture: For the 136th edition of Nice carnival, Nice city council has announced a tribute to famous stylists of the 20th century with a themed runway the: "King of Fashion”. From February 15 to 29, Place Masséna will host parades and the famous flower battles, a tradition started by the British in the region in the late 19th century. Visitors to the event will discover the history of fashion and the challenges it has faced over the centuries.
The world’s third largest carnival will end with the cremation of the King at sea ceremony on Sunday March 1 at 8 p.m. For more informaiton go to https://en.nicecarnaval.com/
National
National Conference of Disability - French President Emmanuel Macron has chaired the 5th National Conference on Disability promising a series of measures to facilitate the lives of the 12 million disabled people living in France.
On Tuesday,Mr Macron called for a country-wide mobilisation for disabled people living in France. He has promised that proposed measures will be implemented before the end of his mandate in 2022.
The government has also promised a dedicated phone support number to facilitate disabled people in dealing with administrative procedures.
The price of a packet of Marlboro to increase - Marlboro cigarettes, the most popular brand of cigarettes in France are set to increase in price on March the 1st to ten euros a packet.
Following Emmanuel Macron being elected a four-year period of stability in the price of cigarettes came to an end in France with the new government increasing the price steadily over the last three years. The hike in price has seen sales drop by 9.32% in 2018 and 7.2% in 2019.
French energy groups issued with a warning - French energy groups Engie and EDF have been formally warned for not respecting certain data privacy laws when using Linky smart meters and have been given three months to conform.
French data privacy commission said it had given Engie and EDF three months to ensure their Linky smart meter data collection processes were legal and reminded the companies that clients must be able to “maintain control over their data”.
Both firms were found to have failed to gain explicit consent to collect data for two different uses, and for keeping said data for too long.
Environmental labeling - The French government has announced plans to introduce “environmental labeling” on clothing in order to help consumers identify those who, despite everything, are "greener". The system will see a small blue planet with a note from A to E being used. It’s already been tested on some brands and will now be tested on textiles. The government hopes to have the system up and running in the next fiver years.
Business
The chairman of the US Federal Reserve has told Congress that the economy is in “a good place” but warned of the potential threat from the coronavirus in China and cited concerns about the long term prospects for growth.
Jerome Powell said that the central bank is finding that the US economy is performing well with the expansion now into its 11th year-the longest on record.
Mr Powell said that there is no reason why growth can’t continue but warned that the impact of the coronavirus will impact China and its close neighbours and trading partners.
He said that it was too early to say whether the outbreak will have persistent effects that might lead to a material reassessment of the outlook.
The Fed chairman also sounded a warning about the growing federal deficit which is predicted to hit more than a trillion dollars this year ,driven in part by President Trump’s tax cuts.
A US judge has given the green light for the telecoms giant T-Mobile US to buy its smaller rival Sprint.
The 26 billion dollar deal marks a major shakeup in the industry and will mean that there are just three major players in the American mobile phone market.
The ruling paves the way for the deal which was first proposed two years ago to be completed.
Shares in Japan’s Softbank which owns Sprint jumped on the news.
The judge rejected claims by a group of Democrat-led-states that the planned merger would break anti-competition laws and mean higher prices for customers.
If the deal is left unchallenged ,the ruling means that the majority of US mobile phone users will be served by just three networks,Verizon ,AT&T and the revamped T-Mobile.
And-The UK Finance Minister Sajid Javid has said that the country will thrive despite the introduction of border checks after the Brexit transition period.
Mr Javid admitted that frictionless trade would come to an end but said that Britain would have “a better future”.
Industry bodies have warned that border checks on imports could cause fresh food supply problems but Mr Javid said that supply chains would be “protected”.
In an interview with the BBC ,Mr Javid said that Britain had a better future as an independent sovereign nation trading with European “friends” but also trading more with the rest of the world.
Sport
Boxing-Deontay Wilder has said that Tyson Fury will be having “sleepless nights” before their world heavyweight title rematch later this month.
The pair will meet again in Las Vegas on the 22nd of February for Wilder’s WBC belt.
The last fight in December 2018 ended in a controversial draw with Wilder knocking Fury down twice but the Englishman also thinking that he had done enough to win.
Wilder said that when you get knocked down by someone “you never forget it” adding that he sensed that Fury was “very nervous” ahead of the fight.
He also said that he was “not worried” about Anthony Joshua who he labelled a “coward”.
Football-Leeds United kept their stuttering promotion bid on track last night as they rescued a point in a 1-1 draw at fellow contenders Brentford.They were also helped by the fact that Nottingham Forest were beaten 1-0 at home by Charlton.
In the other results Barnsley lost 1-0 at home to Birmingham.Blackburn beat Hull 3-0.Swansea and QPR drew 0-0 and Wigan and Middlesbrough drew 2-2.
In the Scottish Premiership last night Aberdeen were 3-1 winners at Hamilton.
Formula 1-Ferrari have unveiled their new car for the 2020 season which the team hopes will allow it to pose a much greater threat to Mercedes.
The SF1000 is said to be radically different from last year’s car with major changes to the aerodynamics and downforce level.
Team principal Mattia Binotto also said that Sebastian Vettel remains Ferrari’s number one driver despite the challenge posed by Charles Leclerc.
Cricket-England have recalled opener Keaton Jennings and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka.
James Anderson is left out as he recovers from a cracked rib and Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali also miss the tour.
Left arm spinner Jack Leach is included after missing the South Africa tour through illness.
The first T20 between South Africa and England is being played today.The match in East London starts at 5pm French time.
Golf-Tiger Woods has been approached by the organisers of the Premier Golf League which is aiming to be rival to the PGA Tour.
The 18 event world tour would feature 48 top players and have a total prize fund of 240 million dollars.
Woods said that his team was “looking into” the idea but couldn’t yet say whether it would be “reality or not”.
The PGA Tour Commissioner has said that players will have to decide between one series or the other and there have been similar warnings from the European Tour.
Plans for the Premier Golf League were unveiled last month by the British based firm World Golf Group.
Weather
Clear skies with moderate westerly winds.
Top temperature 18 degrees.
Overnight lows of 8 degrees on the coast and 5 degrees inland with clear skies.
Thursday and Friday-Mainly fine with highs of 16-18 degrees.
And Finally
A recent study in the UK has revealed that the Lake District is the most romantic destination. Take note as Valentines day is fast approaching.
A study of 2,000 Brits discovered the most idyllic spots in the lead up to Valentine’s Day, including St Ives.
While a majority would opt for a countryside getaway when it comes to a romantic break in the UK some surprising results showed that sights including St Paul’s Cathedral, Little Venice and Greenwich Park made the top 40.
The research also found half the nation believes UK romantic spots are underrated compared to those abroad.
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