French and Riviera News Monday 15th April 2019

Local

Investigation - The French Ministry of Justice has demanded explanations from the Nice prosecutor concerning the controversial management of the case of yellow vest activist Geneviève Legay. Legay was wounded on March 23rd during a demonstration. Jean-Michel Prêtre has been summoned to explain "a number of facts” concerning the case. 73-year-old Legay suffered several broken ribs and a fractured skull during a police charge to disperse a banned demonstration of "yellow vests" at place Garibaldi in Nice.

Violent attack in Contes - A man has been admitted to hospital after being assaulted in front of his home in Contes in the Alpes Maritimes. According to police the attack was carried out by a group of people on Saturday night. The victim is reported to be in a stable condition and an investigation has been opened to determine the reason behind the attack.

New glasses - A start up in Nice has been carrying out tests on a new invention which hopes to help seniors in the case of a fall. The glasses are equipped with an inbuilt alarm system and fifteen sensors. Falls are the cause of 4,000 deaths a year in France. Already marketed at 289 euros with an app against drowsy driving, the pair of anti-fall glasses could be available within two years.

11 hour rescue operation - 19 firefighters have been mobilized in La Trinité in Nice after a cat become stuck in the roof of a building. Local media reported that the rescue operation lasted 11 hours on Sunday after the animal became caught amongst electrical cabling.  

Bullying - A boxing gym in Toulon has opened its doors to victims of bullying. In a move aimed to help those that have been bullied, Karim Bettahar has created a special boxing club for 5 to 17 year olds every Wednesday and Saturday. In France, some 700,000 students are victims of school bullying with one in four teenagers admitting that they have considered suicide as a result.

National

Yellow Vest protests - At least 31,000 Yellow Vests protestors have taken to the streets in France, as Saturday saw mostly peaceful demonstrations in several cities. French media have reported that the weekend’s protests marked “the calm before the storm” ahead of so-called “Act 23” planned for Easter weekend on the 20th April.

Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to lay out the findings of his national debate over the coming days. The President will go on national television this evening to announce a series of policy changes based on the feedback received over two months of public consultations triggered by the Yellow Vest movement. Macron launched his “Grand National Debate” on January 15 to try end the biggest crisis of his presidency.

Refugees and migrants - France has been told by the United Nation’s that is must act on the “dire” living conditions of refugees and migrants sleeping rough in Calais. An estimated 600-700 refugees and migrants are homeless, sheltering in tents or makeshift camps. Many have come to northern France because they hope to reach Britain. Since the closure of a vast makeshift migrant camp in Calais in October 2016, hundreds of people are still sleeping rough along the coast in squalid conditions, many without proper access to sanitation.

Petition - Two French academics have launched a petition to remove a parliament mural commemorating the abolition of slavery, which they said was a racist, humiliating and dehumanising depiction of black people. The vast mural which has hung in a corridor of a building at France’s National Assembly for 28 years was created in 1991 by French artist Hervé di Rosa to commemorate France’s first abolition of slavery in 1794. The academics have written in an open letter that “It is historically unacceptable and politically incomprehensible, demanding the removal of this wall of shame.”

Paris Marathon - Ethiopian athletes Gelete Burka and Abrha Milaw have won the 43rd edition of the Paris Marathon on Sunday, leading a record 60,000 participants to the finish line. Milaw won the men’s race with a time of 2:07:50, while Burka was the fastest woman with 2:22:48.

Business

American Airlines has announced that it is extending the cancellation of its Boeing 737 Max 8 flights from June until mid-August. Last month, 737 Max aircraft were grounded worldwide following fatal crashes involving Ethiopian Airlines and Indonesia's Lion Air. Boeing is developing new software for the jet's anti-stall system, which has come under scrutiny since the crashes. According to reports the cancellations will affect up to 115 flights a day, Reuters news agency reported.

The boss of Debenhams, Sergio Bucher, is expected to step down following the department store chain's recent takeover by its lenders. The retailer was taken over less than a week ago after entering administration. The group of lenders that now owns Debenhams - including banks such as Barclays and US hedge funds such as Silver Point and Golden Tree - have provided the retailer with £200m in funding.

And - Drinks giant Diageo has announced that it is removing plastic from multipacks of its Irish stout brand Guinness. The change will be phased in with multi-can packs sold in "100% recyclable and biodegradable cardboard" in Ireland from August this year. The new packaging will then be used in the UK and globally next year.

Sport

Golf - Tiger Woods has won the 2019 Masters at Augusta to claim 15th major. Woods, who has battled back problems in recent years, punched the air in delight, before celebrating with his children.

Grand Prix - Lewis Hamilton has won the Chinese Grand Prix to hold the championship lead for the first time in 2019. The Mercedes driver passed team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who started from pole position. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took third, after the team ordered team-mate Charles Leclerc to let him by in the opening laps. The decision led to Leclerc losing fourth place to Max Verstappen's Red Bull.

Premier League – Manchester City beat Crystal Palace in a ninth straight Premier League win after a dominant performance at Selhurst Park. However, Liverpool returned to the summit after beating Chelsea 2-0 in the late kick-off at Anfield, leaving City, who have one game in hand, two points behind the Reds with five games remaining.

Skateboarding sensation - Ten-year-old Sky Brown has won gold at her first national competition with victory in the women's park at the UK Skateboard Championships. Brown, who is aiming to become Britain's youngest summer Olympian at next year's Tokyo Games, scored 308 points to secure the title on Sunday.

Weather

Clear skies across the region with highs of 17 degrees along the coast 16 degrees inland with moderate south easterly wind in the Alpes Maritimes and the Var.

This evening going down to 8 degrees and cloudy. The outlook for Tuesday Rain to start in the Var and the Alpes Maritimes clearing by the afternoon in the Var with highs of 14 in Saint Tropez and 16 degrees in Nice. Wednesday fine with some passing cloud and highs of 18 degrees.

Finally 

Scientist have found that hard work really does pay off and perseverance leads to better grades and higher achievement in school. 

Being passionate is not enough to ensure academic success say researchers, who identified 'grit' as a key to success. 

This is defined as effort in pursuing long-term goals, and the determination to continue one’s efforts in spite of adversity. 

Experts think that the finding could help create new training to help children develop the skill and help ensure their future successes.

 

 

 

 

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