French and Riviera News Tuesday 13th August 2019

Local

Sea rescue services - Sea rescue services in Menton have carried out a sea search following reports of the disappearance of a 10-year-old child. The alert was given on Monday afternoon shortly after 5.30pm at the Buse beach in Roquebrune Cap Martin. After three hours the Crossmed took the decision to end the search saying, “there was nothing to confirm the disappearance of the child”.

Missing person - Meanwhile police are still appealing for witnesses following the disappearance of 85-year-old Thèrèse Louchet who suffers from Alzheimer’s. The 85-year-old disappeared from her home on Chemin des Chauvets in La Gaude last Thursday evening. At the time she was wearing a blue blouse and white trousers. Anyone who may have any information is asked to contact the police in Vence on 04.93.58.03.20.

Beaches in Saint Laurent du Var - The beaches of Saint Laurent du Var have remained closed to the public with a swimming ban in place as more tests are carried out by the regional health authority. Results released on Monday confirmed that the micro-seaweed which had turned the water green is nontoxic.

Electro Festival Cannes - Police in Cannes have seized a large quantity of narcotics on the sidelines of the Electro festival, which gathered nearly 40,000 people over the weekend. Major security measures were put in place which led to six men being arrested in possession of 540 ecstasy tablets, cash, cocaine and cannabis.

National

3 children killed in boating accident - Two 7-year-old children and one 11-year-old child have died in an accident of a pleasure boat off Agon-Coutainville in the Channel. Three adults, relatives of the victims, who were also on board the boat were slightly injured. The exact cause of the accident remains unknown although it’s believed there was an engine failure which caused the boat to capsize.  The three adults, managed to get out of the boat, but the three children, two girls and a boy, were stuck in the cabin for several minutes before being rescued. An investigation has been opened

Investigation - Two French government ministers have called for an investigation into the activities in France of Jeffrey Epstein, the US financier found dead in an apparent suicide while being held on sex-trafficking charges. Epstein, a convicted paedophile who hobnobbed with countless politicians and celebrities over the years, was arrested on July 6 in New Jersey after his private jet landed on a flight from Paris, where he owned a luxurious apartment

Animal rights campaigners - Animal rights campaigners say they will sue a sporting champion for animal cruelty after he was filmed biting the head off a live cockerel during a dinner with friends. The Brigitte Bardot foundation said the actions of the Basque pelota player Bixente Larralde were “shocking and sickening”. Larralde told reporters that he did not want to comment on the legal action. However, he said he was aware his behaviour was “an error and a bad thing to do”. If convicted of animal cruelty, Larralde could face a fine of up to €30,000 (£28,000). A petition has been launched, calling for him to be excluded from the Basque pelota team of France and dropped by sponsors.

Business

Argentine stock markets and its currency have both plunged after conservative Argentine President Mauricio Macri suffered a shock defeat in primary elections on Sunday. The peso fell 15% against the dollar on Monday after earlier plunging around 30% to a record low. Some of the country's most traded stocks have also lost around half of their value in one day.

President Trump's National Security Adviser has said the the UK is "first in line" for a trade deal with the US. John Bolton said the US supported a no-deal Brexit and added that Washington would propose an accelerated series of trade deals. His comments came after meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson at No 10. Mr Johnson is expected to have his first face-to-face meeting as prime minister with Mr Trump later this month at the G7 summit in France.

Bosses of more than 50 retailers including Asda and Boots have written to the Britain’s chancellor urging him to change tax rules to boost the UK High Street. The group said it wanted him to fix the "broken business rates system", which it called outdated. It said the tax had jumped by 50% since the 1990s and had contributed to some retailers going out of business. The Treasury said it had announced a £3.6bn fund last month "to support our high streets and town centres". Adding that "The Chancellor will announce further details of the government's policy programme in the coming weeks and months”.

Sport

Football – In the Premier League Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson has been ruled out "for the next few weeks" with the calf injury he picked up in the season-opening win against Norwich City, says manager Jurgen Klopp. Here’s more from BBC sport

Tennis - Former world number one Andy Murray says he will not play singles at the US Open later this month. On Monday Murray played his first singles match since career-saving hip surgery in January – losing 6-4 6-4 to France's Richard Gasquet. Murray says he intends to play doubles and mixed doubles at the Grand Slam in New York, which starts on 26 August.

Athletics - Great Britain were disqualified from the men's 4x400m relay at the European Athletics Team Championships after a reserve shot putter was named in the line-up by mistake. UK Athletics performance director Neil Black blamed a "technical error".

Formula One – Red Bull will replace French driver Pierre Gasly with Alexander Albon for the rest of the season. Red Bull say they will "use the next nine races to evaluate Alex's performance" and make a "decision as to who will drive alongside Max in 2020".

Weather

Partially cloudy, highs of 31 degrees in Menton, 29 in Nice and 30 in Antibes and Cannes reaching 33 degrees in Saint Tropez and 32 in Draguignan.

A moderate westerly wind throughout the day with a north westerly wind picking up by this evening in the Var with gusts of up to 45km/h.

This evening a cool night in the Var going down to 16 degrees and 20 degrees in the Alpes Maritimes.

Outlook for Wednesday clear skies and highs of 31 degrees.

Finally 

Making your mind up! - According to a recent survey people  typically waste £450-a-year by leaving decisions until the last minute.

Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of those polled agreed they were procrastinators — people who often put off decisions to another day.

Leaving it until the eleventh hour to find gifts, not getting around to putting money into a savings account, and planning holidays at the last-minute were common reasons for people wasting cash.

The survey of 2,000 people also found technology has a significant role to play in delaying decisions.

Watching TV, scrolling through social media and checking phones were the top reason why people said they procrastinate.

Men estimate they waste more money than women by delaying decisions, at £571 per year on average, versus £325 for women.

 

 

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