NEWS
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 resell. However, his spree came to an end when he tried to make a purchase at a Louis Vuitton shop and was asked for the card's code, to which he claimed he didn't remember and then fled. The incident was reported to the police by the shop staff. The man claimed that he found the card in Dubai while on a trip paid for by his father to resolve a business issue, but this claim couldn't be verified. He admitted that he should have given the card to the police or disposed of it, but instead he wanted to find the owner, which he failed to do. The card's owner, a Pakistani woman, had not yet canceled the card. The man justified his spending by saying he planned to sell the items to cover his rent for two months until he found a job.
A woman had a rare encounter with a white boar while walking past a bakery in Varages, Haut-Var. Mistaking it for a dog initially, the woman managed to take two photos of the boar as she calmly walked by, despite the presence of other people. White-coated boars are incredibly unusual, with the white boar being chosen as an emblem by King Richard III of England. Specialists suggest that the boar could be an albino, as this genetic anomaly can occur in various species. Another possibility is that it is a hybrid between a wild boar and a pig. However, the true origin and nature of the white boar in Varages still remains a mystery.
One of the balconies of a building on rue Achard in Cannes collapsed onto the public highway this Friday morning, reminding us of similar events that occurred a few days ago in Antibes. No casualties were reported. A safety perimeter has been set up. Eleven fire brigades are currently mobilized, along with the municipal police.
The town of Cannes has implemented a program to assist young people in paying for their driving licenses, but with certain conditions. This initiative, proposed by David Lisnard in 2015, offers financial aid of up to €900 to local residents aged between 18 and 25 to cover a portion of their driving lessons. In return for this assistance, young people from Cannes are required to complete up to 70 hours of community service for the municipality or a local association. The exact number of hours is determined based on the budget available. Overall, it is a win-win situation for all parties involved.
Stéphane Erbs, an Isère native who lost his wife on July 14, 2016 in the Nice attack, has announced that he will carry the Olympic flame for the Paris 2024 Games on June 18 when the relay passes through Nice on the Promenade des Anglais, in the name of all the victims. He announced on his Facebook page, in a message addressed above all to the Promenade des Anges association of victims of the Nice attack, of which he is co-chairman. Stéphane Erbs, who lives in Cessieu (Isère), lost his wife Rachel and was himself injured in the attack on July 14, 2016, which killed 86 people.
BUSINESS
Oil and gold prices have jumped after US officials said an Israeli missile had struck Iran. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose by 1.8% to $88 a barrel while gold briefly came close to a record high before falling back to nearly $2,400 an ounce. Investors have been closely watching Israel's reaction to Iran's direct drone and missile attack last weekend. There are concerns a worsening conflict in the Middle East could disrupt oil supplies.
Netflix has reported a significant increase in profits for the first quarter of the year, partly attributing this to efforts to combat password sharing. The streaming service gained 9.3 million new subscribers, bringing its total to nearly 270 million. Its profits for the first quarter exceeded $2.3 billion (£1.85 billion), and sales rose by nearly 15% year-on-year to $9.37 billion. While the company has historically used subscriber growth as an indicator of its potential, it announced that it will no longer disclose subscriber numbers from next year. Instead, Netflix wants investors to focus on profits and sales, as it believes the number of subscribers is now just one factor in its overall growth.
US lawmakers are considering a bill that would require the Chinese owner of TikTok, ByteDance, to sell its US operations due to concerns about the potential transfer of user data to China. TikTok has denied any connection to China and clarified that it is not solely owned by Chinese entities. The app's popularity in the US, with around 170 million American users, has created tension between the two countries. Banning TikTok may be viewed as a violation of freedom of expression and could be challenging to enforce, especially during an election year. Alternatively, forcing ByteDance to sell the app appears to be a more straightforward solution, but finding a buyer for TikTok's US operations valued at $100 billion is proving to be difficult. Additionally, such a sale may face opposition from Beijing.
SPORTS
Rugby - Mohamed Haouas, a rugby player convicted of domestic violence last year, will return to the Montpellier rugby squad next summer on a one-season contract. The MHR club has stated that his return is "conditional on exemplary behavior" as they aim to give him a second chance and demonstrate their commitment to social inclusion and rehabilitation. Haouas, a 30-year-old prop with 16 caps for France, was sentenced to a year in prison for hitting his wife outside her workplace. Additionally, he was given an 18-month prison sentence, with nine months unsuspended, for "aggravated violence" during a fight in 2014. Haouas has appealed against this decision.
Cycling - Flèche wallonne 2024: Katarzyna Niewiadoma raises her arms at the Mur de Huy for the first time. A duel between title holder Demi Vollering and Elisa Longo Borghini was expected, but the Flèche wallonne finally went to Katarzyna Niewiadoma. Stronger than anyone else on the final climb, she claimed her first road win since 2019, ahead of the Dutch rider in second place and the Italian in third.
Cricket - Former England Test batter Raman Subba Row has died aged 92. Subba Row, who won the first of his 13 England caps in 1958, played domestically for Cambridge University, Surrey and Northamptonshire. After retiring from playing in 1961, he worked as a cricket administrator and match referee. Subba Row was the chairman of Test and County Cricket Board, the forerunner to the ECB, for five years before he moved into refereeing. He officiated in 41 Tests and 119 one-day internationals between 1992 and 2001.
WEATHER
Clear and sunny throughout the PACA region this afternoon with cool moderate winds. Highs of 17 degrees in Nice, 18 in Cannes, 20 in Marseille, 21 in Toulon and 23 degrees in Saint-Tropez.
Tonight, the sky will be clear with highs of 18 degrees.
The outlook for tomorrow, much the same with clear skies and highs of 18 degrees
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