Nice university hospital is working on a new routine screening protocol for lung cancer. It aims to detect the disease at the earliest possible stage, with a combination of blood testing, chest CT scans and artificial intelligence. The team of researchers in Nice have been selected to carry out one of four new lung cancer screening experiments around France. 2,600 patients will take part in the five-year trial - all of whom are people who have smoked at least a packet of cigarettes per day for at least 20 years. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the Alpes-Maritimes.
Representatives from several industries that suffer a labour shortage have organised an event in Nice to help Ukrainian refugees who are looking for work. Sectors ranging from hotels and catering to construction and cleaning took part in the "job dating" exercise yesterday.
Marineland in Antibes is reopening this weekend for the summer season. The regular performances involving killer whales, dolphins and sealions will resume. However, by 2026, France will have banned the acquisition, breeding and keeping of dolphins and killer whales in marine parks.
Monaco has appointed a new state secretary for justice. Sylvie Petit-Leclair is the principality's current prosecutor-general. The law graduate and former magistrate will take up her new duties on 1st June.
Sophia Antipolis has begun a six-month trial into driverless buses. A new free bus service will connect the businesses along Avenue Roumanille. The autonomous shuttle project has been in development since 2018. The bus is equipped with radar sensors and each vehicle can carry 15 passengers.
While the Alpes-Maritimes coast is on a yellow alert this evening due to the sea swell, parts of the southern Alps are on avalanche alert. The Hautes-Alpes préfecture has warned of a high avalanche risk above 2,200 metres after recent heavy rainfall and mild temperatures.
Meanwhile, your car windscreen might need a thorough wash late next week. Another blast of Saharan sand is due to blow over most of France from Monday evening until Thursday, potentially turning the skies orange.
Elsewhere in France, a broken down train on the Paris metro left some passengers stuck onboard in the dark for nearly two hours. The train broke down under the Seine, between Invalides and Concorde around 7am. Passengers weren't evacuated until almost 9am.
And finally, a new theatre has been inaugurated in Nice’s former Franciscan church and convent. After several years of archaeological excavations and careful restoration work, the National Theatre of Nice will be using the 13th-century building to stage performances. It's the oldest building still standing in Nice's old town and previous uses have included a hotel, a fishmongers, a nightclub - and the offices for Nice's rubbish collection team. The first performance in the Franciscan Theatre will be on 26th April.
BUSINESS
The Ukraine war has led to a "giant leap" in food prices last month to another record high, the United Nations says. The war has cut off supplies from the world's biggest exporter of sunflower oil which means the costs of alternatives have also climbed. Ukraine is also a major producer of cereals such as maize and wheat which have risen sharply in price too. Food prices are at their highest since records began 60 years ago according to the index, which jumped nearly 13% in March, following February's already record high.
And after Europe, Ferrero has recalled some of its Kinder chocolates from shops in the US over a potential salmonella contamination. The company said it made the decision because they were made in a factory where salmonella had been detected. The affected chocolate was manufactured in Belgium and the recall could be extended to other countries.
SPORT
F1 - Charles Leclerc headed Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix. Leclerc ended the session 0.245 seconds ahead of Verstappen. The second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz was 0.398secs off the pace in third place, ahead of Fernando Alonso in fourth. Formula One is returning to Australia for the first time in two years. Qualification is at 8am tomorrow morning and the race is on at 7am French time on Sunday.
Meanwhile, contrary to the information circulating today on the side-lines of the Australian Grand Prix the French Grand Prix will take place on July 24th at Le Castellet in the Var. Negotiations are under way for an extension beyond July 2022 and organisers say that the French Grand Prix is not threatened, as reported by some French media outlets.
Football – It's a busy weekend in the English Premier League. Tonight, Newcastle play Wolverhampton kick off is at 9pm. Tomorrow Everton play Manchester United, Arsenal face Brighton, Southampton play Chelsea, Watford face Leeds and Aston Villa play Tottenham. On Sunday Brentford play West Ham, Leicester against Crystal Palace, Norwich face Burnley and the big game of the weekend: Manchester City play Liverpool.
Here on the Riviera, in Ligue 1 on Sunday afternoon, AS Monaco host Troyes while Nice are away at Lens.
A Self-service rental system for paddle boards has been implemented on the Larvotto beach in Monaco. Users can access the equipment through a paying a...
Read More
French president Emmanuel Macron has called for stronger, more integrated European defences as he outlined his vision for a more assertive European Un...
Read More
The Côte d'Azur is on alert for a surge in imported cases of dengue fever. Since the beginning of 2024, a record 1,679 imported cases have been record...
Read More
The post-mortem will take place next Monday for a 33-year-old man whose body was recently found in the Var after being missing for more than a month....
Read More
French scientists have been developing technological tools for the past four years to help athletes optimize their training for the Paris 2024 Olympic...
Read More
