Up to 110 mm of rain has fallen on the Cote d’Azur in the last 24 hours, making it the wettest February here since 1947.
The affect of the rain has been felt across the Riviera where tonights Carnaval in Nice has been cancelled, while Marie’s in Nice, Cannes and Antibes to close some parks and coastal paths. Landslides have also closed the Grand Corniche between Nice and Monaco and also at La Trinité.
The weather has also brought heavy snow to local ski resorts but not without problems. Mid-term students were stuck on the way to Isola 2000 after a failure of snow chains, while further north in Embrum a 43 year old man has died in an avalanche. Authorities in the Gap region have ordered an autopsy on the skier and full investigation.
The weather also contributed to an accident on the A8 autoroute during this morning’s rush hour causing delays of up to three hours.
A woman, believed to be in her forties, has been found dead at her apartement on the Chemin du Val Fleuri in Cagnes-sur-Mer. Police, who made the discovery around 8am, are investigating.
In Cannes, a man is recovering after being stabbed by a woman in the town over the weekend. It’s believed the woman acted due to a "professional" dispute with the victim, and not in a marital context. A file is being prepared to charge the woman with attempted murder by a person in a state of intoxication.
President Macron has called for agricultural offices to be established in sub-prefectures across France, so administrative tasks can be completed as close to the field as possible. He also said he was not fooled by protestors waving flags calling for ‘Frexit’, which he said was political, not an agricultural movement.
A move to prevent a statue of Jeanne d’Arc being erected in Nice has been put down the by Administrative Court. Opponents had claimed the commissioning of the €170,000 statue did not follow correct procurement rules. The statue will erected as planned in front of the Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc church, just north of the Liberation area of the city.
The Minister for National Education is to close the Alpes-Maritime’s first ever Muslim college in Nice. She said the reason has nothing to do with the content of its teachings but for the origin of its financing. Laws introduced in 2021 established rules restricting certain foreign investments in schools. The Minister said the school will not reopen in September and students would be distributed to other nearby schools.
Sustainability and fashion merged at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum at the weekend for the world final of Junk Kouture. The challenge for the sixty teenage finalists from New York to Abu Dhabi, was to create high fashion from recycled materials. Vega Beroud and Luisa Dietel from the International School of Nice, won the ‘Performance Award’ for their entry inspired by the French Riviera. The overall winning team came from Ireland, with their design entitled '#TagMe', where a dress was made from 2,500 plastic objects which were hand sewn together.
BUSINESS NEWS
Shares of Intuitive Machines have slumped more than 25% today after its Odysseus moon lander tipped over and fell on its side during a moon landing last week. The company is the first private company ever to land on the moon and the first from the U.S. since 1972. Despite lying on it’s side, Intuitive Machines say their lander can still conduct the majority of its planned experiments on the lunar surface.
The death has been announced of British banker Jacob Rothschild. A senior member of one of Europe's best-known banking dynasties, Mr Rothschild was 87. The Rothschild banking family traces its roots back to Frankfurt, from where different family members moved to cities across Europe to build out banking businesses.
Wall Street looks set for a strong week after the S&P 500 finished at record closes on Friday. Much of last weeks upward motion was spurred by Nvidia, whose record results last week briefly valued the company at over $2 trillion. Also in Wall Street today, Amazon are set to join the DOW Jones Index for the first time. The DOW is much smaller than the S&P 500 or the NASDAQ with just 30 companies on the list. In the UK, the Royal Mint has announced a new collectable coin featuring George Michael. The coin will feature a headshot of the singer wearing his trademark sunglasses and an engraving from his song Faith.
SPORT
Football: Everton's punishment for breaching Premier League financial rules has been reduced from 10 points to six after an appeal. The club were docked points for breaching profit and sustainability rules between 2021 and 2022. The punishment – which was the biggest in Premier League history - took Everton from 14th to 19th in the league table.
Christiano Ronaldo is facing criticism after making an obscene gesture after losing a match yesterday. While walking off the pitch, the Portugal forward was seen repeatedly pumping his hand forward in front of his pelvic area. The action appeared to be directed at the rival supporters. There have been calls for the player to be sanctioned.
Golf: A UK delivery driver has just won €200,000 for by finishing in second place at the Kenya Open. Joe Dean, who was delivering for UK supermarket Morrissons as recently as last week, described his win as ‘life changing’
WEATHER
We’re expecting rain to return this evening with overnight lows of 10d. Tomorrow, it will be a generally dull day with more showers forecast and highs of 13 – 16d. Sun sets this evening at 6.14 and rises tomorrow morning at 07.13.
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