NEWS
Winegrowers Uprooting Vines - Bordeaux, France's largest AOC vineyard, is tackling a crisis in the wine industry by grubbing up 8,000 hectares of vines by 31 May, with up to 1,500 more hectares to follow by winter. This 57 million euro plan is supported by the State and the wine trade. Some winegrowers are uprooting vines without subsidies, hoping to retain planting rights for a market rebound. Bordeaux's wine industry has suffered from falling wine consumption and export issues, notably with China, causing a third of Bordeaux's 5,000 winegrowers to report financial distress. The grubbing-up scheme aims to reduce production and address 'la flavescence dorée', a vine disease. Additionally, a government fund of 150 million euros over two years, pending European approval, will help restructure vineyards, potentially affecting up to 100,000 hectares out of France's nearly 800,000 hectares of vineyards.
Omar Sy Amongst the Festival de Cannes Jury - The Cannes Film Festival has announced its jury for the 77th edition, with French actor Omar Sy among the distinguished members. Joining him are French actress Eva Green, known for her role as Milady in "The Three Musketeers," and Lily Gladstone, who appeared in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon." Other notable jury members include Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona, Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, and Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan. This diverse group will oversee the competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or award. The festival, set to begin in just a couple of weeks, showcases the best in global cinema.
Gérard Depardieu summoned to police custody - Gérard Depardieu summoned this Monday to be taken into police custody. The French actor is to be questioned about accusations made by two women. One of the women, a decorator, accuses the actor of having sexually assaulted her in September 2021 in a private mansion in Paris.
Sahara Sand until Wednesday - A new episode of sand from the Sahara began to affect the skies over France on Sunday, and is set to remain over the country until Wednesday, according to forecasts from Météo France. A large part of the south, east and centre of the country will be affected.
A Woman from Nice Reached French President to Help Her Keep Her Home - A woman in Nice is facing homelessness as her landlady plans to sell the flat she lives in, with the lease ending on 14 May. She lives with her 10-year-old disabled son and is struggling to find a new home. Desperate for a solution, she has reached out to French President Emmanuel Macron and various local authorities, including the town hall and department officials, but hasn't had much luck with social housing. In response, the Élysée advised her to contact the Alpes-Maritimes prefect. The Nice town hall claims they are examining her case but mentioned there are 21,000 social housing applications pending. They suggested she could ask her landlady for a lease extension while she continues searching for a new flat. Despite this, her situation remains uncertain, and her appeal for help continues.
BUSINESS
Anglo American has rejected a £31.1bn takeover bid from rival miner BHP, labeling it "highly unattractive" and "opportunistic." BHP's proposal aimed to create the world's largest copper producer by acquiring Anglo American's copper operations in Chile and Peru, driven by growing copper demand due to renewable energy and electric vehicles. Anglo American declined the offer, citing the significant restructuring plans involved, such as spinning off its platinum and South African iron ore divisions, which would require considerable changes to meet regulatory approval. This made the deal less appealing to Anglo American. Following news of the bid, copper prices rose above $10,000 per tonne for the first time in two years. Anglo American's share price slightly dropped to £25.47, just above BHP's offer. If the takeover were pursued, it could face major competition hurdles.
Elon Musk's visit to Beijing aims to discuss enabling Tesla's autonomous driving mode, Full Self Driving (FSD), in China. This feature, available in countries like the US but not China, requires transferring data abroad for algorithm training. The visit comes after a US report linked Tesla's autonomous driving modes to 13 crashes, with one fatality. During his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Musk indicated Tesla's willingness for deeper cooperation with China to achieve mutual benefits. In response, Mr Li affirmed China's openness to foreign firms. China is Tesla's second-largest market, and competitors like Xpeng are challenging Tesla with similar self-driving features. Tesla's visit is timed as the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigates whether Tesla's recall addressed safety concerns. Critics claim Musk hypes autonomous driving to boost Tesla's stock, which has dropped amid competition and lower electric vehicle demand. Tesla denies these claims yet reported a 13% decline in automotive sales and a 32% drop in share price in 2024.
SPORTS
Football - Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) became French champions for the 12th time in their history after Monaco lost to Lyon. PSG missed the opportunity to secure the title in front of their home fans on Saturday evening, but Monaco's 3-2 defeat to Lyon on Sunday 28 April sealed the championship for PSG. This loss gave PSG a 12-point lead with three games left, ensuring they had enough points to claim the title.
Tennis - Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the last 16 of the Madrid Open as he cruised past Thiago Seyboth Wild. World number three Alcaraz won 6-3 6-3 against Brazil's Seyboth Wild. The win continues second seed Alcaraz's dominance at the event, which he won in 2022 and 2023.
And Rafael Nadal reached the third round at the Madrid Open with an impressive straight-set win over Australian Alex de Minaur. The Spaniard, 37, won 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 to take revenge on the opponent who knocked him out of the Barcelona Open 10 days before. He will face Pedro Cachin next after the Argentine beat American 20th seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4.
Rugby Union - Saracens produced a clinical second-half performance to overcome Bristol Bears and win the Allianz Cup at Shaftesbury Park. Trailing 12-7 at the break following two tries from the home side's Deborah Wills, captain Lotte Clapp powered over for Saracens early in the second half to level the game.
Basketball - The Minnesota Timberwolves won a play-off series for the first time in 20 years after defeating the Phoenix Suns 122-116 to complete a 4-0 Western Conference first-round win.
WEATHER
Mostly sunny today with periodical coverings all across the Riviera with moderate winds. Highs of 20 degrees in Marseille, 21 in Saint-tropez, 22 in Toulon, 23 in Cannes and 24 degrees in Nice.
Tonight, light clearings, lows of 16 degrees.
Outlook for tomorrow, cloudy with a chance of rain. Highs of 23 degrees.
A powerful Mistral storm has swept through Provence, with wind gusts exceeding 150 km/h in some areas. ...
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France’s recently appointed Prime Minister François Bayrou has promised a new government "before Christmas" and reserves the possibility of using 49....
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A four-day strike at DHL has caused delays in package processing, raising concerns about on-time deliveries for Christmas....
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French judges in Avignon will today Thursday 19th December, deliver their verdicts in a mass rape case against 51 men that has appalled France and the...
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Monaco Info and TV Monaco are set to make way for a new television channel on September 1st of 2025. During the debates on the 2025 preliminary budget...
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