NEWS
Voiles de Saint-Tropez - The Voiles de Saint-Tropez is a major maritime event featuring around 250 boats and 3,000 crew members from around the world and will celebrate its 25th anniversary from 28th of September to 6th of October. The event showcases a diverse fleet, from classic 19th-century vessels to modern yachts, with various races and activities throughout the week, both at sea and on land, making it a unique celebration of yachting tradition and innovation. The festivities also include evening concerts, a pétanque tournament, and a crew parade, enhancing the lively atmosphere.
9th Lumexplore Festival - The 9th Lumexplore Festival, which takes place until the 29th of September, focuses on environmental awareness, featuring 14 documentaries on climate, water, and biodiversity. Held in La Ciotat, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, it emphasizes the urgency of taking action before reaching critical points, with explorers and scientists engaging with youth to inspire change. The festival highlights solutions to protect the planet while warning that delays could lead to irreversible damage.
Grasse Parking - The city of Grasse will regain control of three downtown parking lots from a private operator by 2026, requiring a €2 million payment. The decision, aimed at lowering parking costs and boosting downtown attractiveness, follows complaints about high fees and outdated contracts. The move mirrors similar actions in nearby cities like Cannes and Nice, which have also taken municipal control of parking facilities.
Marseille Middle School Shot - The French Education Minister, Anne Genetet, has cancelled her planned visit to address school safety concerns after 87 pellet impacts were discovered on the windows of a Marseille middle school. She held an emergency meeting to discuss the incident and emphasized that teaching and learning should not happen in fear, calling for severe punishment for the perpetrators.
Ventimiglia Market still Struggles After Fire - The covered market in Ventimiglia, Italy, has been closed for nearly a month following a fire, severely impacting local businesses as French tourists, a key customer base, have stopped visiting. The ongoing closure, with no clear reopening date, has left about 40 merchants out of work and hurt the city's economy, which relies heavily on the market's activity.
Influencer Influenced by Inoxetag's Everest Climb - French reality TV star Maeva Ghennam, inspired by French YouTuber Inoxtag's successful Everest climb, has announced her plan to summit Mont Blanc in 2025 despite having no mountaineering experience. While she aims to start training in January, her ambitious goal has sparked both support and scepticism, including a light-hearted comment from rapper Booba. Maeva is determined to take on the challenge, whether or not she finds a guide like Inoxtag did.
BUSINESS
Adverts from Nike and Sky have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for misleading tactics. Nike's ad promoted a £26 trainer price, but it was only for children's sizes, while Sky's Now TV ad failed to clearly state that a free trial would auto-renew for a fee unless cancelled. The ASA is cracking down on such deceptive "dark pattern" tactics, which can mislead customers into spending more than intended.
Over 600,000 people, including celebrities like James McAvoy and Tom Brady, fell for a hoax claiming that sharing a "Goodbye Meta AI" message on Instagram would prevent Meta from using their data for AI training. In reality, sharing the message has no effect, and users must adjust their privacy settings directly to opt out. Meta and fact-checkers have labelled these posts as false information.
Meta announced that celebrities like Dame Judi Dench and John Cena will be voice options for its AI chatbot, alongside other features like image recognition and editing. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also unveiled Meta's first prototype of augmented-reality (AR) glasses, Orion, and introduced a new Quest 3S mixed-reality headset starting at $300. The announcements were made during Meta's annual Connect conference, where Zuckerberg highlighted the company's significant investment in AI and AR technologies.
SPORTS
Tennis - Naomi Osaka says she is at a stage in life where she "does not want to have regrets", after hiring Patrick Mouratoglou as her new coach. Japan's Osaka beat Italy's Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-2 at the China Open in her first match with Mouratoglou in her corner - formerly the long-time coach of Serena Williams.
Cycling - Great Britain's Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl won silver in the women's B road race at the UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich.
Football - The Premier League has warned its clubs that it spent more than £45m on legal bills last season due to various disputes over its financial regulations.
Additionally, Euro 2024 and a surge in the possession of class A drugs fuelled a 14% increase in football-related arrests in England and Wales during the 2023-24 season.
WEATHER
Cloudy with light rain and gentle to moderate winds this afternoon. Highs of 22 degrees in Nice, 24 in Cannes, 25 in Toulon, and 26 degrees in Marseille and Saint-Tropez.
Tonight, cloudy with light rain and lows of 16 degrees.
Outlook for tomorrow, back to clear skies with highs of 25 degrees and moderate winds.
BEACH WEATHER
Sea temperatures 22 degrees.
Air temperatures 26 degrees near Saint-Tropez with gentle to moderate winds.
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