New figures just released point to a sharp rise in cases of school violence, bullying and harassment in the Alpes-Maritimes. So far this year, 450 incidents of violent behaviour in schools have been reported. That's up from 250 last year. The cases mainly involve harassment and bullying between students - ranging from verbal insults and fights to students bringing weapons to school. The Grasse public prosecutor's office says younger pupils are increasingly involved, with some cases involving children as young as seven years old.
The Alpes-Maritimes and the Var have been placed on a weather alert by Météo France due to the risk of storms and heavy rain in the early hours of tomorrow morning. The forecaster says the worst of the weather is expected between about 3am and 7am on Wednesday morning. The stormy weather, accompanied by strong gusts of wind, is crossing the Riviera from west to east.
Meanwhile, the mayors of several coastal towns along the Riviera have joined forces to ask the French state for more resources to combat rising sea levels. The association of coastal mayors met in Mandelieu yesterday and have expressed their anger at prime minister Michel Barnier's plan to cut funding for flood defences.
A 70-year-old woman has died after she was trapped by flames in her apartment in Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée. The fire started in the kitchen of her first-floor flat. Twenty firefighters were called to the scene and the rest of the building's residents were evacuated.
Police in Nice have carried out a series of targeted dawn raids as part of an investigation into drug and arms trafficking. Officers raided seven properties at the same time early this morning, all in the L'Ariane district of the city. Several suspects were taken for questioning at the Auvare police station. It's reported that they are all part of the Chechen community in Nice. Another series of raids was carried out yesterday in Carros, where almost 80 gendarmes raided apartments and arrested seven people suspected of being involved in drug trafficking.
Drivers in Nice are being warned of a new scam when they go to pay for their on-street parking. The city of Nice says it's found fake QR codes stuck to 150 parking meters. The code directs drivers to a non-official site to pay for parking, with the aim of collecting users' banking details. A legal complaint has been filed and the stickers have been removed. Drivers are being reminded that they should only use official Pay by Phone apps for parking. If you see a suspicious QR code on a parking meter, you're urged to contact the parking department at Nice city hall.
BUSINESS
Crude oil prices have fallen sharply today, as fears ease that Israel might attack Iran’s oil facilities. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell by 4% this morning to $74.30 per barrel, a drop of over $3 per barrel. That’s its lowest level in almost two weeks. US crude was also down around 4% at $70.80 per barrel. The fall comes after the Washington Post reported that Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden that Israel’s retaliation against Iran for its ballistic missile attack earlier this month will not include strikes on non-military sites.
British chancellor Rachel Reeves has given the clearest signal yet that businesses will face an increase in National Insurance. She said Labour's election pledge not to increase National Insurance on "working people" related to the employee element, as opposed to the sum paid by employers. Her comments come as businesses await the new government's economic plans in the Budget later this month. She was speaking on the day the government announced billions of pounds in overseas investment had been secured. While the investment pledges signal a boost for the government, many business leaders are closely watching what taxes will be increased on 30 October.
Meanwhile, the UK’s unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest since the start of this year, according to today’s labour force report. The jobless rate has dipped to 4% in the June to August quarter, its lowest since the three months to January. The number of people unemployed dropped to 1.38 million. That's a fall of 141,000 in the quarter.
SPORT
Football - Europe’s domestic football leagues have joined forces with the global players’ union to file a formal complaint against Fifa over its imposition of the sport’s match calendar. European Leagues, Fifpro and La Liga accused Fifa of “abusive and anti-competitive” conduct by expanding the schedule in a manner they believe endangers players and domestic competitions. They point to the enlarged 2026 World Cup and the controversial new-look Club World Cup that will take place next summer. The complaint was submitted yesterday to the European Commission, which must now decide whether to officially open proceedings against football’s governing body.
Boxing - British fighter Ben Whittaker suffered an ankle sprain and will have further assessments on an aggravated neck injury after the bizarre conclusion to his bout in Riyadh at the weekend. The fight between Whittaker and Liam Cameron ended in a draw after both crashed out of the ring. Whittaker left the arena in a wheelchair and was taken to hospital for scans to his injured leg after he and Cameron grappled onto the ropes and tumbled over the top. Cameron was sprawled on Whittaker as they fell on the outer canvas towards the end of the fifth round, with Whittaker unable to get up. The bout was abandoned due to accidental injury and declared a technical split draw.
Formula One - It's the US grand prix in Austin this weekend and all eyes are understandably on the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris going into the final stages of the Formula 1 season. Red Bull's Verstappen leads McLaren's Norris by 52 points with six rounds remaining. After an almost month-long break, the season is set to resume in style with the US grand prix closely followed by races in Mexico and Brazil. Then another two-weekend pause follows before a further trio of back-to-back races to end the season in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
New figures just released point to a sharp rise in cases of school violence, bullying and harassment in the Alpes-Maritimes....
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Villas in Grasse and near Saint-Tropez belonging to Russian oligarchs have been seized as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering. ...
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A popular brand of bicycles sold at Decathlon have been recalled throughout France. The danger is that they could break whilst riding....
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More bad weather is on its way with gale force winds and heavy rain forecast this week.
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Newly released road safety figures have revealed that a person dies on the Riviera's roads every six days....
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