Evening Update Tuesday 5th March 2024

A police officer from the Antibes anti-crime brigade has been found dead at his home. The man in his forties was off work at the time. Police do not believe the cause was suicide and are waiting for the results of a toxicology report as part of their investigation.

Foreigners commit over half of street crime in Nice and Cannes according to figures released today by the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes. To combat street crimes, such as pick-pocketing, France has expelled 260 foreign nationals in the last year alone. 

The driver of a car which killed a Vinci Autoroute patrolman on Sunday has had their police custody extended today. Toxicology results show the driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time. However, investigators say cameras show the car driving at excessive speed in particularly bad weather on Sunday lunchtime. The Nice Prosecutor intends to file charges against the driver of involuntary manslaughter. The dead man was named at Tony Nellec, 54, from Cagnes-sur-Mer.

A demonstration by students outside their lycée this morning, deteriorated rapidly as bins were set on fire and projectiles were thrown at police. Teachers say the student protest was taken over by thugs with no agenda other than violence. Teachers and students at the school, just outside Paris, are protesting conditions in the building which suffers from water infiltration, collapsing ceilings and the presence of rats.  

At La-Colle-sur-Loup a woman is covering after a serious accident this morning at the exit of the village at Pont de Pierre. The accident, which occurred just before 11am, was attended by 11 pompiers. 

Monaco’s new Ambassador to France Valérie Bruell-Melchoir has presented her credentials to France’s President Macron at the Elysée Palace. At the meeting she re-affirmed her commitment to enhancing Monaco-France relations, while President Macron reiterated the strong friendship with Monaco and bilateral efforts in tackling security, climate change, and environmental issues.

Supermarket chain Casino is recalling ham from its Tous les Jours brand due to potential contamination with a cleaning product. If you purchased a six-slice pack of ham, with an expiry date before March 12th, you are asked to return it to your local Casino for a refund. 

More jobs are available in Monaco as the Société des Bains de Mer holds a summer recruitment event tomorrow March 6th at One Monte-Carlo. SBM intend to fill around a hundred positions at the event which aims to staff-up for the summer from April to October. 

BUSINESS NEWS

JP Morgan has become the first American bank ever to join the CB Carte Bancaire network in France. They say the move will offer cheaper card payment costs its clients in the country.

China has set an ambitious growth target of 5% as it seeks to boost their sagging economy with a number of initiatives. These include more regulation of the financial markets along with a jump of 7% in defence spending. 

Morgan Stanley say US banks are more exposed to a property crunch than European banks. This is because banks in Europe have half the exposure to the commercial market, as office prices continue to plunge. 

Markets
€1 will buy you;            STG    £ 0.85
US     $ 1.08
£1 will buy you;            EUR    € 1.16

Bitcoin    trading around    BTC € 62,500 a coin
Forex Gold Index     is up to    $ 2,098 oz
Brent Crude Oil on market    $ 82.01 a barrel

SPORT

Football: France is to face the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and defending champions England, in the Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying rounds announced today. The qualifiers will take place between April and July this year with the tournament scheduled for July 2025 in Switzerland.

Tennis: Rafael Nadal will face a clash with former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic as he returns to action in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells this week. Nadal, a three-time winner there, is making just his second appearance of the year, after reaching the quarter-finals of an ATP 250 event in Brisbane in the first week of the season.

Andrey Rublev has called on the ATP Tour, to change the rule that led to him being defaulted at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week. He denies using using an obscenity while yelling at a line judge over a call during his semi-final on Friday. Rublev has urged officials to review a video of the incident, a request which was rejected.


WEATHER

Tonight we’re expecting lows of 10 degrees along the coast, down to 6 inland, with clear skies. Tomorrow will be much like today, with blue skies, sunshine and warm afternoons hitting 15 degrees.  Sunsets this evening at 6.24 and rises tomorrow morning at 6.59
 

Last local news

Evening Update Friday 6th December 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron’s televised address aft