Meteo France has issued an update on another ‘Mediterranean episode’ expected this weekend. Rain and strong winds will hit Provence and the Alpes-Maritimes on Friday, followed by heavy rainfall on Saturday and Sunday with up to 80 or 100mm of rainfall in places. In the mountains, snow is expected with 30cm of snow from 1,300 meters, up to 50cm from 1,800m in particular on the Mercantour. The situation is evolving and we’ll keep you updated on-air and on Facebook with developments.
A woman in Villeneuve-Loubet is in critical condition after being attacked in her home by her partner. The 28-year-old man is in police custody charged with attempted murder. The arrest was made after the man called emergency services saying there had been a domestic accident. On arrival pompiers discovered a 31-year-old woman unconscious and bleeding. The man, who was intoxicated, also had blood on his clothing. Last week, a 44-year-old woman called ‘GiGi’ was found dead in her apartment in Cagnes-sur-mer. Her husband is in custody on a charge of murder. Gigi was the 31st woman in France to have died at the hands of her partner so far this year.
Traffic is clearing in Vallauris after an accident on Chemin Saint-Bernard left one car on its roof. Earlier, five people were injured in a collision between a car and a van on the A8. The accident, on the westbound carriageway north of Nice, caused delays around 9am.
Parisians are about to get a taste of what its like to live in Monaco ‘pre-Formula 1’ as the capital gets ready to lock-down for the Olympics. Measures range from a closure of the Place de la Concorde for three full months from June, followed by long closures of key city bridges, and on the day of the opening ceremony, a 150km no-fly zone will mean all Parisian airports will have to close for the day.
BUSINESS NEWS
The chief executive of Swiss bank UBS has chastised European regulators for letting the United States get ahead in banking since the financial crisis. He claims Europe did everything they could have done, not to allow banks to be bigger or successful. He said there is a lot of parochial thinking in Europe around big banks, with each country wanting to have their own national champions. They forget however that winning the national championships doesn't take you very far globally.
Egypt's pound hit a record low against the dollar today after its central bank hiked interest rates by 600 points and devalued the currency. The steps were meant to facilitate an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which is expected to confirm the extension of its current $3 billion financial support package for the country.
Markets
€1 will buy you £ 0.85
US $ 1.08
£1 will buy you EUR € 1.17
Bitcoin is trading around € 61,000 a coin
Forex Gold Index is up $ 2,134 oz
Brent Crude Oil on market $ 82.76 barrel
SPORT
Cycling: The Paris to Nice race, also known as the ‘race to the sun’ is under threat from severe weather this weekend. Saturdays seventh stage involves a 173km climbing route from Nice to the Auron ski resort. However, a forecast of cold temperatures and heavy snowfall means the race may need to find and alternative route. A decision is to be made tomorrow. Last year's event saw a stage cancellation due to strong winds.
Olympics News: A coach from the French female gymnastics team, has been suspended as a precautionary measure, just four months before the Paris Games. No specific reason was given but it’s believed to be in connection with a general investigation by the Ministry of Sports into mistreatment and sexual violence against athletes.
Football: Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has been banned for two ‘La Liga’ games after a red card incident on Saturday. In the closing moments of a two-all game, Bellingham thought he had scored a winning goal, but it didn’t count because milliseconds earlier the referee had blown the final whistle. Real players and staff surrounded the referee to protest, which is when Bellingham was shown a red card. Real boss Carlo Ancelotti backed his players fully, repeating that no player said anything insulting, it was just frustration.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti is under threat of prison, as tax officials pursue him in court seeking a prison term of four years and nine months for avoiding a million euros in taxes on image rights revenues while he was at Real Madrid in 2014 and 2015. Spanish authorities have pursued other celebrities over suspected tax evasion, including footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and singer Shakira. All settled and paid large fines.
Six Nations: Wales have changed their centre partnership to face France in Cardiff on Sunday. Joe Roberts and Owen Watkin replace World Cup pairing George North and Nick Tompkins who have been dropped.
Tennis: At the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Emma Raducanu has said results are not her goal but instead she wants to work on her game. The former US Open champion has won three of the seven matches she has played this year following her return from triple surgery last spring on two wrists and one ankle.
Paralympics: Russian and Belarusian athletes who win medals at this year’s games in Paris, will not have their results recorded on the Games table. Officials said today that athletes from both countries are allowed to compete as ‘neutrals’, but should a neutral win a gold medal, the win will not be recorded and the Paralympic anthem will be played instead.
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