French and Riviera News Friday 16th August 2019

Local

Drowning - A 91-year-old woman has drowned in a private pool in Cavalaire-sur-mer, in the Var. Emergency services intervened early on Thursday evening but were unable to save the victim who reportedly suffered a heart attack. Police have opened an investigation.

Fire - Firefighters have been deployed after a fire broke out in the Gulf of St. Tropez in Grimaud on Thursday, shortly after 4pm. With strong winds blowing fifty firefighters backed up by two water bombing helicopters intervened and managed to control the blaze. The incident is believed to have started from a mobile home in a gypsy camp.  

Firework display cut short - The traditional August 15th firework display in Toulon had to be cut short on Thursday due to technical problems. Following several interruptions during the display organisers decided to finally stop the show before the end, much to the disappointment of many spectators. According to reports there was a technical problem in the synchronization between the fireworks console and the firing barge, placed at sea. In a brief statement issued on Thursday night, the Mayor of Toulon, Hubert Falco immediately announced that the financial cost of this "major failure “would not be covered by the city council.

OGC Nice - The supporters of OGC Nice have expressed their disbelief after having been issued a ban on, not only attending the Ligue 1 game against Nimes on Saturday, but also being forbidden to leave the Alpes Maritimes region, a first for the supporters of OGC Nice. The clubs supporters have had 43 travel bans since 2010, making them the third club most affected by the ban in France after PSG and Saint-Etienne. The double penalty this weekend comes following a decision taken on August 13th by the French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.

Vinci Autoroutes have warned motorists to expect heavy traffic and delays on the region’s motorways this weekend. It’s the third crossover weekend of the summer, when some people leave for their holidays and others return home. Traffic is expected to be heavy between Aix-en-Provence and the Italian border in both directions, from 10 am to 7pm today and also at similar times on Saturday, especially in the areas of Aix-en-Provence, Nice and Antibes. Heavy traffic is also expected at times on Sunday.

Beaches - Beaches in Juan Les Pins have been closed following the rupture of a drinking water pipeline. Bathers at the beaches of la Pinède of Juan-les-Pins were unable to swim on Thursday as authorities raised the red flag. The water company Veolia intervened to repair the pipeline and will carry out test today.

National

Man arrested at Paris airport - A man armed with a ceramic knife has been arrested at Paris-Orly airport. Police arrested the man on Thursday evening in the terminal as he was preparing to take a flight to Barcelona. He is currently in custody. The plane was completely evacuated, and the passengers checked. The management of the Aéroports de Paris group ensures that air traffic resumed normally around 8pm.

Frenchman missing in Southern Italy - Rescue teams in Italy are still searching for French national Simon Gautier who went missing six days ago. The 27-year-old went on a hike on Friday August 8th in Policastro a coastal town 180km south of Naples. The next day, he reportedly contacted the Italian rescuers, indicating that he had suffered a serious fall.

Business

Stock markets around the world have stabilised, after fears of a slowing global economy sparked a big sell-off on Wednesday. The main US share indexes closed 3% lower overnight, but the benchmark Dow Jones closed higher on Thursday.

This was despite a warning from China that it would take new countermeasures against US trade tariffs. However, the picture was more mixed in Europe, with London's FTSE 100 closing more than 1% down.

And - Asda has said that Brexit uncertainty was hurting its customers as it reported a fall in sales for the first half of the year.

The supermarket chain said a slump in consumer confidence had taken its toll on demand for non-food lines.

It also suffered by comparison with last year when sales were boosted by hot weather and the World Cup.

Sport

Cricket - England's fragile batting again buckled on day two of the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's seeing England bowled out for 258 by Australia. Opener Rory Burns made a battling 53, only to be part of a collapse of four wickets for 46 runs that left the home side 138-6. England partially recovered through a stand of 72 between Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes.

Football – According to reports the Brazil international Neymar would take a pay cut of 15 million euros (£13.7m) to rejoin Barcelona from Paris St-Germain. The Spanish giants are believed to have made several offers. However, bids have been rejected with PSG holding out for more money.

Here’s more Premier League news from the BBC

This weekend in the Premier League on Saturday the first match kicks off at 1.30pm French time with Arsenal against Burnley at 4pm French time Aston Villa play Bournemouth, Brighton face West Ham, Everton play Watford, Norwich play Newcastle and Southampton face Liverpool with the last match of the day being Man City against Tottenham. Kick off is at 6.30 French time.

On Sunday Sheffield United play Crystal Palace kick off at 3pm and at 5.30pm Chelsea play Leicester. There’s one match on Monday evening Wolverhampton play Manchester United. Kick off 9pm French time.

Rugby Union – Head coach Gregor Townsend says Duncan Taylor can be ''a big player'' for Scotland at the World Cup in Japan. The 29-year-old centre will start against France in Nice on Saturday in the first of Scotland's four warm-up Tests. It will be Taylor's first international action since the summer of 2017, the last two years representing a near constant battle with injuries. France face Scotland on Saturday at the Allianz Riviera in Nice kick off is at 9pm.

Tennis - Seven-time winner Roger Federer lost in straight sets to 21-year-old Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters.

Weather

Clear Skies highs of 29 degrees in Nice, 30 degrees in Antibes and Cannes, 31 in Frejus and Le Lavandou. Moderate south easterly wind. This evening going down to 20 degrees in the Alpes Maritimes and 16 degrees in the Var with clear skies.

The outlook for Saturday and Sunday clear skies highs of 32 in the Var going down to 14 and highs of 27 in the Alpes Maritimes going down to 21 in the evening.

Finally 

It used to be thought that the perfect man shoule  be a dab hand at DIY and would act as the family breadwinner.

But according to a new survey in the 21st Century, it is more important for him to be a feminist who is able to talk openly about his feelings.

Old ideas of what makes a man ‘accomplished’ have been cast aside in favour of new attributes such as being able to cook and understanding technology.

But some things never change, and being well-groomed, well-mannered and confident are still seen as positive traits.

David Attenborough topped the table as the most accomplished man in modern society, with Barack Obama and thoroughly modern parent Prince Harry following closely behind.

A lack of ambition, being bad with money and being out of work make men less attractive, according to the survey of 2,000 Britons by website My Nametags. 

Fake tan and waxed eyebrows were also no-nos.

 Sixty-nine per cent of those polled agreed that positive male traits had changed since their father’s generation.

Almost 75 per cent of dads said they did things with their children that their fathers didn’t, including cooking and taking them to school.

 

 

Last local news

Evening Update Thursday 28th March 2024

Seven people have been questioned by police in a fraud investigation relating to the loss of almost half a million euros by Nice university hospital.... Evening Update Thursday 28th March 2024 Read More

28/03/2024

French and Riviera News Thursday 28th March 2024

France's prime minister Gabriel Attal has announced that a teenage girl who falsely accused her headteacher of striking her in a heated exchange over... French and Riviera News Thursday 28th March 2024 Read More

28/03/2024

Evening Update Wednesday 27th March 2024

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has asked for national police reinforcements to help bring the Les Moulins housing estate under control.... Evening Update Wednesday 27th March 2024 Read More

27/03/2024

French and Riviera News Wednesday 27th March 2024

The headmaster of a high school in Paris has resigned after receiving death threats on social media following an altercation with a student, which dat... French and Riviera News Wednesday 27th March 2024 Read More

27/03/2024

Evening Update Tuesday 26th March 2024

More than 20 secondary schools on the Riviera have been targeted by bomb alerts today, forcing some of them to stay closed all day.... Evening Update Tuesday 26th March 2024 Read More

26/03/2024