French and Riviera News Friday 21st July 2023

News

Poverty in France - Nine million French people were in a situation of material and social poverty in 2022, a level never reached before according to INSEE. The study published on Thursday July 20th, showed that in 2022 one in ten households could not afford to heat their home properly and more French people were unable to go on a week’s vacation. This represents 14% of people living in ordinary housing and it is "the highest level since 2013, the first year it was measured".  The greatest poverty last year was amongst large and single-parent families as well as people in rural areas due to the increase in energy prices and higher heating and fuel costs.

French breweries threatened with closure – Meanwhile, 10% of French local breweries are threatened with closure as they are unable to cope with inflation, rising costs and competition from manufacturers. In recent years in Paris, but also in Lyon (Rhône) and Brittany, local breweries have multiplied. Today, there are 2,500 in France. However, faced with competition from manufacturers, inflation at 4.5%, since the beginning of the year, beer sales have fallen by 5%.

Heat wave – Locally, the orange heatwave alert is still in place for the Alpes Maritimes region and has been lowered to a yellow alert for the Var and Corsica. This evening nighttime temperatures are expected to be between 22 and 26 degrees. The south-east of France has been affected for several days by a heat wave which according to scientists is a direct effect of global