News
Man struck dead by lightning in the Haute-Savoie - A 34-year-old man has been struck dead by lightning in the Haute-Savoie, near the Swiss border. The victim was struck in the middle of the street, during violent storms on Thursday. According to local media the “man was leaving work with colleagues when he opened his umbrella and lightning fell on him”. The area had been placed on an orange weather alert due to violent storms. 160 interventions were carried out by firefighters in the region. The situation has since stabilised although many households were without electricity on Thursday evening.
Man dies while performing at the Fete de la Musique - A man has died while performing with his group "the Decibel Beats", during the Fete de la Musique in Villefranche-sur-mer on Wednesday. On stage, accompanied by his friends, the drummer "collapsed suddenly" at around 10.40pm. Members of the public including doctors, nurses, a firefighter and a cardiologist tried to save the musician who was sadly confirmed dead on the spot at around 11:30pm. The mayor of Villefranche who was present at the time of the tragedy has expressed the towns condolences to the victim’s family and thanked all those who tried to help”.
Drinking tap water in the Var, ban lifted in Fayence - Residents in Fayence are once again able to drink the tap water. Authorities had banned consuming tap water over the last ten days due to a high rate of bacteria found in the system. However, the ban remains in force in five other towns in the region Mons, Seillans, Tourrettes, Callian and Montauroux. For those affected local councils are still providing and distributing bottled and canned water until further results which are expected today Friday 23rd June, are obtained.
Risks of drowning - Firefighters in the Var have drawn attention to the risks of drowning. The majority of accidental drownings in 2021 affected children under 5 years old and people over 65 years old. Firefighters reminded parents not to take their eyes off their children and to try to swim in a group of people.
Water safety - It was just last weekend that the 3rd edition of the "Water Safety Days" was held in Calvi in the presence Princess Charlene of Monaco. The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation organized the 3rd edition of the "Water Safety Days" in Calvi on Friday 16th and Saturday 17 June 2023, in partnership with the City of Calvi. Intended for children from the city, introductory workshops in rescue, first aid and water safety were held. The Water Safety Days in Calvi offered children, as well as the general public, a comprehensive program to raise awareness of drowning prevention and the preservation of the marine environment. The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation would like to warmly thank all the partners who made this 3rd edition possible. For more information on the Fondation you can go to www.fondationprincessecharlene.mc
Grimaud celebrates Provencal festivities - The village of Grimaud in the Var is getting ready for this weekend’s Saint-Jean and Moulin festivals. Festivities will begin this evening with the traditional Provençal procession through the picturesque village continuing throughout the weekend with traditional Provençal dances taking place on Sunday.
Ironman – Meanwhile, in Nice, Ironman and the semi-Ironman is being held this Sunday, June 25th. Participants of the event, which now takes place all over the world, must swim 3.8 km, cycle 180 km and finish with a 42km marathon. The swim will start at Ponchettes beach, in front of the Quai des Etats-Unis, at 6.30am for the semi-Ironman, and 7.30am for the Ironman. Then the cycling from the Promenade des Anglais and finally, athletes will end the day with a 42 km marathon, running four times the distance between Nice airport and the Albert Ier garden on the Promenade des Anglais. Note that traffic restrictions will be in place in the area, from Saturday at 8pm until Monday.
Business
Facebook and Instagram are to restrict news access in Canada. The news comes after parliament passed on Thursday a controversial online news bill which forces big platforms to compensate news publishers for content posted on their sites. Both Meta and Google had already been testing limiting access to news to some Canadians. In 2021, Australian users were blocked from sharing or viewing news on Facebook in response to a similar law. Canada's Online News Act, lays out rules requiring platforms like Meta and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news organisations for their content.
In the UK, Thursday’s shock decision by the Bank of England to hike rates to 5% up from 4.5% has led to the UK’s Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying he will meet with Banks and building societies to discuss the upheaval in the mortgage market. The UK is trying to tackle persistently high inflation, with the government and lenders coming under pressure to do more to help those struggling with the rising mortgage rates.
And – Billionaire Elon Musk has challenged the boss of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg to a cage match in Las Vegas. It’s not sure how serious Musk is about the fight, but it started with him posting a message on his social media platform Twitter saying that he was "up for a cage fight" with Mr Zuckerberg. Mr Zuckerberg, the boss of Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, then posted a screenshot of Mr Musk's tweet with the caption "send me location".
Sport
Football - Chelsea's owners have agreed a deal to buy a majority stake in French Ligue 1 club Strasbourg. The size of the stake is unknown - however it has been reported the Blues will pay 75m euros (£65m) for close to 100% ownership. Club president Marc Keller said it was an "important day" for Strasbourg.
Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday will kick off the Championship season in the UK with the visit of relegated Southampton on Friday, 4 August.
Tennis - Top seed Carlos Alcaraz reached his first career quarter-final on grass with a straight-set victory at Queen's. Queen's is just the third tournament the US Open champion and recent French Open semi-finalist has played on grass.
Boxing - The International Olympic Committee has voted to strip the International Boxing Association of its status as the sport's world governing body. The IOC's executive board recommended the move earlier in June after the IBA failed to meet set reforms following its 2019 suspension over governance issues and alleged corruption.
Horse Racing - Desert Hero has delivered King Charles his first winner at Royal Ascot with victory in the King George V Stakes, on the day Frankie Dettori claimed his ninth Gold Cup triumph.
Weather
Fine and sunny. Highs of 28 degrees in Nice, Monaco, Biot and Aspremont. 30 degrees in Antibes and Cannes. 31 degrees in Menton. A moderate to strong wind with gust of up to 55km in the Var. 31 degrees in Bandol and 30 degrees in Roquebrune sur Argens. This evening going down to 18 degrees inland and 22 degrees along the coast with clear skies. The outlook for the weekend. Fine and sunny highs of 28-31 degrees.
Sunrise 05.48am
Sunset 09.16pm
Bordeaux 28 degrees and sunny.
Liverpool 21 degrees and light rain.
Chicago 29 degrees and sunny.
Palma 29 degrees and sunny.
Beach weather
Nice – Sea temperature 22 degrees. Air temperature 27. Sunny with moderate winds. UV level 9.
Marseille - Sea temperature 22 degrees. Air temperature 30. Sunny with strong winds gust of up to 65km /hr. UV level 10.
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