French and Riviera News Friday 31st March 2023

News

Young man stabbed in Nice - A young man in his twenties has been stabbed in Nice. The incident occurred near the Moulins district in the west of the city on Thursday evening. Emergency services were at the scene and the victim was taken to hospital in Nice at around 9pm suffering from a stab wound. The exact circumstances remain unknown however, following the attack local MP Eric Ciotti tackled his rival the mayor of Nice Chrsitian Estrosi, on Twitter criticising the “growing insecurity in the Moulins district and the ongoing problem of crime and drug trafficking”.

Fatal road accident - A 36-year-old motorcyclist has died after a head on collision with a vehicle on the RDN8 in the Var. The fatal accident occurred in Fréjus on Thursday afternoon in front of the La Barque campsite on the RDN8. An investigation has been opened to determine the exact cause of the collision.

Meanwhile, an 80-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after she lost control of her car and plunged 10 metres down a ravine in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. The accident happened on Thursday afternoon at around 4pm in Cavalaire in the Var. She was taken to hospital suffering minor injuries.

Apartment fire - Two people have been rescued from an apartment fire in Monaco. Firefighters intervened shortly after 10am on Thursday on the First floor of the Sim Palace, a four storey residence located on the boulevard du Jardin Exotique. The fire is believed to have started due to an electrical fault. Part of the apartment was destroyed by the flames; an investigation is underway. Traffic was diverted in the area during the intervention from fire services.

Petrol restrictions lifted - The Alpes-Maritimes préfecture has lifted its restrictions on refilling at petrol stations, as supply problems have eased. The 30-litre limit for individuals - and 120-litre limit for trucks - is no longer in place.  One petrol station in the department remains reserved for priority users - the Total at Parc Impérial in Nice.

Greenpeace report - A report published by Greenpeace on Thursday has revealed that “France is the country with the most private jet flights”. The research counts 572,806 flights carried out in 2022 in Europe. An increase of 64% compared to 2021, the year during which 350,078 flights were recorded. The report also shows that private jets are five to fourteen times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights and fifty times more polluting than trains. In the list of the ten most frequented routes by these private planes, Paris-London appears in first place and, in third place, Paris-Geneva. Paris and Nice appear several times in the top 10 European routes most used by private jets. “Between 2021 and 2022, the number of private jet flights departing from France increased by 55% and the emissions generated increased by 93%.

Water plan - French president Emmanuel Macron has visited the Hautes-Alpes, where he presented France's "water plan" - a range of measures aimed at better managing water and limiting the effects of drought. The Alpes-Maritimes has been on drought alert since 13 March. Property-owners are banned from filling up their swimming pool, with a potential fine of €1,500.

Taxi drivers - French taxi drivers will be allowed to pick up passengers in Monaco again, after the principality announced changes to the rules on cross-border taxis and private hire cars. Until now, French-registered taxis could enter Monaco to drop a passenger off, but then had to leave the principality empty - and vice-versa for Monegasque taxis crossing the border into France. The rule change in Monaco, on 1st April, means taxis and private hire cars licensed in the Alpes-Maritimes or the Var can buy a €600 sticker for their windscreen, granting them the right to pick up a customer in Monaco. Only 320 stickers will be available. It only applies to rides booked in advance - a French taxi cannot stop if it's hailed in the street while in Monaco. The new rules apply for a seven-month trial period. Monaco is now asking France to reciprocate the rules, allowing a defined number of Monegasque taxi drivers to be able to pick up passengers at Nice airport, for example.

CannesSeries Festival - For the first time, the Cannes International Series Festival, taking place from April 14th to 19th, has created a special prize for documentary productions. The sixth edition of the CannesSeries festival, will award the very first prize for the best documentary series. With the current boom, documentary series are flooding our screens and are regularly present in the top ten of the most watched video on demand.

Weekly market - A small weekly market starts today Friday 31st March, in Monaco. Organized by the town hall its arrival on the Allée Saint-Jean-Paul II, next to the cathedral, is greatly welcomed by local residents who wish to see more activities and services amongst the close-knit community which tends to be overlooked due to the numerous souvenir shops and tourist attractions. The market runs from 8am to 1pm every Friday. There is also a home delivery service.

Top Lycée in the Alpes Maritimes - Finally, three lycées in Cannes have made the top five of the best in the Alpes-Maritimes in a new league table based on last year's baccalauréat results. The magazine L'Etudiant has published its annual ranking. The Institut Saint-Joseph-Carnoles in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin came top in the department, with a 99% pass rate. Lycée Sainte-Marie, Lycée Stanislas and Lycée Carnot - all three in Cannes - were in the top five, along with the Lycée Internationale in Valbonne.

Business

Three years after officially leaving the European Union the UK has signed a deal to join a trade pact with 11 Asia and Pacific nations. The government said that joining the group will boost UK exports by cutting tariffs on goods such as cheese, cars, chocolate, machinery, gin and whisky.  However, the government's own estimates show being in the bloc will only add 0.08% to the size of the UK's economy. The trade area covers a market of around 500 million people.

Virgin Orbit has announced that it will lay off 85% of staff after failing to secure new investment. The rocket company which belongs to British billionaire Sir Richard Branson will according to reports cease operations for the foreseeable future. Earlier this year, a Virgin Orbit rocket failed to complete the first ever satellite launch from UK soil. The company's shares plunged by more than 44% in after-hours trading in New York on Thursday.

And - Heathrow airport has said that some passengers may face longer queues to get through security during the Easter holiday period after it was unable to strike a deal with security worker unions over pay. More than 1,400 security officers in the Unite union, who work for Heathrow Airport, are going ahead with a ten-day strike beginning today.

Sport

Formula One - Formula 1 moves to Melbourne this weekend for the third round of the 2023 season with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. Will Red Bull continue with the dominant form they've shown over the first two races? Or will we have a surprise winner in Sunday's Grand Prix? Championship leader Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in FP1 on Thursday, with the Red Bull driver finishing four tenths ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez was third, with Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) concluding the top five.

Football - In the Premier League this weekend. Tomorrow, Manchester City are at home to Liverpool in the lunchtime match. Kick off is at 1.30pm French time. With a 4pm kick off French time Arsenal play Leeds, Bournemouth are at home to Fulham, Brighton play Brentford, Crystal Palace play Leicester and Nottingham Forest play Wolverhampton. The last match of the day on Saturday sees Chelsea at home to Aston Villa kick off is at 6.30pm French time.

On Sunday West Ham play Southampton kick off is at 3pm French time and Newcastle are at home to Manchester United kick off is at 5.30pm.

Cricket – According to Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace fast bowler Jofra Archer is unlikely to play any red-ball cricket before the Ashes series starts in June. England face Australia in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on 16 June.

Tennis - Former world number one Daniil Medvedev continued his fine form by reaching the Miami Open semi-finals with a straight-set win over American qualifier Christopher Eubanks. Russian fourth seed Medvedev won 6-3 7-5 after a commanding performance.

Weather

Fine and sunny with a moderate to fresh breeze. Highs of 20 degrees in Monaco, Nice and Vence. 23 degrees in Cannes. In the Var, in Saint Tropez highs of 18 degrees, Toulon highs of 17 degrees. Strong winds are forecast for the weekend. This evening going down to 10 degrees along the coast and clear skies.

The outlook the weekend. Fine and sunny, windy in the Var highs of 19 degrees. In the Alpes Maritimes moderate breeze highs of 23 degrees. Light rain is forecast for Monday morning.

Sunrise 07.14am

Sunset 07.55pm

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