National News France
City of love holds spectacular closing ceremony for the Olympics - The city of love came together with stars of sport, screen and music at the Paris 2024 closing ceremony on Sunday, bringing the 33rd Olympic Games to an end. Actor Tom Cruise descended from the roof of Stade de France to collect the Olympic flag as part of the handover to the American city of Los Angeles, which will host the next Games in 2028. This was followed by performances from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre. In his closing speech, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach reflected on a "sensational" Games. There was also special praise for the 45,000 volunteers who assisted during the Games, which began with a rain-soaked opening, ceremony along the Seine on the 26th of July.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day and ahead of the closing ceremony a man was arrested for climbing the Eiffel Tower. The man was spotted climbing the tower at about 3pm French time and officers immediately intervened and arrested him. No more details were immediately available on the man’s motivation and nationality.
Local News
Peak in air pollution - In local news, a peak in air pollution today Monday 12th August, will lead to free public transport and street parking in Nice. The prefecture has announced a level 1 pollution peak in the Alpes-Maritimes department. In an attempt reduce the pollution, public transport will be free, as will parking. The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi invites residents to « limit travel as much as possible and to favour public transport and carpooling ».
Woman drowns in Nice - In other news, a woman in her eighties has drowned on the Promenade des Anglais near the Negresco Hotel in Nice. Emergency services intervened at around 8.30am on Sunday morning, but were unable to save the victim. According to data published by Public Health France just over 200 drownings, nearly a third of which were fatal, have occurred in France since the beginning of June.
Fatal road accident - The driver of a two-wheeler has been killed in a road accident at the weekend. The accident occurred on rue de Lepante in Nice on Saturday afternoon. The 30-year-old victim died at the scene. The exact circumstances remain to be determined. Recent figures have shown that July continues to be a fatal month for road accidents in the Alpes Maritimes with a rise this year in the number of deaths compared to last year. To date, since the beginning of the year 32 people have been killed on the region’s roads.
Building evacuated - 33 people have had to be evacuated following a fire in an apartment in Mandelieu. The blaze thought to be caused by a refrigerator broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning. Thankfully nobody was injured in the incident the investigation continues.
Balcony collapses - A balcony has collapsed in Nice but luckily no casualties were reported. The incident occurred at around 2.30am on Sunday morning on the rue docteur Barety. The balcony fell from a three-storey building damaging a vehicle parked nearby. A security perimeter was set up and an investigation is underway.
Swimming ban - Swimming at the beaches in Cagnes-sur-Mer has been once again banned at the weekend due to pollution. It’s the second time in eight days that the beaches have had to close to bathers due to pollution.
Heatwave - 25 departments in France have been placed on an orange heatwave alert including the Alpes Maritimes. Highs of 31 degrees is expected in. Nice, 34 degrees in Menton and Grasse 35 degrees in Antibes with 36 degrees in Saint Martin du Var. Nighttime temperatures are not expected to fall below 29 degrees along the coast. The Var region however remains on a yellow heatwave alert. France’s health minister has announced the activation of the heatwave hotline free phone number 0800 06 66 66 between 8am and 7pm. The heatwave is expected to break record temperatures but is not expected to last.
80s evening - The village of Bar sur Loup is celebrating the 80s this Wednesday with an evening dedicated to the music and fashion of the 1980s. Entrance is free for those under 10 and reservation is recommended for fans of the 80s more information is available by calling 0673850648
Smile – Finally, an Instagram account created by a Niçois has passed a million views. Launched in April « Monsieur Compliment » aims to put a smile on the faces of the people of Nice. The idea is simple; complements made to people in the street from their « chapeau ravissant » to their « superb chemise » the smile is captured on film and posted on Instagram. Never fully dressed without a smile!
Business
The unemployment rate has started to fall in France after rising steadily over recent years. The second quarter of this year showed a slight fall but enough to help improve the purchasing power of employees. Between April and June, the share of people actively looking for work among the working-age population fell. The unemployment rate was 7.5% in the first quarter and now stands at 7.3%, or 40,000 fewer unemployed people. This is even the first time since the summer of 2022 that it has fallen from one quarter to the next.
Unable to fly over the river Seine during the Paris Olympics, the flying taxi of the company Volocopter, operated in partnership with ADP, carried out a demonstration flight over the Palace of Versailles on Sunday in a bid to highlight its ability to respond to health emergencies. The flight took place in exactly the same place as where a hot air balloon took off in 1783. The German company Volocopter, which produces the vertical takeoff devices, with the support of the ADP group and the Île-de-France region, had hoped to be able to demonstrate manned flights over the Seine during the Olympics however, due to the official engine check in time for the opening flights with passengers were unable to take place. However, tests should take place before the end of the year.
And - Research has shown that the bosses of Britain's biggest companies enjoyed record payouts in 2023, with nine firms offering them packages of more than 10 million pounds. Executive compensation at Britain's top companies has drawn shareholder anger in recent years, with most critical of the gap between average worker earnings and CEO pay. But some UK fund managers are backing calls to give boards more flexibility on paying top talent. According to the High Pay Centre the highest-paid British CEO was Pascal Soriot of drugmaker AstraZeneca, who earned 16.85 million pounds.
Sport
Paris Olympics - The United States have snatched the top spot in the 2024 Olympic medal table as their women's basketball team earned a thrilling victory over hosts France to win the final gold on offer in Paris on Sunday. The US moved level with China's tally of 40 golds in the medal table and won 126 medals overall to China's 91 topping the medal table for the fourth time in a row.
Meanwhile, France came 5th in the medals table behind Japan and Australia, but ahead of 7th placed Team GB. France beat its record for the number of medals at the Paris Olympics taking 64 medals in total beating the 43 medals taken home after the 2008 Olympics. They also increased the number of gold medals with 16 compared to 15 in Atlanta in 1996. Great Britain matched their total number of medals from London 2012 as they passed the 60-medal mark for a fourth successive Olympics. Their tally of 65 was one better than Tokyo three years ago but it proved a Games of silver linings with just 14 golds collected, their lowest since Athens in 2004. Next up is the Paralympics which will kick off on Wednesday August 28th running until Sunday September 8th.
Cricket – England’s captain Ben Stokes has been carried off the field after sustaining a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday. Stokes was batting for the Superchargers in their match with Manchester Originals when the injury happened. England are set to begin a three-match Test series against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford on Wednesday, 21 August.
Football - Chelsea football club have completed a 69m dollar move for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Pedro Neto. The 24-year-old has signed a seven-year deal with the Blues until 2031.
Weather
An orange heatwave alert is currently in place for the Alpes Maritimes meanwhile, the Var region remains just below on a yellow one. Highs of 31 degrees in Nice and Monaco. 35 degrees in Cannes, Antibes and Saint-Tropez. A gentle breeze across the region and this evening temperatures are not expected to fall below 29 degrees with clear skies.
The outlook for tomorrow and Wednesday, remaining much the same with temperatures starting to drop by Thursday and storms expected inland by the weekend.
Sunrise 06.31am
Sunset 08.38pm
Beach weather
Sea temperature in Hyeres 28°
Air temperature 32°
UV level 8
Weather elsewhere
London 33° and sunny.
Paris 37° with sunshine.
Dublin 22° sunny intervals.
And Finally
A German influencer got a nasty surprise after claiming that the Airbnb she booked with a sea view… was a simple poster stuck on the bedroom window. The young woman had booked an apartment on Airbnb on the island of Sylt, in Germany, which was to offer her a breathtaking view of the sea, but when she arrived, she immediately realized that the accommodation was located… in a cellar. Furthermore, the promised magnificent sea view was a simple seaside poster stuck on the bedroom window. Which was obviously not specified on the Airbnb ad. The story is like that of an Argentinian influencer who last May spent a fortune on a hotel room in Italy which promised “a breathtaking view of the sea”. Again, it was a poster stuck on a wall opposite the balcony.
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