French and Riviera News Monday 13th July 2020

Teenager stabbed to death in brawl - A 17-year-old boy has been stabbed to death after a fight broke out amongst several teenagers on Sunday. The incident occurred shortly after 8pm in the village of Bras near Brignoles in the Var. Emergency services intervened as a second victim, a 19-year-old man was taken to hospital in Aix en Provence suffering from stab wounds.

Police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances leading to this tragic incident.

Drowning - A 9-year-old child has drowned in the swimming pool of a campsite in Angles in the Vendée. Emergency services who were alerted shortly after 1pm on Saturday were unable to save the young boy. The boy's family had just arrived on vacation when "the 9-year-old went alone to the swimming pool”. An investigation has been opened and an autopsy will be performed in Nantes.

5-year-old child nearly drowns in pool – Meanwhile here in the region a 5-year-old child has been helicoptered to hospital after nearly drowning in the pool of a campsite in the Var. The incident occurred around midday on Sunday when the five-year-old child managed to escape the attention of his parents, who were at the time staying at Les Cadenières campsite in Villecroze.

The child from Villejuif, in Val-de-Marne, was given first aid on site by the pool supervisor and was later evacuated by helicopter to Lenval hospital in Nice for further tests.

New case of Covid-19 in Monaco - A new positive case for Covid-19 has been reported in the Principality at the weekend. The Monegasque resident was reportedly contaminated during a trip outside of Europe and is being cared for by the Home Monitoring Center.

The number of cases of coronavirus in Monaco now stands as 109. 96 patients have recovered, 8 are being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre and there are no patients hospitalised.

The Avener concert in Nice strongly criticised for not respecting social distancing - The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has reacted following the controversy surrounding the free performance given by local DJ The Avener on Saturday evening in Nice.

The event was strongly criticised for failing to respect social distancing measures with thousands gathering at the foot of the Chateau and very few wearing masks.

The mayor, co-organizer of the event, said on Sunday that the concert "complied with government instructions as indicated by the prefecture” before adding however, that "he regrets that these instructions were not respected and asks the State to review the health measures” concluding that for Nice the wearing of masks for all events will become mandatory.  

Doctors urge stricter measures - Meanwhile a group of 14 French doctors has urged stricter measures on the wearing of face masks, in order to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 cases.  

Not only did the doctors call for mask-wearing inside public building, but also reminded people to wash their hands and continue practising social distancing.

Their plea was backed by messages from Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Veran, as holiday makers set off for their summer holidays.

Authorities have said that the number of new coronavirus infections has begun to rise, even though the infection numbers remain low.

Young man injured by boat propeller - A 21-year-old man has been slightly injured by a boat propeller in Antibes. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon shortly after 4.30pm. The victim suffered slight injuries to his right leg and was taken to hospital in Antibes. It is still unclear as to how the accident happened.

Hugh Grant in Antibes - British actor Hugh Grant has paid a visit to the restaurant of the stars here on the Riviera “Le Michelangelo” in the old town of Antibes.

On holiday in Cap d’Antibes the actor often stays in the region and has already been seen popping in to see “Mamo” the owner of “Le Michelangelo” which has become a favourite address for many famous people visiting the Côte d’Azur.

In National news

French video game company internal investigation - A number of senior staff have stepped down at French video game company Ubisoft as it conducts an internal investigation into sexual harassment claims.

Three top executives left their posts, according to a statement released on Sunday. The investigation and resignations come as a number of current and former employees posted sexual harassment stories on social media.

Migrant crossings - The UK coastguard is coordinating a search-and-rescue operation alongside French authorities after several boats of migrants crossing from France were spotted in the Channel.

It is thought up to 200 migrants tried to cross the Channel on Sunday. More than 2,400 people have crossed the English Channel from France in small boats this year.

It is unclear how many of the 200 who attempted to cross on Sunday made it to England. The highest number so far to get to the UK in a single day is 166, at the start of last month.

Business

Florida has reported a record increase of more than 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours on Sunday, as the Trump administration renewed its push for schools to reopen and anti-mask protests were planned.

The latest rise was reported a day after Walt Disney World in Orlando reopened with a limited number of guests who were welcomed with a host of safety measures, including masks and temperature checks.

The president of Emirates said the Middle Eastern airline is set to cut as many as 9,000 jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is the first time the world's biggest long-haul carrier has disclosed how many jobs will be lost. Prior to the crisis, Emirates had 60,000 staff.

The global airline industry has been severely impacted by coronavirus, with activity all but grinding to a halt.

The UK government is to set out the UK's future immigration and border policies today, as it aims to prepare the country for the end of the Brexit transition period.

The Home Secretary will say the country will be able to "welcome the best and brightest global talent" as she publishes a 130-page document detailing how the new points-based immigration system will operate.

The new policies will take effect from 1 January 2021, when the UK leaves the EU customs union and single market.

Sport

Football - Manchester City's biggest result of the season will be revealed as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) will today announce its verdict into the "serious breaches" of Uefa's financial regulations which City were found guilty of in February.

The best-case scenario for City is that they will be cleared of all charges and their two-year European ban will be overturned. But in the worst-case scenario, Cas will have found City deliberately cheated the system and the suspension will stand, shredding the club's reputation and keeping them out of European competition until 2022-23.

Formula One – Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton cruised to a comfortable victory in the Styrian Grand Prix.

Hamilton is bidding to win a seventh world championship this year, an achievement that would equal the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher. 

Meanwhile it was another dark day for Ferrari, after an uncompetitive showing in qualifying, as Charles Leclerc apologised for a rash move on the first lap that took out both cars.

Cricket - England lost a gripping first Test to West Indies, who were helped to a memorable four-wicket victory by Jermaine Blackwood's magnificent 95.

Golf - Scotland's Marc Warren clinched his first European Tour title in six years by winning the Austrian Open by a single shot.

The 39-year-old overnight leader was a shot clear going into the final hole at the Diamond Country Club. Warren's victory is his fourth on the European Tour.

Weather

Some patchy cloud to start with along the coast clearing by this afternoon with highs of 27- 28 degrees in Nice, Cannes and Saint Raphael. Possible showers are forecast inland with some rumbles of thunder by early evening.

This evening going down to 21 degrees with clear skies.

The outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday temperatures similar to today mainly fine on the coast and remaining slightly unsettled inland in both the Var and the Alpes Maritimes.