French and Riviera News Monday 19th December 2022

News

Investigation opened into fire which killed 10 people - French prosecutors have opened an investigation into “wilful damage leading to death” after a fire killed 10 people in a rundown seven-storey block of flats on the outskirts of Lyon. The Lyon public prosecutor’s office said six adults and four children died in the fire on Friday and 24 people had been injured, four of whom remained in a serious condition in hospital. Initial reports said five adults and five children were killed.

EU deal - European Union negotiators have reached a deal imposing new CO2 costs on fuels used in road transport and buildings from 2027. The deal reached on Sunday aims to speed up the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions meeting the EU's target of cutting its net emissions 55 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. The provisional deal still needs to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council.

Clashes in Nice between supporters and the police - The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has denounced the “unacceptable behaviour” following last night’s World Cup final between France and Argentina and called for “heavy sanctions”. Clashes broke out between supporters and police in the city centre on Avenue Jean-Medecin just after the final whistle was blown. Bins were set alight, and fireworks were set off by hooded individuals.

Sunday’s World Cup final was full of emotion as the blues made a come back in the 70th minute managing to draw against Argentina. The match ended in a tense penalty shootout with Argentina winning. Speaking after the match French President Emmanuel Macron who was there cheering on France’s national team declared “the blues made us dream” adding “we can be proud of our team”.

Fatal road accident - A 77-year-old man has died, and a motorcyclist has been seriously injured following a road accident on the A8 motorway. The accident occurred on the A8 motorway near the town of Pourrières westbound shortly after 3pm on Sunday. According to police the motorist had suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his vehicle ahead of the collision. Traffic was interrupted in both directions as the biker was airlifted to hospital in Marseille.

25-year-old woman slightly injured following avalanche - A 25-year-old woman has been slightly injured after being buried by an avalanche near Serre-Chevalier in the Hautes-Alpes. Rescuers managed to transport the skier who was off piste at the time of the incident, to hospital in Briançon. The Hautes-Alpes department is currently on a level 3 avalanche risk out of 5.

Christmas swim - 300 swimmers braved the cold-water taking part in the Christmas swim on Sunday at the Ruhl beach in Nice. With the sea at a cool 17 degrees the traditional swim celebrated its 76th year and was organised as always, by the city of Nice and the region's sport and gymnastics Federation.

Business

It’s been reported that British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have stopped selling new tickets for inbound flights to Heathrow on the days Border Force staff strike over Christmas. The move is to better manage the flow of people through border control. Workers will stage the first walkout on Friday 23rd December. The Home Office has warned passengers should expect disruption.

Twitter users have been asked by the social platform’s owner Elon Musk to vote on his future as its chief executive officer. In a poll to his 122 million followers, Musk tweeted: "Should I step down as head". Musk who also runs Tesla and Space X, has faced tremendous criticism since taking over Twitter. After a major legal battle, Mr Musk took control of the company in October in a $44bn (£36bn) deal. It comes as Twitter says it will shut down accounts solely designed to promote other social media platforms.

Goldman Sachs is reported to be planning deep job cuts due to a sharp downturn in business. The investment bank is preparing cuts that could affect up to 8% of its global workforce, or nearly 4,000 people. The reductions would go into effect early next year. Details on how different offices and parts of the business will be affected are still being finalised. The company has declined to comment. But chief executive David Solomon has repeatedly raised concerns about the economic outlook in recent months, saying clients were being cautious and the environment was driving him to look at reducing costs.

Sport

Football - Lionel Messi has finally achieved his World Cup dream as Argentina won their third crown on penalties in one of the greatest finals in the tournament's history. Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2. Amid wild scenes of celebration, Messi fell to his knees in tears and rais