News
May 1st demonstrations - The leader of the CFDT has estimated that around one million people will take to the streets in France today May1st, to demonstrate on labour day. Speaking to French media on Sunday Laurent Berger declared that May 1st would be “one of the biggest labour day rallies of the last 40 years”. Earlier in April Berger had called for a large participation today marking the opportunity for unions to show their opposition against the pension reform.
Price of a packet of cigarettes to increase - From today May 1st, the price of a packet of cigarettes is to increase in France. Smokers will now have to pay an extra 70 centimes. The rise comes following a recent one introduced on March 1st. In the space of ten years the price of a packet has increased by 70% in France, from 5 euros in 2014 to almost 11 euros today.
Robbery in Paris - For the second time in two years armed robbers have stolen millions of pounds worth of jewellery from a Bulgari store on the Place Vendome in Paris. The raid which occurred on Saturday afternoon, saw three heavily armed men arrive at the store in broad daylight, as dozens of tourists and other passers-by looked on. Jewels and luxury watches worth millions were taken in the robbery, which took just a few minutes. The armed robbers then got back on to their two black motorbikes and calmly escaped across the square.
Two-year-old drowns in inflatable pool - A two-year-old child has drowned in an inflatable swimming pool, in south central France after he escaped the supervision of his parents. The two-and-a-half-year-old boy was found dead in the pool on Saturday afternoon in Bas-en-Basset in the Haute-Loire. Emergency services had transported the young boy by helicopter to the Saint-Etienne University Hospital, where he was declared dead shortly before 6:00pm.
Mass brawl in Marseille – Five people have suffered stab wounds and several people were injured after a car ran into people following a mass brawl in Marseille in the third arrondissement. The incident occurred on the night of Saturday to Sunday. Police are investigating to determine the cause.
Knife attack in Nice – Meanwhile, a young man has been injured in a knife attack in Nice. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning on the Boulevard de Riquier. The 19-year-old suffered stab wounds to his hands and face and was taken to the Pasteur hospital by the emergency services, where his condition is said to be stable. An investigation has been opened.
Homeowner ordered to demolish step structure on the Cap d’Antibes - The owner of a villa located on the Cap d’Antibes has been ordered to demolish steps and a ladder which are used to access the sea. Despite similar structures having been tolerated for years on the Cap the council has given just a few days for the recently renovated structure, to be taken down. The villa Dorane is well known and was built in 1953 for Henri Pigozzi the boss of the famous automobile group “Simca” and today belongs to his son, the photographer Jean Pigozzi.
Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg marries in Bormes - Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg has got married in the picturesque village of Bormes-les-Mimosas in the Var. The Princess said yes to her future French husband on Saturday during a religious ceremony. The wedding is the fourth of the five children of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.
Business
As with the first of every month in France changes will come into effect today including the revaluation of the minimum wage by 2.2%, an increase in social benefits of 5.6%, an extension of the “wood energy check” until May 31st and the Digital Market Act which comes into force on May 2nd (a European regulation which aims to limit the economic domination of large platforms and the online distribution of illegal content and products). Finally, don’t forget to declare your taxes in May. Should you opt for the traditional paper declaration, you have until May 22nd to submit your declaration. If you prefer the online service, then the deadline depends on your area of residence. Taxpayers in zone 1 (departments 01 to 19) will have until May 25th. Those in zone 2 (departments 20 to 54) until June 1st, while residents of zone 3 (departments 55 to 974/976) have until June 8th. Note, however, that more than 10 million tax households eligible for automatic tax declaration have nothing to do. If your situation has not changed, the absence of a response makes it automatically validated.
According to reports Broadcaster Sky is lining up hundreds of job cuts as it adjusts to a shift to streaming. The Sunday Times has reported that cuts are expected to hit customer service staff and engineers who fit satellite dishes. Sky suffered an 11.5 per cent fall in revenues to £14.3billion last year though profits and customer numbers rose.
The British microchip designing giant Arm has filed to sell its shares in the US. The sale could be the biggest stock market listing this year. The Cambridge-based firm is reportedly aiming to raise up to $10bn (£8bn). In a blow to the UK, the company said in March that it did not plan to list its shares in London.
And - Adidas is being sued by investors who claim the firm knew about designer and rapper Kanye West's problematic behaviour years before it ended their partnership. Investors allege Adidas failed to limit financial losses and take precautionary measures to minimise their exposure.
Sport
Formula One - Sergio Perez has won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix beating Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen with Charles Leclerc in third and Lewis Hamilton back in sixth place.
Football - In the premier league on Sunday Bournemouth beat Leeds 4-1. Manchester City went to the top ahead of Arsenal after 2-1 win over Fulham. Manchester United beat Aston villa 1-0, Newcastle beat Southampton 3-1 and Liverpool sealed an incredible 4-3 victory over Tottenham as they blew a three-goal lead at Anfield. This evening Leicester are at home to Everton.
Meanwhile, the Premier League has asked for the national anthem to be played before all games next weekend in light of King Charles III's Coronation on May 6th.
Weather
Sunny intervals along the coast this morning with highs of 17 degrees in Nice and Monaco. Showers are forecast inland for Puget Theniers highs of 16 degrees. Clouding over by the afternoon in Nice, Monaco and Cannes with highs of 19 degrees, storms are forecast along the coast clearing by this evening with temperatures dropping to 14 degrees.
The outlook for Tuesday - fine highs of 18 degrees and Wednesday fine with highs of 21 degrees.
Sunrise - 06.22am
Sunset - 08.33pm
Sea temperature – 16 degrees.
UV level - 0
And Finally
No more awkward first dates! - New smart glasses which can listen to your conversations and tell you what to say in real-time may just put an end to the awkward moment on a date or in a job interview. Student engineers from Stanford University have created - smart glasses that tell you exactly what to say. Dubbed 'RizzGPT' - where 'rizz' refers to one's ability to seduce a romantic interest, similar to charisma - the specs display responses as text in front of your eyes. A microphone picks up on what a speaker has said, and the glasses use ChatGPT, the chatbot powered by artificial intelligence, to generate potential replies. They use augmented reality (AR) technology to allow the user to see the text and the person in front of them simultaneously.
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