French and Riviera News Monday 29th May 2023

News

Ending plastic pollution - Delegates from 175 countries will meet in the French capital from today May 29th in the hope of reaching a multilateral agreement by 2024.  Seven years after COP21, Paris will again be at the centre of environmental diplomacy. Some 1,000 delegates from 175 countries and more than 1,500 scientists, civil society, and industry representatives are expected at the city's UNESCO from May 29th to June 2nd, to work together in ending plastic pollution by drawing up a legally binding international treaty by 2024. Over 350 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated worldwide annually. Under the United Nations banner, negotiations are still in their early stages. The aim is to achieve the most important multilateral agreement on the environment since the Paris [climate] Agreement.

Electronic cigarette could be reimbursed - France’s Minister of Health has announced plans for social security in France to reimburse electronic cigarettes. 3 million French people use electronic cigarettes and despite doubts about its safety, the substitute could soon be reimbursed, in the same way as nicotine patches or chewing gum.

Illegal rave - An illegal rave party has seen nearly 6,000 people gather in Viol-en-Laval near Montpellier. Fifty officers were mobilised over the weekend to facilitate traffic and secure the site. No problems were reported.

Train traffic interrupted after man hit by train in Beaulieu - Regional train traffic come to a standstill on Sunday May 28th, after a man was hit by a train in Beaulieu. The incident occurred on Sunday as many were travelling to Monaco for the Grand Prix. Traffic was interrupted in both directions between Nice and Monaco. The man in his fifties is believed to have been hit by a train in Beaulieu, above the Petite Afrique beach. The circumstances of the incident are still unclear.

Abandoned luggage - Meanwhile abandoned luggage on airport tramlines 2 and 3 in Nice has led to traffic being interrupted. The baggage was found at midday on Sunday leading to access to airport terminals being closed while police intervened.

Speeding - Police have stopped a motorist speeding at 223km an hour at the wheel of an Aston Martin on the A8 motorway at Roquebrune Cap Martin. Police checks were set up over the weekend which was expected to be busy on the road with the today’s bank holiday and the end of the Cannes Film Festival and the start of the Monaco Grand Prix. The Greek national was flashed at 223km/hr instead of 110km/hr and was found to be over the limit for alcohol. His car was immediately impounded, and he is due to appear before the Nice Criminal court in the coming days.

Family left stranded - A family from Lyon got more than they bargained for, after renting an electric car while on holiday in the region. The family of four found themselves stuck for 12 hours. On vacation in Toulon and Saint-Raphaël, the couple were given the electric vehicle by their insurance after their own car had broken down, only to later find themselves stranded with electric vehicle. Last summer, an English family had encountered the same problem and, despite an intervention, no taxi was available in time and they therefore missed their flight home.

Business

President Joe Biden has said a bipartisan deal to raise the US debt ceiling and avert a fast-approaching default is ready to move to Congress. Speaking on Sunday Biden said that the agreement was a "compromise", while Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier called it "worthy of the American people". They must now convince members of Congress to approve it. The proposed deal is the result of long and bitter negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. The Treasury had warned the US will run out of money on 5 June without a deal. The US must borrow money to fund the government because it spends more than it raises in taxes.

China's first domestically manufactured large passenger jet has successfully completed its maiden commercial flight. State TV showed the C919 rising into the skies above Shanghai, heading to the capital Beijing early on Sunday. It was built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (Comac) in the hope of breaking the dominance of Airbus and Boeing's single-aisle jets. But the 164-seater still relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics.

In the UK Mars bars have been given a new look with recyclable paper wrappers instead of plastic. The move comes as part of a pilot, for more environmentally friendly materials for Mars Food's chocolate bars. The new packaging will be rolled out at 500 Tesco stores in the UK from today. Mars say it's a challenge to find the right paper packaging solution with an "adequate level of barrier properties to protect the chocolate".

Sport

Formula One - Red Bull's Max Verstappen survived a mid-race downpour to win the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday from Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso. Verstappen appeared to be cruising at the front but his race was given added jeopardy by his team delaying his pit stop in an attempt to coincide it with the rain. Verstappen's win, his fourth in six races this year, moves him 39 points clear of team-mate Sergio Perez in the championship.

Football - In a dramatic final day. Leicester City and Leeds United have been relegated from the Premier League as Everton survived. Manchester City were previously announced as the winners of the Premier League. However, the champions suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at Brentford. Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest finished 1-1. Arsenal thrashed Wolves 5-0, Manchester United beat Fulham 2-1 and Southampton and Liverpool played out a thrilling 4-4 draw.

In other football news Paris St-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico is in a "serious" condition in intensive care after a horse-riding accident. 29-year-old Rico was riding in Spain when he was in a collision with a runa