French and Riviera News Monday 8th August 2022

News

Man drowns while swimming in the sea - A 70-year-old man has drowned in the sea at La Londe-les-Maures in the Var on Sunday morning. The man is thought to have suffered a heart attack at the time. Emergency services intervened on the Argentière beach but were unable to save the victim.

Man drowns in private swimming pool – Meanwhile, a second drowning was reported on Sunday in a private swimming pool in Cuers. The 64-year-old man was found dead in his swimming pool. According to police the death was accidental.

Shooting in Moulins district of Nice - In what is believed to be a settlement of accounts a man in his twenties has been shot in the Moulins district of Nice. The shooting occurred on Saturday evening shortly before 11pm. No arrests have yet been made. The victim, of French nationality, was known to the police mainly for thefts, but also for violence, traffic offenses and drugs trafficking.

Forest fire - A forest fire in Collongues in the hills behind Grasse has been brought under control but is not yet fixed. Thanks to the numerous airdrops, more than a hundred, carried out by firefighters on Sunday no homes have been threatened. Five hectares of forest land have already been destroyed in an area which is very difficult for firefighters to access.

High temperatures - The high temperatures are set to continue this week with up to 40 degrees expected locally inland. Between 35 and 37 degrees is expected from the southwest to the southeast of France and between 30 and 34 further north. Along the coast locally temperatures are expected to range from 30 to 34 degrees.

Shark sightings - In less than a week, no less than three sharks have been seen and reported near the beaches of the Var department. However, according to Nicolas Ziani, founder and scientific manager of the Marseille Shark Study Group, there is “no need to be alarmed”. The situation is in fact nothing exceptional in the Mediterranean. Ziani explains that the “fact that we see sharks along the coast at this time of year is completely normal, as mothers come into coastal waters, to give birth leaving their young in waters closer to the shore. He goes on to say that “these young sharks are also, for the most part, harmless to humans and are far from being the deadliest causing eleven deaths in 2021. He concludes that it is in fact the “mosquito that causes the most human deaths each year, with approximately 800,000 each year”.

Bathing sites in the Principality under surveillance - Six bathing sites in the Principality are under close surveillance. Authorities have announced that every Monday morning the Department of the Environment carries out checks. In the Principality, wastewater is not discharged directly into the sea. Before that, it is treated by the wastewater treatment plant (UTER) and nearly 98% of this water is treated by a recently modernized underground infrastructure.

Russia says France is not a friendly country - Russia has said that France “is not a friendly country”. Two months have passed without a single exchange between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin recently declared France is an "unfriendly" country with which discussions are not currently necessary. The last official exchange between the two leaders dates back to May 28th.  The Kremlin has continued to extend its list of "unfriendly" countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Taiwan and all the members of the European Union.

French President visit to Porquerolles - French President Emmanuel Macron has visited the Carmignac Foundation in Porquerolles in the Var. Accompanied by his wife Brigitte, the President took a cultural break on Sunday afternoon on the island of Porquerolles.

Business

Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata Motors is to buy Ford car plant in India. The deal comes as Tata moves to boost its car production to meet demand. The deal between Tata's electric vehicle subsidiary and the US car maker's Indian unit covers land, machinery and all "eligible employees". Ford stopped production in India last year after struggling for more than two decades to generate profits there.

The boss of US low-fare carrier JetBlue has said it is necessary to over-hire staff because of the rate at which people are still leaving the industry. Robin Hayes was speaking as thousands of travellers have been hit by recent disruption, caused largely by staff shortages that have blighted the re-start of air travel after the pandemic. Airlines have cut summer schedules and made last-minute cancellations. 

Sport

Football – It was bad news for Manchester United fans after they lost 2-1 to Brighton on Sunday in the Premier League. In other matches Leicester drew 2-2 against Brentford and Manchester City beat West Ham at home 2-0.

Tonight, in the Championship West Bromwich play Watford.

Rugby Union - New Zealand fell to a fifth defeat in their last six Tests as they lost 26-10 against South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener.

Commonwealth Games - England were denied a dramatic 4x400m Commonwealth relay gold after officials ruled, they committed a lane infringement before anchor Jessie Knight edged the tightest of finishes and Scotland were promoted to bronze.

Weather

Some cloudy patches along the coast in the Alpes Maritimes and the Var. Highs of 30 degrees in Nice, 31 in Tende with a risk of thunderstorms. 32 degrees in Cannes, 33 degrees in Saint Tropez and 35 in Aix-en-Provence with a gentle breeze. This evening going down to 23 degrees with clear skies.

The outlook for tomorrow and Wednesday, clear skies and highs of 34 in Saint Tropez and 30 degrees in Nice.

Sea temperature: 28 degrees           UV level             8

Sunrise:    06.26hr                                 Sunset:     20.44hr

And Finally

A recent survey has suggested that Brits are all too familiar with fibbing and that typically they tell five lies per day. The lies range from exaggerating a salary to pretending to be too skint to buy a round. Results showed that Londoners typically tell up to five lies a day while those in Sheffield are the most honest with an average of twice a day. However, more than a quarter of those surveyed said they felt better about themselves when being honest. A similar proportion said that avoiding white lies is better for relationships. And more than half of Brits say they always prefer being told the truth.

 

 

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