French and Riviera News Thursday 12th May 2022

News

Investigation opened after man falls from building in Nice - Police have opened an investigation after a man fell from a building in Nice on Wednesday. The incident occurred shortly before 2pm on Avenue de la Mediterranée in the Moulins district. The victim in his thirties, had fallen from the third floor and was taken to hospital by the emergency services.

Man sentenced to eight years in prison - A man has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for throwing a fatal punch for a parking space. The hearing held on Wednesday May 11th, dates back to an incident which occurred on November 17th 2014, following an altercation over a parking space in a private car park in Menton. The victim 61-year-old Jean-Marie Baldini, had at the time just arrived in the region for a “new start with his family” following the tragic death of his 19-year-old son Damien eight years earlier.

Region’s train network - The region’s train network was severely disrupted on Wednesday evening after a man died after being hit by a train in Cagnes-sur-mer. An investigation has been opened to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. Trains were disrupted with several delays and cancellations.

Death of Antoine Alléno - The man suspected of having killed Antoine Alléno son of multi-starred chef Yannick Alléno, after knocking him down with a stolen car overnight from Sunday to Monday in Paris has been charged and placed in pre-trial detention. He was already known to police. The case continues.

No more mask on public transport from 16th May - French Minister of Health Olivier Veran has announced that the requirement to wear a mask on public transport will end on Monday 16th May. Veran said that the epidemic situation is improving. He said that "the pandemic is not over" but the number of new diagnoses on a daily basis is decreasing and the government no longer considers it necessary to have mandatory mask wearing on public transport from the 16th May.

Television license – Meanwhile as part of measures to support household purchasing power, the French government has announced plans to abolish the television license fee. According to the report of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday the fee could be abolished this year. The abolition of the fee of 138 euros, paid by households with a television and which brings in more than 3 billion euros net per year, is a campaign promise from Emmanuel Macron. Before the election, he had judged its disappearance "consistent" with the abolition of the housing tax or taxe d’habitation, which is collected at the same time as the audio-visual fee.

Ukraine - France has sent a third convoy of emergency vehicles for the use of Ukrainian authorities. The convoy of 22 vehicles will transport vehicles and relief equipment to Romania at the border with Ukraine where they will be handed over. The operation is being led by 52 civil security rescuers. The emergency equipment offered includes 36 km of fire hoses, 56,000 liters of foam concentrate to fight fires, as well as food for more than 40,000 meals.

Ikea - Alpes-Maritimes Councillor and Nice Deputy Mayor Franck Martin has welcomed the arrival of the new Ikea store at Nice St Isidore, which fully opened to the public on Wednesday. 

“The Rock” - "The Rock" the largest white diamond ever auctioned has sold for 17.8 million euros. "The Rock", whose height exceeds that of a golf ball, was extracted from a mine in South Africa in the early 2000s. It was then sold by Christie's to a private collector.

Business

A UN backed report has said that the number of big polluters setting targets to cut CO2 emissions has reached a "critical mass”.  But firms in Asia, Africa and Latin America are lagging behind Europe, the US and Japan. Separately, a report cast doubt on whether oil companies can all deliver carbon cuts they've promised.

Apple has lost its position as the world's most valuable company amid a broad sell-off of technology stocks. Saudi Arabian oil and gas producer Aramco has reclaimed the top spot from the iPhone maker for the first time in almost two years. Investors have been selling shares in technology firms as they move into what they see as less risky assets.

Bitcoin, other major cryptocurrencies and digital assets have also continued to fall sharply.

Meanwhile the pace of price increases in the US eased slightly in April, as costs for petrol, used cars and clothing slipped. The Labour Department said that the annual pace of inflation was 8.3% last month, down from 8.5% in March. That marked the first decline in months, but the rate of price increases remained at a 40-year high.

Walt Disney has reported another jump in sign-ups for its streaming services, escaping the slowdown that hit rival Netflix. More than 9 million people subscribed to the firm's online video platforms in the first three months of the year, most of them to its flagship Disney+.

Air France is to invest 180 million euros to the interior refurbishment of twelve long-haul aircraft with in particular a new chair-bed in business class. By the end of 2023, Air France will have completed the transformation of its long-haul business class. All the business seats of its Boeing 777 and 787 and its Airbus A350 will offer the standard of comfort that has become the norm with most of its major competitors: The new layout provides 48 seats in Business class, as many in Premium Economy and 273 in "eco".

Sport

Football - Manchester City restored their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League after beating Wolverhampton 5-1 on Wednesday night. They now need only four points from their final two fixtures to ensure they will finish above Liverpool and win their fourth title in five seasons.

This evening in the Premier League Tottenham play Arsenal.

And the coach of OGC Nice Christophe Galtier has strongly condemned the behaviour of the clubs’ supporters after they were heard singing a song mocking the death of Argentine striker Emiliamo Sala during Wednesday’s match against Saint-Etienne. Speaking at a press conference following the 4-2 victory of his team against Saint-Etienne, Galtier said “such supporters can stay at home if it's to insult the dead" adding that he had “no adjectives to define what he had heard” and that “on behalf of the club he wished to apologize to Emiliano Sala's family and to FC Nantes”.

The Argentine striker tragically died in a plane crash over the Channel in 2019, on Wednesday OGC Nice fans modified the lyrics to transform a tribute into a shocking attack, in what was believed to be a provocation, four days after losing the French Cup final against Nantes.

Cycling - France's Arnaud Demare has won stage five of the Giro d'Italia in Sicily after a thrilling sprint finish. Demare got into position before a tight final corner to take his sixth career Giro stage win.

What’s On Guide

The Youth Book Festival is back for a 4th edition in Villeneuve-Loubet this weekend May 14 & 15 after two years of absence. Authors of children's books will be present with lots of fun activities, shows and workshops for all, offered by the City's Youth Service and the Jean d'Ormesson Media Library. It's happening at the Auguste Escoffier Cultural Centre from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with catering on site.

There's a vide grenier at St John’s Church on avenue Paul Doumer in St Raphaël on Saturday 21 May from 10.00-14.00. If you're having a clear out and have some items you'd like to sell, you can book a table for 20€, which can be shared between two people if you like. To book call 07 86 05 81 12 or email stjohnsvar@gmail.com

The « Journée Évasion » is back at Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice for a 3rd edition. It's a fun and festive day for children who are sick or disabled. It's organized by the association Premiers de Cordée. There'll be football, tennis, boxing, climbing, handball, karate,table tennis, baseball, tandem and surfing. All activities are supervised by close to fifty qualified sports educators, and there are many volunteers overseeing the smooth running of the day. There'll also be guided tours of the stadium and local sports stars will be present. It's a free event and it's taking place at the Allianz Riviera stadium next Wednesday the 18th May from 10am to 5pm. You can find details on https://premiersdecordee.org/evenements/journees-evasion/

The Mougins Photography Centre is holding a special nght of experimental music this Saturday May 14th from 8pm to midnight. It'll feature local artists-musicians-visual artists, who will invite visitors to play along with them in various sound sessions of 20 minutes each. You can get more information in English on the website https://centrephotographiemougins.com/?lang=en

Weather

Hazy skies with light winds. Highs of 22 degrees in Nice, Cannes, Juan les Pins and Antibes. Highs of 23 degrees in Saint Tropez and the Var. This evening going down to 12 degrees with clear skies.

The outlook for Friday and heading into the weekend - Highs of 22-23 degrees light winds and clear skies.

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