French and Riviera News Thursday 22nd August 2024

News

Search of superyacht wreckage - Divers searching the wreckage of the superyacht which sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday have found the bodies of five of the six missing passengers. The Italian Coastguard has not formally identified the bodies, but rescuers have spent days searching for four Britons and two Americans. These include Mike Lynch - the UK tech entrepreneur, his daughter Hannah Lynch, the chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer. Italian authorities have so far declined to identify those recovered, despite reports from local and international media on some of their names. Of the 22 people on board, 15 survived.  The passengers aboard were guests of Mr Lynch - founder of the software giant Autonomy - and were reportedly there to celebrate his acquittal in a massive US fraud case. Mr Lynch was acquitted in June of multiple fraud charges relating to the $11bn (£8.6bn) sale of Autonomy to the US computing giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Outcry following wish from late French actor Alain Delon - Following an outcry from animal rights campaigners a request made by the late French actor Alain Delon has been rejected by his children. The actor, who died aged 88 on Sunday, had expressed his wish to have his pet dog put down and buried with him in his grave in the cemetery of his home in the village of Douchy in the Loiret. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation said on Wednesday that Delon’s daughter Anouchka had confirmed the family would be keeping the dog.

Waterloo battlefield - Archaeologists are to dig in search of skeletons at Waterloo battlefield to help explain what happened to the remains of thousands killed in the 1815 clash. About 20,000 men died in the battle and in 2022, a dig at the site of a former field hospital at Mont-Saint-Jean farm discovered horses that had been put down, buried alongside a human skeleton. From the 3rd to the 13th of September, an international team of military veterans, serving personnel, archaeologists and volunteers will continue work at Mont-Saint-Jean. For archaeologists its been described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Local

Motorist has a lucky escape - A motorist has had a lucky escape after driving the wrong way down a narrow one-way street in Cannes. The incident occurred shortly before 6pm on Wednesday at the bottom of Boulevard Carnot. According to several witnesses, the driver went up the street the wrong way, fortunately at low speed, before hitting several parked vehicles and overturning. The man behind the wheel, managed to escape through the sunroof.

Beachgoers save man from drowning - Beachgoers have saved a swimmer who nearly drowned on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred on a beach in Saint-Aygulf. The 66-year-old man was pulled out of the water by members of the public after getting into difficulty. Emergency services at the scene took the man to hospital where he is reported to be in a stable condition.

Two beaches closed to swimmers - Meanwhile two beaches in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez in the Var, have been closed to swimmers, the first in Cavalaire was reportedly due to an accidental overflow of a wastewater network of a private residence meanwhile, the second in Saint Maxime, was due to a lack of oxygen linked to the high temperatures leading to fish dying. The beaches will remain closed until conditions improve.

Nice is the 6th Most Expensive City for Students in France - The student union UNEF has released its 2024 ranking, revealing that the average student rent in Nice is €664, making it the 6th most expensive city in France for student housing. Students in Nice face significant challenges finding accommodation, often searching for months, with high demand and rising prices exacerbated by the impact of Airbnb on the rental market. Despite the difficulties, Nice's average rent is still lower than Paris, where students pay an average of €907.

Business

French holidaymakers currently stuck at Madeira airport in Portugal have denounced the lack of presence and support of operators. Strong winds have seriously disrupted air traffic for several days, preventing planes from landing and as a result, many flights have been cancelled. The problem is that passengers of some companies, mainly low cost, are forced to wait several days on site to get a new seat on a plane. Above all, they are in uncertainty, feel abandoned and are receiving conflicting information, unlike large national companies which have people on site. It is difficult to know the exact number of passengers stuck there. Vinci Airports, which manages it, explains that all the stranded passengers have received assistance: water, food, a camp bed to sleep on and information on flights.

A federal judge in California has dismissed a lawsuit accusing social media platform X of forcing out workers with disabilities after Elon Musk took over the company and barred employees from working remotely. The lawsuit from a former engineering manager and cancer survivor, claimed that shortly after Elon Musk acquired X, he was fired for refusing to report to the office during the Covid pandemic. The lawsuit claims X violated a federal law requiring employers to accommodate workers' disabilities.

Following a stall in negotiations over shift scheduling as well as fatigue provisions and wages. Canada’s two main national rail carriers and workers could hold a possible lockout as soon as Thursday morning, threatening crucial supply chains across North America. Canada sends around 75% of all the goods it exports to the US, mostly over rail, and a prolonged dispute could disrupt shipments of a wide range of goods, from grains and beans to coal and timber.

Sport

Cricket - Following the retirement of James Anderson, Chris Woakes is targeting a place on England’s winter tours after assuming the role of attack leader. The 35-year-old has not played an away Test in more than two years.

Football – The goalkeeper of Aston Villa Emiliano Martinez has signed a new long-term contract with the club. The 31-year-old Argentina international has extended his stay until 2029.

And- Allegations of domestic abuse by Manchester United winger Antony has concluded without any charges being brought, but prosecutors could still look into the claims. The 24-year-old, who has denied wrongdoing, remains the subject of a Greater Manchester Police investigation.

Allegations of domestic abuse were made against Antony by three women in September last year, though he has not been arrested or charged in either Brazil or the UK and denies the allegations.

Formula One – Peter Bonnington Lewis Hamilton’s long-time race engineer will not be joining the seven-time champion at Ferrari next season. Bonnington, who has worked with Hamilton throughout the driver’s 12-year Mercedes career, has been promoted to head of race engineering.

Weather

Sunny with a gentle breeze. Highs of 29 degrees in Nice and Saint-Tropez, 28 degrees in Monaco, 30 degrees in Cannes. This evening going down to 21 degrees along the coast with clear skies.

The outlook for Friday and the weekend, remaining fine and sunny with highs of 30 degrees.

Sunrise 06.43am

Sunset 08.22pm

Beach weather

Sea temperature 26° Saint Tropez

Air temperature 29°

UV level 7

Weather elsewhere

London 21° light cloud.

Dublin 18° light rain.

Lisbon 26° partly cloudy.

 

 

 

 

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