Post-mortem to be held after 33-year-old man's body found in Var - The post-mortem will take place next Monday for a 33-year-old man whose body was recently found in the Var after being missing for more than a month. Camille Marchetti disappeared from his home in Fréjus in the middle of a violent storm on 9th March. A couple discovered his body on the terrace of their holiday home in the Saint-Aygulf district on 15th April. It was their first visit to the holiday home since the man's disappearance - and it's likely that his body had been there all along. An autopsy to be carried out by a forensic medical institute in Nice will try to shed light on what happened.
Still cancellations at Nice Airport despite strike being called off - French air traffic controllers have called off today's planned strike after reaching a last-minute deal - but some cancellations at Nice Airport are still likely. Several short-haul airlines serving Nice Airport were asked yesterday to pre-emptively cancel some of today's flights. Despite the SNCTA trade union finally deciding not to go on strike, some smaller unions representing air traffic controllers may still walk out today. Four in 10 flights at Nice Airport are potentially affected - and more at Paris Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports. Anyone planning to fly today should check with their airline and the live departure board on the Nice Airport website. Another strike notice, for the Ascension public holiday weekend from 9th to 11th May, is still in place.
Cold snap damages local harvest - Fruit and veg growers on the Riviera say the recent cold snap could be disastrous for this year's harvest. Farms have been battered by two downpours of hail in recent days, and frost at night. According to the Alpes-Maritimes farmers' union, about 15 producers in the department have reported damage from the unusually cold weather. Several vineyards in the Var have been particularly affected.
IOC representatives visit Riviera - Delegates from the International Olympic Committee have been visiting the French Alps and the Riviera this week. They inspected the sites that France has put forward as suggested venues for the 2030 Winter Games. France has been retained as the sole candidate to host the event - an application that's been jointly backed by the Paca and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. Isola 2000 was named as one of the venues in the initial plan, but the IOC is reportedly keen to concentrate the 2030 Winter Games at fewer venues and avoid having events too far from each other. Another big question is whether, with the ongoing effects of climate change, there will be enough snow at the selected venues by 2030 to be able to host winter sports events. Final confirmation of France's hosting of the Winter Games is expected in July, just before the start of the Paris Olympics.
Six-Fours schools experiment with uniform - The Var town of Six-Fours, near Toulon, has announced plans to introduce a school uniform in all of its nursery schools. The town carried out an online consultation with parents, with 75% of respondents saying they were in favour of the idea. Officials say it will be up to the director of each individual school to decide whether to take part in the experiment. The town will provide each participating pupil with two short-sleeved and two long-sleeved shirts, free of charge. The City of Nice recently announced its own experiment and unveiled the design of its school uniform, which will be tested out in four primary schools from September.
Top Marques gears up for 19th edition - It's been announced that 10 new super-car models never before exhibited on the Côte d'Azur will go on display at this year's Top Marques in Monaco. Organisers are busy working on the 19th edition of the show, which will run from 5th to 9th June at the Grimaldi Forum. Tesla and BYD are among the exhibitors confirmed for this year's event, which showcases high-end products from cars to jewellery. Meanwhile, school pupils in Monaco aged nine to 13 are being invited to come up with the design for a mascot for next year's show. The winner of the drawing competition will have their mascot design turned into a stuffed toy that will be sold at the 2025 edition of Top Marques.
BUSINESS
Boeing lost $355m in the first three months of the year as the US planemaker slowed production amid a renewed safety scandal when a door panel blew out of a plane in mid-air. The losses were smaller than investors had expected, although Boeing’s chief executive said that slower production would hit its financial performance. The incident has put Boeing’s safety record back in the spotlight after years of crisis following two fatal crashes of its bestselling 737 Max plane. Boeing’s revenues dropped to $16.5bn, down from $17.9bn in the same period last year.
Tesla has announced its profits fell sharply in the first three months of the year to $1.13bn, compared with $2.51bn in 2023. It caps a difficult period for the electric vehicle maker, which - faced with falling sales - has announced thousands of job cuts. Boss Elon Musk remains bullish about its prospects, telling investors the launch of new models would be brought forward. Its share price has risen but analysts say it continues to face significant challenges, including from lower-cost rivals.
London's Heathrow airport is expecting its busiest ever summer holiday season but faces uncertainty over its long-term future as the proposed £6bn sale of the UK’s biggest airport remains in doubt. The airport promised to have “robust” plans in place to keep the airport “running smoothly”, even if staff strikes seen last year are repeated. The number of passengers using the airport this year is expected to hit more than 82.4 million. This would make it the busiest year on record, and above the previous high in 2019. Heathrow’s future is in the balance amid reports that a proposed deal to buy the airport from the Spanish construction company Ferrovial is on hold after Macquarie ruled out taking a stake.
SPORT
Snooker - Kyren Wilson completed a 10-1 first-round thrashing of Dominic Dale to cruise into the last 16 at the World Snooker Championship, but missed out on making his second maximum 147 break at the Crucible. Wilson, the 2020 runner-up, held an 8-1 lead after the first session against 52-year-old Welshman Dale - the oldest player at this year's tournament. There is a prize pot of £40,000 for a 147 at this year's main draw event, with the money to be shared if more than one player makes a maximum.
Football - Liverpool are set to open talks with Dutch side Feyenoord over manager Arne Slot as they search for Jurgen Klopp's successor. Klopp announced in January he would leave Anfield at the end of the season and the Reds have been conducting extensive research around a number of candidates. Slot, who led Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title, has emerged as a candidate who fits Liverpool's criteria. Feyenoord have won the Dutch Cup this season and are currently second in the Eredivisie.
And former Argentina international Carlos Tevez has been admitted to hospital after suffering from chest pains. Tevez was taken to hospital in Buenos Aires on Tuesday and will remain there until medical tests are completed. The 40-year-old former Manchester United, Manchester City and West Ham striker is now head coach of Argentine top-flight side Independiente.
WEATHER
A generally fine and sunny day across the Riviera with just the chance of some occasional cloud and light rain on the Alpes-Maritimes coast this afternoon. Light winds and temperatures this afternoon reaching 17 degrees celsius on the coast and 18 inland in the Var. The outlook for Friday: mostly cloudy, with some light rain forecast in the Var after lunch, light winds and 15 degrees celsius. It's looking like a cloudy and wet weekend as well.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has accompanied municipal police officers on a tour of the city as part of the enforcement of the curfew order for minors...
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