French and Riviera News Tuesday 2nd September 2025

News

Severe weather in the Var - A man in his fifties has died in a car accident as a result of the bad weather which hit the Var region on Monday 1st September. Authorities say that wet conditions led to the vehicle veering into a ditch in Signes. The Var was under an orange alert for storms and flooding at the time. Heavy rain and strong winds were recorded across the department. One firefighter was also slightly injured during an intervention in Le Val.

Alpes-Maritimes launches new ban to tackle drug dealing - The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture has introduced a new measure banning certain individuals from known drug-dealing spots. This “interdiction de paraître” is enabled by a new national law passed in June and aims to disrupt local narcotics networks by restricting access to key trafficking areas. Authorities say the bans will be applied selectively, with judicial oversight.

Sick leave under scrutiny – In a move to curb rising costs, France’s national health insurance (Cnam) has launched checks on 500 GPs who prescribe significantly more sick leave than average. These doctors are being asked to cut such prescriptions by 20%, though justified sick leave remains allowed. The campaign, started on the 1st of September and targets only 1–2% of GPs but aims to address a broader issue: sick leave costs the system nearly €16 billion a year, and is rising by €1 billion annually.

Violent fight breaks out at Nice Airport - A serious altercation has erupted at Terminal 2 of Nice Côte d’Azur Airport after a couple allegedly refused to pay excess baggage fees before boarding an EasyJet flight to Mykonos. According to local reports, the situation escalated quickly, turning into a physical brawl between the passengers and an airport agent. Witnesses described scenes of chaos. The couple were detained and will appear in court this December, facing charges of assault in a public transport area. The airport has filed a formal complaint, and the injured staff member was signed off work for two days.

Boris Herrmann: Racing the seas to protect the oceans – Finally, German skipper Boris Herrmann is currently competing in The Ocean Race Europe 2025 with Team Malizia, a Monaco-based crew blending offshore sailing with ocean conservation. The race, which passed by Nice at the weekend, will end on the 20th of September in Montenegro. Supported by Prince Albert II and Monaco’s Yacht Club, Malizia’s boat doubles as a science lab, measuring CO₂ levels at sea. The team also backs environmental projects and runs educational programmes. Herrmann, the first German to race the Vendée Globe, hopes to use his sport to inspire action on climate change.

Business

Microsoft is to lay off around 10% of its French workforce, roughly 200 jobs, as part of a global restructuring plan aimed at boosting operational efficiency. The company has reached a collective agreement with unions, and the cuts will be made on a voluntary basis over the coming months. This move follows thousands of job cuts worldwide and comes amid Microsoft's increasing use of AI, which now writes up to 30% of its internal code.

Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank has warned that if President Donald Trump undermined the US Federal Reserve’s independence, it would pose a "very serious danger" to global financial stability. She said political interference in the Fed could lead to "very worrying" consequences for the US and the world.

And - Meal delivery is easy in cities, but people living on Sweden, Norway, and Finland’s many islands often miss out. However, this may now be a thing of the past due to Norwegian start-up Aviant which plans to fix this by starting drone food deliveries on the Swedish island of Värmdö.

Sport

Football - Premier League clubs have broken all previous records by spending over £3 billion this summer. By August the 31st, spending was at £2.73 billion, but big deals on deadline day such as Alexander Isak’s £125 million transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool pushed it to £3.087 billion. This is much higher than last summer’s £1.96 billion.

Tennis – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has crushed Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to reach the US Open quarterfinals in just 1 hour and 21 minutes—the second-fastest win this year. After the match, Bublik called Sinner an "artificial intelligence (AI)" player.

Meanwhile, two-time US Open winner Naomi Osaka says beating Coco Gauff was one of her best wins since becoming a mother. Osaka, who gave birth in 2023, defeated Gauff 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals.

Weather

Sunny with a moderate breeze. Highs of 26 degrees in Nice, 25 degrees in Monaco, 27 degrees in Antibes, 30 degrees in Cannes and strong winds with highs of 26 degrees in Saint-Tropez. This evenin going down to 17 degrees with clear skies.

The outlook for tomorrow, fine and sunny with highs of 27 degrees.

Sunrise 06.55am              Sunset 08.03pm

Beach weather

Expect sunny skies with air temperatures around 25–26°C. The sea temperature is a pleasant 25°C. UV levels are high, ranging from 7 to 10. Winds are light in the Alpes Maritimes and moderate to strong along the coastal area of the Var. Enjoy your day at the beach!

And Finally

Scientists have found that young adults aged 18 to 24 are now the most miserable age group worldwide, overturning the idea of a midlife crisis. A study of 45 countries, including the US and UK, shows mental health for Generation Z has worsened since 2014, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Young women are particularly affected, with despair rates nearly doubling in recent years. Factors include more screen time, financial struggles, and pandemic stress. Meanwhile, older adults aged 45 and above report better mental health and lower levels of despair.

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