National News France
Fatal accident on metro construction site in Toulouse - One person has died, and several have been injured following an accident on a metro construction site in Toulouse. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon when part of the bridge deck under construction collapsed. According to Tisséo, the transport network of Toulouse, emergency services were at the scene from 5pm, 53 firefighters and 20 vehicles were mobilized. The cause of the accident is not yet known. Tisséo said that a psychological support unit has been set up and also sent its sincere condolences to the family of the victim.
Abortion becomes a constitutional right in France - The French parliament has enshrined abortion as a constitutional right at a historic joint session at the Palace of Versailles on Monday. Out of 925 MPs and senators eligible to vote, 780 supported the amendment, which will give women the “guaranteed freedom” to choose an abortion. There was thunderous applause in the chamber as the result was announced and in central Paris, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated to mark the occasion.
Official posters for the Olympics - Two official posters for the Olympics and the Paralympics have been unveiled. The result of 2000 hours of work by artist Ugo Gattoni the posters were revealed to the public during an opening at the Musée d'Orsay on Monday. They will be displayed in Paris and marketed. You can see the work on our Facebook page 106.5 Riviera Radio.
Local News
Monegasque delegation takes part in UN Human Rights Council - A Monegasque delegation has taken part in the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council. Last Friday M. Gilles Realini, Advisor, Deputy Permanent Representative of Monaco to the United Nations Office in Geneva, spoke during an interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Sudan. He expressed the Principality's deep concern about the alarming situation in Sudan and reiterated the Principality's call for an immediate humanitarian response, as well as a political and negotiated solution for a return to a democracy. He also reaffirmed Monaco's support for strengthened international cooperation aimed at restoring peace and stability in Sudan. The Human Rights Council, a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly, is the main UN body responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights. It sits in Geneva and is made up of 47 States elected by the General Assembly for a period of 3 years.
Nice Airport new destinations - Nice Airport has announced four new easyJet destinations for the 2024 summer season. From the end of May, Athens will be connected to Nice Côte d'Azur airport via two flights per week. A Greek destination in addition to Kefalonia, available from June and those wishing to visit Malta, will be able to do so from the end of June, via two flights a week during the high season
From today French mobile customers will be able to use the Monegasque network - From today Tuesday 5th March 2024, all French mobile customers will be able to use the Monegasque network throughout the Principality. The roll-out is being driven by the Monegasque Government, in collaboration with French mobile network operators and the national operator Monaco Telecom, to harmonise the quality of the mobile network across the country. As a result, customers will switch networks via data roaming when they arrive in Monaco. 'Monaco Telecom' will be displayed at the top of the phone screen in place of the French operator's name. Similar to when travelling to other European countries, customers will be able to use the local operator's mobile phone network to make and receive calls or connect to the internet.
Car parks in Monaco to stop two-wheeler’s parking for free - Public car parks in the Principality are planning to put an end to two-wheeler fraud by installing longer barriers. A vast majority of public car parks have short barriers which leads to many two-wheelers not paying for parking which is nevertheless obligatory. Until now many Monaco parking agents have tried to put an end to two wheelers parking for free, but say that unless the size of the barrier is changed some will continue to get away without paying.
Study - According to a study published today by DREES France’s health ministry, there is still far to go to reach equality between men and women concerning the balance between “family and professional life”. The research showed that the responsibility of family life still relies heavily on mothers with many giving up a professional life to dedicate their time to their families. The study also showed that mothers who are unable to find childcare spend on average 22 hours alone with their child from 8am to 7pm from Monday to Friday, compared to less than five hours for fathers.
Sunshine - Weather stations in France have broken their record for the weakest month of sunshine this February since 1991. According to data from Meteo France at the top of the podium was Charleville-Mézières, a town located in the Ardennes, in the Grand-Est which only experienced 12.5 hours of sunshine, while the average for this city in February is almost 69 hours. In second and third positions among the least sunny cities according to Météo-France were Saint-Quentin in Aisne (Hauts-de-France) with 22 hours 43 minutes of sunshine and Reims in Marne (Champagne-Ardennes) with 24 hours and 16 minutes. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is the sunniest region with the Ile du Levant off the coast of Hyères in the Var being one of the sunniest places with 161 hours in the month of February.
Business
According to the Bloomberg ranking updated on Monday, Jeff Bezos' fortune now stands at $200 billion, surpassing that of Elon Musk, valued at $198 billion. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has regained first place in Bloomberg's global billionaires index, ahead of Tesla, SpaceX and X boss Elon Musk, who took the title from him in 2021. The French CEO of the luxury group LVMH, Bernard Arnault, remains in third place on the podium of the world's richest people, with 197 billion dollars. Jeff Bezos, who has no longer led Amazon since July 2021, which he founded in 1994, has benefited in particular from the good performance of the online sales giant's shares, of which he is still the largest shareholder, and from the sale of group securities in recent weeks, for a total amount of $8.5 billion.
China has set an ambitious growth target of around 5% for this year, as it outlined a series of measures aimed at boosting its flagging economy. A series of measures to help tackle the country's slow recovery from the pandemic were also announced, including the development of new initiatives to tackle problems in the country's crisis-hit property sector. Beijing also aims to add 12 million jobs in urban areas. Regulation of financial markets will also be increased, while research will be stepped up in new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and life sciences. Along with measures to boost the economy, defence spending will be increased by 7.2% this year.
Apple has been fined €1.8bn (£1.5bn) by the EU for breaking competition laws over music streaming. The firm had prevented streaming services from informing users of payment options outside the Apple app store. The US tech giant has been ordered to remove all the restrictions. Apple has said it will appeal against the decision.
Sport
Formula One - Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of motorsport's governing body the FIA, is under investigation for allegedly interfering over a Formula 1 race result and needs to provide answers. A whistleblower has told the FIA that Ben Sulayem allegedly intervened to overturn a penalty given to Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Ben Sulayem and the FIA have not responded to requests for comment.
Rugby Union - Edinburgh lock Marshall Sykes has been recalled by Scotland for the first time in two years as the squad prepares for Saturday's Six Nations game in Italy. Gregor Townsend has called up 24-year-old Sykes for the first time since the 2022 Six Nations in place of Scarlets second row Alex Craig.
Football - It was a new low for Sheffield United after Arsenal beat them 6-0 in the Premier League on Monday.
Weather
Sunny with a moderate breeze. Highs of 16 in Nice, 15 in Monaco and Saint-Tropez, 18 in Cannes. Strong winds are forecast for the Var region and Saint-Tropez. This evening going down to 6 degrees along the coast with clear skies.
The outlook for tomorrow and Thursday remaining fine and sunny with highs 14-15 degrees. Rain is expected to return by Friday.
Sunrise 06.59am
Sunset 06.24pm
Sea temperature
Nice 13.7°
Weather elsewhere
London 11° light cloud
Paris 10° light rain
New York 10° heavy rain
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