French and Riviera News Wednesday 13th October 2021

Local News

Fatal road accident - A man has been killed and another seriously injured in a fatal road accident in Fréjus in the Var. The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon causing major traffic jams. The collision took place on the bridge near the Villa Aurélienne. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collision.

Bomb scare - Students have been evacuated from their school in Apt near Avignon following a bomb scare. 1,300 students were evacuated on Tuesday afternoon after the establishment received a threatening phone call. For safety reasons, a housing estate located near the school was also evacuated. A judicial inquiry has been opened into the origin of the threat.

Paraglider dies - A paraglider has died after falling into the sea and drowning under his sail in Roquebrune. The sixty-year-old paraglider had left Mont Gros and fell into the water at Roquebrune on Wednesday October 6th and died.

RN7 to link Golfe Juan to Antibes - The services of the Alpes-Maritimes department have announced at the meeting of the Antibes Ouest-Golfe-Juan environmental defense association, that the deviation of the ex-RN7 will link Golfe-Juan to Antibes by 2024. The work is scheduled for next year in Golfe Juan. The association says the move comes after concerns about the risk of flooding on the future construction of the Golfe-Juan bypass between the Eucalyptus roundabout (Antibes) and the Golfe roundabout.

Antibes recycling centre to close due to work - Meanwhile members of the public are reminded that there is less than a month left to go to the Antibes recycling center, before the construction of the new one. The Trois-Moulins sorting site closes its doors on November 1st. During the work to complete the new structure, users will have to rely on neighboring towns.

Author Annie Ernaux named winner of the literary price of the Prince Pierre Foundation- French author Annie Ernaux has been named winner of the literary prize of the Prince Pierre Foundation in Monaco. The author whose “autobiographical work resonates in the hearts and souls of her readers” received the award on Tuesday evening here in the Principality.

Documentary starring HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco - A documentary being previewed today in Saint-Tropez sees HSH Prince Albert-II of Monaco talk with artist Alick Tipodi who invited him to his conservation community off the coast of Australia. “Alick and Albert”, is the unusual yet moving story of a friendship between two men with the common interest to preserve nature. The first is a head of state from Europe, the second a native artist based on a small island between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The 90-minute documentary, directed by Douglas Watkin, will premiere this Wednesday, 13th October, at the opening of the Festival des Antipodes, in Saint-Tropez.

75th anniversary of Le Petit Prince - As part of celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery the Patrouille de France will fly over Nice at midday today. The city council and the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation (FASEJ) have organized a program that will run throughout the day. One of the highlights will take place in the sky with the pilots flying over the Lenval Hospital, in tribute to the nursing staff.

Sea unchin fishing season postponed - Authorities in the Alpes Maritimes and the Var have postponed the date for the beginning of sea unchin fishing due to their "scarcity". Normally starting on November 1st it’s been pushed back to December 1st.  The prefect of the Var recalls that “sea urchin fishing is emblematic of the Mediterranean coasts”.

National News

France 2030 - French President Emmanuel Macron has rolled out a 30-billion-euro investment plan designed to make France a global innovation leader in areas such as green industry, digital and biotechnology, health and space. Unveiled on Tuesday October 12th, at the Elysée Palace in front of an audience of students and business leaders, the long-term roadmap, dubbed "France 2030", aims to “reindustrialise” the country. Speaking six months ahead of presidential elections, Macron said France would become a leader in green hydrogen by 2030, announcing "massive investments" for industrial decarbonisation through nuclear power and renewable energy.

French hero of the resistance dies at the age of 101 - The last surviving member of the Order of the Liberation and an officially designated hero of the resistance Hubert Germain has died at the age of 101. On Tuesday the French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute saying France "bows down in front of the life of this figurehead of Free France”. Germain was the only surviving member of the 1,038-strong Order of the Liberation, France’s highest bravery order, handpicked by General Charles De Gaulle.

Gift boxes for newborns in France’s maternity wards - The government has announced plans to distribute "baby gift boxes" to young parents in maternity hospitals in France. Some 180,000 packages will be distributed from February. The box will contain items such as a sleeping bag, an album, and toiletries. The goal is to help parents in the first steps of parenting and to service as a support for dialogue between families and nurses in the maternity ward.

Euromillion rollover – If you forgot to play the euromillion last night no need to panic, as the 220 million euro million jackpot did not find a winner on Tuesday evening and will therefore be put back into play this Friday 15th October for a second time.

Business

US lawmakers have voted to extend the debt limit through to early December. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had warned Congress that the country would reach its ceiling by 18 October. A default is still unlikely and has never happened in US history but if it did, it would have catastrophic implications for the US and the global economy.

Meanwhile as the prices of gas, oil and electricity soar across the globe, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the situation should calm down "by the end of the first quarter" of next year. In an interview Gita Gopinath, chief economist of the International Monetary Fund said, “energy prices, which are rising and worrying the markets, are expected to moderate "by the end of the first quarter of 2022". She went on to acknowledge that while there was "the significant risk" to a harsh winter which would lead to "much larger blackouts and blackouts which would have a much greater effect on the world” she does not expect a crisis like that of the 1970s because "overall, the world depends much less on energy".

Apple's shares dropped on Tuesday following reports it could slash its iPhone 13 production targets due to the ongoing global computer chip shortage. Bloomberg reported that the electronic giant had expected to make 90 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2021.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have entered the world of finance, becoming partners at a sustainable investment firm in New York City. Prince Harry and Meghan have joined Ethic, which advises wealthy clients on how to invest their money more sustainably, prioritising issues like climate change and human rights. The couple had already invested in Ethic, which manages $1.3bn of assets.

Sport 

Football - England's path to the 2022 World Cup hit an unexpected stumbling block when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Hungary in a qualifier Gareth Southgate called a "big disappointment". The game was marred by crowd violence between Hungary fans and stewards and police.

Formula One - The F1 French Grand Prix has received a 3-star environmental certification, a world first. The Formula 1 French Grand Prix, located since 2018 on the Paul-Ricard circuit in Castellet in the Var, became on Tuesday the first Grand Prix organizer to receive the highest level of environmental certification from the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The mayor of Nice and President of the GIP Grand Prix de France - Le Castellet, Christian Estrosi welcomed the announcement and congratulated the teams of the Formula 1 French Grand Prix for this “important step”.

Golf - Despite opposition from Phil Mickelson, organisers of professional and elite amateur golf competitions are to be given the right to limit the length of golf clubs from next year. Any club, other than a putter, can be a maximum 48 inches in length, but this would be limited to 46 inches if organisations such as the PGA and European Tours use the option of a new "model local rule" being introduced by the R&A and United States Golf Association.

Cycling - Six-time British time trial champion Alex Dowsett will attempt to break the UCI hour record for a second time in November. Dowsett, 33, broke the record in May 2015 but lost it 36 days later to Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Weather 

Partially cloudy with some sunny intervals this morning in Nice and the Alpes Maritimes with a risk of showers by early afternoon clearing by early evening. Highs of 21 degrees. This evening going down to 13 degrees with clear skies. In Saint Tropez and the Var mainly fine with highs of 21 degrees.

The outlook for tomorrow and Friday - Increasingly cloudy across the region on Thursday with highs of 21-22 degrees. Friday clear skies and highs of 21 degrees.

Last local news

Evening Update Thursday 28th March 2024

Seven people have been questioned by police in a fraud investigation relating to the loss of almost half a million euros by Nice university hospital.... Evening Update Thursday 28th March 2024 Read More

28/03/2024

French and Riviera News Thursday 28th March 2024

France's prime minister Gabriel Attal has announced that a teenage girl who falsely accused her headteacher of striking her in a heated exchange over... French and Riviera News Thursday 28th March 2024 Read More

28/03/2024

Evening Update Wednesday 27th March 2024

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has asked for national police reinforcements to help bring the Les Moulins housing estate under control.... Evening Update Wednesday 27th March 2024 Read More

27/03/2024

French and Riviera News Wednesday 27th March 2024

The headmaster of a high school in Paris has resigned after receiving death threats on social media following an altercation with a student, which dat... French and Riviera News Wednesday 27th March 2024 Read More

27/03/2024

Evening Update Tuesday 26th March 2024

More than 20 secondary schools on the Riviera have been targeted by bomb alerts today, forcing some of them to stay closed all day.... Evening Update Tuesday 26th March 2024 Read More

26/03/2024