French and Riviera News Wednesday 29th September 2021

News 

Man shot dead in Cavaillon - A young man has been shot dead in broad daylight in Cavaillon in the Vaucluse. The shooting occurred on Tuesday 28th September, in a district of the city known for its drug dealing. According to police, the perpetrators fled in a vehicle, which was later found burnt to the ground 10km from the scene of the crime on the route d’Avignon. 

Hunger strike by caregivers - A group of caregivers are continuing their hunger strike in front of the Nice University Hospital. The camp was set up on the 15th September which coincided with the deadline given to health workers, by the French government to “get vaccinated, or get fired”.

Anti-vax activist handed a suspended prison sentence - Meanwhile an anti-vax activist who rebelled against police during Saturday’s demonstrations as protestors targeted the home of the mayor of Nice Chirstian Estrosi has been handed a suspended prison sentence. The 40-year-old activist appeared in court on Tuesday and was sentenced to a 10-month suspended prison sentence.

Marseille suffers as bin men refuse to work - Residents in Marseille have expressed their exasperation faced with the continual accumulation of uncollected rubbish in the city, as bins overflow and litter covers the streets. Unions called for strike action last Thursday with certain areas affected only for a second union to join the strike action on Monday, leading to the entire city disappearing under rubbish. The reason for the strike is due to a government reform, which would see bin collectors from January, work a 35-hour week under the same pay conditions. 

College in Tourrette-Levens understaffed - The René Cassin college in Tourrette-Levens has come to a complete standstill. Tuesday September 28th saw students kept in the courtyard as the establishment failed to function due to understaffing, as supervisors used their right of withdrawal. Parents have denounced the situation saying that the “children are being held hostage”.

Rail link Toulouse to Paris - The last legal obstacle to the high-speed rail line project, aiming to link Toulouse and Paris via Bordeaux in just over 3 hours compared to currently around 4, has been lifted. On Monday the administrative court rejected a request to cancel the project from a group of opponents.

Riviera Palace to auction furniture as it closes its doors for good - Furniture from a mythical palace on the French Riviera is to be auctioned. The Hotel La Voile d´Or in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has closed its doors for good and while awaiting its complete reconstruction, the establishment is auctioning online on Saturday October 2nd at 9:30 am, all its furniture and supplies, more than 850 lots.

Marcel Ravin left humiliated after being refused entry to gala dinner - The first Caribbean chef to be awarded a Michelin star, Marcel Ravin has said he felt "humiliated” after being turned away from a gala dinner for France’s top chefs in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron. Ravin who runs the Blue Bay restaurant here in Monaco was refused entry despite having a personal invitation. Organisers of a gala dinner have since apologized. The event was part of an international congress of restaurateurs, whose food director, Luc Dubanchet, told French media that the incident was "an unfortunate error" and was not deliberate. As controversy over the incident grew, Ravin said there was still “a long way to go” for his children and countless other young black people who are constantly overlooked adding that he “hoped that our profession will come together and that no chef recognised by his peers will ever be left on the doorstep again”.

Presidential elections - As the Presidential elections in France draw closer a recent poll has put Macron in the lead with 23% of voting intentions, Le Pen retreats to 16%, and Zemmour catches up with Mélenchon at 13%.  Far behind Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen is followed by Xavier Bertrand, Eric Zemmour and Jean-Luc Mélenchon for a place in the second round. The Harris Interactive poll for Challenges, published on Tuesday, September 28, credits the far-right National Rally candidate with 16% of the voting intentions in the first round of the 2022 presidential election, compared to 24% a month earlier.  On the right, Xavier Bertrand is the candidate who would obtain the most votes (14%). On the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon would obtain 13% of the vote and the socialist and present mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo 7%. While voting intentions do not constitute a forecast of the outcome of the ballot giving only an indication of the balance of power and dynamics on the day of the survey. The survey concluded that in the second round, Emmanuel Macron would be re-elected with 54% of the vote.

Fishing licenses in British waters - Paris has denounced "a new refusal" from London on fishing licenses in British waters. Following the rejections France Minister of the Sea said that "French fishing should not be taken hostage by the British for political ends”. On Tuesday September 28th France publicly regretted London's announcement of the granting of 12 new licenses to French fishermen for access to British territorial waters. The figure is far from the claims of Paris, which required an additional 87.

Business

The flagship CAC 40 index fell by more than 2% on Tuesday, in the face of an onset of the energy crisis which is manifesting itself in China but also in the United Kingdom, threatening to penalize economic growth in developed markets this winter.

With new regulated tariffs, France’s energy price regulation commission estimates that the annual bill for a household consuming 14 MWh at 1,482 euros, including 340 euros in taxes. Regulated gas prices will experience their biggest increase on October 1 since the opening of the energy market to competition: + 12.56%. The new surge concerns a total of five million households.

The World nuclear industry status report (WNISR) has claimed that &qu