French and Riviera News Wednesday 2nd March 2022

News

Alpes Maritimes to welcome Ukrainian refugees - The Alpes-Maritimes has announced that it can repatriate and house 1,000 Ukrainian refugees. To date, since the outbreak of the Russian offensive last week, more than 500,000 Ukrainians have fled their country. Faced with this exodus, the president of the department Charles Ange Ginésy, has proposed the repatriation of 1,000 refugees thanks to special flights and to relocate them in the region. From tomorrow Thursday 3rd March, a special platform will be set up for all the inhabitants of the department who wish, on an individual basis, to host refugees "should the capacities of the community not be enough”.

Russian community - Meanwhile the Russian community in Nice has said that they are now victims of discrimination since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. In the Alpes-Maritimes the Russian community is estimated at 100,000 people. On Tuesday representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian communities in Nice held a meeting as the mayor Christian Estrosi said that he doesn't "want to let this conflict carry over to us" adding that there had been  “extraordinary outpourings of generosity". For those who wish to help, you can call 04 97 13 59 00 or e-mail soutien.ukraine@nicecotedazur.org

Homeless woman found dead in Cannes - A homeless woman has been found dead on the Croisette in Cannes. The body of the 56-year-old woman was found lifeless on a bench on the Croisette on Tuesday morning. It was a passer-by who alerted emergency services. The cause of death is unknown.

Man arrested for attempted kidnapping - A man has been arrested for an attempted kidnapping. According to reports on February 22nd the individual tried to kidnap two children from the Saint-Exupéry school in Menton. The investigation continues.

Cannes Film Festival - Organisers of the Cannes Film Festival have announced that for as long as Russia invades Ukraine, Russian delegations will be banned from attending the event. The Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 17th to 28th.  

Strong winds - Saint Raphael in the Var has experienced strong winds with gusts of 114km an hour on Tuesday. Meteo France had not issued a weather alert, but strong winds were felt along the coast and Nice in the Alpes Maritimes as a precaution, closed its parks and coastal paths on Tuesday.

Football - OGC Nice have beaten Versailles 2-0 taking them to the final of the French Cup for the first time since 2006. They will face Nantes or Monaco at the Stade de France depending on this evening’s result as Nantes play Monaco. Kick off is at 9pm.

Business

Asian markets have fallen sharply this morning and the price of oil has risen above 110 dollars a barrel as investors became increasingly concerned about the impact of aggressive sanctions against Moscow in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian flights using American airspace following similar moves by Canada and the European Union. In his State of the Union address, Mr Biden also warned Vladimir Putin that “Russia would pay a continuing high price over the long run” for the invasion of Ukraine. Analysts say that the conflict will continue to dominate markets for the foreseeable future. Global sanctions imposed on Moscow have prompted a string of major companies to announce suspensions or exits from their businesses in Russia.

The price of oil has hit 110 dollar a barrel despite emergency measures aimed at calming markets rattled by the invasion of Ukraine. Brent Crude is now at its highest price for more than 7 years and has continued to rise despite a decision by the International Energy Agency to release 60 million barrels of crude from emergency stockpiles. On Tuesday, the United States and 30 other members of the IEA agreed to release the extra crude in a bid to stabilise energy markets worldwide. The IEA says that the invasion of Ukraine comes amid a backdrop of already tight oil prices, heightened volatility and commercial inventories that are at their lowest level since 2014.

Exxon Mobil has announced that it will exit its Russian oil and gas operations which it values at more than 4 billion dollars. The US energy giant also said that it would halt fresh investment as a result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision will see Exxon pull out of managing large oil and gas production facilities in Russia’s Far East and puts its proposed multi-billion dollar liquified natural gas operation in doubt. Dozens of Western companies from Apple to Boeing have halted their business operations in Russia or announced plans to abandon their operations.

Sport 

Football - Burnley’s chances of avoiding relegation have been dented after they were beaten 2-0 at home by Leicester in last night’s only Englis