French and Riviera News Wednesday 30th November 2022

News

France heading into a ninth wave of covid - Latest official data shows an increase in Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations in France, at a time when the country's hospitals are already struggling to deal with flu and bronchiolitis epidemics.  According to data published by France's public health agency (SPF) on the 27th November an average of 40,000 people per day tested positive over the last week – an increase of 165 percent on the previous week. More than 1,000 people are currently in intensive care with Covid-related diseases. According to Professor Yves Buisson speaking to French public radio “France is heading into a ninth wave in the lead up to Christmas”.   

France reboots coal-fired power station to secure electricity supply – In other news, France has rebooted a coal-fired power station in eastern France, which had been due to close definitively in March. The French government announced that the temporary measure will secure the country's electricity supply over the winter, a sector that is struggling to keep up with demand because of the conflict in Ukraine and maintenance problems with some nuclear plants.

World AIDS Day - Tomorrow is World AIDS Day, held annually on December 1st to provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS and locally at 2pm institutions, associations and health professionals will gather for a moment of meditation at the Jardin Sosno in Nice to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives as a result of AIDS. In the Alpes-Maritimes and eastern Var region 3,700 people are living with HIV, 65 new infections were recorded in 2021. Throughout the year, the City of Nice, in conjunction with the Regional Coordination for the Fight against Infection, fights against HIV infection (COREVIH) and the member partners of the Collective 06 for the fight against HIV, work to combat inequalities, strengthen the availability, quality & compliance of treatment services and facilitate access to screening and prevention.

Figures - Recent figures have shown that in 2022 nearly 10,000 people were arrested at the Franco-Italian border. Created two years ago Menton police operational reserve with 60 staff is there to support the border police in the fight against illegal immigration. In 2022, 9,800 people were arrested at the La Turbie paytoll and at the Garavan station.

Ski season - Ski resort managers in the French Alps are trying to find ways to conserve energy as part of a national effort to reduce consumption, with about half the resorts also bracing for power bills to be three to six times higher. In Chamonix the lift will go 10% slower and if the resort gets an alert that power supplies cannot meet demand, Chamonix will slow the lifts by 30%. A number of ski resorts including Chamonix and Val Thorens have also pledged to limit artificial snow production and reduce heating within buildings.

Ban on sale of fireworks - The prefecture has announced a ban on the sale of fireworks in the Alpes Maritimes until New Year's in the Alpes-Maritimes. The ban comes into affected from tomorrow December 1st and runs until January 1 inclusive in the Alpes-Maritimes.

Prison sentence for stealing two bicycles - A homeless man in his thirties from Cap-d'Ail, has been handed a three-month prison sentence by the criminal court in Monaco for stealing two bicycles. Police were able to identify the individual thanks to CCTV footage which showed the man clearly stealing the bicycles while on an electric scooter. The thefts were estimated at 8,149 euros and 5.,500 euros. The whereabouts of the stolen bicycles reportedly remains a mystery.

Cars from 50 euros as Monaco car pound opens bidding - For those that may want to find a car from 50 euros you have 48 hours left to bid. The Administration des Domaines here in Monaco is launching its auction of vehicles seized and impounded. Bidding ends on Friday, December 2 at 12 p.m. Amongst the vehicles mentioned in the auction are a Jaguar XJ6 and a BMW M4 which were not claimed by their owner.

Roundabout at Sainte Dévote - Meanwhile the temporary roundabout installed at Sainte Dévote in Monaco will be made permanent. Following a trial period, the government announced the decision on Tuesday. This means that until Wednesday, December 7th at 5pm, vehicle traffic will be prohibited on Avenue J.F. Kennedy in its section between the Quai des Etats-Unis and the start of Avenue d'Ostende. Further work in the area will continue until December 16th.

Nice Carnival 2023 - The poster for next year’s Nice Carnival has been revealed. We knew dates from February 10th to 26th the City of Nice unveiled the poster and the theme for 2023 on Tuesday. Next year’s carnival will mark the 150th anniversary of His Majesty.

The French baguette - The baguette may soon become a UNESCO intangible heritage as Unesco must decide today Tuesday 29th November, if the French baguette will make its entry into the intangible world heritage. In addition to the baguette, Unesco is examining 56 other applications including four requiring urgent safeguarding, such as the art of pottery to the Cham people in Vietnam. Among the most prominent is the baguette (France), the popular raï folk music (Algeria), fairgrounds (France and Belgium) and the culture of "chaï/thé" (Azerbaijan and Turkey).

Business

According to official figures a key measure of China's factory activity has further fallen in November. The news comes as strict Covid restrictions and weakening global demand weigh on the world's second largest economy. In recent days there have been violent protests against zero-Covid measures that have seen major cities being put into lockdowns. The non-manufacturing PMI - which measures business sentiment in the services and construction sector, also fell to 46.7 versus 48.7 in the previous month - the lowest reading in seven months.

Meanwhile, Twitter says it has stopped enforcing its policy on misleading information about coronavirus. According to the company's website, it stopped taking action against tweets breaching its Covid rules, on Wednesday, 23rd November. Twitter had previously reported suspending more than 11,000 accounts for Covid misinformation as of September this year.

The low-cost clothing chain Primark is set to open seven new stores in France between the end of 2022 and the end of 2023. In an announcement the brand said it plans to recruit 800 employees investing 100 million euros and deploy over 29,000 square metres of additional sales area. Established for 10 years in France, Primark currently has 20 stores, employing 5,820 employees, for a sales area of ​​100,000 square metres.

The President of the ECB Christine Lagarde has said that the collapse of FTX requires a rethinking on the European regulations in order to better protect investors. The President of the European Central Bank (ECB) has called for broader regulation of cryptocurrencies, following the fall of FTX. In addition Lagarde reiterated the European Central Bank's desire to launch a digital euro, even if the launch would not take place before 2026 or even 2027 adding that "We must be able to offer this, otherwise someone else will take do it”.

World Cup

Marcus Rashford was most certainly the man of the match as he inspired England into the World Cup’s last 16 with a 3-0 win against Wales. The United States won their World Cup match against Iran 1-0 to set up a last-16 tie with the Netherlands.

In Group A Senegal beat Ecuador 2-1 which means Senegal will face England on Sunday and the Netherlands knocked out tournament hosts Qatar 2-0.

Today - this afternoon with a 4pm kick off Australia play Denmark and Tunisia face France. This evening at 8pm Poland play Argentina and Saudi Arabia play Mexico.

Sport

Tennis - Emma Raducanu has said she is "extremely grateful" after meeting the King and receiving her MBE. The 20-year-old was awarded the honour for services to tennis, at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. Raducanu, from Bromley in south-east London, won the US Open in September 2021 when she was 18 years old. She became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade in 1977 and the first qualifier of any nationality to do so.

Cricket - All-rounder Liam Livingstone will make his Test debut in England's first Test against Pakistan tomorrow. The 29-year-old has beaten off competition from Surrey's Will Jacks and will bat at number eight as well as giving a spin-bowling option. Ben Duckett will open the batting, playing his first Test since 2016, in place of the dropped Alex Lees. The three-Test series is England's first in Pakistan for 17 years. England halted touring Pakistan after gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. They returned for a T20 series in September and October, winning 4-3.

Golf - Tiger Woods has called for Greg Norman to quit as boss of the breakaway LIV Golf Tour. Woods believes it is possible for the PGA Tour to negotiate a settlement with the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Tour, but only if Norman steps aside.

Weather

Sunny with a moderate breeze. Highs of 15 degrees in Nice, Saint Tropez, Menton and Antibes. This evening going down to 5 degrees with clear skies along the Riviera. Zero degrees inland in the Alpes Maritimes and -2 in Gonfaron in the Var.

The outlook for tomorrow and Friday, sunny intervals highs of 14 degrees with a moderate wind.  

Sunrise 07.42hr

Sunset  16.54hr

And Finally 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the most Googled person in 2022 across the UK. American actor Johnny Depp came second as most searched for celebrity. The new study found the Queen boasted on average 516,290 Google searches every month this year, with the country's longest-reigning monarch passing away in September age 96. The research, by celebrity news site CelebTattler, analysed Google data for over 150 of the most influential celebrities since January 1 2022 to determine which was the most talked about.

 

Last local news

French and Riviera News Friday 29th March 2024

Poland has announced that its armed forces will "join the international coalition” to help secure the Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris. ... French and Riviera News Friday 29th March 2024 Read More

29/03/2024

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