French and Riviera News Wednesday 3rd August 2022

News

Diving incident - A man has been hospitalised after a diving incident in the Var. The man in his sixties was out at sea at the time in the bay of Sainte-Maxime. Emergency services took him to hospital and an investigation is currently underway.

Covid hospitalisation on the rise in the Alpes Maritimes - The number of people being hospitalised with covid in the Alpes Maritimes is on the rise, yet the incident rate has dropped sharply and is below the regional average. The ARS indicates that during the week of July 25th to 31st, there were 573 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. A figure in constant decline since the beginning of July. This week, 34 people were admitted to hospital and over the past week twelve deaths were reported bringing the total number of deaths in hospitals and nursing homes in the Alpes Maritimes to 2,953 since the start of the epidemic.

Meanwhile, there's been another fall in the Covid-19 incidence rate in Monaco. According to the government's weekly update, the number of positive cases per 100,000 people over the last 7 days of July was 298.9 compared to 460 the previous week. 117 new positive cases of Covid-19 were detected in the week. The positivity rate for tests carried out on residents and non-residents was 17.28%. As at Monday evening, 19 people, including 8 residents, were hospitalized at the Princess Grace Hospital. Two patients were being treated in intensive care and 56 people were being monitored by the Home Monitoring Centre.

Hospital staff exhausted - The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has said that hospital staff are exhausted and "pressure on the quality of hospital care is being felt" after two years of fighting Covid-19. His comments come after the assignment of only 166 interns to the CHU in Nice. The mayor said that more modest towns have larger staff and called the choice "unjustified and arbitrary". He said that he is asking Minister of Health François Braun to revise the number upwards.

Fire - A firefighter has been slightly injured after a fire broke out on the A8 motorway in Mandelieu. 2,500 square meters were destroyed on Tuesday morning and up to 80 firefighters were on site along with three water bomber helicopters. The incident caused up to five kilometres of traffic jams in the area.

And - a fire broke out in undergrowth close to the TGV station in Aix-en-Provence on Tuesday. The Bouches-du-Rhône fire department said that about 140 firefighters were engaged in fighting the blaze.

Squatters camp - The municipal police have begun the evacuation of the squatter’s camp on the digue in the port of Nice. The move follows four months of legal action aimed at removal of the camp. Mayor Christian Estrosi said that mayors in France should be able to intervene directly and that appeals should only be made after the fact. He said that since its creation in 2009, the squat action centre under the authority of the municipal police has been able to carry out the evacuation of 1,032 sites, the eviction of 2,852 people and the demolition of 145 houses or makeshift shelters.

3D terminals - Two new 3D terminals for tourists have been installed in Monaco. The terminals, which aim to help vistors find their way around the Principality feature a rendition of Monaco in three dimensions. They have been installed within the tourist office and in the main hall of the railway station and are part of the Extended Monaco programme.

Business

A year after becoming the boss the chief executive of Tinder Renate Nyborg, is leaving the firm. Her exit was one of a number of management changes at Tinder announced by parent company Match Group. The announcements came as Match reported second-quarter results that missed Wall Street expectations.

Airbnb said travel demand remains strong, despite concerns about economic slowdown and rising prices hitting households. Nearly 104 million nights and experiences were booked on the platform in the April through June period, a record high for the lodging website. Long-term stays continued to be the fastest growing type of travel, a shift driven by the rise of remote work. But international and city travel, which had lagged, have also recovered.

The number of people driving for Uber has hit an all time high, as concerns about the rising cost of living push people to find new ways to make money. Almost 5 million people are now picking up passengers or making food deliveries for the company, 31% more than last year.

And – According to recent figures the annual house price growth in the UK accelerated to 11% in July, slightly up from the 10.7% seen in June. House prices increased by 0.1% month-on-month - the 12th consecutive monthly increase - according to Nationwide Building Society.

Sport

Cricket - England's Jonny Bairstow has pulled out of The Hundred to rest before the Test series against South Africa later this month. Bairstow was set to play for Welsh Fire, who feature in the competition's opening match on Wednesday.

Tennis - Andy Murray's preparation for this month's US Open began with a first-round defeat at the Washington Open. The 35-year-old lost 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 6-1 to Sweden's Mikael Ymer.

Weather

Sunny 31 degrees in Nice, Cannes and Antibes with a gentle breeze. This evening going down to 24 degrees with clear skies.

The outlook for Thursday and Friday remaining fine highs of 31-32 degrees.

Sea Temperature:   27 degrees                 UV level: 9

Sunrise:                       06.21hr                       Sunset:     20.51hr

Last local news

Evening Update Tuesday 22 April 2025

President Macron is cutting short his visit to Indian Ocean territories in order to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. He was due to be i... Evening Update Tuesday 22 April 2025 Read More

22/04/2025

French and Riviera News Tuesday 22nd April 2025

Emmanuel Macron has returned to the French overseas territory of Mayotte, four months after it was devastated by a cyclone which killed 40 people and ... French and Riviera News Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Read More

22/04/2025

Evening Update Monday 21 April 2025

President Macron has paid tribute to Pope Francis who has died today at the age of 88. The President expressed his condolences to “Catholics around th... Evening Update Monday 21 April 2025 Read More

21/04/2025

French and Riviera News Monday 21st April 2025

French prime minister François Bayrou has announced plans for a consultation on proportional representation in the country's legislative elections.... French and Riviera News Monday 21st April 2025 Read More

21/04/2025

Evening Update Friday 18 April 2025

A British man has died in an avalanche in the Savoie department. According to local reports, the man in his twenties was on a road near the ski resort... Evening Update Friday 18 April 2025 Read More

18/04/2025