French and Riviera News Wednesday 6th April 2022

News

European sanctions against Russia - French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have spoken on the phone to discuss European sanctions against Russia. According to the Elysée during the conversation on Tuesday, the French Head of State said that “France was in favour of measures targeting Russian coal and oil”. Macron also told his counterpart of the “shock and emotion caused in France by the images of the crimes committed in Ukraine”.

In local news

Fatal road accident - Three people in their twenties have died in a fatal road accident on the route de Avignon in the Vaucluse. The accident occurred on Tuesday shortly after 5pm following a head on collision. Another person was taken to hospital in a critical condition and another suffered slight injuries. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.

Child hit by tram in Nice - A 10-year-old child has been hit by a tram in Nice. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning in Magnan near the Rue de France. Emergency services interned and the victim was taken to hospital suffering minor injuries. The cause of the incident remains to be determined.

Former mayor of Cannes found guilty of tax fraud - Republican MP for the Alpes Maritimes in 2017 and former mayor of Cannes Bernard Brochand has received a one-year suspended prison sentence for tax fraud. The 83-year-old was found guilty of not having mentioned accounts in Switzerland in his declarations of assets. Brochand was sentenced in Paris and was also handed a fine of 375,000 euros.

Presidential elections France - Five days before the French presidential election's first round, far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is holding the last major meeting of his presidential campaign in Lille. The meeting will be broadcast live in eleven other cities thanks to holograms, a technology he already used in 2017. The candidate is third in the polls at around 15.5% and is completing his marathon of weekly meetings at the Grand Palais in Lille, northern France, which began in January and have each time brought together thousands of people.

Gap closing between Macron and Le Penn - Meanwhile according to the latest Elabe poll the gap is closing between Emmanuel Macron and far right Marine Le Penn. The poll shows only a 5-point gap after the first round which is being held on Sunday.

Explorers from the Riviera arrive in Arctic - Three explorers from the Riviera have just embarked on an expedition to the Arctic to show the consequences of global warming. Aged 27 to 31, Flavien Hillat, Thomas Jarrey and Vincent Lavrov plan to film and document the 42-day trip to help raise awareness. The three adventurers spent the beginning of the year preparing for their journey in the local resort of Isola 2000.

Fancy buying a piece of Cannes - Heritage sites in Cannes have been transformed into NFTs and are set to be put up for auction. According to the city council this is a “first in Europe” and will see the city’s emblematic sites such as the Palais des Festival, the Old Port or even the famous marketplace digitalised and transformed into an NFT and sold. So if you dream of treating yourself to the Boulevard de la Croisette, the Palais des festivals or the underwater museum inaugurated in January 2021 near the Islands of Lérins then it will soon be possible thanks to the NFTs ( “non-fungible tokens”). Ten NFTs will be auctioned during the Cannes Lions international festival from June 20th to 24th, 2022, and the eleventh will be offered to a Cannes resident from a lucky draw.

“Elvis” world premiere in Cannes - Meanwhile the film "Elvis" is to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The film about the American music legend is director by Baz Luhrmann a regular at Cannes and the only director to have presented two feature films at the opening of the event: "Moulin Rouge" in 2001, selected in competition, and "Gatsby the Magnificent" in 2013". Elvis will be released in North America on June 24th and worldwide from June 22nd, 2022. The film festival is on from May 17th to 28th.

Business

A governor at the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that the American central bank is "ready to act should need be” adding that it is "essential" to slow down inflation which is at its highest for 40 years in the US. The rise in prices is expected to accelerate further in the months to come as the war in Ukraine has contributed to an additional spike in inflation, especially with fuel and food prices.

Meanwhile according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll published on Tuesday U.S. President Joe Biden's public approval rating rose this week to 45%, boosted by stronger support from within his Democratic Party. The poll found that 50% of Americans disapprove of Biden's job performance as the country struggles with high inflation and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Biden's approval rating has been below 50% since August and last month sunk to the lowest levels of his presidency.

Several media outlets have reported that the European Union wants to ban imports of Russian coal yet, neither gas nor oil will be sanctioned at this stage. The twenty-seven are divided on the question of sanctions as Poland and the Baltic countries push for tough measures targeting the energy sector which is one of Russia's main resources for financing the war in Ukraine. But other countries, mainly Germany, but also Austria, remain reserved, due to the cost inflicted on their economic activity which is very dependent on Russian fossil fuels. Heavy goods vehicles and Russian ships will also be banned from the territory of the 27 member states. In addition, imports of cement, wood, rubber, chemicals, caviar and vodka from Russia will be banned. According to the European Commissioner for Trade all “these proposals should be confirmed in the coming days”.

Twitter has announced that it is testing an edit button. A feature which has been the most requested for over a decade. The move comes on the same day that Twitter announced that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will join the company’s board of directors. Meanwhile according to Forbes, Musk is now the world’s richest man worth an estimated £166 billion overtaking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for the first time in four years.

Sport

Football – In the Champions league last night Manchester City beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 and Liverpool took a two-goal lead into the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield. This evening in the Champions League Chelsea play Real Madrid and Villarreal face Bayern Munich

And in other football news, according to the Egyptian sports minister Mohamed Salah intends to sign a new deal at Liverpool.

Tennis - Wimbledon bosses are consulting the UK government about whether to allow players from Russia and Belarus to compete in this year's tournament.

Rugby Union - England coach Eddie Jones has resumed his consultancy work with a Japanese club following another disappointing Six Nations. England lost three of their five games in finishing third this year, having managed only fifth in 2021.

Golf - Five-time champion Tiger Woods is planning to play in this week's Masters just 14 months after suffering life-threatening injuries in a car crash.

Weather

Sunny intervals highs of 14 degrees in Nice, Saint Paul de Vence and Antibes. 15 degrees and cloudy in Toulon and sunny intervals in Saint Tropez with a gentle breeze. This evening going down to 9 degrees with clear skies.

The outlook for Thursday and Friday - Windy in the Var tomorrow with highs of 21 degrees, sunny on Friday highs of 22 degrees. In Nice and the Alpes Maritimes sunny intervals tomorrow with highs of 21, windy on Friday highs of 21 and sunshine.

Last local news

Evening Update Tuesday 23rd of April

After eight months of work and several sea trials, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has begun a six-week operation in the Mediterranean, ... Evening Update Tuesday 23rd of April Read More

23/04/2024

French and Riviera News Tuesday 23rd April 2024

A group of experts have come up with more than 150 recommendations for how Nice can deal with the increasing effects of climate change.... French and Riviera News Tuesday 23rd April 2024 Read More

23/04/2024

Evening Update Monday 22nd of April

Some communes in the Alpes-Maritimes will be plunged into darkness this Monday evening. For the third year running to mark Earth Day, mayors in the Al... Evening Update Monday 22nd of April Read More

22/04/2024

French and Riviera News Monday 22nd April 2024

Gendarmes in the Var have appealed for information after a 34-year-old man went missing in Cavalaire-sur-Mer.... French and Riviera News Monday 22nd April 2024 Read More

22/04/2024

Evening Update Friday 19th of April 2024

A man from Nice used a stolen bank card to make purchases in Monaco, spending over €1,700 in various shops, mostly on airpods that he planned to resel... Evening Update Friday 19th of April 2024 Read More

19/04/2024