French and Riviera News Wednesday 6th October 2021

News 

Italian shepherd dies after fatal fall – An Italian shepherd has died after a fatal fall in the Col de Tende due to the bad weather which hit the region on Monday. According to reports the 48-year-old man allegedly slipped during the heavy rainfall and fell from the edge of a forest pathway shortly before 1pm on Monday 4th October. The south-east of France was not the only sector to have been affected by the torrential rains as the bad weather also swept across the Italian border.

Missing person in Marseille, police appeal for witnesses - Police in Marseille have called for witnesses following the worrying disappearance of a 56-year-old man who had left the family home on August 7th.  At the time of his disappearance in August, he was wearing "blue jeans, a purple-colored sweater, a black jacket and a pair of black trainers. The description states that the man is of European type and with shoulder length straight black hair, and a a beard. Anyone with any information is invited to contact the police on 04 84 35 33 62, 04 84 35 33 26, or 04 84 35 33 04.

Mayor of Nice withdraws two elected officials – According to local media, the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has withdrawn the delegations of two elected officials Bernard Chaix and Gaëlle Frontoni. Both city councilors since June 2020 they are accused of having flouted "the charter signed by each member of the majority by voting against Christian Estrosi in the departmental council”. The mayor withdrew their delegations. Reacting in a press release on Tuesday evening the elected officials said that “the decision of the mayor of Nice to oust them is in complete contradiction with [his] words on respect for the freedom of speech and opinion of elected officials”.

MP Eric Ciotti says he would vote for Eric Zemmour if he faces Macron in Presidential election - Meanwhile Eric Ciotti MP for the Republicans in the Alpes Maritimes has confirmed that he would vote for Eric Zemmour if he was to face Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the presidential elections. Ciotti believes that "it is not because Eric Zemmour tells the truths that, in a somewhat stupid way, we are forced to say the opposite". For him, Zemmour evoked "questions and fears that all French people ask themselves” concluding that “while I’m campaigning within my political party I will not hold out my hand to him, but I don't want to punch him either."

Who is Eric Zemmour? - Eric Zemmour is not officially a candidate for the French presidency but is already predicted to reap 13 percent in the first-round vote, should he run. Twice convicted of hate speech, the sharp-tongued journalist and writer is riding high on an anti-immigration platform. Zemmour, 63, was born in the Paris suburbs to a family of Berber Jews who came over to France during the 1954-62 French-Algerian war. He more recently hit the headlines after declaring that so-called “non-French” first names should be banned.

Cable car project linking Nice and Saint Laurent du Var - Now is the opportunity to give your opinion on the cable car project between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. The Nice Côte d´Azur Metropolis is launching a public consultation on the cable car project between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. You have until October 29th to give your opinion on the project which is planned for 2025. The cable car service will cross the Var river linking Nice to Saint-Laurent-du-Var in a three-minute journey, 800 meters long. The cost of the work had been previously estimated at 40 million euros. A public meeting will be held on Monday, October 18th at 6.30pm at the town hall of Saint-Laurent-du-Var. A second videoconference will be announced shortly.

Campus for apprentice screenwriters opens in Cannes - The city of Cannes has inaugurated its campus for apprentice screenwriters. Located at La Bocca west of Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes), the new building on the Georges-Mélies campus is officially operational fourteen years after the launch of the project. The site mainly offers training "dedicated to the writing and film industry" for aspiring screenwriters. In total, 35 courses with 1,010 students registered for the first school year.

Antibes Rally - The 56th edition of the Antibes rally starts today Wednesday 6th October. An unmissable event organized by ASA Antibes. The event kicks off at 2 p.m. at the Pré des Pécheurs with an exhibition of vintage cars.

Miss Nice - A student in IT and marketing is to participate in the election of Miss Côte d'Azur, on October 22nd, in Mandelieu-La-Napoule. 20-year-old Ambre Champeaux has become the first Miss Nice beating ten other candidates on Tuesday evening. A first in the French Riviera capital. Previously crowned as Miss Côte d'Azur, it’s a first for a Miss Nice.

National News

Fishing rights - France has intensified pressure on the UK over post-Brexit fishing rights, warning bilateral co-operation could be at risk. The government in Paris is angry that the UK granted 12 licences out of 47 bids for smaller vessels to fish in its territorial waters. French Prime Minister Jean Castex has accused the UK of not respecting its Brexit deal commitments on fishing.

Macron calls for Europeans to “be clear” ahead of summit - Ahead of the European Union summit the French President Emmanuel Macron, has called on Europeans to "be clear" with themselves in an "increasingly disrupted geopolitical context". Speaking on Tuesday October 5th Macron declared, "we must look at the decisions that are taken by our allies with lucidity," adding that "there are choices that have been made which I cannot say were signals of consideration" towards "France and Europe". The president was referring to the conditions for the departure of American troops from Afghanistan and to the submarine crisis. The head of State urged for “clarification and re-engagement" from the United States, before adding that "we need to be clear with ourselves on what we want for ourselves, for our borders, for our security, for our energy, industrial, technological and military independence”. Macron confirmed that he will speak on the phone with US President Joe Biden mid-October before meeting him at the G20 in Rome on the 30th and 31st stressing that he “thinks this will be the right opportunity to see how we can to re-engage”.

Oldest French citizen dies - The oldest French citizen has died at the age of 112. Jules Théobald, died on Tuesday at his home in Fort-de-France. Mr Théobald, who was a dock worker and fisherman, was born on April 17th, 1909. His relatives used to say that the father of three was actually born in 1907, an anecdote that has never been confirmed.

Business

For the first time in seven years New Zealand's central bank has raised interest rates as it tries to contain rising inflation. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) increased its cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.5%. New Zealand is one of the first developed economies to reverse rate cuts put in place during the pandemic.

Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen has told US lawmakers that the company's sites and apps "harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy". The 37-year-old former product manager turned whistleblower, heavily criticised the company at a hearing. Facebook has faced growing scrutiny and increasing calls for its regulation. Founder Mark Zuckerberg hit back, saying recent coverage painted a "false picture" of the company.

In the UK, Amazon is expanding its presence on the High Street by opening its first non-food store. The shop, in the Bluewater shopping mall near Dartford, will sell around 2,000 of its most popular and best-rated products. It's called Amazon 4-star, because every item has been given more than four stars by customers. This will be the first Amazon 4-star store outside the US, where there are already more than 30 outlets.

According to an INSEE report, the average standard of living in France was 1,837 euros per month in 2019, an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous year. According to the Institute, this is the strongest increase in living standards since the early 2000s. In 2018, the change was almost zero (+ 0.3%).

Described as a revolution in the ultra-competitive retail banking sector in France. Three establishments, BNP Paribas, Société Générale and Crédit-Mutuel are planning to merge their network of 15,000 cash points out of 48,000 in total in France. The goal is to seek profitability in a retail bank increasingly under pressure.

Sport 

Cricket - Former West Indies bowler Michael Holding has said that England showed "Western arrogance" by pulling out of their tour of Pakistan. England's men's and women's teams were due to play white-ball games in Pakistan but withdrew last month.  The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) blamed "increasing concerns" about travelling in the region and "pressures" of bubble environments. "The ECB statement doesn't wash with me," Holding said. "No substance."

Football - Manchester United's owners have put up another 9.5m shares, with a value of $186.86m (£137.12m), for sale. United notified the New York Stock Exchange of the sale on Tuesday evening, in the names of club directors Kevin Glazer and Edward Glazer. The statement makes it clear the club "will not receive any proceeds from the sale". It comes five months after United's Premier League game against Liverpool was postponed due to fan protests.

Tennis - Emma Raducanu says it has been "pretty cool" to receive the congratulations of other players at Indian Wells, but now is the time to get back to business. The US Open champion, 18, has a bye to the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in California as the 17th seed.

Weather

Clear skies, highs of 23 degrees in Monaco, Nice and Antibes with a gentle breeze. This evening going down to 13 degrees with clear skies along the coast and 11 degrees inland.

Outlook for Thursday and Friday - Clear skies and highs of 22-23 degrees.

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