Lunchtime News Thursday 20th May 2021

News

Second phase of end to lockdown introduced across France - The second phase of France’s four step plan to ease covid related restrictions has been implemented as restaurants, cafes and bars reopened their outdoor areas along with the reopening of museums, cinemas and other cultural venues and the national curfew has been pushed back to 9pm.

Paris Nice night train - The Paris Nice night train makes a comeback today Thursday 20th May. The re launch of the line scheduled for April had been postponed due to a health crisis. A first departure from Paris this evening at 8:52 is scheduled to arrive at 9am tomorrow morning in Nice. To mark the occasion France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex and the CEO of the SNCF group will be among the passengers to illustrate the will of the government and the SNCF to revitalize night rail.  As part of the ecological transition and to meet strong demand from certain travelers French President Emmanuel Macron had promised to focus on nighttime rail links.

Black boxes in cars by 2022 - According to laws voted in by the European parliament black boxes, will be mandatory in new cars built in the European Union from May 2022 and in second-hand cars from May 2024. Also referred to as data recorders, black boxes record data about driving conditions and provide useful information about how an accident may have occurred.

Rubbish containers set on fire in Cannes - Firefighters have intervened in Cannes after several individuals set fire to rubbish containers on Boulevard Perier this morning shortly after 4.30am. The arsonists, who attacked rescue services, fled as police arrived at the scene. By 5.30am the fires were extinguished and the roadway had been cleared. 

Wiziboat - A startup in Cannes which has become so popular intends to go public. Wiziboat which is a similar service for boats as Vélib ’is to bicycles is a self-service boat rental app. The co founder of Wiziboat which was created in 2017, says the service is “all about enjoying the advantages of ownership, without suffering from the disadvantages."

French rugby federation – The French rugby federation is allowing transgender people to take part in all France's domestic competitions from next season in a move going against recommendations from World Rugby. In a statement the French federation said that its executive board had unanimously voted in favour of the proposal from its Anti-Discrimination and Equal Treatment Commission. Currently, only one transgender woman, Alexia Cérénys, competes in elite rugby in France.

And Finally

Researchers have found that people who bluff their way through life are actually very smart and that bluffing should be regarded as an evolved skill which allows people to navigate complex social environments. And as well as a sign of intelligence, it may even help impress others.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada gave hundreds of students a list of words or phrases, some of which were completely made up.

The study says that the ability to bluff 'is associated with an individual's intelligence' and that the ability to produce satisfying rubbish may serve to assist individuals in negotiating their social world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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