News - Thursday, November 24th

Antibiotics shortage 

A shortage in antibiotics and paracetamol is putting France at risk of a major public health crisis, as stocks of the antibiotic amoxicillin and over-the-counter pain medication dwindle.

In a joint statement, paediatric and infectious diseases specialists said conditions were in place for a “major public health crisis in paediatrics within a few days”. 

Doctors warn of devastating consequences as  insufficient measures have been taken since French health authorities last week alerted medical professionals of "strong supply tensions" for amoxicillin – especially in the syrup form given to children.

Medical groups are advising on a "drastic restriction" of the prescriptions by imposing constraints directly on doctors, and the government is calling on drugmakers to increase their production levels.

Around hundred other medications are also in short supply, including two drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes!

 

Stranded Sailboat

The struggle of the sailboat stranded in Villefranche continues, as local port authorities warn of a real maritime danger. The boat has been  stranded now for several weeks just off the shore but yesterday the hull broke in to two leaving more debris in the water causing even more worry for port authorities and nearby residents. There is a general agreement that the boat needs to be removed but there are both technical and administrative obstacles. Removal costs have been estimated at more than €50000 and the mayor of Villefranche Christophe Trojani points out that the state needs to intervene as it lies outside the jurisdiction of Villefranche Sur Mer.

 

Maeght Foundation Improvements

The renowned Maeght Foundation in St Paul de Vence is to undergo extensive renovations. The goal is to improve the visitor experience, and to significantly expand the exhibition space! There will also be additional areas for conferences, screenings, performance, seminars, and concerts”.

Works are due to be completed in the 2024, allowing the renowned institution to reopen and celebrate its 60th anniversary in style. 

 

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

With the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women coming up tomorrow, three Monaco associations and three familiar faces are planning an event to show men and boys how they can make a real difference in helping end violence towards women.

Fight Aids Monaco and SheCanHeCan with the support of the Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights will set up a stand in the Fontvieille Shopping Centre Today . From here, they will ask men of all ages to come and be photographed with powerful anti-aggression messages. The messages will be posted on the associations’ social media accounts as well as on Clear Channel all day tomorrow.

Ambassadors David Coulthard,  Louis Ducruet, Pierre Frolla and are hoping to collect over 200 portraits of men and boys who are willing to show that they stand against violence towards women.

 

March planned in Nice

Also, to highlight the issue of gender-based and sexual violence in Nice Les Droit des Femmes 06 and #noustoutes06 are organizing a march tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the Place du Palais de Justice.

 

Salon Gastronomie

Tomorrow sees the start of the Salon Gastronomie – the gastronomic festival in Monaco. Over 100 exhibitors will in place at the Chapiteau de Fontvieille to encourage you to taste a wide range of gastronomic  delights  and  fine wines. It’s on until Monday – entrance is €5.

 

Free Public Transport In Monaco

Buses will be free in Monaco until the end of the weekend. It’s been a 2 month experiment to see how free public transport would affect traffic flow, but there’s no decision yet on whether the experiment will be extended. Today representatives from study groups will be getting the opinions of passengers. 

 

Razorbird Rescued

A razorbill caught in fishing line, has been rescued in the Port Canto in Cannes

The bird in difficulty was taken out of the water yesterday afternoon by members of the SNSM (société nationale de sauvetage en mer). After examinations concluded it was in good health, and released at Cap d'Antibes.

Razorbills are penguin-like birds that have found refuge on our coast in recent days. Nevertheless, the emergency services remind you not to approach them, let alone touch them. This is particularly important as the razorbill is on the IUCN red list of critically endangered species.

 

Burglar arrested in Antibes

An empty-headed burglar was arrested this week in Antibes after forgetting his passport in the apartment he was squatting. The man was wanted by the police for several thefts since the summer, but the stolen items have not yet been found.

 

Powercut in Villeneuve Loubet

Several streets around Cagnes Sur Mer and  Villeneuve-Loubet were plunged into darkness following a power outage yesterday evening.

The disruptions were to the damaging of a cable.

The lack of public lighting and traffic lights led to heavy traffic jams around the western part of Villeneuve-Loubet bordering Cagnes Sur Mer

 

Reopening of the Consulate of Monaco in Greece

The Consulate of Monaco in Greece has reopened, at a new address, following the appointment of Dr. Vassilis G. Apostolopoulos as Honorary Consul of Monaco with headquarters in Athens and jurisdiction over the entire Greek Territory.

Vassilis G. Apostolopoulos studied at the London School of Economics and Cambridge and is the CEO of  the Athens Medical Group, which has 3,000 employees and 2,500 collaborating doctors. He also sits at the helm of the Hellenic Association of Entrepreneurs (EENE), working to strengthen and scale-up Hellenic entrepreneurship.

 

Call for witnesses launched after a fatal road accident in the Alpes-Maritimes

Two weeks after a fatal accident involving a car and a scooter in La Colle-sur-Loup, the gendarmerie is calling for witnesses to try to shed light on this tragedy.

The drama dates back to the early evening of November 9th when a violent collision between a Honda Civic and a 125cc scooter claimed the life of a road user in circumstances which, two weeks later, still remain unclear.

Any witness to this accident is asked to contact the Villeneuve-Loubet gendarmerie.

 

What weather will this winter bring?

 

Météo France has published a bulletin on the major weather trends for the next three months.

According to their predictions, the most likely scenario up to January 2023 is the predominance of anticyclonic conditions, with calm and dry weather on the European continent! The disturbances will tend to occur further north in Europe or in the south-west of the Mediterranean"

 

Father Christmas is moving into the village of Mougins

For the very first time, Father Christmas is taking up residence in the old bread oven in the old village of Mougins!

Well-behaved children can drop off their letter directly to Father Christmas from Friday and onwards.

He’ll be there every Friday, Saturday and Sunday – and every weekday during school holidays – from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until December 30.

 

Call for strike

Three agricultural unions, the Departmental Federation of Farmers' Unions (FDSEA), the Young Farmers (JA) and the Departmental Sheep Federation (FDO), are calling for a mobilisation, this Friday 25 November at 9 a.m., in front of the prefecture in Digne-les-Bains (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence).

"There is a weariness of the profession vis-à-vis the National Forestry Office (ONF), the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the labour inspectorate, in the department. Some controllers engage in ecological, political and trade union militancy”, suggests Julien Giraud, president of the FDO 04.

The unions are asking to meet with the prefect of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence at the end of the demonstration.

 

SPORT

WORLD CUP REPORT

Another day – another World Cup shock – and this one was just as unexpected. Germany seemed to be in control in the early stages of the match when a penalty by Ilkay Gundonan gave them a half time lead, but a stunning late comeback from Japan with 2 goals in the last 15 minutes condemned four-time winners Germany to a shock defeat in their opening match.

 

However, it was a perfect day for Spain as they produced a sparkling passing performance to beat Costa Rica 7-0 to start their World Cup in sensational style. The young Gavi announced himself on the world stage in style with a brilliant volley, making him at 18 years old the youngest person to score in a World Cup Finals since Pele in 1958

 

Elsewhere Morocco will take confidence earning a goalless draw against the 2018 runners up Croatia and last night, Belgium beat Canada thanks to a first half goal by Batshuayi. Canada dominated large portions of this Group F game but were wasteful in front of goal and missed a penalty early in the match.

 

Today

Switzerland-Cameroon (11am) 

Uruguay-South Korea (2pm)

Portugal-Ghana (5pm)

Brazil Serbia (8pm)

 

 

SPORT

Football

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2025.

Guardiola has already won 11 trophies, including four Premier League titles, during six years at Etihad Stadium.

 

Motorsports

Daniel Ricciardo has rejoined Red Bull as third driver for the 2023 season.

The 33-year-old Australian had been looking for a way to stay in Formula 1 after his McLaren contract was terminated at the end of the season.

He will assist Red Bull with testing and simulation work as well as commercial activities

 

Golf

Tiger Woods has pipped Rory McIlroy to the $15m prize for generating the most media interest this year - despite playing only three events in 2022.

Woods, beat the world number one to top spot on the PGA Tour's 'Player Impact Programme' (PIP).

The scheme was introduced last year to reward competitors for generating positive interest in the PGA Tour.

McIlroy, who earned $18m when he won the Tour's 2022 FedEx Cup title, still received $9m (£7.5m) for coming second. 

 

 

BUSINESS

French regulator approves state bid to renationalise power giant

The French state, has filed an offer to take over EDF, with a view to using it as a springboard to push forward its nuclear strategy.

The government already owns 84 percent of EDF and has tabled an offer with a view to acquiring the remaining capital at €12 per share. The offer has been approved by the Financial Markets Authority and the acquisition of shares could be completed by December 8th. The entire takeover operation is expected to cost €9.7 billion.

The French government had signalled its intention to fully reabsorb EDF in July, but the firm could be saddled with a record debt of €60 billion by the end of the year.

The government intends to build six new-generation nuclear reactors with an option to acquire eight others, with the strategic full acquisition of EDF aiming to send a signal of confidence.

 

Airport Restrictions To Be Eased

Security restrictions on liquids and laptops in airport hand luggage could be axed in the UK within two years thanks to high-tech 3D scanners.

The government is considering rolling out the more advanced scanners by mid-2024, a source told the BBC, although a final decision has yet to be made.  The equipment, similar to CT scanners used in hospitals, provides a clearer picture of a bag's contents.

The Times newspaper reported that ministers have been carrying out a review and an announcement is due before Christmas, with the hope it could cut down on queues in UK airports.

 

Black Friday

Shoppers hoping to clinch lucrative deals on holiday gifts may get lucky during Black Friday sales this season. But those who wait may get even luckier. 

Companies, worried about a repeat of last year's shortages, built up rich stocks of clothes, toys and other supplies ahead of the holidays. 

Now they are knocking down prices, worried that they overestimated demand from buyers facing strains from the rising cost of living.

Sales events have already been running for weeks - and analysts say the discounts could get deeper as Christmas Day approaches, and firms face pressure to get goods off their shelves.

 

FOREIGN EXCHANGES

€1 = £0,86 $1,04 SF 0,98

£1 = €1,16 $1,2 SF1,14

$1 = €96 cents, £83 pence, 94 Swiss centimes

BITCOIN back up $16666

ETHEREUM up to $1201

 

COMMODITIES

An ounce of gold is $1747

Barrel of Brent Crude oil $88,33

 

MARKETS

https://www.bbc.com/news/business/market-data

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/future/brn00?countrycode=uk

FTSE 100 stable 7465

CAC 40 stable 6679

DOW JONES stable 34194

NASDAQ 11285

NIKKEI up slightly 28420

 

WEATHER

Sunny for most of the day with clouds returning this evening, but no rain is expected

Winds are light and temperatures will peak around 17° in Monaco

In the Var, it will be clear during the day with strong gusts of wind in the morning. Overcast this evening but no rain. Temperatures 18°

Tonight, some clouds, but mostly clear with overnight lows of 5°

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with occasional short clearings, but no rain is expected. The weekend will be sunny.

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