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News Asylum rejections - France has rejected asylum applications from 44 of the 234 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by the Ocean Viking NGO ship. Speaking in parliament yesterday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said they will be deported "as soon as their health allows," adding that others could also be sent home as more asylum claims are examined. Meanwhile the diplomatic row with Italy continues as France suspended a plan to take 3,500 refugees currently in Italy and urged Germany and other EU nations to do the same. Electricity cut experiment - The electricity supplier Enedis have hailed their initiative to save energy as a huge success. An experiment to switch off hot water tanks between noon and 2pm were conducted in October and, according to Operations Manager Thierry Sudret, this has saved the equivalent of the consumption of 2.4 million people. When this measure was announced, many French people were worried about no longer having access to hot water, but Thierry Sudret insists that it’s only the heating of the tanks that are switched off not access to hot water already heated during the night. It’s hoped that these measures will avoid the need to make further electricity cuts at homes during the day. Electric scooter ban - Paris is considering banning its 15,000 rental electric scooters due to concerns about public safety on the city’s pavements, but operators are proposing a series of improvements in the hope of getting their licences renewed. The Paris town council is considering not renewing the licences of the three operators which expire in February 2023. The final decision rests with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. Deputy mayor David Belliard, a green party politician in charge of transport in Paris, told Le Parisien newspaper last week that the nuisances caused by scooters now outweigh the advantages to the city. In 2021, 24 people died in scooter-related accidents in France, including one in Paris. This year, Paris registered 337 accidents with e-scooters and similar vehicles in the first eight months of the year, from 247 over the same period in 2021. Road safety figures - In other road safety figures released yesterday, on average nearly two pedestrians and more than one cyclist are killed on France’s roads every day. That’s according to new government figures just released for October. However, road fatalities were slightly lower than in October 2021, but much higher than in October 2019, the reference year before traffic levels changed during the pandemic. Florence Guillaume, inter-ministerial delegate for road safety, called on all road users to be extra vigilant now that the nights are drawing in, particular vulnerable users traveling on foot or by bicycle. Theft warning of catalytic converters - As we reported yesterday, petrol prices are to increase today as government subsidies have been reduced by 20 centimes, and a 20 centime aid by TotalEnergy has been scrapped. We also reported on the rise in fuel theft over the past 12 months. Now, the police are also issuing a warning on an upsurge in thefts of catalytic converters which are located under the cars and are very expensive to replace. The accessories contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium, or rhodium. and "the resale prices can amount to several tens or even hundreds of euros per gram". The gendarmes specify that the thieves "proceed at night, generally in public car parks or along quiet streets". As far as possible, avoid parking in these places and favour busy streets. Auto-Moto also advises going to a garage to have a plate attached under the chassis or to have it engraved, which "will make it more difficult to resell on the black market". Egg shortages - Poultry farmers are warning of a shortage of eggs this winter as bird flu and rising fuel and grain costs are affecting production across France. Already the price of a box of 6 eggs has risen by 13% in a year and this is expected to rise even more as the supply chain decreases. Water restrictions - French Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Bechu has said that it will be necessary to “get used to” restrictions on water consumption. Speaking to French media he said that measures could be put in place in December or January with a view to improving the water situation next summer. Unemployment figures down - There's been a slight fall in unemployment in France. In the third quarter, the number of unemployed fell by 17,000 compared to the previous quarter, to 2.3 million people. The unemployment rate was virtually unchanged at 7.3% of the active population. Local News AS Monaco Beehive Initiative - AS Monaco have just launched an exciting initiative to support the local bee population. For every 10 goals the team score in League 1, a bee hive will be created in the principality to house almost 40000 bees. The project is in association with Terrae de Monaco who manage an urban farm near the Odeon Tower. The Chilean international Guillermo Maripan became the first AS Monaco player to sponsor a bee hive adding a welcome boost to their endangered ecosystem. The team needs one more goal in the league in order to sponsor their 3rd hive of the season but just came up short in their last match against Marseille at the weekend. Fairmont renovations - The Fairmont Hotel in Monaco has just inaugurated the Principality's biggest venue for private and corporate events with a capacity of up to 1500 people. The former Sun Casino has been re-opened after a massive makeover creating a lounge area of 1465m2 and an ideal setting for conferences, weddings, exhibits and other events. The new room has kept the iconic chandelier and a few ornate mirrors from the original casino, but everything else has been removed to create a neutral setting that can be adapted to the theme of the event. The Fairmont is also renovating 596 rooms and its restaurant spaces. The full project is expected to be completed by April 2024. New boutique hotel for Le Cannet - Le Cannet has finally approved the sale of Le Bellevue, which will be renovated to create a boutique hotel. The projec |
