Riviera Lunchtime News Monday 12th October 2020

Local 

Missing person - Police in the Var have launched an appeal following the worrying disappearance of a young girl from Solliès-Pont.

16 year old Julianne Philippot has not been seen since last Saturday October 5th.

She is described as being of slim build with long brown hair and was at the time of her disappearance wearing blue jeans and a white jacket.

Anyone with any information can contact the police on 04 94 28 90 16 or dial 17.

Storm Alex - Ten days after Storm Alex hit the Alpes-Maritimes, it is still not confirmed if the body of a woman found in the sea in Monaco was a victim of the storm.

Following storm Alex which hit the Alpes Maritimes on October 2nd some schools in the region are to reopen their doors today.

To date, seven bodies have been found during the major rescue operation which continues in the valleys behind Nice and Menton and the whereabouts of twelve others remains unknown.

Following storm Alex which hit the Alpes Maritimes on October 2nd some schools in the region are to reopen their doors today.

Storm Alex led to severe flooding and according to an INSEE study, 30% of inhabitants in the Alpes-Maritimes and Vaucluse region live in a flood zone with one million inhabitants across the entire PACA region being affected and Nice being one of the most exposed areas.

New version of StopCovid - France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced this morning that a new version of the StopCovid application will be available from 22nd October.

Castex was criticized in September for admitting that he had not downloaded the first version of the application. He was quick to add this morning that “this time he will indeed be downloading the app”.

Castex also said that the “second wave was very much a reality and that “the French were too quick to think that the virus had disappeared” calling for people to respect barrier gestures both in private and public spaces.

Meanwhile many nurses and doctors working overtime have aired their frustration that despite their efforts the time for tests results to be known is still too long, with in some cases it taking up to seven days to get results.

French bird protection association launches campaign - La Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), the French bird protection association in south western France has launched a campaign to save swallows,

Due to bad weather hundreds of swallows have been found dead in the region. The deaths are thought to have been caused by the unpredictable weather conditions,

European swallows - often also known as "barn swallows" - are small birds with blue backs, red throats and long tails. They feed on flying insects.

Financial aid when purchasing second hand electric car in France - The French government has today announced that financial aid will be offered by the state, to encourage the purchase of second-hand electric vehicles in France.

The amount of 1,000 euros is being offered towards the purchase of all second hand fully electric vehicles.  

Donkey found walking the streets of Brulat in the Var - Police in the Var have managed to catch a runaway donkey after it was seen roaming the streets of Brulat near Castellet in the Var.

Passersby alerted the police this morning and the city council of Castellet announced that a “stray donkey was indeed walking the streets this morning”.

Police are still trying to find the owner.

And Finally 

In a recent poll to find the UKs favourite driving song the rock classic "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey has taken the top spot by gaining a fifth of the vote. It was followed in joint second place by ‘Go Your Own Way’ and ‘Mr Blue Sky’.

The Killers secured fourth place with their karaoke classic ‘Mr Brightside’ and The Proclaimers rated joint seventh with ‘I’m Gonna Be’. Steppenwolf’s ‘Born to Be Wild’, which featured in seminal road movie Easy Rider, only just squeezed into the top 10.

The rest of the 10 was made up by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, ‘Africa’ by Toto, AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’, and hair metal classic ‘Here I Go Again’ by Whitesnake.

 

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