French and Riviera News Thursday 15th August 2019

Local 

75th anniversary - French President Emmanuel Macron will today celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Provence on August 15th, 1944.   Operation Dragoon took place just two months after the famous Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, known as D-Day. Macron will mark today’s anniversary, of this "second D-Day" with the president of the Ivory Coast and, the President of Guinea. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will also be present at the ceremony being held in Saint-Raphaël at a military cemetery which holds the remains of 464 soldiers who were killed during the invasion of Provence.

The forces that landed in the region helped to liberate France, meeting with those who landed in June in Normandy by mid-September.  The invasion involved 400,000 troops from France (including from former colonies), Britain, Canada and the US.

Their goal was to secure the strategic National Road 7 up to the city of Lyon as quickly as possible. The road — the longest in the country at the time — stretched nearly 1,000 km from Marseille to Paris. The assault was launched at 7.15 p.m. on August 14 with coded messages broadcast on the BBC including "Nancy has a stiff neck", "Gaby sleeps in the grass" and "the hunter is hungry" alerting allied forces and French Resistance fighters.

Paratroopers and Resistance fighters started clearing the way and by midnight were engaging with German troops in Hyeres.

Safety - Lifeguards in Villeneuve Loubet have saved an Italian tourist after he drifted out to sea. The forty-year-old man had disappeared on Wednesday evening while swimming at the beach in Villeneuve Loubet. He was later found in front of the beaches of Cagnes sur mer and was taken to hospital by emergency services.

Man hit by boat’s propeller - Meanwhile a thirty-year-old man has been taken to hospital in Saint Raphael after being hit by a boat’s propeller in the Port of Frejus. The accident occurred on Wednesday evening. As a result, the victim suffered arm injuries. The exact circumstances of the incident are still to be determined.

The Prefect of the Var has issued an order regulating the use of fireworks by individuals. The order prohibits the use of fireworks and pyrotechnic items on the public highway or in the direction of public roads and in all places where large gatherings of people are held. The order is in force for the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th of August.

Police in Frejus and Saint-Raphaël are drawing attention to a new scam carried out on tourists and residents who are drinking or eating on restaurant terraces. The scam involves people being asked to sign a petition or being presented with a piece of paper.  While their attention is diverted, thieves attempt to steal their wallet or phone.

Road deaths - Figures published have shown that there have been fewer road deaths in the Alpes-Maritimes during the month of July but more since the beginning of the year. Motorcyclists still remain the first victim’s of road accidents in the region with July marking the deadliest since 2013, claiming 17 lives.

Buccelatti returns to Monaco - The famous goldsmith and jeweler Buccelatti has just reopened a shop at the Hotel de Paris here in Monaco. Described as a true “love story” between Buccelatti and Monaco, the house closed some 25 years ago and this year to celebrate its 100th anniversary decided to announce its happy return to the Principality.

National

MPs offices vandalized - Around 30 constituency offices for MPs in President Emmanuel Macron’s La République en Marche (LREM) party have been damaged by anti-government protesters since the start of June, largely in rural areas, amid rising anger over recent trade deals. Some 30 offices for MPs in Macron's LREM party have been vandalised in a wave of attacks since the start of June. The party’s leader in France’s National Assembly, Gilles le Gendre, suggested on Wednesday that the violence was an indictment of the current state of French politics.

Business

Panic gripped Wall Street on Wednesday as investors fled shares amid fears over a US-China trade war and the health of the global economy. The three main stock markets closed 3% down, with analysts pointing to signals the US may be heading for recession.

Investors fear the spat between the world's two largest economies will further drag on already-weakening global growth. Wednesday's turmoil came after figures showed Germany shrank by 0.1% in the second quarter of the year.

Europe's biggest economy is an export powerhouse particularly exposed to the fall-out from the US-China trade war.

Meanwhile, data from China showed the slowest growth for industrial output in 17 years.

And – the head of America’s farming body has said that the UK must accept US food standards as part of any future trade deal with Washington,

The head of the American Farm Bureau said US farmers were keen to trade with their British "friends".

But he said fears over practices such as washing chicken in chlorine and using genetically modified (GM) crops were not "science-based". The US has said the UK will be "first in line" for a trade deal after Brexit.

But some fear the UK will have to compromise on standards currently enshrined in EU law in order to secure a deal with Washington.

Sport

Football - Liverpool have won the Super Cup for the Fouth time in their history beating Chelsea 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Istanbul. The win comes just two months after Jurgen Klopp won his first trophy as Liverpool boss when he led the Reds to a 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Champions League final.

Cricket - The first day of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of rain at Lord's. A break in the weather did allow a 15:30 BST start to be scheduled, only for further rain to intervene.  With the full 90 overs lost to the weather on day one, an additional eight overs will be added to each of the remaining four days. Further disruption is likely, though, with more rain forecast for Friday and Saturday.

Rugby Union - England wing Jack Nowell has admitted he pushed himself too hard during his recovery from a serious ankle injury but hopes to be fit for the start of the Rugby World Cup. Nowell, 26, was injured in the Premiership final, and had surgery at the start of June. But he was forced to fly home early from the training camp in Italy after a setback in his rehabilitation.

Weather

Clear skies highs of 31 degrees in Menton, 29 in Nice, 28 in Vence and 30 degrees in Antibes. In the Var highs of 34 degrees in Saint Tropez. A moderate south easterly wind in the Alpes Maritimes. Strong south easterly winds in the Var particularly inland and further along the coast at Hyeres with gust of up to 60km/hr.

This evening going down to 19 degrees with clear skies.

The outlook for Friday and the start of the weekend temperatures remaining the same. Winds dying down in the Var with clear skies and highs of 31 degrees.

Finally 

A study has found that the belief that women are better than men at multitasking is a myth.

Researchers say men are just as capable of switching between tasks.

The study found men are just as good as women at multitasking. And they perform equally well when it comes to doing more than one thing at once.

Most people think there is a difference in men and women’s multitasking abilities – with eight in ten rating women higher.

It has been suggested they have an evolutionary advantage and more practice managing children, a household and jobs.

But Dr Patricia Hirsch from Aachen University, in Germany, dismissed the divide as a “stereotype”.

And she said her findings “strongly suggest” there are no substantial gender differences in multitasking performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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