French and Riviera News.Tuesday October 2nd 2018

Road deaths-As a new speed limit of 90 km/h came into force on the A8 motorway between Cagnes-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent-du-Var on Monday,it’s emerged that three people were killed in separate road accidents in the region over the weekend.

A 39 year old motorcyclist lost his life after her bike collided with a car at Breil-sur-Roya while in Castagniers,a 74 year old man died after his car left the road and ended up in a ravine.

The third death occurred on the promenade des Anglais in Nice late on Sunday night when a scooter collided with a people carrier.The scooter rider was killed instantly.

 

Shooting-A man has been killed after being shot at a residence on the route de Vence in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
Police were called to ‘les jardins de Cocagne opposite the municipal rubbish dump at 1pm on Monday after reports of shots being fired.
Officers cordoned off the block which contains around 100 apartments and the local police commissioner attended the scene
Reports  say that the shooting was the end result of an argument over a noisy lunch party.The victim is said to have threatened one of the party with an axe and was then shot.2 people have been arrested but the shooter escaped and is being sought by police.

First snow-The first snow of the autumn has fallen inland with the peaks of the Mercantour Park covered in a dusting of the white stuff on Monday.

Nearer to the coast,some areas saw hail stones the size of golf balls fall as a sudden storm swept through the region.

Meteo France says that summery conditions should now prevail for the rest of the week and into the weekend with highs of between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Sea,sand and….boars-Video footage has emerged of wild boars frolicking in the sand on the beach at Ramatuelle.

The animals,who are becoming increasingly bold,took advantage of the end of the summer season and were filmed running up and down the beach to the surprise of the few bathers who were present.

Local farmers in the Var have been getting increasingly angry about the damage boars are causing to vines and other crops and have called on the Prefect to increase numbers that are permitted to be hunted and shot.

 

 

Mushroom season-Local authorities have urged people collecting wild mushrooms to urge extreme caution after 15 people suffered intoxication after eating “devil’s bolete” fungi at a picnic in the Alpes-Maritimes on Sunday.

The advice is to make absolutely sure you know what you’re picking before eating it and if in doubt to consult a specialist.Pharmacies can usually offer correct advice.

Wild edible mushrooms should be collected in a cardboard box and not a plastic bag which increases decomposition time and the fungi should be stored in a fridge and eaten within two days of picking.

The 15 who became ill after eating the poisonous mushroom on Sunday were taken to hospital in Nice and Menton suffering from digestive problems and nausea. Fortunately,eating the “devil’s bolete” is not a death sentence but plenty of other wild fungi growing in the region are fatal if ingested.

 

Gang broken-Police in Marseilles have broken up a gang of suspected robbers who are suspected of carrying out a number of daring raids on financial establishments.

Officers seized 20 firearms,gold and precious stones and tens of thousands of euros in cash during a number of raids across city.

Reports say that the gang was planning a raid on a warehouse containing an important amount of diamonds and cash just before they were apprehended.

10 people were arrested as part of the investigation including 3 minors.

They’re due to appear in court in Marseilles today.

 

In National News.

 

Az-no-more-The legendary French singer Charles Aznavour has died at the age of 94.

Born to Armenian immigrant parents,the performer sold more than 180 million records during a career that lasted more than 80 years during which he recorded more than 1,000 songs.

The star was loved for his self deprecating humour and his ability to touch successive generations.

He became an international superstar ,singing in several different languages and had a huge hit with “she” in the 1970’s.

He once said that he’d continue singing until he forgot the words or fell off the stage.

He was also a highly acclaimed actor and was a familiar figure in the south east of France where he lived for many years.

Mr Aznavour has recently returned from Japan where he was a big star and was performing until a short time before his death.

 

Grisly discovery-Police in southern France are investigating after a skeleton was found hanging from a tree in forest land in the Gard department over the weekend.

Gendarmes sealed the area off after hunters made the grizzly discovery.

Reports say that the skeleton had been hanging for a considerable time and may be linked to the disappearance of a 15 year old boy from the nearby village of Clarensac on the 1st of April 2016.DNA tests are now being carried out to establish identity.

Reports also say that some of the missing boy’s belongings have been discovered near to where the skeleton was found.

 

Church abuse-A group of French Catholics is calling for a parliamentary enquiry into allegations of sex abuse by clerics.

The group has accused the French Catholic Church of “ignoring or even concealing” the suffering of victims and has the backing of a number of influential politicians including the former Environment Minister Roselyne Bachelot.

French MP’s are said to be in favour of an enquiry but it’s not certain that the church would cooperate which would mean it opening up its archives and allowing a number of priests and bishops to be questioned.

 

Business.

 

President Trump has said that the new trade deal struck with Canada and Mexico is the “most important ever” agreed by the United States.

Speaking in Washington on Monday,Mr Trump said that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement which will replace NAFTA  would bring thousands of jobs back to North America.

He said that the new pact vindicated his threats over trade tariffs and that by “negotiating tough” he had brought all sides back to the table.

In earlier tweets on Monday,the US President said that the new trade pact solved the “deficiencies and mistakes” in NAFTA which he insisted was probably the “worst trade deal ever made”.

 

Apple has so far made no comment following claims that its new iPhone XS and XS Max smartphones fail to charge consistently when plugged in.

Several users have reported that their device refuses to charge if it’s been idle for a while and only charge if the display is “woken up”.

Several complaints about the issue have been posted on Apple’s discussion board as well as on social media.

Some users have speculated that the problem is linked to recent changes in Apple’s security settings.

 

And-The UK budget airline magnate Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou  is suing Netflix over the title of its Chicago based show “Easy” claiming that it infringes on more than a thousand trademarks that he’s registered in Europe using the word.

Reuters reports that Sir Stelios  has filed a lawsuit in a UK court seeking to ban Netflix from showing or promoting the show under its current name.

Sir Stelios owns a number of brands using the “Easy” name including easyMoney,easyBus,easyCoffee and easyFoodstore.

The claim seeks an injunction to prevent Netflix using the name “Easy” in the European Union.

 

Sport.

 

Football-The European Champions League is back in action tonight with all eyes on Old Trafford to see if Jose Mourinho can arrest his side’s recent alarming slump in form.

United play Valencia in Group H tonight and another defeat will pile the pressure on Mourinho who says that he’s not worried about his job.The other game in Group H is between Juventus and Young Boys.

In Group E AEK Athens play Benfica while Bayern Munich face Ajax.

Group F pairs Hoffenheim against Manchester City  while Lyon play Shakhtar Donetsk and in Group G it’s CSKA Moscow against Real Madrid and Roma against Viktoria Plzen.

 

There was one game in the English Premier League last night.Bournemouth beat Crystal Palace 2-1.

 

Golf-A spectator hit by Brooks Koepka tee shot at the Ryder Cup says that she’s lost the sight in her right eye and is considering legal action.

The incident happened on the opening day of the event when the American’s drive on the par-four sixth hole veered off course striking 49 year old Corine Remande.

She says that doctors have told her that she’s lost the use of the eye and that the legal claim is to help cover medical expenses.

Koepka went over to the injured woman to see how she was following the incident and said afterwards that it “looked like it had hurt”.

 

Boxing-Tyson Fury has said that he’s not scared of world champion Deontay Wilder ahead of their title fight in Los Angeles  in December.

The two boxers came face to face on Monday  with Fury saying the Wilder doesn’t possess anything that he’s scared of.

Wilder described the bout as a “mega fight” and said that it would be “intense”.

The two had to be separated at one point during the press conference In London.

The media circus for the fight will roll on to New York today before concluding in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

 

Weather

 

Clear skies with light to moderate south westerly winds.

Top temperature 23 degrees Celsius.

Overnight lows of 16 degrees on the coast and 10 degrees inland with clear skies.

Wednesday and Thursday-Clear skies with highs of 23-25 degrees.

 

Finally

 

Sir Paul McCartney was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for a concert when he photo-bombed a couple taking pictures before their wedding.

McCartney passed the couple while riding his bike along the river during his downtime on Saturday.

The moment was immortalised by the couple's wedding photographer.

Groom Steve Gregg was the first to spot the famous musician.

"He said congratulations as he rode by and Steve said, 'That was Paul McCartney'".

But when McCartney and his two bodyguards hit a dead end, they had to turn around and ride past the couple again.

That's when Mr Gregg plucked up the courage to ask for a picture.

"It was very brief, he shook our hands, said congratulations took a couple quick photos and then they were off," he said.

The couple said they are fans but hardly Beatle-maniacs, and have kept a healthy perspective on their brush with mega-stardom.

"This is was a nice thing on a day filled with wonderful events," Mr Gregg said.

"But certainly not the best thing that happened to me yesterday

 

 

Last local news

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

Evening Update Tuesday 26th March 2024

More than 20 secondary schools on the Riviera have been targeted by bomb alerts today, forcing some of them to stay closed all day.... Evening Update Tuesday 26th March 2024 Read More

26/03/2024