Riviera Life News Archive 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Plague strikes French oysters  Telegraph.co.uk 31 Jul 09 Scientists have yet properly to determine what has caused up to 90 per cent of baby and juvenile oysters, due to be eaten by Christmas 2010, to have died.The deaths have come in two waves. The first, in May, hit the Mediterranean - including Corsica and the Etang de Thau, a salt-water lake near Montpellier – and also the west coast in the bay of Arcachon. The second struck oyster farmers all the way as far as Normandy. Henry Samuel.

Italian swine flu liner docks in Villefranche  Quote.com 30 Jul 09 The 'Voyager of the Seas' cruise ship carrying dozens of victims of swine flu among its 5,000 passengers and crew docked in Villefranche on Friday on its way from the Italian port city of Naples to Marseille. Sophie Hardach / Reuters.

Rare venomous spider bite spreads fear in southern France  Telegraph.co.uk 30 Jul 09 François Inderchit, 59, was settling down for his afternoon siesta earlier this month in Orange, in Vaucluse, and was bitten by something "a bit more violent than a mosquito" when he turned over in bed. He saw that it was a spider and that he had killed it. Henry Samuel.

French police warn drivers against speeding  sfgate.com 30 Jul 09 Drivers beware! As millions of French people get ready to hit the roads on the busiest weekend for summer vacation departures, police are warning them to go easy on the gas after a very deadly month of June. French police also will have their eyes out for foreign drivers, especially heavy footed Germans, Dutch and Spaniards, who may be caught speeding through the historical lands of Gaul. Deborah Seward / AP.

Superstars take it Nice and Eze after hometown triumph  Independent.ie 29 Jul 09 U2 jetted out of Dublin immediately after their final Irish show on the 360 tour in Croke Park on Monday night. All four band members and their families left on their private jet to Nice, with their bags packed in advance. Richie Taylor.

Sarkozy says feels fine and plans to rest on Riviera holiday  Yahoo! 29 Jul 09 Sarkozy will spend three weeks on the Cote d'Azur in the family villa of his wife. The residence, on the secluded promontory of Cap Negre, near the resort town of Saint-Tropez, will be connected to the Elysee Palace during the holidays but Sarkozy is expected to keep a low profile until cabinet returns at the end of August. James Mackenzie / Reuters.

Video Police hunt for Corsica arsonists  Euronews 28 Jul 09 The hunt is on in France to find out who could be behind deadly forest fires that have ravaged thousands of hectares of land, reducing it to ashes.

Looking For Pablo in the South of France  Creators.com 26 Jul 09 Pablo Picasso — shaman, magician, changeling — sorcerer of art, man of many faces and styles and loves, is making an appearance again all across southern France. Or at least you can trip along, following his apparition. Karen Kenyon.

Not willing to let the sun go down yet  Irish Times 25 Jul 09 Jonny Wilkinson says that life begins at 30, and the south of France is no better place to start it. With temperatures nudging 35 degrees, the beaches bulging with holidaymakers, and fires in the hills above nearby Marseille, the French rugby season kicks off on the Cote d’Azur this weekend. Mike Averis.

Fires burn large areas of brush and woodlands in Corsica  monsters and critics 24 Jul 09 Several fires that have consumed some 4,000 hectares of brush and woodland on the Mediterranean island of Corsica continued to burn Friday. Only one of the three blazes that broke out Thursday has been brought under control. Deutsche Presse.

Video Wildfire on outskirts of Marseille 'under control'  Yahoo! 23 Jul 09 A wildfire on the outskirts of Marseille, sparked by practice shelling by the military, was under control on Thursday after threatening hundreds of homes but claiming no victims. The blaze, one of the worst to hit France in recent years hit the eastern Trois-Ponts suburb Wednesday, with scores of residents fleeing the flames. AFP.

Corsica police station car-bombed  BBC.co.uk 22 Jul 09 A car bomb has exploded outside a police station on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. Attackers had rigged up a gas bottle in the car and detonated it at around 0600 local time (0400 GMT). Wednesday's attack in the northern town of Vescovato was the first car bomb on the island since 2006.

Moon walker visits  Riviera Radio 22 Jul 09 Buzz Aldrin, the second man to step on the surface of the moon, is coming to Monaco. The 79-year-old astronaut is due in the Principality next Monday. He will be the guest of honour at a garden party for the Prince Albert II Foundation.

Palumbo's 1st Novel Set On Riviera Killing Spree  BBC.co.uk 21 Jul 09 In 1991, James Palumbo co-founded the Ministry of Sound club in south London. Now Palumbo has turned his hand to being an author. His first novel, Tomas, is a biting satire in which the reluctant star of an absurdly low-brow reality TV show goes on a killing spree, mowing down the grotesque patrons of an exclusive club in the French Riviera.

Madonna visits workers injured in French stage collapse  Quote.com 20 Jul 09 Madonna visited on Sunday workers injured while building a stage for her concert in southern France, as well as meeting the family of one of two workers killed in the accident. Reuters.

Video Madonna stage deaths investigated  BBC.co.uk 18 Jul 09 Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation after a stage being built for a Madonna concert collapsed killing two people. Eight other people were seriously injured in Thursday's accident at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille. Madonna has said she is "devastated" by the news of the deaths.

Video Local Muso Dave Stewart to Perform at NY Mandela Gig with Carla Bruni  France24 18 Jul 09 French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will sing in public for the first time since marrying President Nicolas Sarkozy at a concert in New York on Saturday to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday. Bruni-Sarkozy, 41, will perform with former Eurythmics musician Dave Stewart. AFP.

Tourists banned from swimming off French Riviera after shark spotted near beach  Daily Mail 17 Jul 09 Tourists fled from the sea in terror after a shark was spotted circling just 30ft from the shore on the French Riviera. The deadly fish was first spotted on Thursday morning, when bathers at Fontonne beach saw a 'large grey fin' skimming through the water just yards away from them. Ian Sparks.

Raiders wearing Hawaiian shirts take £13m in gems from Cartier's Cannes shop Daily Mail 14 Jul 09 Robbers wearing Hawaiian shirts have stolen jewellery worth £13 million from a Cartier store in the film stars' playground of Cannes. The daylight raid bore all the hall marks of the Pink Panthers, the notorious gang responsible for similar crimes all over the world. Peter Allen.

France Fitz the bill for Phil – and now he's ready to up the stakes  Scotsman 14 Jul 09 Edinburgh exile Phil Fitzgerald has signed up for another year in which Toulon will be joined in their bid to capture a domestic title by – amongst others – Scotland utility back Rory Lamont and England World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson. Bill Lothian.

Starlets beware, Cannes bans nudists  The Australian 14 Jul 09 The French resort, home to the world's most famous film festival, has issued a decree banning naturism on the Mediterranean seafront after wealthy yacht owners complained that acres of bare tanned flesh were lowering the tone. AFP.

Along the Riviera, Pierre Bonnard gets his due  Weekly Stanfard 11 Jul 09 There are reasons enough to take a swing through the French Riviera, but for the art lover, here's one more. The palm-tree-lined town of Le Cannet, just north of Cannes, has established the first and only museum devoted to the painter Pierre Bonnard. Located in a classic villa, the museum will be fully open and complete next year, but the first exhibition is now on view until late September. Pia Cattan.

The other Riviera  The Globe & Mail 10 Jul 09 France's gritty, unloved second city seems an unlikely gateway to coastal bliss. But while Marseilles is enjoying a renaissance in its own right among young French, its real treasure lies in the unspoiled Mediterranean coastline nearby, between the city and the better-known Cote D'Azur farther east.  Geoff Moysa.

Carbon footprint undermines U2's planet-saving credentials  nzherald.co.nz 09 Jul 09 U2 and Bono's long-held commitment to "save the planet" has been questioned after it emerged they have a combined carbon footprint big enough to fly the band the distance from the Earth to Mars.

Art Smart in the South of France  Diversionmag.com 09 Jul 09 Renowned for its beauty and joie de vivre, this idyllic area is more than just a destination for fine dining and spectacular scenery: you can enjoy the legacy of some of the world’s greatest artists. Many of the most famous artists of the 19th and 20th centuries—among them Picasso, Cezanne, and Matisse—visited or lived in the area and created masterpieces inspired by its beauty. Cathy Cavender.

Riviera Rugby News  Irish Times 09 Jul 09 Michael Cheika takes his Leinster rugby squad, minus the Lions contingent, to Nice for a training camp and a match against Nice Cote d’Azur on Saturday, August 22nd. Jonny Wilkinson will be allowed to participate in England’s elite squad training camp in August despite its proximity to the start of the French season, his Toulon club confirmed yesterday. Gavin Cummiskey.

Sailing into Mediterranean magic  TheWest.com.au 07 Jul 09 The hot Mediterranean sun glinted off the waters of Nice harbour on the laziest of summer afternoons. It was a balmy 32C as we boarded the Club Med 2, which cut an altogether more elegant shape than the drive-on ferry which sat next to it. Niall McIlroy.

Wayne Rooney cuts ear 'larking around' on yacht  Mirror.co.uk 05 Jul 09 The striker, holidaying in St Tropez on the French Riviera, fell to the ground in agony with blood spurting from his left ear as crewmen raced to help him. Ian Sparks.

Wacky racers head out on the highway  thisisoxfordshire.co.uk 02 Jul 09 The 70 teams involved will make their way into France via the Alps and then over the St Bernard Pass. The drivers will then continue into Sauze D’Oulx, before heading towards the French Riviera, passing through Monaco and southern France to get to Barcelona. Lucy Pearce.

Cannonball run Britons banned from driving in France  The Times 02 Jul 09 Two Britons have been banned from driving in France after being caught at speeds of up to 210km/h (130mph) in high-performance vehicles on a cannonball run from London to Saint-Tropez. Adam Sage.

Yemeni jet crashes with 153 on board  Times of India 30 Jun 09 Most of the passengers on board were from the French city of Marseille, which has a large Comoros community. A crisis cell has been established in Marseille, according to Stephane Salord, the consul general of the Comoros in the Provence-Alps-Cote d'Azur region of France.

French fishermen hit back at stars' bid to save bluefin tuna  The Observer 28 Jun 09 It has been a long few weeks for captain Jean-Louis Donnarel and the crew of the Provence-Côte d'Azur II. Donnarel and his crew are at the sharp end of an increasingly bitter row: one that links globally known restaurants, top celebrities, huge international conglomerates, sushi shops and supermarkets across half the world to the livelihoods of a few thousand fishermen. Jason Burke.

Nice Mayor in new Sarkozy cabinet Yahoo! 24 Jun 09 Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, a longtime Sarkozy ally, was named minister for industry, taking over from Luc Chatel, the government spokesman and a protege of the president, who will oversee much-contested university reforms as education minister. Emma Charlton & Carole Landry / AFP.

Monaco cops charge Pink Panther suspects   Brisbane Times 21 Jun 09 Police in Monaco have charged three suspected members of the "Pink Panther" gang of international jewel thieves. The three men were picked up on Thursday as they were parking in Monte Carlo's Place du Casino, where several jewellery shops are located. AFP.

Ici Londres … Free French radio honoured  The Guardian 21 Jun 09 Every evening at 8 o'clock, while the Blitz was raining down on London and the Nazis were claiming Paris as their own, Franck Bauer took his position behind the microphone at the BBC. "Ici Londres. Les Français parlent aux Français," he would say. "This is London. The French talk to the French." Lizzy Davies.

Hidden Gem  Irish Times 20 Jun 09 Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild must have believed that nothing succeeds like excess, because the villa and gardens she created in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat constitute excess on a grand scale. Maura Prendergast.

Madoff liquidators eyeing luxury Antibes pad  Accountancy Age 18 Jun 09 The Grant Thornton team charged with clawing back cash by locating, seizing and liquidating the assets of the Madoff family for UK creditors have targeted a luxury apartment in Antibes on the Cote D’Azur. David Jutuah.

Monaco luxury summit  Riviera Radio 16 Jun 09 Some of the leading figures of the world’s best recognised luxury brands gathered in Monaco with financiers and advertising experts, at the annual Financial Times Luxury Summit.

Aussies win six swimming golds in Monaco  TheAge.com.au 15 Jun 09 Australian swimmers have won six gold medals at the final day of competition at the Mare Nostrum series in Monaco. AAP.

Nicolas Sarkozy intervenes in row over mother-in-law's septic tank  Telegraph.co.uk 15 Jun 09 The President reportedly signed an order to remove Jacques Laisné, the prefect of the Var region - who has been given no new posting - after he failed to end a long-running dispute in Cap Nègre, Lavandou. Henry Samuel.

Shamed RBS exec to return half his pension  UPI.com 18 Jun 09 "There's only so much time you can spend sitting around in the French sunshine, and Fred believes that a concession in his pension benefits will win back public confidence," one source commented to The Daily Mail Thursday.

Disgraced banker Sir Fred Goodwin retires to £4m home on French Riviera  Mirror.co.uk 15 Jun 09 Disgraced bank boss Sir Fred Goodwin has retired to a £4million home on the French Riviera. Stephen White.

U.K. doc, Mad Men, CBC take trophies at Monte Carlo TV awards  CBC News 11 Jun 09 The British documentary The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall and stylish U.S. drama Mad Men were among the top winners at the Monte Carlo Television Festival's Golden Nymph Awards on Thursday. The ceremony caps the 49th edition of the five-day, star-studded TV industry festival and conference, with awards presented in 27 categories.

Picasso's grave open to visitors after 36 years   TheAge.com.au 10 Jun 09 In the grounds of Chateau de Vauvenargues, near the Provencal town of Aix-en-Provence, there is a simple mound of earth, covered in grass and ringed by ivy. Perched on top is a curvaceous bronze nude, made by Pablo Picasso in 1933. Jon Bryant.

The Simpsons to Celebrate 20th Anniversary at MIPCOM  AWN 09 Jun 09 Series creator and executive producer Matt Groening along with executive producer Al Jean will be in Cannes, where Groening will receive the inaugural MIPCOM Creative Icon Award during a gala dinner on Wednesday 7 October, with Jean acting as master of ceremonies.

U2 have found what they're looking for... in France  Herald.ie 09 Jun 09 U2 will be sunning themselves in the South of France this summer, as they make it their base for their upcoming European tour. The band and their families have holiday homes on the Cote D'Azur and will have a private plane at Nice Airport to jet them to gigs. Conor Feehan.

Fatal Crash Charges  Riviera Radio 09 Jun 09 A young female motorist who hit and killed an American jogger on Sunday morning in Juans-les-Pins is due in court today. It is alleged the woman was under the influence of alcohol when she struck and killed the woman jogging along the bord-des-mers at 6.15 am.

EU farm chief agrees to keep rose wine blending ban  Guardian 08 Jun 09 Europe's farm chief bowed to pressure on Monday from leading EU winemakers infuriated by her plans to allow rose to be made by blending red and white wine. Reuters.

European elections  Riviera Radio 08 June 09 The ruling UMP Party and the greens were the big local winners in the European elections. In the Alpes-Maritimes, the UMP’s Francoise Grossetete claimed almost 35% of the vote and Michele Rivasi, of Europe ecologie, won over 17%.

Trickett sets the pace in Canet  12 Jun 09 World record holder Libby Trickett has set another meet record at the Mare Nostrum series in Canet in the South of France by winning the women's 100m freestyle in 53.27 seconds. It was just over a third of a second outside her world mark of 52.88. The Mare Nostrum series will now move to Monaco for the final two-day meet starting Saturday.

The simple life  The Australian 06 Jun 09 There are two options in Provence, the Riviera and the interior, Brigitte Bardot or Peter Mayle. I bow to no man in my admiration for sun-kissed beaches of topless bathers but it is high summer and I want peace and quiet. I book a house in Vaucluse in the shadow of the enigmatic Mt Ventoux and gather family and friends. Stanley Stewart.

Legendary French Riviera hotel transformed into "nouvelle hotellerie”  Examiner.com 03 Jun 09 The incomparable Cap Estel, one of the most stunning resort hotels in the world, on the Cote d’Azur near Nice and Monte Carlo, has just put the final touches on a massive renovation that transformed it into a “Nouvelle Hotellerie” outfitted for the 21st century. Rita Cook.

French Riviera dazzles visitors  CNN.com 03 Jun 09 iReporters submitted their favourite vacation photos from the French Riviera and we chose nine great shots!

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