French Villa HolidayNews

French News, Wed 22 April 2009

Addressing a mass rally yesterday in Nice, French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised new security laws. In a televised speech on security, the President said he would introduce new legislation banning gangs, making it a crime to intrude on a school and forbidding street demonstrators from wearing balaclavas. Mr Sarkozy, campaigned heavily on security themes during his 2007 presidential bid, a tactic that proved popular with his right-of-centre electorate. He said yesterday: "I haven't changed one iota and I even intend to move up a gear (on security)."

Rapid response group

Earlier, at a meeting of law enforcement officials and victims’ groups, the President announced the establishment of a mobile response force to be operating in the Nice area by next year. The City is also getting 100 extra police officers, and a further 200 video surveillance cameras, for a total of 500.

Public security forum

A meeting on public security, one of a series being organised throughout the Department, is being held this evening in Menton. The public forum begins at 6pm at the Palais de l’Europe.

Woman survives 5-storey fall

A 29-year-old woman yesterday survived a 5-storey fall from a Cap d’Ail apartment block. The victim, from Sri Lanka, fell from a balcony at the “Eden Cap” building around 10.45 yesterday morning. She landed on a Fiat Doblo vehicle, severely damaging the car, but alive. The circumstances of the incident are being investigated.

Monaco's British invasion

The number of British people living in Monaco has risen dramatically over the past decade. The latest census figures from 2008, show 2 666 UK nationals in the Principality, a 42% increase from the year 2000. They are the fourth biggest group in Monaco, behind the Monegasque, French and Italians. The number of American residents has fallen by point-2 of a percent, to around 300, over the same period. Meanwhile the number of Swedish residents stayed the same, at just under 300, while the number of Irish residents doubled to 65.

Calais crackdown

French police yesterday detained 190 people in an operation against undocumented migrants near the port of Calais. More than 300 officers were involved in the operation. The port has become a magnet for migrants trying to enter the UK illegally across the English Channel. Police cordoned off a migrant squatter camp known as "the jungle" and detained 150 people in an early morning raid. Forty other migrants were detained at two other locations along the coast.

SPORT

Football - Liverpool have been involved in their second 8 goal thriller in a week but has it done their title chances any good.


In the Championship in England last night. Reading practically secured their place in the play offs with a 2 nil away win at Derby. Derby aren’t safe from the chance of relegation yet. Coventry and Barnsley drew one all-a win would have put Barnsley 4 points clear of the drop zone but they’ll have to carry on sweating now. And relegated Charlton drew 2 all with Cardiff-The point will probably be enough to see Cardiff into the play offs.


Rugby Union - Paul O’Connell says he’s delighted to have been given the captains job for the Lions tour of South Africa. The Ireland second row forward was chosen ahead of his teammate Brian O’Driscoll. The squad contains 14 Ireland players,13 Welshmen, 8 England internationals and 2 Scots. The Lions tour starts at the end of May and features 3 tests against the Springboks in June.


There was 1 game in the Guinness Premiership last night. Worcester were 13 points to 6 winners at Gloucester. The defeat is a major blow to Gloucester’s play-off hopes. They now need to win their final game against Wasps on Saturday and hope that other results go their way.



Tennis - Sir Cliff’s out of a job and there’ll be no more singing in the rain on centre court at Wimbledon from this summer’s championships as the new retractable roof has been completed and is in place. Play on centre court could now continue to as late as 10 pm and floodlights have also been fitted meaning there’ll be no more bad light affecting play either.If he wants to break into Living Doll Sir Cliff will have to move over to number 1 court or any of the outside courts where there will be no protection from the weather or his singing.

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And finally, an Australian entrepreneur has brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "waste paper" with an ingenious green scheme to make luxury stationery from wombat dung. Darren Simpson, a self-confessed "poo expert," has big plans for the square-shaped fecal deposits of a wombat named Nugget, whose waste is supposed to act as a territorial marker. "It's not your normal poo. It's not round or long -- it's actually little bricks and it's very, very fibrous," Simpson said. "When you break it open, basically what you can see through it is plant matter. So they're a good little pulper." With the help of Nugget's keeper, Simpson harvests the animal's droppings and then boils them down to the fibres to make handmade paper -- the latest in his line of peculiarly Australian products. The wombat poo paper, which is made by combining the sterilised waste with cotton fibres, was launched in Tasmania state last month, and follows the success of Simpson's "roo poo" paper, made from kangaroo droppings.