French Villa Holiday News.

French News, Friday 1 May 2009
Call to action

Trade unions have called for French people to come out in force for the traditional May Day marches. Some 300 rallies are planned throughout the country, including in Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Grasse and Toulon, as demonstrators protest against the government's handling of the economic crisis. However, because the protest falls during the school holidays in our region, organisers believe the turnout may be down.

Tram funding boost

The French Government has handed over 43.7 million euros for the extension of Nice’s tram network. Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo announced the funding as part of his Department’s support for environmentally friendly projects. The funds will be used to extend Line One, and to create a second line between the City and the airport.

Muguet sellers reprieve

The Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes will turn a blind eye to illegal muguet sellers today. Non-professionals traditionally sell small bunches of flowers, mostly lily-of-the-valley, on the first day of May.

The merry, merry month of May

The May Festival gets underway today in Nice. A celebration of all things Nicoise the Fete takes place in the Cimiez Gardens every weekend throughout the month. There will be displays of traditional dancing and music, as well as handicrafts and local foods.

Higher state of alert

The French Government last night raised the state of alert over swine flu. After an emergency meeting of Ministers and health experts in Paris, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said, as a precaution, the alert was being increased to phase five, with all government services mobilised. There are five suspected cases still being monitored across the country, but so far there have been no actual cases of swine flu in France.

War heroes exhumed

Experts will begin exhuming hundreds of British and Australian troops from a World War I mass grave in northern France before laying the fallen soldiers to rest in a new war cemetery. Up to 400 Australian and British troops, lost in the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, are thought to have been buried in pits by German forces. Between now and September, a team of archaeologists is to recover the soldiers' remains, in hope of identifying as many as possible and giving them a fitting burial.

SPORT

Formula One - Championship leader Jenson Button has backed the introduction of a 40 million pound budget cap from 2010. The cap is part of wide ranging proposals to shake up the sport announced by the F.I.A on Thursday. Teams would be free to choose whether to be governed by the cap but those who opt out would face a number of restrictions. Those who comply would have greater technical freedom and unlimited out of season testing. Button says he’s sure that the manufacturers and bigger teams don’t want it but for a team like Brawn it will be necessary for the future.

Football - Hamburg beat Werder Bremen one nil away last night in the first leg of the Uefa Cup semi final. The other tie which is an all Ukrainian affair ended in a one all draw between Dynamo Kiev and Shaktar Donetsk.

So, four games left in the English Premier League as attention focuses on the relegation battle again this weekend. Tomorrow Chelsea play Fulham. Manchester City host Blackburn. Middlesboro second from bottom face Manchester United in the lunchtime game. Portsmouth host Arsenal. It’s Stoke against West Ham, Tottenham against West Brom and Wigan against Bolton. On Sunday, Liverpool play Newcastle and Sunderland play Everton. Aston Villa play Hull on Monday.

Cricket - England name their captain and 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 later today. Paul Collingwood is set to be named captain for the June tournament which is being played in England. A press conference has been called at 2.15 French time this afternoon at Lords where the chairman of selectors Geoff Miller will announce the details.

Rugby Union - England’s elite rugby director Rob Andrew has warned that any players who move to France must attend all training sessions with the national team in order to be selected. Andrew and the England manager Martin Johnson want French clubs to abide by the same agreement for player release as their English counterparts. Three England players, Ricki Flutey, Tom Palmer and James Haskell are moving to France at the end of the season and Jonny Wilkinson has been holding talks with Toulon.

Tennis - Roger Federer is through to the quarter finals of the Italian Open following a straight sets win over Radek Stepanek. Defending champion Novak Djokovic is also through.He thrashed Tommy Robredo 6-1 6-1. And World number 1 Rafael Nadal also moved into the last 8 with ease following a 6-1 6 love demolition of Robin Soderling.

Cycling - Lance Armstrong says he’s satisfied with his progress following his return to the saddle in the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. Armstrong was 8th after stage 1 of the race and says he feels strong and the recovery from his collar bone injury is working out well. He’s using the New Mexico race as preparation for the Giro d’Italia later this month.

Yourcotedazur now publishes the French regional news for people interested in Holiday Home Rental in France and
French Villa Holidays.

And finally, a New York woman has been charged stealing as much as $12 million in gold bullion and jewellery over a period of six years, lifting the ill-gotten booty from her employer by concealing the stash in the lining of her pocketbook. The district attorney for New York City's borough of Queens said Teresa Tambunting, 50, was arraigned on Wednesday on charges of first-degree grand larceny and first-degree criminal possession of stolen property from Jacmel Jewelry. In January, an inventory audit conducted at Jacmel revealed that nearly 386 kg of gold merchandise worth about $12 million was unaccounted for, Brown's statement added. After an investigation was initiated, Tambunting returned to Jacmel a suitcase containing 30 kg of gold. On February 13, an additional 204 kg of gold was recovered from Tambunting's residence.