Local News
Iacono freedom blocked – The former mayor of Vence, Christian Iacono, remains in prison after the Grasse prosecutor launched an appeal against a decision to free him. Early yesterday a judge announced that the 77-year-old would be freed Saturday; however, the Prosecutor stepped in late in the afternoon to block the move. Mr Iacono is attempting to have his conviction for sexually assaulting his grandson quashed. He was sentenced to nine years behind bars in February last year; however, several months later his grandson recanted his evidence. A new hearing is expected in the coming weeks.
WWI shell scare – Around 20 people were evacuated from their homes yesterday after an unexploded armament was discovered in Canne-La Bocca. Surprised workmen dug up the shell in the avenue de Monte-Carlo. The bomb disposal squad was called in, and the World War 1 device was safely exploded.
Huge drug haul – Customs officers have seized a massive amount of cannabis from a truck on the A8 motorway between Nice and Cannes. Hidden inside the Spanish vehicle was 351 kilograms of cannabis and 41 kilograms of cannabis resin, valued at 600-thousand euros. The haul was discovered, hidden between the wheels of the truck, during a routine search.
Nice Carnival begins – Nice’s Carnival begins tonight, with the arrival of the King of Sport. The giant float will make its first appearance just after 9pm, once this year’s Carnival Queen has been “crowned”. There will also be a mini-fireworks show in the Place Massena as the festival is launched. The 128th edition of Carnival continues until 4 March.
Fete du Citron – And in Menton, the annual Lemon Festival also gets underway today. The 79th edition of the Fete du Citron begins tonight with the unveiling of the Garden of Lights. The event continues until 7 March.
National News
Sarkozy launches attack – French President Nicolas Sarkozy used his first re-election campaign rally to launch a blistering attack on his frontrunning Socialist rival, calling him a liar. Francois Hollande “lies from morning to night,” Sarkozy yesterday told cheering supporters in Annecy, the day after officially declaring his candidacy for the presidential election in 10 weeks. Opinion polls consistently show Hollande as the clear frontrunner with the first round of voting on April 22.
Joint training exercise – British and French troops are training together in Northumberland this week as the two countries adopt the closest military alliance in their joint history. Soldiers from Britain’s 5 Scots are alongside a French Army Parachute Company from the French 11th Parachute Brigade for the live fire exercise in Otterburn.
Paris tops survey – Paris has been ranked the best city in the world for students, according to a UK study, although some French undergraduates felt the results were wide of the mark. Researchers at QS Best Student Cities looked at quality of life and affordability in terms of fees and living costs, as well as the number of institutions and their overall reputations among employers. The survey placed Paris top, with London ranking second and Boston third.
Business News
France and the UK will today sign a deal to strengthen co-ordination in the development of civil nuclear energy. President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are also expected to discuss further joint defence projects, when they meet in Paris. The leaders are expected to announce the joint development of an unmanned aircraft.
Sports News
Football – Three English clubs were playing in the last 32 of the Europa League last night. Both Manchester clubs won while Stoke City went down by a goal to nil at home to Valencia.
It’s FA Cup 5th round weekend in England with Crawley Town of League 2 flying the flag for the smaller clubs. Crawley are at home to Stoke and might fancy their chances after their Premier League opponents played last night and have lost their last 5 games on the trot. In other ties Chelsea host Birmingham, Liverpool host Brighton, Arsenal travel to Sunderland and Spurs are away at Stevenage of League 1.
Rugby Union – Ben Youngs has admitted that he fears for his place in the England starting line up against Wales at Twickenham a week tomorrow. Youngs has been under pressure from Lee Dickson who came on and impressed at scrum-half during the match against Italy. Youngs says he’s got to work very hard and try and prove himself as he’s facing tough competition.
Boxing – Vitali Klitschko says he’s expecting a tough fight against Britain’s Dereck Chisora in Munich tomorrow night. Chisora is challenging for the WBC world heavyweight title and Klitschko says he thinks that the British fighter will pose a tougher challenge than David Haye did to his brother Wladimir. Chisora is predicting that he’ll stop Klitschko in round 8.
Horseracing – The Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Long Run is set to face seven of his key rivals in the Denman Chase at Newbury today. Last weekend’s ‘Super Saturday’ meeting was abandoned because of snow so the race has been rearranged for today. Burton Port, Tidal Bay and What a Friend are all set to be strong challengers. Last year the Newbury meeting was called off after two horses were electrocuted in the paddock.
Weather
Fine and sunny across Monaco, the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var. Light variable winds. Overnight: clear skies, -2 – 5°.
And Finally
An Australian prospector could spark a new gold rush after he found a gold nugget worth $120,000, one of the largest discoveries in recent times. The prospector, identified only as Caz, made the lucrative find under an old riverbed in Ballarat, 100 kilometres west of Melbourne, by using a metal detector. The gold, which was found inside a 4.8kg hunk of quartz, is believed to weigh close to 76 ounces. With recent economic turmoil sending the price of gold to $1600 an ounce, the lucky man was overjoyed but keen to keep his identity and the location of his prize discovery a secret.