Violent
storms and flooding send water cascading through Antibes, Cannes and
Nice, inundating a retirement home and killing three people inside
Nineteen people are feared dead after violent storms and severe
flooding swept the French Riviera, including three people who drowned in
a retirement home after a river broke its banks.
Heavy flooding along the Cote d’Azur on Saturday saw the river Brague
burst its banks close to the city of Antibes, flooding a home for the
elderly.
The French president, François Hollande said in a statement at least
16 people were dead and a further three are missing. The interior
ministry said earlier in the morning that there was “little hope to find
the [missing] alive”.
Five people are believed to have died trying to park their cars under
shelter, according to local authorities. Three more people drowned when
their car became stuck inside a tunnel.
A woman in her 60s died in the street in Cannes when huge storms hit
the region on Saturday. Water and debris coursed down submerged roads in
the festival town and in the neighbouring city of Nice. Another victim
was found dead at a campsite in Antibes, according to officials.
More than 17cm (6.7in) of rain fell on the Cannes region in two hours, radio France Bleu-Azur reported.
Guardian journalist Stuart Dredge, attending the MIPJunior television
conference in Cannes, said the venue for the event had been flooded. He
said he had walked knee-deep in water on his way home on Saturday night
after watching the England-Australia Rugby World Cup match.
“By half-time, the street outside was running with water, and the
main Rue d’Antibes road in Cannes was between ankle and knee-deep at its
lower points,” he said.
“The crossroads were the most dangerous parts: the water really was
pouring down from the higher ground with strong currents – and a fair
few people walking home had been drinking, so their balance would have
been a bit impaired already.”
Dredge said he did not see anyone fall into the water, although some
moped drivers needed assistance. “This morning, there are a few cars
that have clearly been swept along and deposited leaning against
railings. When I got home the power was out in my building, but it came
back on again shortly before midnight.”
“I think Cannes probably got off lightly, comparably. It was a hairy walk home, but I didn’t feel in true danger,” he added.
If you're a well-to-do Shanghai resident, you might start a typical
day with a cup of Starry Hope, and then check email on your Triple Stars
before driving to the office in your Treasured Horse. After work, you
might unwind with a cold bottle of Hundred Prestige.
In case you missed it, that's actually Starbucks(SBUX), Samsung, BMW and Budweiser.
The Chinese names of these well-known brands
might sound silly in English, but they're key to helping foreign
companies rake in billions in China, where a name is thought to make or
break your luck.
For companies, coming up with a name that fits
the firm's image is tricky enough. But it's even more challenging in
Chinese, which has multiple dialects and scores of homophones that can
lead to unintended double entendres.
For example, in Mandarin,
the word for "tall" (高) sounds exactly like the word for "cake" (糕) --
they're both pronounced "gao."
"The wrong name will just give
the wrong impression," said Tait Lawton, founder of Nanjing Marketing
Group. Foreign firms have "to understand there is meaning in Chinese
characters -- it's not like English where you can take letters and mash
them together to make different sounds." Best Buy(BBY),
for example, didn't have a very catchy Chinese name, using a
near-direct translation from English, Lawton said. While it's hard to
discern just how much the name had to do with its business prospects,
the electronics retailer never caught on in China, and shuttered its
namesake stores in 2011. Related: The crazy flavor experiments behind Chinese fast food
Some brands have found success with names that not only sound like
their English monikers, but also have significant meaning in Chinese.
"Rui bu," used by Reebok, means "fast steps," while Nike(NKE) goes by "nai ke," which translates to "endurance and perseverance." Coca-Cola(KO)
came up with a clever one, "kekou kele," which means "delicious fun,"
and stays true to the original English. On top of that, part of the name
sounds like the Chinese word for "thirsty."
While that kind of
significance might be lost to a foreigner's ears, it's something that
sticks with Chinese consumers, who are more inclined to remember the
Chinese name over the English one, said Vladimir Djurovic, CEO of
Labbrand, a company that helps foreign firms brand in China.
It's important "to connect with the category ... [and] to be close to your target audience, to be accessible," he said.
The best Nike ads ever
Banks, for instance, seeking to attract the rich, should consider names
that give off the impression of wealth and prosperity. Goldman Sachs'
name in Chinese is "gao sheng," or "highly prosperous."
London
bank HSBC went with "hui feng," which roughly translates to "gathered
abundance." A direct translation for HSBC, which stands for Hong Kong
and Shanghai Banking Corporation, wouldn't have worked -- in Chinese, it
would have sounded like every other local bank, instead of a global
finance powerhouse, Djurovic said.
Others, like French grocery
chain, Carrefour, will want to appear more consumer-friendly. Its
Chinese name, "jia le fu," means "happy family."
Djurovic said
that choosing a good Chinese name can take up to a year. "There is no
absolute rule ... the right name will always depend on a couple of
things," he said.
Russian
forces bombed targets in Syria for a fourth day despite international
concerns over Moscow's intentions in the war-torn nation.
The
Russian defense ministry said its soldiers bombed nine ISIS positions
Saturday near the terror group's de facto capital in Raqqa.
In the past 24 hours, the air force conducted 20 airstrikes near Raqqa, the ministry said.
Tactical
bombers destroyed various militant facilities, including ammunition and
oil depots, and all-terrain vehicles, the defense ministry said in a
statement.
At least 11 people were killed in an alleged double strike by Russia in Syria's Idlib province, according to opposition groups.
Members
of Syria's Civil Defense, a volunteer group operating in
rebel-controlled areas, rushed to save people after the aerial attack on
the village of Ehsim when a second strike hit the area. A rescue worker
and nine members of one family were among the dead, according to the
rebel-run Revolutionary Forces of Syria.
"There
were families living there," said Ahmed alHmady, head of Syria Civil
Defense in Balyoun, Idlib, who survived the attack. "There are no armed
fighters there."
CNN could not
independently verify it was a Russian strike. Syria and the U.S.-backed
coalition against ISIS have also launched strikes.
Russia's defense ministry reported aerial strikes in Idlib but did not say what villages were hit.
Col. Gen. Andrey Kartapolov said Russia notified the United States of the airstrikes in advance.
"The
U.S. military attache to Iraq was the first to be informed by our
representative in Baghdad, Gen. Kuralenko, on Wednesday morning,"
Kartapolov said, according to Tass. The official said that Russia also
notified the U.S. side through diplomatic channels.
New day, more bombs
Saturday marks the fourth day Russia has carried out airstrikes in Syria.
And with every passing day, the international community raises alarms over Moscow's intentions.
In a joint statement, a coalition made up of the United States, Britain,
Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia accused Russia of
attacking the Syrian opposition and civilians, instead of fighting ISIS.
"These military actions constitute a
further escalation and will only fuel more extremism and
radicalization," the statement said.
It questioned whether Russia's primary concern is attacking ISIS or propping up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia defends airstrikes
Russia has denied it conducted any strikes against civilians, and maintained it is targeting the brutal militant group.
"There
were no strikes against civilian infrastructure, especially against
buildings where there could have been or were peaceful residents," the
defense ministry said.
As the diplomatic squabble grows, the White House downplayed Russia's decision to launch the strikes without coordinating with the United States.
No warning
Russia
gave the U.S. a one-hour warning before it launched airstrikes in the
western Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday. Moscow told the U.S. aircraft
battling ISIS in Homs to leave Syrian airspace.
The
U.S. force did not leave, raising the possibility of military mishaps
between the two powers as their forces operate in the same area.
The
Pentagon has suggested Russia is backing close ally al-Assad -- who
appears to be losing his grip on power as the nation's years-long civil
war continues unabated.
U.S. defense officials have warned that Russia's move will inflame the civil war and set back efforts to drive out ISIS.
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