Beach closure in wake of Saudi king's visit sparks protest

Saudi King Salman and an entourage of 1,000 arrived on Saturday for a vacation on the French Riviera, where more than 100,000 residents have petitioned against the closure of the public beach outside his villa.

The monarch's plane landed at Nice airport and he was driven away in a 10-vehicle motorcade, the local prefecture said.

The new king and his inner circle's three-week visit at the family's seafront villa in Vallauris, where US actress Rita Hayworth celebrated her wedding to Prince Aly Khan of Pakistan in 1949, will be a boon for the local economy.