Evening Update Friday 12 July

A motorcyclist has died after an accident in Antibes yesterday evening. Reports say that a scooter and a motorbike collided on the Eucalyptus roundabout. Both riders were taken to the Pasteur hospital in Nice but the driver of the motorcycle did not survive.

A ceremony will be held in Nice to mark the third anniversary of the July 14th 2016 attack in which 86 people lost their lives and 458 were injured. The ceremony, which will take place at the Villa Massena on Sunday morning, will not be open to the public but will be reserved solely for families of the victims, religious representatives and officials.

Two dogs have been put down after attacking a woman and two children in Saint-Maximin yesterday. The animals were euthanized on the orders of the Prefecture. Police are questioning the owner.

One person has died and a baby has been seriously injured after a car collided with crowds celebrating victory in a football match.  The woman and her child were amongst crowds in Montpellier celebrating the victory of Algeria against Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations match last night.  Her 17 year old daughter who was close by was slightly injured.

Meanwhile, Eric Ciotti, deputy for the Alpes Maritimes, has asked the Interior Minister, Christophe Castaner, for additional resources to maintain public order during the semi-final match between Algeria and Nigeria this Sunday. 

Pompiers are attempting to bring a fire in undergrowth near Toulon under control. Reports say that about 20 firefighters and two water bombing aircraft are fighting the blaze. The Toulon Ouest entry and exit of the A50 motorway were closed this afternoon because of the fire.

François Hollande is visiting the Var today. The former French President is in Hyeres for a book signing this evening. He met the Mayor of  Hyeres, Jean-Pierre Giran, and other local officials earlier in the day.

President Emmanuel Macron has officially launched France’s new nuclear submarine.  The submarine, named Suffren, is the first in a series of six French nuclear subs to be launched. 700 guests were present for the ceremony in Cherbourg today.

Heavy traffic is expected to build up on the region’s roads from this afternoon as the summer holiday period continues. The French road monitor Bison Fute is advising motorists to avoid motorways and large towns from 5 pm until 8 pm today and says that traffic is expected to be very heavy all day tomorrow.

BUSINESS

Thomas Cook have confirmed that the company is in rescue talks with banks and its largest shareholder, Fosun. The measures, which have not been finalised, would see the Chinese investor buy the firm's tour business.

Industrial production in the eurozone rose 0.9% in May compared with the previous month, according to the EU statistics agency Eurostat. Compared with May 2018, industrial production decreased by 0.5% in the eurozone and increased by 0.4% in the wider EU

Carmaker Daimler has issued its fourth profits warning this year. The company said that it is "adjusting" its outlook for its financial performance and now expects a second-quarter loss of €1.6bn compared with a profit of €2.6bn a year earlier.

China's exports fell less than expected in June leaving the country with a trade surplus of $51bn compared with $42bn in May. Analysts have been watching the data closely to assess the impact of China’s trade dispute with the US. The 1.3% fall was less than the 2% that had been expected by analysts polled by Reuters.

SPORT

Motorsports…It was the second practice for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this afternoon. It was a Mercedes one-two, with Valtteri Bottas fastest, followed by Lewis Hamilton. He was slightly quicker than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. In the first practice session this morning, Red Bull's Pierre Gasly was fastest – he was 0.476 seconds clear of Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third and Lewis Hamilton fourth. 

Tennis….It’s men’s semi-finals day today at Wimbledon and defending champion Novak Djokovic has reached the final with a four-set victory over Roberto Bautista Agut. Final score was 6-2  4-6  6-3  6-2. Next it’s Rafael Nadal against Roger Federer.

Cycling….Dylan Groenewegen has claimed his first stage win of this year's Tour de France as Giulio Ciccone retained the leader's yellow jersey after stage seven today. Defending champion Geraint Thomas finished in the peloton to remain fifth overall. 

Football...Former England striker Peter Crouch has ended his playing career aged 38 after more than 21 years as a professional. He played for a total of 11 clubs including Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Stoke and most recently at Burnley. He earned 42 England caps.

Also in football news, Barcelona have signed France forward Antoine Griezmann from rivals Atletico Madrid after paying his 120m euro buyout. The 28-year-old has signed a five-year deal.

Aston Villa have agreed a £15m deal with Manchester City for Brazil Under-23 captain Douglas Luiz. The midfielder has been on loan at Girona for the past two seasons.