Evening Update Monday 16 September

Members of a range of professions have been demonstrating against pension reforms today. Lawyers, medics and airline employees have been protesting at the proposed reforms which, if adopted, would see the introduction of a universal pension system instead of the current law under which separate professions have their own pension arrangements. Lawyers at the Nice bar were on strike today, along with many of their colleagues throughout France.

A 20 year old man has drowned in a private swimming pool in Cannes. The incident happened in the early hours of this morning. Members of the victim’s family discovered his body at 1am and alerted emergency services. An investigation has been launched.

Public finance employees staged a demonstration in Toulon this morning. They were aiming to draw public attention to the planned closure of 16 public finance centres in the Var by 2022. The jobs of 300 agents are said to be at risk because of the plans. A similar demonstration was held in Marseille this morning to protest against the loss of 110 public finance jobs in the Bouches-du-Rhone.

Traffic disruption is expected in central Nice over the next few days because of the closure of a major road. Part of the the Boulevard Victor Hugo is closed until Thursday morning between Eugène-Emanuel and Alphonse-Karr. The closure is to enable a facelift of the area while work on the tramway is taking place. Also in central Nice, Kronstadt Street will  be closed to traffic from 7am to 5pm from this Tuesday until Friday between rue de la Buffa and Avenue Maréchal-Joffre.

A man died in Hyeres after apparently jumping from the roof of a building on Saturday afternoon. The 60 year old man told police that he was going to jump and the police didn’t have time to intervene before he fell 15 metres to the ground. An investigation has been opened.

Police are appealing for information about a man who went missing from a retirement home in Sanary at the weekend. 78 year old Denis Espinosa, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, hasn’t been seen since Saturday. The nursing home have said that he generally walks with his head down and does not speak. He wears a bracelet stating his name and address. He was dressed in black clothes at the time of his disappearance.

Two people were injured after jumping from a first floor window to escape a fire in Grasse. The blaze broke out in an apartment in the old town yesterday afternoon.

Plans for the construction of an Olympic marina were debated by the Marseille City Council yesterday. The controversial proposals call for the construction of a marina for use in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games on the site of an existing nautical stadium. The stadium is expected to cost 25 million euros. The opposition in the council criticized the fact that Marseille would have to pay 22 million euros of that amount, with the state only paying 3 million euros.  Most of the Olympic events in 2024 will be held around Paris but Biarritz will host the surfing events and Marseille the sailing events.

The French government has launched a national phone line to allow tenants to report so called “marchands de sommeil” – landlords who rent out tiny and often low quality apartments at exorbitant rents. According to the government, 450,000 homes are rented out by marchands de sommeil, with housing charities putting the figure even higher.

BUSINESS

Oil prices have surged today after attacks on Saudi Arabian facilities on Saturday knocked out more than 5% of the world's supply. President Donald Trump has authorised the release of US reserves. The strike, which the US blames on Iran, has sparked fears of increased risk to energy supplies in the region.

Discount retailer Aldi says that it plans to open a new store in the UK every week on average for the next two years. The company said it would invest £1bn to achieve its aim. Aldi reported a rise in sales for last year as it opened new stores, but profits fell.

China's economy grew at its slowest pace since the early 1990s in the second quarter, according to official figures. In the three months to June, the economy grew 6.2% from a year earlier. Industrial production grew at its weakest pace in more than 17 years in August, slipping to 4.4% from the same period a year earlier, which is the slowest pace since February 2002.

SPORT

Rugby Union...Scotland forward David Denton has been forced to retire from rugby after a concussion he suffered while playing for Leicester Tigers. The Zimbabwe-born player was capped 42 times for Scotland.

Cricket...Scotland are playing the Netherlands in an International 20/20 match in Dublin. The Netherlands won the toss and decided to field.

Football...Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has signed a new contract to stay with the club until 2023. The 28 year old has made 367 United appearances since Sir Alex Ferguson brought him to the club from Atletico Madrid in June 2011.

There’s one game in the English Premier League tonight. Aston Villa play West Ham.