Evening Update Thursday 11 July

The Salis Beach in Antibes has re-opened after a suspect device was discovered in the water last night. The marine police and divers investigated this morning and found that the item was an old gas bottle filled with water.  The beach was immediately re-opened to bathers.

A 25 year old man has died after a head-on collision between two vehicles in Les Arcs sur Argens. The crash happened yesterday evening on the RDN7.

In Monaco, maternity leave for public employees has been extended from 16 to 18 weeks.  The move follows a similar extension to employees of private businesses introduced recently.

Shopkeepers and restauranteurs in Juan les Pins are calling on police to crack down on the numbers of motorbikes and scooters parking on the pavement. Reports say that the situation is getting worse and that some riders are behaving aggressively towards pedestrians while parking their machines on the pavement. There have also been a growing number of complaints against cyclists and riders of electric scooters some of whom are described as behaving in a “cavalier fashion”.

Two minors, aged 13 and 14, have been stopped by police while driving a car in Agay in the Var.  The two are also suspected of carrying out several robberies. They are expected to appear before a juvenile judge shortly.

Traffic has been disrupted by a gas leak in Valbonne at the beginning of the rush hour late this afternoon. Part of the route des Macarons was closed because of the leak at the site of ongoing roadworks.  Reports say that gas supplies were not affected.

The closure of 32 Conforama stores across France has been confirmed. 10 stores trading under the Maison Depot brand will also be closing. In total, 1,900 jobs are expected to be lost. The company has said that the closures are necessary after losses of nearly 500 million euros since 2013.


BUSINESS

The French Senate has approved a digital services tax despite threats of retaliation by the US, which argues that it unfairly targets large American tech businesses. The 3% tax will be levied on sales generated in France by multinational firms like Google and Facebook. Those firms generating more than €25m in revenue in France and €750m worldwide will face the levy. The new tax was approved by the lower house, the National Assembly, last week. The US administration has ordered an inquiry into the move - which could result in retaliatory tariffs.

The chief executive and co-founder of Norwegian Air Shuttle, Bjørn Kjos, has stepped down after 17 years in charge at the airline. Under his leadership, Norwegian developed from a small domestic airline into Europe's third biggest low-cost carrier.

Reckitt Benckiser has announced it will pay $1.4bn to resolve US federal investigations linked to Suboxone Film, the opioid-addiction treatment made by Indivior. The firm has reached the deal with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.

The UK Oil and Gas Authority has opened up applications to explore in large areas of the North Sea and West of Shetland. There are 768 blocks or part-blocks on offer across the main producing areas of the UK Continental Shelf.


SPORT

Tennis....The women’s final at Wimbledon will be between Serena Williams and Simona Halep. Williams beat Barbora Strycova in a 6-1 6-2 win. Simona Halep had a straight set win over Elina Svitolina 6-1  6-3. 

Cricket...It’s the second World Cup Semi Final today.  England are playing Australia at Edgebaston. Australia were all out for 223.

Cycling… Today’s 6th stage of the Tour de France was a 160.5 kilometer ride between Mulhouse  and La Planche des Belles Filles.  Belgian rider Dylan Teuns was fastest on today’s stage but Italy's Giulio Ciccone has taken over as the race leader, by six seconds, from French rider Julian Alaphilippe. Geraint Thomas was fourth over the line today and is fifth overall, 49 seconds behind Ciccone.

Athletics...The Herculis Diamond League meeting will be held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco tomorrow night and there’s an appetizer to the event on Port Hercule this evening. Organisers will stage the women’s triple jump event on the Port tonight this evening at 7pm. Tickets for the full meeting tomorrow evening are available from the Stade Louis II box office or online at monaco.diamondleague.com

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