Authorities have issued a special fire risk warning for parts of southern France for today. The Directorate General of Civil Security and the Prefect of the Southern Defense and Security Zone are recommending great vigilance in Provence from the region of Avignon to the Alpilles, around the l'étang de Berre and the Blue Coast area to the west of Marseille. The authorities say that there’s a strong fire danger linked to very dry vegetation and very strong mistral winds. Meanwhile, the Var has been placed on a "high fire risk” due to highs winds forecast for today. The public are reminded to take extra care, especially in forest areas. With gusts of up to 75km/hr forecast this week, the warning for the Var will remain in place until Friday. 350 firefighters are stationed in forest areas in the department in order to respond quickly to any outbreak.
New data just published shows that 1,843 people lost their lives on roads in Metropolitan France in the first seven months of this year. That’s nine fewer deaths than in the same period last year. There were 328 deaths in the month of July, the same number as last year.
A woman has been seriously injured while apparently trying to catch a bus in Antibes. The incident happened during this morning’s rush hour on Boulevard General Vautrin. Initial investigations suggest that the 50 year old fell while trying to run after a departing bus which crushed her leg. She was taken to the Pasteur 2 hospital in Nice.
An 85 year old woman who had been missing for two days has been found safe and well. Therese Lochet, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, disappeared from her home in La Gaude on Sunday and was found today just 800 metres from her home.
A swimmer has been saved from drowning by the lifeguards at Coco Beach in Nice. The man in his fifties got into difficulty 50 meters from the shore at 10am this morning. Luckily, he was spotted by lifeguards and brought back safely to the beach. Meanwhile, Lifeguards in Golfe-Juan have warned parents and adults in charge of young children to take the necessary safety measures, after a 4-year-old nearly drowned on Sunday, adding that “armbands are not everything and nothing beats the supervision of an adult”. Last year in France among the 1,649 accidental drownings 443 concerned children under 6 and 35 died as a result.
Recent figures have shown that more and more French people are investing in second homes representing 10% of the housing market according to a study on data collected in 2015. 4 out of 10 French people who do not own a second home, expressed a wish to buy one and of these 60% said they would like it to be by the sea. In Porto-Vecchio in Corsica, more than half of the houses or apartments are second homes.
BUSINESS
Protests are continuing at Hong Kong International Airport for a second consecutive day. Flight check-in has been suspended because of the anti-government protests. Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, earlier issued a new warning to protesters. She said that Hong Kong had "reached [a] dangerous situation" and that violence during protests would push it "down a path of no return".
In Germany, research institute ZEW has said that business sentiment amongst investors was worse than expected in August. Its measure of optimism fell to -44.1 from -24.5 in July. It blamed trade disputes and the higher chances of a no-deal Brexit for the worsening outlook.
The number of people out of work in the UK fell by 33,000 to 1.33 million in the year to June. The new figures from the ONS showed that the number of people in work hit a record 76.1%. There was a very slight decline in full-time employment, with 3,000 fewer workers than in the previous quarter.
Travel company Tui says that the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max plane will cost the group €300m. The company reported a 3.7% rise in sales in the third quarter. Pre-tax profits dropped by about 58 %.
Singapore has cut its growth forecast for this year. The Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry said that GDP expectations for 2019 have been reduced to “0.0% to 1.0%” from a previous “1.5% to 2.5%”. It said uncertainties in the global economy had increased over the past three months.
SPORT
Football...Bayern Munich have signed Croatia winger Ivan Perisic on a one-year loan from Inter Milan. The deal includes an option for the German champions to buy the player at the end of the loan period. Perisic has previously played for Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg.
Former Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder has retired after a 17-year career. The 35-year-old played a Dutch record 134 times for the national team, including in the 2010 World Cup final. At club level, he played for Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
Tennis...Andy Murray says he won’t play singles at the US Open later this month. Yesterday Murray played his first singles match since he had hip surgery in January – losing 6-4 6-4 to Richard Gasquet. Murray says he intends to play doubles and mixed doubles at the Grand Slam in New York, which starts on 26 August.
Cricket... Moeen Ali is to take what’s being referred to as a "short break" from cricket after being dropped by England for this week's second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's. He scored only 13 runs in four innings in the Australia and Ireland tests, and took four wickets at a cost of 186 runs. He’s so far played in 60 Tests, 101 one-day internationals and 25 T20 games.
Nice airport says as many as 60% of flights will be cancelled tomorrow due to a nationwide strike by air traffic controllers....
Read More
After eight months of work and several sea trials, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has begun a six-week operation in the Mediterranean, ...
Read More
A group of experts have come up with more than 150 recommendations for how Nice can deal with the increasing effects of climate change....
Read More
Some communes in the Alpes-Maritimes will be plunged into darkness this Monday evening. For the third year running to mark Earth Day, mayors in the Al...
Read More
Gendarmes in the Var have appealed for information after a 34-year-old man went missing in Cavalaire-sur-Mer....
Read More
