Evening Update Wednesday 31 July

A power cut has affected some areas of central Nice this afternoon. Reports say that power was lost to about 1,600 to 1,900 Enedis customers at about 1.30 this afternoon. The company re-establish supplies about 2 hours later.  Apparently a back-up system which would normally kick in to restore electricity also suffered problems during the outage.  The premises affected included shops on part of the Avenue Jean-Médecin and the Notre-Dame district around rue de Suisse and Avenue Durante.

Firefighters from the Alpes Maritimes have temporarily travelled to the Var to reinforce their colleagues in the department. One column of firefighters, which includes 58 personnel and 15 vehicles has arrived in the Var, where several forest fires have already broken out this summer. Seven of the nine forested areas of the Var have been placed on “very severe” alert for fires today despite last weekend’s torrential rain. Authorities say that forest land is still very dry and fires could easily start. Walking in the affected areas is prohibited as is access by car on certain signposted roads.

A tourist has died after being rescued from a swimming pool in Cap d’Ail yesterday afternoon. Firefighters initially succeeded in resuscitating the woman in her 80s and transported her to the Princesse Grace Hospital in Monaco where she later passed away.

A fire broke out in the roof of a building in the old town of Vallauris this morning. Two apartments and the loft space of the 4 storey building in rue de l'Hopital were affected. Neighbouring buildings were also evacuated and 25 people are being relocated by the municipality.

Police in Marseille have said that shots were fired in a street in Aubagne this morning. A passenger on a motorcycle apparently opened fire but nobody was injured. Inquiries are continuing.

A 76 year old woman has drowned in Roquebrune-sur-Argens.  She suffered a cardiac arrest while swimming at the San Peïre beach.

Commuters on rush hour trains are complaining after the SNCF introduced its summer schedule. Some trains have been cancelled for the next month and TER express services have had their carriages cut meaning that travellers at peak times are unable to find seats and have been complaining of cramped conditions. The rail operator is also carrying out essential maintenance which is resulting in some delays.


BUSINESS

British Airways has lost an appeal aimed at halting planned strike action by its pilots. The ruling by the Court of Appeal opens the way for BA pilots to name dates for a potential strike but reports say that talks to avoid strike action are scheduled to take place at ACAS for the next 3 days. In a statement, BA said that the union is required to give 14 days' notice of intention to call strike action, and asked customers to review their contact details by visiting ba.com or by contacting their travel agent.

Credit Suisse has reported its highest quarterly profits in four years. Switzerland's second biggest bank reported a net income of 937m Swiss francs, which is up 45% on the same period last year.

Samsung has announced operating profits for the 3 months to the end of June down by 56% from a year earlier. Samsung said weakness and price falls in the memory chip market continued "despite a limited recovery in demand". It also said that the company is facing challenges from uncertainties not only in business areas but also from changes in the global macroeconomic environment.

Aston Martin has reported a loss of £78.8m in the first half of its financial year. It blamed weakness in its key markets. Last week the company cut its sales forecast for 2019.

The latest trade talks have taken place between China and the United States. The Chinese government described the talks as "candid, highly efficient, constructive and deep exchanges" and said that another meeting would take place in September.

German authorities have charged Rupert Stadler, the former head of Audi, with fraud and other offences as part of an investigation into the VW emissions-cheating scandal. Prosecutors claim he knew that hundreds of thousands of Audi, Porsche and VW cars contained software designed to cheat pollution tests, yet turned a blind eye. Mr Stadler has denied wrongdoing.
Aircraft make Airbus has reported a strong first-half of the year. Sales rose 23% and operating profit jumped 72%. However, the company said that the second half of the year “in terms of deliveries and in particular free cash flow continues to be challenging."

 

SPORT

Cricket… England have left pace bowler Jofra Archer out of their team for the first Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston tomorrow. Archer was England's leading wicket-taker in their World Cup campaign. Chris Woakes and fast bowler James Anderson are included in the squad, as are Stuart Broad, off-spinner Moeen Ali and all-rounder Ben Stokes. Captain Joe Root is batting at three behind openers Rory Burns and Jason Roy, with Joe Denly batting at four.

Athletics… Caster Semenya has said that she won’t  defend her World Championship 800m title in September after a setback in her challenge to the restricting of testosterone levels in female runners. But the South African athlete said she would "continue her fight for human rights" despite her "disappointment". Semenya has twice appealed against IAAF rules preventing her from running without medication. But a ruling allowing her to compete has now been overturned.

Football… England Women’s team forward Toni Duggan is to join Spanish league champions Atletico Madrid on a two-year contract. The former Everton and Manchester City player left Barcelona earlier this summer.

Rugby League…Justin Holbrook will leave Super League leaders St Helens at the end of the season. He’ll be returning home to Australia after being named boss of struggling Australian National Rugby League side Gold Coast Titans from next year. 

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