Cyclist critical -A cyclist is in a critical condition in the Pasteur 2 Hospital this morning following an accident on the Col du Turini.
Authorities say that the accident happened near the village of Moulinet when the man lost control of his bike and came off the road.He was airlifted to hospital and is reported to be suffering from multiple injuries.
Road accident - 3 people have been injured ,one seriously following a collision between a car and a motorbike on the route de Regusse at Montmeyan in the Var.
The 49 year old motorbike rider is described as critical and was airlifted to hospital in Toulon while the driver of the car and his passenger ,a 14 year old boy sustained lighter injuries.
2 ambulances and 2 helicopters attended the scene.An enquiry is underway to determine the cause of the accident.
Pool closed -The municipal swimming pool at Sanary-sur-Mer in the Var will remain closed until the start of August.
Authorities say that the pool can’t yet be re-opened because of the risks of transmission of Covid-19. Work is being carried out to improve hygiene measures and self- distancing requirements.
Larvotto- Monaco’s famous Larvotto Beach has opened again for the first time since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
Beach lovers have been able to take to the sand again but with several restrictions in place.
Access is by one point only.Masks must be worn and dogs are banned.The new regulations will be in force for the foreseeable future.
Ponton Courbet-There’s still no clear indication of what will happen to the Ponton Courbet in Juan-Les-Pins which was damaged by storms in 2017 and 2019.
The structure has been judged as unsafe and the area has been roped off since last year.
The ferry company Riviera Line which uses the pontoon for services to the Iles de Lerins has had to shift operations to Golfe Juan which has affected its turnover.
A meeting of structural engineers and judicial experts is due to be held on the 15th of July in a bid to establish what needs to be done to make the pontoon safe for use and who will have to pay for it.
Col de la Bonette- There’s a growing row between the mayors of local villages and conservationists over the col de la Bonette in the Tinee.
Europe’s highest road ,which is disputed by many is seeing increasing numbers of cars and in particular motorbikes during the summer months which environmentalists say is affecting the natural beauty of the site and damaging wildlife.
The road ,which is closed in the winter because of heavy snow ,links the Tinee to the Ubaye valley and local mayors say it’s an important attraction which brings in vital revenue for the whole local area.
The road was constructed in the 1960s to improve links for local people and farmers but tourist traffic is now its main purpose.
The col is a protected area within the Mercantour Park and conservationists say traffic regulations need to be tightened.
In National News.
Environment- The new French Prime Minister Jean Castex has pledged to put environmental issues at the top of the government’s agenda.
Mr Castex ,who was chosen by President Macron to replace Edouard Philippe who resigned on Friday ,says that the government has to relaunch “the construction of the country” and invest in sectors for the future. He said that ecological issues are not an option and they transcend all political classes.
The 55 year old new Prime Minister is a former key political advisor to former President Nicolas Sarkozy and worked closely with Emmanuel Macron on the plan for France to come out of lockdown.
He’s expected to unveil his new cabinet of ministers from lunchtime today with environmental issues to the fore showing the strong showing of the greens in last weekend’s local elections.
Gendarme killed - A 26 year old woman Gendarme has been killed after being struck by a car during a road safety check at Port-Sainte- Marie in the Lot et Garonne.
The officer was killed when the motorist failed to stop for a roadside check late on Saturday night. He was arrested shortly afterwards.
The French Interior Ministry said in a statement that the suspect first refused to stop at a road block and performed a U-turn before not stopping at a second control point where the fatal incident occurred.The woman officer received medical treatment at the scene but died from her injuries.
The suspect is being held in custody at the Gendarmerie in Agen.
Louvre - The world famous Louvre Museum in Paris opens its doors again today for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Part of the museum will remain closed to visitors although the gallery housing the Mona Lisa will be open.
Strict hygiene and social distancing measures are in place.
The director of the Louvre says that the museum has sustained losses of 40 million euros since the start of the crisis.
All visitors must book a time slot before arrival at www.ticketlouvre.fr
Business.
Economists at Goldman Sachs have revised downwards second quarter estimates for the United States but say that the economy should be back on track by September after several states imposed fresh restrictions to control the coronavirus.
Goldman said that it appeared that consumer spending will stall this month and next but that other economies had proved it was possible to resume activity with changes in behaviour such as wearing masks helping too.
The economists said that they now expect US GDP to expand by 25 percent in the third quarter resulting in the economy slumping by 4.6 percent this year-worse than the 4.2 percent previously predicted.
Goldman said it expected growth of 5.8 percent in 2021 and project that unemployment will be at 9 percent at the end of this year- down from a previous estimate of 9.5 percent.
The UK is to pump 800 million pounds into job centres in an effort to cope with a huge wave of unemployment in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
The government will double numbers of staff in job centres to 27,000 in a bid to help people back into work..
The announcement comes as Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak prepares to make a statement in The House of Commons this Wednesday in which he will outline measures to help stimulate the economy and protect jobs as the UK continues to emerge from a national lockdown that started on March the 23rd.
A wider stimulus package is set to be delivered in the Budget in the autumn.
Mr Sunak is coming under pressure from business leaders to do more than the “bare minimum” with calls for wage subsidies for apprentices ,a cut to national insurance payments made by employers and also the issuing of vouchers for households to spend on the high street to get the economy moving again.
And-The German Economy Minister has said that he sees a recovery from October onwards as the country recovers following the coronavirus pandemic.
In a newspaper interview on Sunday ,Peter Altmaier said that he was sure that the “downturn in our economy can be stopped after the summer break” and that “from October onwards ,the economy can start growing again in Germany”.
Mr Altmaier said that the German economy would shrink by 6 percent this year but was forecast to grow by 5 percent in 2021. He said that his goal was to reach the level that employment was at before the crisis by 2022 and to start moving towards full employment after that date.
Sport.
Formula 1-Valtteri Bottas led from start to finish to win the season opening Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Bottas took the chequered flag ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari and Lando Norris scored a maiden podium finish ending third to give McLaren a much needed boost.
Lewis Hamilton ,who was handed a three place grid penalty for ignoring a yellow flag in qualifying finished second on track but was handed a 5 second penalty for an illegal collision with Red Bull’s Alex Albon.
Both Mercedes had gear box and sensor issues in the latter part of the race making the predicted cruise to victory for the Silver Arrows less than assured.
The next race is also in Austria next weekend.
Football-There were four games in the English Premier League on Sunday.
Burnley and Sheffield United drew 1-1.Newcastle and West Ham drew 2-2.The champions Liverpool were 2-0 winners over relegation threatened Aston Villa and Southampton all but secured their Premier League future with a surprise 1-0 win over Manchester City.
There’s one game tonight.Spurs host Everton.
In the English Championship on Sunday-Swansea beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1.Middlesbrough lost 1-0 at home to QPR and West Brom closed the gap on leaders Leeds United to 1 point thanks to a 4-2 win over Hull.
Cricket-England have named spinner Dom Bess ahead of Jack Leach and Moeen Ali in their 13 man squad for the first Test against West Indies which starts in Southampton on Wednesday.
Rory Burns ,Dom Sibley ,Zak Crawley and Joe Denly make up the top four in the batting line up with Joe Root missing the match to attend the birth of his second child.
Ben Stokes is captaining the side in the absence of Root.
Racing-Ghaiyyath has beaten the favourite Enable to win the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
The 9-4 shot trained by Charlie Appleby made all the running and held on to beat the even money favourite and defending champion.
Japan ,trained by Aiden O’Brien who won both the Oaks and the Derby at Epsom on Saturday finished third.
Weather.
Clear skies with light to moderate westerly winds.
Top temperatures 29 degrees on the coast and up to 32 degrees inland.
Overnight lows of 22 degrees on the coast and 19 degrees inland with clear skies.
Tuesday and Wednesday-Clear skies with highs of 28-30 degrees.
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