There has been a dramatic car chase in Nice for the second day running. It happened in the early hours of the morning, when police flagged down a suspicious driver who instead of stopping, sped off climbing the footpath, hitting bushes and eventually crashing into a barrier at the Paillon tunnel. The driver, who has several previous driving convictions, was arrested and could face ten months in jail.
Italy is on the verge of crisis as political turmoil has returned to Rome with one of the country’s deputy prime ministers calling for snap elections. He says the current coalition government, which is just over a year old, is unworkable.
A 14-year-old boy has been placed in police custody after stealing his grandmothers car in Callian in the Var. The teenager stole the vehicle in the middle of the night to go to his mother and step-father’s home in Grasse. The grandmother alerted the police who later charged the youth with theft and driving without license.
BUSINESS
Malaysia has charged 17 Goldman Sachs bankers with corruption at its state development fund 1MDB. Goldman helped raise $6.5bn through bond offerings for the fund. The bank said it would vigorously defend the charges.
Just as the UK Chancellor said he doesn’t expect the UK to slide into recession, new data today shows the economy shrank by 0.2% in the last quarter. It’s the first contraction since 2012. If the current quarter also shrinks, the UK will officially be in recession.
Amazon are investigating claims that Chinese schoolchildren were used in night shifts to keep up with the production demand for Alexa smart speakers. It’s claimed hundreds of schoolchildren, who were classified as interns were used, with teachers paid to accompany children to work and encourage uncooperative students to take on additional overtime. Amazon supplier Foxconn confirmed it had been alerted to violations of Chinese labour laws at one of its facilities.
SPORT
Football - League 1 gets underway tonight with an all-star opening game at Stade Louis II, as Monaco take on Lyon. With eight French league titles, five victories in the Coupe de France, one Coupe de la Ligue, and an appearance in the UEFA Champions League finals, AS Monaco is among the most prestigious clubs in French football.
However, last season was disappointing, and tonight the team are without star striker and captain Radamel Falcao. If they triumph against Lyon tonight, it bodes well for the rest of the season. The match kicks off at the Stade Louis II at 8.45 pm … while tomorrow, OGC Nice kick off their new season with a home game at Allianz Riviera against Amiens.
Meanwhile, French referee Stéphanie Frappart is about to become the first permanent female referee in Ligue 1 this weekend. Stephanie will also become the first female to officiate a major men’s European match when she takes charge of the UEFA Super Cup Final between Liverpool and Chelsea in Istanbul.
Formula 1 - Mexico will remain on the calendar for three more years after a deal was agreed to expand the schedule to a record 22 races next season. New races will take place in Vietnam and the Netherlands from 2020, with Germany set to drop off the calendar.
Rugby - Glasgow Warriors centres Nick Grigg and Kyle Steyn have been cut from Scotland's World Cup training squad which will be further trimmed to 31 players before the tournament in Japan. Scotland play a warm-up test against France in Nice, Saturday week August 17th, with a return match at Murrayfield the following week.
The largest wildfire in at least 50 years in France, which claimed one life, has now been brought under control. The fire swept through 17,000 hectare...
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A yellow heatwave warning remains in place today. Hazy sunshine with a gentle coastal breeze. Daytime are forecast to reach between 30 and 32°C in the...
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A major pile-up involving around ten vehicles, including a truck and a motorcycle, occurred early on the 7th of August in the Las Planas tunnel on the...
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Banque Havilland (Monaco) SAM will relaunch as Moncrief Private Bank (Monaco) SAM in late 2025, following its acquisition by an international investor...
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Monaco has introduced a new road safety law that bans children under 14 from using electric scooters or electric bikes on public roads. The change is ...
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