Evening Update 18 April

Police are searching for witnesses to an accident in Grasse where a man was seriously injured by a truck during Mondays evening rush hour.  After the accident, the man had to be flown by helicopter to hospital in Nice where he is recovering. In particular, police would like to speak with a brunette woman, dressed in a red jacket, black jeans and sneakers, who left the scene before the arrival of help.

SNCF have announced there will be no train service this Easter weekend between Cannes La Bocca and Les Arcs Draguignan. This is due to renovation work which will take place on the Frayere bridge during the quieter holiday period.

President Macron has honoured firefighters who battled the blaze at Notre-Dame, at a special ceremony at the Elysee Palace this afternoon. He said the country and the entire world were watching them and they were the perfect example of what France can be.

The iconic I Love Nice sign has been fully refurbished and returned to its spot overlooking the Baie des Anges in Nice. The sign, which first appeared after the terror attack of 2016, is now a must for tourists, where it’s estimated the sign has featured in 10 billion photos and social media posts.

The legendary American Bar at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco has been voted "Hotel Bar of the Year ". The European Hotel Awards 2019 granted the honour for the total renovation of the bar, including a new terrace with unique views of the Place du Casino where locals and VIP rub shoulders.

BUSINESS

European banks are set to report their first-quarter earnings, starting next week, but some investors fear that poor report cards could lead to further volatility in the stock markets. Several analysts have raised concerns over earnings, due to external risks such as low economic growth, uncertainty over trade deals and Brexit.

The online scrap-book company Pinterest has priced its shares at the top end of its range, as it becomes the latest unicorn to make its stock market debut. It will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange , selling shares at $19, giving the loss-making firm a market value of $12.6bn.

SPORT

Football - The future of OGC Nice will be discussed by Mayor Christian Estrosi and club shareholders at an emergency meeting tomorrow. On the table is a plan by British billionaire Jim Ratcliff to buy the club.

Rugby - Ireland and Ulster captain Rory Best is to retire after this year's World Cup in Japan. After a tally of 117 caps, the third highest for Ireland, Rory said this feels like the right time for him to go out on his own terms, a luxury for which he feels very privileged. The Rugby World Cup runs from September 20th until November 2nd.

TENNIS MASTERS

World number one Novak Djokovic breezed into the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals in just one hour and eight minutes, when he beat American Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-Luv.

Britain's Cameron Norrie was unable to progress from the last 16 when he lost 6-2 7-5 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego who is ranked 40 places below him.

This afternoon, Rafael Nadal enjoyed a convincing 6-4 6-1 win against Grigor Dimitros.