Evening Update Friday 12 April

A car burst into flames next to the La Turbie toll booths on the A8 this morning. The fire, which engulfed the car, was extinguished by pompiers from the La Turbie fire station.

The Criminal Court in Nice has ordered a 20 year old man to be detained in a psychiatric facility. The court heard that the man was attempting to get from Nice to Marseille by walking on the railway track.  He resisted the attempts of police to help him at the scene. 

Former French president François Hollande has been in Menton this afternoon. He was scheduled to give a talk in front of Sciences Po students on the topic of "The future of multilateralism at a time of national withdrawal".

A teenager is recovering in hospital after a bizarre accident on farmland in Saint-Martin-Vésubie yesterday evening. A film crew had just finished filming a television commercial featuring a local cow when the trailer containing the animal and the farmer’s 15 year old son fell 70 metres down a hillside. The teenager was taken to the Pasteur Hospital 2 in Nice with injuries to his legs and head.  The animal survived after a lengthy rescue operation.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has been in Marseille today.  He signed an order of 117 million euros for urban renewal and the renovation of dilapidated housing and visited the Kalliste area of northern Marseille.

The French Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner has said that France is willing to take several migrants who have been stranded on a ship off Malta. The migrants have been on a ship operated by the Sea-Eye non-governmental organization. He also said that he had asked government staff to facilitate the transfer of 20 migrants to France from other rescue ships in the area.

French authorities have been involved in the dismantling of an international network of trafficking in prohibited products for use by body builders.  Reports say that arrests were made in Nice and in several other locations including in the Paris region, Bordeaux, Belgium and Luxembourg. 

BUSINESS

India’s Jet Airways has apparently suspended all its international flights, raising fresh fears about the survival of India's largest private airline. Reports say that the airline, which has more than $1bn (£765m) of debt, is seeking a financial lifeline to avoid collapse. The Indian government said steps were being taken to ensure passenger safety.

JPMorgan Chase has reported net income of $9.2bn for the first three months of 2019, beating analyst estimates. Investment banking revenue jumped 10% and net interest income was up 8%.

Chinese exports rose once more in March, up 21.3% from the same period in 2018. In February, exports dropped 16.6% - their steepest fall in three years, due to its trade war with the US.

SPORT

Rugby Union… a referendum of French amateur rugby clubs has ruled out a non-French coach taking charge of the French team. 59% of the clubs who voted said they would not support the appointment of a foreigner to replace Jacques Brunel after the 2019 World Cup. French Federation president Bernard Laporte has promised to respect the result.
In the English Premier League this weekend, there’s one game tonight with Leicester facing Newcastle.

Football..In England on Saturday Spurs play Huddersfield. Brighton face Bournemouth. Burnley play Cardiff. Fulham host Everton. Southamton play Wolves and Manchester United play West Ham. On Sunday Crystal Palace play Manchester City and Liverpool play Chelsea. Watford play Arsenal on Sunday.