Evening Update Friday 17 May

The section of the Moyenne Corniche affected by a landslide is to reopen this evening. The road located above Monaco has been closed to traffic since April 24th after a wall collapsed.  Traffic will be alternated with a further closure planned for the 3rd June lasting four days. The town council has announced that further repairs are needed with the bulk of the work being carried out at a later date and lasting more than two months. The closure has, until now caused long delays in the area. Motorists are advised to use an alternative route if possible.  

The president of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis, Christian Estrosi has announced that the 90km per hour speed limit will be reinstated on 800km of roads. It follows Prime Minister Edouard Philippe's decision to allow the presidents of the departmental councils to restore the speed limit to 90 from the 80km per hour on secondary raods introduced last July.

The 54th Antibes Côte d'Azur rally is taking place this weekend. There will be 13 special stages on local roads around Antibes and in the arriere pays. 

The pénétrante du Paillon was closed for a time around midday today after a lorry got stuck under a bridge. The incident happened between Nice and La Trinite.  Traffic diversions were put in place.

BUSINESS

President Donald Trump has delayed a decision on whether to impose tariffs on imports of cars and car parts. The White House has put back the decision by six months to allow more time for trade talks with the European Union and Japan.

Amazon has announced an investment investment in food courier Deliveroo. The exact figure was not given, but Amazon is the biggest investor in Deliveroo's latest round of fund raising, which in total raised $575m. Deliveroo said it would use the money for international expansion, improving its service and to grow its delivery-only kitchens business.

Easyjet has reported a loss before tax of £275m in the 6 months to the end of March, compared with £68m last year. It said cost per seat had gone up 3.9% after fuel price increases, the impact of currency movements, and "the impact of drones at Gatwick in December".

Annual inflation in the Eurozone was 1.7% in April,  Eurostat has confirmed after a flash estimate at the beginning of May. This is up from 1.4% in March.

SPORT

Cricket…It’s England against Pakistan in the 1 Day International Series. Pakistan are batting first.

Tennis….Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Italian Open with a right leg injury. Federer, who is 37 years old now, was competing at the event for the first time since 2016.

Football…It’s been announced that Massimiliano Allegri will leave Juventus at the end of the season. The 51-year-old Italian has won the league title in each of his five seasons since taking charge in 2014.

Rugby Union…The Guinness Pro 14 playoff semi final is being played between Glasgow Warriors and Ulster tonight. Kick off is at 8.35 French time while tomorrow in the Gallagher Premiership in England  it’s the final round of games ahead of the playoffs. Exeter and Saracens are the top two heading into the final weekend with Gloucester and Northampton completing the top 4.Harlequins have a chance of pipping Northampton to 4th place if they beat Wasps and Northampton lose to Exeter.