Evening Update Monday 11th July 2022

The first forest fire of the season in the Vésubie valley has been safely put out by firefighters. 4,000 square metres of forest went up in smoke in the Loda district of Lantosque this Morning. The origin of the fire was accidental. Firefighters from Lantosque, Roquebilliere and Saint-Martin-du-Var managed to bring it under control quickly.

Meanwhile, helicopters have intervened following a wildfire in Hyères in the Var on Sunday evening. According to reports from firefighters, some 2000 m2 of vegetation were hit by the flames.

Five off duty police officers have been attacked by 15 individuals, armed with cobblestones in Aix-en-Provence. Two people were arrested. Recognised as they left “Le Mistral” nightclub on Sunday evening the five officers suffered numerous injuries. An investigation has been opened by the authorities.

A new public car park with space of 175 vehicles has opened in the northern part of Monaco port - including 10 charging points for electric vehicles. The new facility can be accessed from the Route de la Piscine, by tabac corner. The car park has been named after Louis Chiron, the Monegasque driver who won the third Monaco grand prix in 1931 at the wheel of his Bugatti.

In other French news, Météo France has predicted a heatwave across France from today Monday 11th July, with temperatures expected to reach nearly 40 degrees. The South-West and the Rhône Valley are the regions which will be the hardest hit by the high temperatures, which are expected to last for at least ten days.

A burglar nicknamed Spiderman, who scaled tall buildings in Monaco to steal from people's apartments, has been jailed. Dressed entirely in black, wearing a hood and attached to each building by rope, he would operate only at night and carried out a series of daring burglaries in 2019, including from a 50th floor apartment in the Tour Odeon. His preferred targets were buildings within a few metres of the border with France. The man, in his 40s and of Lithuanian origin, had been in pre-trial detention since May last year.

And a four-star hotel for cats, called Dodo Cat, has opened its doors in Nice. The concept comes from the same owners as La Ronronnerie, the cat cafe that opened on Rue Lépante in 2015. The hotel is entirely dedicated to cats and their well-being. It offers 15 individual rooms, a play area and grooming sessions.

BUSINESS

Thousands of leaked files have exposed how Uber courted top politicians, and how far it went to avoid justice. They detail the extensive help Uber got from leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and ex-EU commissioner Neelie Kroes. They also show how the taxi firm's former boss personally ordered the use of a "kill switch" to prevent raiding police from accessing computers. Uber says its "past behaviour wasn't in line with present values" and it is a "different company" today.

The US economy created 372,000 jobs in June, according to official figures, with employment growing by far more than forecast. Economists had expected the country to add between 250,000 and 295,000 roles. The unemployment rate also remained close to record lows, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The strong jobs figures are being seen by some analysts as a sign that more US interest rate rises could be on the way.

Russian gas supplies to Germany via the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 have been halted for 10 days. The pipeline's Russian-backed operators say the move is because of annual maintenance work. But German ministers believe the shutdown is politically motivated to put pressure on Berlin. Last month, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Russian President Vladimir Putin was using gas "as a weapon" in response to EU sanctions.

Heathrow Airport has apologised to passengers caught up in recent travel chaos but warned that more flights could be cancelled. The UK's largest airport asked airlines to remove 61 flights from Monday's schedules, as it seeks to cope with soaring demand and staff shortages. Heathrow's boss John Holland-Kaye said the airport would request "further action if necessary". Tens of thousands of UK passengers have been affected by travel disruption.

SPORT

Football - Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is "in our plans" for the new season and is "not for sale". The 37-year-old will miss the first part of United's pre-season tour to Thailand and wants to leave the club. He returned to United last season after playing for Real Madrid and Juventus. Ronaldo's absence from the tour fuelled speculation over his future after he also missed the club's return to pre-season training at Carrington. He instead trained at the Portuguese national team's headquarters.

Rugby Union - England flanker Sam Underhill will not be available for Saturday's series decider against Australia after being withdrawn from the squad because of concussion along with lock Maro Itoje. England boss Eddie Jones confirmed after England's second Test win that Itoje had been ruled out and left the door open for Underhill's return. But on Monday the side confirmed both would play no further part in the tour. No replacements will be called up before the final Test in Sydney.

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