Evening Update Monday 14 August 2023

A person has been taken into police custody in connection with yesterday's fatal fire in Grasse, according to local reports. Three people lost their lives in the blaze in a building on the Place aux Aires in the early hours of Sunday.

A woman in her fifties has died after being hit by a van in Villefranche-sur-Mer. The accident happened at about 9.30 this morning on boulevard Napoleon III.

Traffic has returned to normal after a gas leak in Cagnes-sur-Mer this lunchtime. A security perimeter was established on Avenue Ziem but was lifted early this afternoon.

Unsettled weather is affecting many areas of France. Five deparments in eastern areas are under a Meteo France Orange level warning for heat and five departments in the south-west are under an orange warning for storms. A large number of departments in the south-west, north-east and central areas of the country are on yellow warnings for storms. Locally, in the Alpes-Maritimes there is a yellow warning for storms until 10pm this evening.

It's five years today since the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Italy. 43 people died when the structure on the A10 motorway in Genoa gave way on 14 August 2018. In a social media post today Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said that his thoughts were with the victims and injured and Nice "remains united with its Italian neighbours".

The French government has launched a website listing water restrictions in force in each locality across France. Details are available on https://vigieau.gouv.fr

The first official visit to France by His Royal Highness King Charles III will take place in September, according to reports in French media. The exact dates haven't yet been released. The King was originally scheduled to visit France in March but the trip was postponed because of unrest at the time over pension reforms.

 

BUSINESS

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has said that she takes full responsibility for what she called the "sensitive decision" to implement a tax on the country's banks. The government put a cap on the tax within 24 hours after its announcement caused bank share prices to drop significantly.

Employers in the UK expect to award pay rises of up to 5% during the coming year according to a new survey. The survey of human resource managers by professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed that expected pay rises are at their highest level since 2012.

 

SPORT

Football... Paris St-Germain have agreed a deal to sell Neymar to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for about 90 million euros plus add-ons. The transfer of the Brazil national team player is subject to the completion of a medical and all the necessary paperwork.

Real Madrid have signed Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea on a season-long loan. The Spanish goalkeeper has made 163 appearances for Chelsea since joining the club in 2018.

Cricket...Former England player Steven Finn has announced his retirement from professional cricket. He made his first-class debut in county cricket in 2005, but has not featured in red-ball cricket since July last year because of a knee injury.

Rugby Union... France player Romain Ntamack won't be playing in the Rugby World Cup because of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. He sustained the injury to his left knee in the World Cup warm-up match against Scotland. The World Cup gets underway on 8 September.

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