Evening Update Monday 3 June

Two people were rescued from a boat off St Tropez this morning after a serious fire broke out on board. Authorities were alerted to smoke coming from the 13 metre long boat at about 10.00 this morning.  Two crew members of Dutch nationality were picked up by a nearby passenger boat. No injuries were reported. Authorities have taken measures to protect against pollution. 

One carriageway of the A50 motorway was closed for an hour this afternoon after a major vehicle fire.  A truck carrying a load of hay caught fire in the area of Le Castellet in the Var. Authorities closed the carriageway in the direction of Toulon while pompiers fought the blaze. The motorway has now reopened and investigations are currently underway to establish the cause of the fire.

A bather has been rescued after apparently suffering a cardiac arrest whilst swimming in the sea off the Lido Plage in Nice this afternoon. The Italian woman was seen to be motionless in the water and was attended to first by a beach employee and passersby and then by pompiers who transferred her to hospital.

The Nice town hall has proposed several measures to reduce the cost of parking in the city on Saturdays.  The aim is to help local businesses.  However, the measures will need to be approved by a vote of the municipal council before they can come into effect.

Three people were evacuated from a seafront apartment block in Carnoles after a fire yesterday afternoon.  The fire broke out in the building at about 3pm and one person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

Railway workers are planning a demonstration in Paris tomorrow and have called for strike action, but management say that little disruption to services is expected in the PACA region.  Rail unions are concerned at the implementation of a new law reorganising the SNCF.

Workers have been on strike at the power station at Gardanne, north of Marseille today. Unions are protesting about potential job losses as a result of the planned closure of all French coal fired power plants by 2022.

The British army have confirmed that a soldier has died in Normandy in northern France.  It’s believed that the British soldier was swimming in a canal during his off-duty time over the weekend when he got into difficulties. He was in France to assist in the commemoration events for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

BUSINESS

A closely watched survey has indicated that the UK manufacturing sector contracted in May. The IHS Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index was at 49.4, down from 53.1 in April when it was lifted by stockpiling ahead of the UK's expected EU exit. Any reading below 50 indicates contraction. 

In the UK, shares in construction company Kier have fallen after it warned that profits will not meet expectations this year. It said underlying profit would be around £25m. It blamed higher costs and problems at its businesses in road, utilities and housing maintenance.

German chipmaker Infineon Technologies has agreed to buy US rival Cypress Semiconductor in a deal worth $10bn including debt. The companies said they expect the transaction to be completed by the end of 2019 or early 2020.

Amazon has launched a series of pop-up stores on UK high streets. The Clicks and Mortar pilot programme, which is due to last for a year, will see the opening of 10 stores across the UK, in which 100 small online businesses will trade on the high street for the first time. The first store opened in Manchester this morning.

SPORT

Cricket…It’s England against Pakistan in the World Cup at Trent Bridge. England won the toss. Pakistan were 348 for 8 in their innings.

Tennis… Novak Djokovic is through to the last eight at the French open after beating Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff today.  The win means that Djokovic is the only man to reach a 10th consecutive quarter final. French player Benoît Paire is out of the tournament after being beaten by Kei Nishikori.
Meanwhile, American Madison Keys beat Katerina Siniakova in straight sets to get through to the quarter-finals where she will play Australian eighth seed Ashleigh Barty.

Football… Arsenal defender Stephan Lichtsteiner is leaving the club this summer after only one season. The Switzerland captain joined the Gunners in June 2018 on a free transfer from Juventus after signing a one-year deal.