Evening Update Thursday 19 September

The first indigenous case of dengue fever in the PACA Region this year has been reported. The Agence Regionale de Sante said that a woman had been diagnosed with the condition in Vallauris but has now recovered after medical treatment. The area around the woman’s residence was subjected to a mosquito control operation to prevent the spread of the disease.

The A500 tunnel between Monaco and the A8 motorway has been re-opened to traffic after a vehicle fire this lunchtime. The tunnel was completely closed at about midday after a vehicle caught fire in the middle of the tunnel. 45 firefighters attended the blaze. According to reports, only one vehicle was involved in the incident and the driver was unharmed after sheltering in one of the refuge spaces inside the tunnel.

A woman in her forties has died in an apartment fire in La Seyne in the Var this morning. Reports say that the fire was already well established on the ground floor of the building when firefighters arrived at about 5am.  Other residents were evacuated from the remainder of the building and four have had to be rehoused.

Four people were slightly injured when a bus crashed into the front garden of a residential building in Toulon this morning. Reports say that the driver of the Line 20 bus had mentioned a problem with the accelerator. Enquiries are continuing.

The city of Nice has announced plans to put two municipal car parks on the market. The Massena and Saleya parkings have 325 and 571 spaces, out of a total of about 19,000 car parking spaces in the city as a whole.

Agents of the electricity company EDF have been on strike today. They are protesting at a restructuring of the company’s operations which will see the separation of commercial and production activities.

To coincide with the European day for Prostate cancer this Friday 20th September health professionals will be available on Place Massena in Nice from 9am to 5pm to answer visitor’s questions both in terms of prevention and care. Every year in France, 50,000 new cases are diagnosed and there are more than 8,000 deaths among men aged 65 and over.

A Belgian air force fighter plane has crashed in north-western France, leaving one pilot caught on a high-voltage electricity line. Both pilots ejected from the plane in Brittany. The trapped man was rescued from the power line. Both are reported to be safe and well.

A black panther found prowling the roofs of a town in northern France has been captured by emergency services. The panther was seen walking along a ledge on the second floor of a building in Armentières near Lille.  A vet was able to tranquilise it with a dart. The panther is about six months old and had been domesticated, according to reports.

 

BUSINESS

The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold at 0.75%. The Monetary Policy Committee  also warned that a no-deal Brexit would hit the economy but stressed that interest rates could move up or down if the UK left the European Union without a deal.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has cut the rate it offers through its discount window by 25 basis points to 2.25%. Meanwhile, Norway's central bank has raised rates by 25 basis points - the fourth rise this year.

The trade war between the US and China will lead to the lowest global growth levels in a decade, according to the OECD. The Organization forecast that the global economy will see its weakest growth this year since the financial crisis, slowing from 3.6% last year to 2.9% this year.

UK clothing retailer Next has announced its half year profits and says brand full price sales were up 4.3%. Pre-tax profit rose 2.7% to £319.6m

MPs in Austria have dealt a blow to the EU's landmark trade deal with South America's economic bloc, by demanding a government veto on the deal. The draft free trade agreement took 20 years to complete. France and Ireland have already warned they will reject the deal if Brazil doesn’t do more to curb fires in the Amazon rainforest. Austrian parties say the deal must do more to tackle environment issues.

 

SPORT

Football… In the Europa League tonight Manchester United are at home to FC Astana while Wolves host Sporting Braga. Arsenal are away at Eintracht Frankfurt and Celtic travel to Rennes and Rangers host Feyenoord.

Former Burton Albion defender Kelvin Maynard has been shot and killed in Amsterdam. The 32-year-old was shot in his car and police are appealing for witnesses as they search for two suspects.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino says that Iran must start allowing women into football stadiums. Iranian women have been banned from stadiums when men's teams have been playing since just after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Football fan Sahar Khodayari died this month when she set herself on fire while awaiting trial for trying to attend a match.

Rugby Union… The scene is set for the start of the Rugby World Cup in Japan tomorrow. New Zealand remain the favourites for the Webb-Ellis Trophy. Beauden Barrett will start at full-back as New Zealand begin their attempt to win a third straight World Cup. Coach Steven Hansen has opted for Richie Mo'unga at fly-half, with wings George Bridge and Sevu Reece also in the team.

Motorsports… Robert Kubica is to leave Williams at the end of the season. He returned to Formula 1 this year after an eight-year absence following life-changing injuries sustained in a rally crash in 2011. Kubica said this year had been "very demanding".

Athletics…World record holder Genzebe Dibaba has pulled out of the World Championships with a foot injury. She was diagnosed with the problem after the Zurich Diamond League meeting in August.

 

 

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