More than seventy firefighters have been tackling a large fire in Mouans-Sartoux this afternoon. The blaze broke out at about 2.00 in undergrowth on the chemin de Castellaras, which is in a residential area on the outskirts of Mougins. Local reports say that when pompiers first arrived the flames were 15 metres high. Two water bombing aircraft were used to fight the fire which was extinguished late this afternoon but pompiers have expressed concerns that the fire may reignite because of breezes in the area. Reports say that about one and a half to two hectares of undergrowth were burned.
A large number of departments in northern France still remain on a top-level Meteo France Red Alert for heat.Temperatures in Paris have reached a record-breaking 42.4 degrees today. Further afield, a record July temperature of 37.7 degrees has been recorded in the UK, and Germany and the Netherlands have reached their highest temperatures since records began. Locally, the Var is on a Yellow Alert and the Alpes Maritimes is still on an Orange alert, which is level 3 out of the 4 alert levels. Meteo France are saying that the minimum and maximum temperatures will remain high until tomorrow. At night, temperatures won’t drop much below 23 to 26 degrees on the coast of the Alpes Maritimes as well as on the plains near the coast. During the day, maximum temperatures will still often reach 32 to 35 degrees at the seaside, 33 to 35 degrees inland outside mountainous areas. A significant drop in temperatures is expected during the daytime on Saturday because of rain and storms affecting the area.
A man has been seriously injured in Cros-de-Cagnes after diving from the pier in the port yesterday. The 31 year old was rescued by passersby and taken in a serious state to the Pasteur Hospital 2 in Nice.
A motorcyclist is in hospital after a collision with a bus on the boulevard du Mont Boron in Nice this afternoon. Ten pompiers attended the scene and four passengers on the bus were treated for shock.
A fire broke out on the central reservation of the A8 motorway between Antibes and Villeneuve-Loubet this lunchtime. One lane in each direction was closed to allow firefighters to intervene. Smoke from the fire caused motorists to slow down causing delays. This afternoon another fire broke out on the central reservation in the area between Mougins and La Bocca.
The prosecutor in Grasse has said that a man has been charged with murder after the stabbing of a 36 year old man in Cagnes-sur-Mer at the weekend. He’s being held in Grasse prison. An investigating judge will now be responsible for conducting the inquiry into the events surrounding the death.
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron have arrived at Fort Bregancon. The arrival of the presidential couple at the fort in Bormes-les-Mimosas in the Var was confirmed by the Elysee earlier today.
Bison Futé have warned of another weekend of heavy traffic on French roads. On Friday, the level of traffic is classified orange in the direction of departures and green for returning motorists. Saturday is a red level in the direction of departures and orange for returns. Sunday is the best day for avoiding the jams.
Owners of dogs are advised to take extra care of their animals during the current heatwave. Vets say that dogs should not be walked between the hours of 8am and 8pm when temperatures are at their hottest and animals can easily suffer heatstroke which can be fatal. A guide to looking after pets during periods of hot weather is available on the 106.5 Riviera Radio Facebook page.
An inventor from Marseille has failed in his attempt to cross the English Channel on a jet-powered flyboard this morning. Franky Zapata had been hoping to fly from Calais to Dover, but fell into the water halfway across as he tried to land on a boat to refuel. He didn’t suffer any injuries. Mr Zapata received widespread attention following the annual Bastille Day parade in Paris earlier this month, when he took part in a military display on his futuristic flyboard. which is powered by five small jet engines.
BUSINESS
Nissan has announced a large fall in profits and increased job losses. The company revealed a 94.5% fall in net profit for the first quarter of 2019 and said it would reduce its worldwide workforce by 12,500. The job losses are more than double the number previously announced. It will also reduce its production capacity and the number of models it produces by 10% by the end of 2022.
Jaguar Land Rover has reported a £395m loss in the second quarter, compared to profit of £120m in the January to March period. Sales fell 12 per cent. The company blamed Brexit production outages. Meanwhile, the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors, has reported a quarterly loss of 36.98bn rupees (that’s about £492m), up from the 19bn rupees it lost a year ago.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made his first statement to Parliament as Prime Minister. He said that he was committed to delivering Brexit on 31 October and that his government was ready to negotiate, in good faith, an alternative Brexit agreement. He said that by 2050 - that’s 31 years from now - it’s “more than possible” that the United Kingdom will be the greatest and most prosperous economy in Europe – at the centre of a new network of trade deals. He said his government will be working towards making the UK the "greatest place on Earth”.
The European Central Bank has left its key deposit facility rate at minus 0.4%. The refinancing rate is also unchanged at 0%.
Samsung's first foldable smartphone will go on sale in September after problems with the device delayed its initial release. The launch of the Galaxy Fold was postponed in April after reviewers reported broken screens. Samsung said it had made "improvements" to the device which would be sold in "select markets".
SPORT
Cricket… It’s England against Ireland at Lords. England have staged a fight back from being all out for 85 in their first innings. Early this evening, they were 243 for 7 after 66 overs, meaning that they were leading by 126 runs with 3 wickets remaining.
Football... Manchester United have beaten Tottenham 2-1 in the International Champions Cup in Shanghai.
Arsenal have signed Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos on a season-long loan deal. The 22-year-old has made 56 appearances for the Spanish club since joining in 2017 from Real Betis.
RB Leipzig have completed the signing of Everton and England Under-21 forward Ademola Lookman in a deal worth £22.5m. He’s been signed on a five-year deal.
Tour de France...Today’s 18th stage has been a tough 208 kilometres in the Alps between Embrun and Valloire. Colombian Nairo Quintana won the stage. France's Julian Alaphilippe is still in the yellow jersey,
Britain's Geraint Thomas is second, 95 seconds adrift. Dutch rider Steve Kruijswijk is third, 107 seconds back. France's Thibaut Pinot is fourth at 110 seconds.
Electric bike-sharing firm Pony says all of its vehicles will be back out on the streets of Nice no later than June, after they were withdrawn last mo...
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Gabriel Attal announced new measures In response to recent acts of violence among young people during a visit to Viry-Châtillon. Attal highlighted the...
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The owners of a vast floating artificial island that had been planned for last summer off the coast of Mandelieu have won a legal battle to be allowed...
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The Monegasque State has successfully conducted its first national voluntary surrender operation, with 123 firearms being handed over by private indiv...
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A hospital in Cannes has had to postpone all non-urgent consultations and operations after falling victim to a cyberattack....
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