A 50 year old hiker from La Gaude has died in the Alps. The body of the woman was recovered by CRS mountain personnel at high altitude on the Italian side of the border. She had been trying to cross from France to Italy on the Great Mercantour Crossing hiking trail. It’s thought that she may have suffered a head injury and been affected by the recent bad weather.
The child who was stuck by lightening on the beach at Vallauris-Golfe-Juan recently has been released from hospital. He spent nine days in hospital and is now said to be on the road to recovery.
Most of the beaches in the Var are now open for bathing again. Water analysis was performed at several of the department’s beaches this morning to establish the water quality after yesterday’s storms. However, Pardigon beach in La Croix-Valmer remains closed to swimmers until at least tomorrow morning when a further water test is due to be carried out.
Municipal police officers in Antibes will soon be equipped with body cameras to record all incidents. The measure has been approved by the town council and is part of a national rollout of the scheme. Officers in Nice are already using body cameras.
Six of the eight forest massifs in the Var are on a “severe” fire risk alert today. The fire risk situation is assessed each day by the Prefecture. The two other massifs, namely the Esterel and Plateau de Canjuers, are at a moderate risk level.
The National Police in the Var have warned residents against a scam involving thieves posing as tree pruners. The police say that the deception involves several people in a white pickup truck offering to prune trees but then stealing from elderly people who allow them into the premises. The scam has been attempted several times in the Esterel region recently.
A dead dolphin has been found on the beach at Bormes les Mimosas. A specialised vet is performing an autopsy to attempt to establish the cause of death.
The French Minister of Ecological Transition, François de Rugy, has resigned. Several accusations of excessive spending by the former minister have appeared in the French press in recent days. He said that he had been the victim of what he called a “media lynching”.
A new survey reveals that almost 20 per cent of French smokers are buying their cigarettes outside France. According to the survey, 16.4 per cent of smokers bought their last packet in a country neighbouring mainland France while 1.6 per cent made their purchase in non-neighbouring countries. Duty free purchases were made by 2.1 per cent of respondents to the survey. The French government still aims to make 10 euros the minimum price of a packet of 20 cigarettes by November next year.
BUSINESS
Wage growth in the UK rose to 3.6% in the year to May 2019, which is the highest growth rate since 2008, according to new data from the ONS. A record high of 32.75 million people were in employment up to the end of May. Only 1.29 million people were out of work, which is the lowest figure since at least 1992.
Clothing company Burberry has reported a 4% rise in like-for-like sales in the second quarter. Total revenues for the 13 weeks to 29 June rose by 4% to £498m.
Ryanair has said it will be forced to cut the number of summer flights it operates next year because of expected delays before the Boeing 737 Max is allowed to resume flying. The airline said it could be as late as December before regulators clear the aircraft to fly again. It was awaiting delivery of 58 planes before next summer but it now expects to receive just over half that number.
Goldman Sachs has reported a fall in second quarter profits to $2.2bn compared to $2.35bn last year. Total revenues were $9.4bn for the three months to 30 June, down 2% on last year. Meanwhile, JP Morgan has reported a net profit of $9.65bn in the second quarter, up 16% on the previous year.
The world's largest education publisher has taken the first step towards phasing out print books by making all its learning resources "digital first". Pearson said students would only be able to rent physical textbooks from now on, and they would be updated much less frequently. Pearson hopes the move will make more students buy its e-textbooks which are continually updated.
SPORT
Cycling…. Today is a rest day for the Tour de France riders. Meanwhile, Dave Brailsford, the head of Team Ineos, says that he believes Geraint Thomas's title defence is the "best it could be" as the race nears the halfway point. Thomas moved up to second place after Monday's 10th stage and is now one minute and 12 seconds behind overall race leader Julian Alaphilippe.
Rugby Union… Former Toulon player James O’Connor has returned to Australia to play for Queensland Reds. The move makes him eligible to play for Australia again after a six year absence. He has 44 international caps and moves to Queensland from Sale Sharks.
Cricket… New Zealand coach Gary Stead has said that cricket chiefs should consider allowing teams to share the World Cup if a final is tied again. He said that when they were writing the rules they never expected a World Cup final like Sunday’s match and that he was sure it will be reviewed.
Football...Sheffield United have signed former Manchester United midfielder Ravel Morrison on a one-year deal. Morrison attended Sheffield United’s pre-season training camp in Portugal earlier this month.
Former South African footballer Marc Batchelor has been shot dead near his home in Johannesburg. Batchelor played for Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa. According to local police, he was attacked near his premises by two men on a motorbike.
The post-mortem will take place next Monday for a 33-year-old man whose body was recently found in the Var after being missing for more than a month....
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French scientists have been developing technological tools for the past four years to help athletes optimize their training for the Paris 2024 Olympic...
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Nice airport says as many as 60% of flights will be cancelled tomorrow due to a nationwide strike by air traffic controllers....
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After eight months of work and several sea trials, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has begun a six-week operation in the Mediterranean, ...
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A group of experts have come up with more than 150 recommendations for how Nice can deal with the increasing effects of climate change....
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