The Mayor of Nice and the Nice tourism department have announced good figures so far this summer. In the month of June, helped by the Women’s World Cup, hotel occupancy rates were up 3% at 87%. In July, occupancy rates were up marginally, at 89.8%. The figures up to the 11th of August show rates on a par with 2018 at 92.4%. Bookings for September and October are already looking stronger than last year.
Two people are in a critical condition after a collision between a motorcycle and a car in Nice this afternoon. The accident happened at about 4.00 on the Boulevard de l'Observatoire. Traffic has been seriously disrupted in that area.
A 30 year old man has been remanded in custody by a court in Nice yesterday accused of violence against a police officer. Police were conducting a controle on rue Trachel when it’s alleged that the man punched an officer twice in the face. The court ordered a psychiatric assessment pending a further court appearance in September.
A 10 year old girl has been seriously injured on a fairground ride in Marseille. The girl, who is believed to be of Polish origin, was on a ferris wheel with her parents yesterday evening when she suffered head injuries. She was taken to hospital but her life is not believed to be in danger. An investigation has been opened in order to determine the exact circumstances of the incident.
Nice city council has announced plans to carry out rat-disinfestation today, in the east of the city. The move comes following complaints from the neighbourhood of an increasing number of rodents described as being “as big as pigeons” attacking birds and humans. Several residents posted videos on social media in a call for action to be taken.
A 44 year old French-Canadian man has been killed by a bear in Canada. The man, who lived near Paris, was camping with a friend in a remote region of north-west Canada when he was attacked by the bear while sleeping.
Lithuania has won the Public Prize of the 2019 edition of the Monaco fireworks competition. There are two votes for the best fireworks – the Public Vote and the Jury Vote. England won the Jury Vote for their display, by the Sirotechnics Fireworks company.
BUSINESS
Britain's nuclear regulator has announced that EDF Energy will be allowed to restart a reactor at its Hunterston B plant in Scotland. Cracks were found in the reactor last year. The Office for Nuclear Regulation said that it was satisfied that the reactor can be safely shut down “in all foreseeable circumstances, including that of a significant seismic event”.
Bayer has sold its veterinary drugs business to Elanco Animal Health for $7.6bn. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. Elanco said the deal would double the size of its so-called "companion animal business".
In the UK, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons all saw sales drop in the three months to 11 August, according to data from research firm Kantar. Morrisons recorded the biggest fall of 2.7% followed by Tesco.
Chinese internet company Baidu has announced better-than-expected quarterly revenues, thanks to growth on its video streaming platform. The company said revenues rose 1.4% to 26.3bn yuan, that’s about 3.42 billion euros.
The world's biggest mining company BHP has announced a rise in underlying profit to $9.1bn for the year to 30 June up from a previous $8.9bn.
SPORT
Cricket…. Australia batsman Steve Smith has been ruled out of the third Ashes Test after suffering from concussion. Smith was hit in the neck by a 92mph bouncer from Jofra Archer on day four of the second Test. Coach Justin Langer confirmed his absence after Smith sat out Australia's training session on Tuesday.
Tennis… Andy Murray has lost his opening match in the Winston-Salem Open. Murray, who had hip surgery last January, was defeated 7-6 7-5 by Tennys Sandgren. The match started at 10.15pm local time after a five-hour delay caused by heavy rain, thunder and lightning.
Golf…The European Tour's Chief Executive, Keith Pelley, has said that Edoardo Molinari’s Tweet identifying slow players led to measures to speed up play. Yesterday, a four point plan was announced that includes giving players an immediate one-stroke penalty if they incur two bad times in a round. There will also be increased fines for those who consistently fall behind. He said that Molinari was "entirely right" to confront an issue that is golf's biggest talking point.
Speed restrictions are in place on all major roads in the Alpes-Maritimes today because of a smog alert....
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A Marseille magistrate has been sentenced on the 17th of June in Nîmes for repeatedly avoiding motorway tolls using fake license plates. ...
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A major police stop-and-search operation along France's borders is being carried out today, involving 4,000 police officers, gendarmes and customs off...
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SFR has announced automatic compensation of 100GB of free mobile data for affected customers following a major network outage on the 16th of June....
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French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a high-level Security and Defence Council meeting at the Élysée Palace today Wednesday, June 18th at 4pm, ...
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