Traffic has been seriously disrupted in this evening's rush hour because of torrential rain affecting many parts of our region. A serious accident involving a car and a truck on the A8 motorway has caused significant delays on the side of the motorway towards Aix-en-Provence. Motorway operator Vinci Autoroutes said that the accident, which involved two light vehicles, happened at about 3.45 one kilometre after the Antibes payage. At one stage there was a traffic jam of 9km. Another accident caused less serious delays towards Aix-en-Provence after exit number 39 Les Adret where traffic was still managing to get through on one carriageway.
A worker is in hospital after falling from the roof of a building in Nice this afternoon. Reports say that the man was on the roof of the building on boulevard de la Madeleine when he fell seven metres to the ground. His life isn't thought to be in danger.
A teenager has been shot this afternoon in Marseille. The 16 year old suffered gunshot wounds to the leg in the attack in the 15th arrondissement.
The Monaco government has published its weekly update on Covid-19 numbers in the Principality. In the week from 20 to 26 June, 196 new positive cases were recorded. As at yesterday evening, 24 people were hospitalized at the Princess Grace Hospital. However, there were no patients being treated in intensive care. 122 people were being monitored by the Home Monitoring Centre. The incidence rate was 501 per 100,000 people over the previous seven days, up from 411 in the previous week.
Two people have been rescued from a sailboat which caught fire off the coast of the Var near Hyeres. Marine firefighters and the French Navy attended the incident which completely destroyed the ten metre boat. The Maritime Prefect said that the vessel had sunk at a depth of ten metres. Some surface debris was observed but there was no pollution.
The French government has announced a pay rise for civil servants. They will get a 3.5% increase from the beginning of July.
The Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture has reminded residents who are going on holiday that they can register online for "operation vacation tranquility". If you register, police or gendarmerie patrols will monitor your home at regular intervals while you're away. It's a service that is available nationwide. You can get more details on https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R43241
French Navy bomb disposal personnel will be dealing with submerged ammunition tomorrow in the area of the Catalans beach in Marseille. The beach will be closed from 7 a.m. to allow the detonation of explosive devices and will be inaccessible until the end of operations or until 6:00 p.m. Exclusion zones for vessels have been put in place by the Maritime Prefect.
BUSINESS
Heathrow airport has been told to cut passenger charges for airlines each year until 2026 by regulator the Civil Aviation Authority. The CAA confirmed today that the 2022 charge will remain unchanged at £30.19 and fall by the Consumer Prices Index minus 5.74% in each subsequent year through to December 2026. However, Heathrow has argued that the passenger charge should be increased instead of decreased. The CAA is undertaking a consultation on the proposal to which Heathrow will respond. A final decision is expected later this year.
British automotive manufacturers are calling for urgent action from the UK government to help with increasing costs. New analysis from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says that firms face a £90 million increase in energy bills this year. It stated that UK electricity prices are the most expensive of any European automotive manufacturing country and 59% higher than the EU average. It argued that the additional cost of producing vehicles and components in the UK is putting manufacturers at a disadvantage.
SPORT
Tennis... Number eight seed Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from Wimbledon after testing positive for Covid-19. He was one of the favourites to win the men’s title, having reached last year's final. Earlier today women's fifth seed Maria Sakkari beat qualifier Zoe Hives. Latvian 12th seed Jelena Ostapenko also went through to the next round after beating Oceane Dodin.Simona Halep is through to the next round after beating Elena Muchova. Iga Swiatek beat Jana Fett by two sets to love. Britain’s Heather Watson defeated Tamara Korpatsch by two sets to one.
In the men’s singles Steve Johnson beat Grigor Dimitrov who retired injured in the second set.
Football... Gabriel Jesus is reportedly having a medical at Arsenal before a £45m move from Manchester City. He made 236 appearances for City since joining in January 2017.
Rugby Union... Iain Henderson has been ruled out of Ireland's tour of New Zealand because of a knee injury sustained during training. The team named by head coach Andy Farrell to face the Maori All Blacks on Wednesday includes five uncapped players.
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