Evening Update Tuesday 4 July 2023

President Macron has announced that an emergency law will be introduced aimed at rebuilding roads and other infrastructure damaged in the recent riots. He also said that he believes that the peak of recent violence has passed. He was speaking at a meeting of local mayors at the Elysees Palace who had all been affected by the violence after the death of a teenager shot by police in a suburb of Paris last week. President Macron said that he wanted to receive the mayors "to mark the nation’s support, esteem and recognition". Police arrested 72 people last night, down from 157 on Sunday night, which was itself lower than Saturday's figure. Bus and tram services in France will stop after 10pm this evening as part of ongoing measures to reduce civil unrest. Transport minister Clement Beaune announced the restriction, saying that it was "recognition and support for the agents of our public services, for all those who protect them". The government has ordered services to stop at 9pm on many evenings since the protests began.

A man suspected of two murders who was on the run from a detention centre in the Orne department has been arrested. He was captured near Angers in the Maine-et-Loire department in the north-west of France. Before his escape the man in his forties was already serving a sentence for attempted murder as well as one for aggravated property damage.

About one hundred doctors in Nice hospitals are involved in a second day of industrial action today. The doctors stopped work for a symbolic one hour during the day to protest at working conditions, staffing levels and pay for doctors in the public sector.

A unwell nine month old baby has been airlifted to hospital from a cruise ship off Corsica. The operation last night was co-ordinated by Crossmed and involved baby and mother being winched from the ship and taken by helicopter to hospital in Ajaccio.

A man is in a serious condition after almost drowning in Theoule-sur-Mer this morning. He was pulled from the water by lifeguards before being taken care of by the SMUR mobile emergency unit from Cannes.

It's likely to be the middle of August before households in five municipalities in the Alpes-Maritimes can resume drinking tapwater. Mains water has been contaminated by a parasite in Cabris, Saint-Cezaire-sur-Siagne, Speracedes, Peymeinade and Le Tignet for the past few weeks. The Grasse water authority said that several measures had still to be taken including the flushing of the pipe network and extensive testing. Bottled water is being distributed in the meantime.

Several dozen homes were evacuated in Saint-Maximin this lunchtime because of a gas leak. A security cordon was established after a pipe was ruptured during roadworks.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has expressed his thanks to public prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme who is leaving his role in Nice. From September, he will become Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Nimes in the Gard department.

 

BUSINESS

The head of UK supermarket group Sainsbury's has said that food prices are now rising more slowly. Simon Roberts said that prices for the one hundred most popular grocery items were now lower than they were in March, despite food prices rising more generally. The UK Competition and Markets Authority is currently examining whether competition in the grocery sector is working effectively to keep down prices.

Management from many UK banks have been told to attend a meeting with the UK's financial watchdog over concerns that interest rates on savings may be too low. Higher interest rates have led banks to put up mortgage costs, but savings rates are generally not rising as fast. UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt said that it is an "issue which needs solving", at a time when many households are struggling with rising living costs.

 

SPORT

Tennis...Rain has disrupted play for part of the day at Wimbledon today. Men's top seed Carlos Alcaraz has beaten French player Jeremy Chardy in straight sets. It's Jeremy Chardy's last professional tournament and brings an end to his professional tennis career which began back in 2005. This evening Ons Jabur beat Magdalena Frech 6-3  6-3 and women's champion Elena Rybakina beat Shelby Rogers. Andy Murray is playing fellow Briton Ryan Peniston on Centre Court.

Cricket... England batter Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the rest of the Ashes series because of injury. He suffered a dislocated shoulder during the second Test at Lord's. Surgery is needed and Pope has been ruled out for the rest of the summer.

 

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