Evening Update Wednesday 10 July

A man has been arrested today in connection with the vandalization of shops on the Avenue de la Republique in Nice. Twenty three shops had graffiti sprayed on them during last Saturday night. The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, denounced what he called "an unacceptable act". Police used footage from nearby CCTV cameras to identify the suspect. 

Some of the improvement works at Nice Riquier station will reportedly be completed by early August.  The new elevator should be operational and the platforms will have been raised to train level. An additional access to the station is expected to be opened in November.

Thirty pompiers quickly extinguished a fire in Vallauris this morning.  The fire broke out in a health centre on the place Saint-Roch and people were evacuated from the building.  No injuries were reported.

Authorities in Marseille have seized the largest haul of illicit drugs in six years. The raid yesterday in an area in the north of the city followed six months of planning and resulted in the seizure of drugs, cash and luxury watches worth an estimated 2.5 million euros.

A vehicle caught fire on the A8 motorway this afternoon causing traffic disruption. The incident happened between Mandelieu and Les Adrets on the westbound carriageway. Several fire engines attended and quickly extinguished the fire with pompiers working to stop the fire spreading to nearby vegetation.

Seven forest massifs in the Bouche-du-Rhone are closed to the public because of a very high fire risk. Pompiers are stationed at various fire-sensitive areas in order to respond immediately to any outbreak. Several other massifs are open in the daytime but certain equipment likely to be a fire risk is prohibited.

The beach in La Seyne has been opened to bathers again today.  The area around the Mar Vivo rescue station had been closed yesterday as a preventative measure because of possible sewage pollution but the authorities say tests carried out last night show that the water quality meets regulatory standards.

 

BUSINESS

New data shows that the UK economy returned to growth in May after contracting in April. The economy grew 0.3% from the month before, after declining 0.4% in April, according to the ONS. Growth for the three months to May was 0.3%, with all sectors showing growth. According to the ONS, the UK's overall trade deficit decreased by £4.6bn to £12.6bn for the three months to May. 

French oil company Total has sold a portfolio of its North Sea assets in a $635m deal. Private equity fund HitecVision, and Oman's Petrogas will take over four fields and a share in six others.

VW is set to end production of the iconic Beetle today.  The final car will roll off the production line at VW’s plant in Mexico. The car has been produced at various plants around the world over the last seven decades. The original car was designed by German engineer Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930’s although full mass production of the car didn’t get underway until after the end of World War II.

 

SPORT

Cricket... New Zealand have reached the World Cup final as they produced the bowling performance of the tournament to edge out India by 18 runs in a sensational match at Old Trafford. New Zealand were 239-8 at the end of their 50 overs and India were 221 all out.

Tennis… Defending champion Novak Djokovic has beaten David Goffin to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. Final score was 6-4  6-0  6-2. He’ll face Roberto Bautista Agut in the last four on Friday after he beat Guido Pella 7-5  6-4  3-6  6-3.  Also today it’s Roger Federer v Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal v Sam Querrey.  Andy Murray and Serena Williams' Wimbledon run is over after they lost to top seeds Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar in the mixed doubles.

Cycling… Peter Sagan has claimed victory on stage five of the Tour de France today. He was followed by Wout van Aert and Matteo Trentin. Defending champion Geraint Thomas stays seventh overall, 45 seconds behind race leader Julian Alaphilippe.

Motorsports… The future of the British Grand Prix has been secured for the next five years with a new agreement between Formula 1 and Silverstone. This weekend's event was due to be the last but it’s been announced that, after two years of negotiations, Silverstone and Formula 1 have signed a new deal until 2024.

 

 

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