Firefighters have continued to battle two major fires in the Gironde department in south-west France today. About 1,700 hectares of forest have been destroyed and over 6,500 people have been evacuated from premises in the area. Several hundred firefighters have been deployed to the two fires but so far no injuries have been reported.
Locally, a fire this afternoon has destroyed vehicles and undergrowth in St Laurent du Var. Local reports say that the blaze started when gas cylinders exploded but was quickly brought under control by firefighters.
Seven departments in France are on an orange alert for extreme heat. Five of the departments are in the south-west, namely the Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Tarne, Tarne-et-Garonne and Haut-Garonne. The two other departments are the Ardeche and Drome. Many more departments, most of which are in the west of France are on Meteo France yellow alerts.
The French Senate has published its report on incidents surrounding the Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May. The report blames a lack of preparation and lack of coordination for disruption on the evening during which there were difficulties in admitting spectators and some fans were allegedly pepper sprayed and tear gassed. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had blamed the disruption on Liverpool fans who he said had tried to get entry with forged tickets, but the report said this was a "partial and imprecise analysis". A further report, commissioned by football governing body Uefa is expected in due course.
The Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture has said that the prefecture and the sub-prefectures of Grasse and interministerial departmental directorates will be exceptionally closed this Friday the 15th of July. Tomorrow, the 14th of July is a public holiday in France. The Var Prefecture has also said that the prefecture of Toulon, the sub-prefectures of Brignoles & Draguignan, the interministerial departmental directorates and public finances in the Var will all be closed on Thursday and Friday.
BUSINESS
The UK economy grew by 0.5% in May according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure was higher than most economists expected. However, businesses reported that higher operating costs had resulted in increased prices for customers.
US inflation hit 9.1% in the 12 months to June according to data released by the Labor department this afternoon. Prices increased by 1.3% from May alone. The June figure is the highest since November 1981.
One of Canada's largest telecoms companies has said that it will give credits to millions of its customers after a nationwide outage last week. Rogers said users will receive "the equivalent of five days service". The internet outage lasted for more than 15 hours. Regulators have ordered the company to provide an account of "why" and "how" the disruption happened.
SPORT
Football... Leeds United player Raphinha is set to join Barcelona. The two clubs have reportedly agreed a deal worth an initial 58 million euros. Both clubs announced "an agreement in principle" had been reached subject to the Brazilian passing a medical.
Motorsports... Daniel Ricciardo says he is committed to Formula 1 and wants to stay with McLaren to the end of his contract next year. He is contracted to McLaren until the end of 2023 but his future has been the subject of speculation since McLaren Racing Chief Executive Zak Brown said last month that his time with the team had not met expectations.
Athletics... Botswana's Nijel Amos has been suspended after failing a drugs test. He was in the US preparing for the World Athletics Championships which begin in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday but it's been announced that he failed an out-of-competition test taken last month.
A major union representing French air traffic controllers has cancelled its strike notice for 18 September...
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Two additional people have been arrested today in Normandy in northern France in connection with a knife attack at a school in Antibes yesterday...
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Protesters across France have blocked roads, set fire to barricades, and clashed with police over President Emmanuel Macron’s planned spending cuts. L...
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Several people have been injured in a knife attack at a school in Antibes. The attack happened at the Campus Vert d’Azur horticultural school this aft...
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