News
Weather warning - The Alpes-Maritimes has been placed on a yellow weather warning with storms forecast. The warning is in place from this afternoon until 8pm and is expected to affect mainly inland with coastal areas of Nice being spared. Some 19 other departments are on alert, including the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and the Hautes-Alpes.
Swimming banned in Nice due to strong winds - Meanwhile, swimming on many beaches in Nice was banned on Thursday due to violent winds and a substantial sea swell. Gusts of up to 70km/h were recorded by Météo France and the coastal path between Nice and Villefranche was closed to the public as well as certain parks in the city.
Stabbing in Nice - An investigation has been opened after a man was seriously injured after being stabbed in the middle of the street in Nice on Thursday evening. The victim, aged around 30, was found at around 7pm on boulevard François-Grosso and taken to hospital.
Boating accident in Cannes - A woman has been seriously injured following a boating accident in Cannes. The incident occurred at around 10am on Thursday morning, when the young woman was injured by the propellers of a motorboat. The exact circumstances remain to be determined by police. According to local media a group of people had rented two motorboats when they were involved in an accident barely a quarter of an hour after leaving the port. Hit by the propellers of one of the two boats, it was people accompanying the victim that managed to get her back on board.
Inhabitants evacuated from building in Toulon – Twenty-two people have been evacuated from a building in Toulon due to the risk of it collapsing. Emergency services intervened on Thursday evening in a dilapidated building on Avenue Edouard-Herriot, in the Escaillon district. The town hall of Toulon has issued a ban on occupying the building. Twelve people will be relocated to a gymnasium and ten others with family. A total of ten firefighters were deployed to the scene.
Fire - A fire has broken out in Grimaud in the Var. Firefighters intervened on Thursday afternoon at the Carrère d'Aigo Puto, near the Grimaud karting. First alerted for a caravan which was on fire, the flames quickly spread to forest land destroying 400m2.
Access to forest areas banned - Access to eight forests areas in the Var has been prohibited this Friday August 4th, due to the high risk of fire. In order to prevent forest fires, access to the Var massifs is regulated throughout the summer until mid-September.
Policeman to remain in pre-trial detention - A policeman who is suspected of shooting a 22-year-old man with a rubber bullet during riots in Marseille last month, is to stay in pre-trial detention. The officer admitted to the court that he had fired his riot gun once. However, the 35-year-old policeman, said he did not see anyone lying on the ground wounded and his lawyer told the court there was "no proof" he had hit him. The officer is one of four policemen facing prosecution on a charge of violence by a group with authority. The decision to detain the officer has since prompted an outcry from colleagues across France.
Ban on horsemeat - Several celebrities in France have shown support for a bill presented by leader of the “Debout la France” political party Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, to ban the production and marketing of horsemeat. In their view humans and horses have a special and close relationship that it should be excluded from the list of animals that can be slaughtered. According to figures from FranceAgriMer, horsemeat consumption in 2022 decreased by 26% compared to the previous year. In total, less than 7% of households buy horse meat while meat consumption in general continues to increase.
Ban on swimming in a burkini - The Mayor of Frejus has reinstated a summer ban on swimming in a burkini on the town’s beaches. The town hall says this is to avoid any complications in a rescue operation in the event of a drowning. The ban, which does not prohibit the wearing of a burkini on a beach, is in effect until September 17th.
Busy on the roads this weekend – Roads in France are expected to be busy today and tomorrow with Bison Futé classifying today Friday 4th August, as orange and tomorrow black in the direction of departures. This weekend will see the changeover between July and August holidaymakers with Saturday being the most difficult day of the summer on all the main roads of France.
Dangerous tanning hack - A warning has been issued against a dangerous new tanning hack which has gone viral on TikTok called ‘beer tanning’. Hundreds of videos show people pouring beer over their skin, instead of suntan lotion, claiming it offers the best tan ever while being affordable. Dermatologists across the world have expressed horror at this totally unfounded theory which is extremely damaging to heath. They also point out it can also leave people smelling unpleasantly like a keg or the floor of a bar.
Business
The Bank of England has increased its interest rate from 5% to 5.25%. The last time rates were this high was in April 2008. The UK’s chancellor Jeremy Hunt acknowledges the rise will be difficult for many, but says the government is sticking to its plan for lowering inflation.
Around 12,000 jobs are at risk after the High Street retailer Wilko filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators. The discount homeware and hardware chain said in a statement that while it had received indicative offers to help recapitalise, none of them were able to provide sufficient liquidity in the time needed, meaning it was set to call in administrators. Wilko, which has around 400 stores across the UK, filed a notice of intention at the High Court on Thursday to appoint administrators.
Recent data has suggested that Amazon’s e-commerce business has improved in the three months to June after months of lacklustre spending. Amazon's July Prime Day was its biggest ever, with 375 million items purchased. The company's executives said consumers were still keeping a close eye on their budgets, which in many countries have been squeezed as prices rise at the fastest pace seen in decades. But those increases have shown signs of cooling more recently.
South Korea's Hyundai Motor and Kia have recalled almost 92,000 vehicles in the US due to a fire risk. The recall affects several models and stems from an issue with an electrical component in a transmission oil pump, which could overheat. The companies advised owners of the vehicles to park outside and away from buildings until they are inspected.
Sport
Cycling - Great Britain won two golds, a silver and two bronze medals on day one at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow. William Tidball timed his sprint perfectly to win gold in the men's scratch race during an opening day of racing on the track. Earlier Britain collected gold and bronze in the women's B 1km time trial.
Football - Germany are out of the Women’s World Cup. It’s the first time they have failed to make the last 16. The European Championship finalists had gone into the group stage as favourites. Morocco, the team Germany beat 6-0 in their opening game, also progress after beating Columbia 1-0. Morocco will face France in the coming days as the last ‘last 16’ round gets underway on Saturday.
The Kyllian Mbappé drama continues with the Paris St-Germain player saying he would consider a move to Chelsea but only for a maximum of one year so he could move to Real Madrid next summer. If that were to happen, it means Paris St-Germain’s star striker, who they have invested half a billion euro into, could walk out the door for free. The club are desperately trying to get back some of their investment, offering Mbappé for €250m for the year, but no-one is biting. There are rumours Real Madrid could have some form of closed deal with Mbappé, avoiding astronomical fees with a free transfer next season.
UEFA has issued a ban on Marseille supporters travelling to Greece for next week’s Champions League game against Athens. The same decision will apply to Greek supporters, who are banned from the return match at the Vélodrome in Marseilles on August 15.
Rugby - The international governing body for Rugby League has confirmed their next World Cup will take place in the southern hemisphere in 2026. The exact location will be announced before the end of the year. The tournament had been due to take place in France in 2025 but the country pulled out in May citing a failure to achieve financial guarantees. France will continue to host the Rugby Union World Cup next month with four games to be played in Nice.
Golf - The Princess of Monaco Cup will return to the principality on September 6th, for the first time in two years, sponsored by Monaco Asset Management. Games will be played at the Monte-Carlo Golf Club with a symbolic 19th hole in front of the Monte-Carlo Casino. All proceeds from the competition will go to the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
Weather
Cloudy with some sunny intervals. The Alpes-Maritimes has been placed on a yellow weather warning with storms forecast for this afternoon. Highs of 27 degrees in Monaco and Nice. 29 degrees in Cannes with a moderate breeze.
Mainly fine with highs of 28 degrees in Saint-Tropez. Strong winds are forecast for Marseille with highs of 26 degrees.
This evening going down to 18 degrees along the coast and 15 degrees inland.
The outlook for the weekend. Saturday fine with highs of 26-28 degrees along the coast and reaching 32 degrees inland. Sunday sunny with gusty winds forecast in the Var.
Sunrise 06.22am
Sunset 08.50pm
Beach weather
Nice – Sea temperature is 25. Air temperature is 25. UV level is 7.
Hyeres - Sea temperature is 21. Air temperature is 28. UV level is 8. Strong winds.
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