National News
Violence breaks out at demonstration in La Rochelle - A police officer and five protesters have been injured after violence erupted when about 4,000 people turned out for a demonstration in La Rochelle over the use of reservoirs to supply large-scale agriculture. Police fired teargas and brought in water cannon trucks and reinforcements to disperse the demonstrators after the unrest broke out on Saturday afternoon, with several shop fronts smashed and at least seven people arrested. Droughts in France have heightened tensions over water resources, and critics say building large reservoirs to feed agricultural irrigation is a wasteful practice that favours large farms. In March last year, similar violence broke out during another protest over agricultural reservoirs in western France. Saturday’s unrest comes as the country has its security alert at its highest level ahead of the Olympic Games, which kick off with an opening ceremony on the River Seine this Friday the 26th of July.
France’s interior minister says that more than 4,000 people have been singled out ahead of Games - Meanwhile, France’s Interior minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Sunday that following administrative investigations in the run up to the Games in Paris “4,350 people likely to pose a threat have been identified and excluded”. Security surveys have been carried out for all people who will participate directly or indirectly in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Those identified were singled out for risks of interference, because they were listed for radicalization (ultra-right, ultra-left or radical Islam) or because they had a criminal record.
Local
Raising awareness to prevent drowning - Firefighters in the Bouches-du-Rhone have launched a campaign to raise awareness and prevent the risk of drowning. In France, drowning is the leading cause of death from everyday accidents among people under 25. At the beach or at the swimming pool, 1,000 people lose their lives each year from drowning. In Bouches-du-Rhône, firefighters intervened 31 times in 2023 for cases of drowning, three of which resulted in death.
Accident at sea - A young woman has been seriously injured in a boating accident. The incident occurred on Sunday when the 22-year-old victim was tubing, also known as biscuiting (being towed in a circular rubber tube behind a boat) at sea in Théoule-sur-Mer. She was taken to hospital in Nice after her leg reportedly got caught in the boat’s propeller. An investigation is underway o determine the exact circumstances.
Truffle festival - Described as the most beautiful harvest in ten years. The summer truffle festival begins this Monday in Aups in the Var. The summer truffle – or “white truffle” – will be in the spotlight today as visitors and villagers will be able to attend demonstrations of digging, buy truffles directly from truffle growers, feast in restaurants with truffle menus, and enjoy the local producers' market. Celebrations will start from 5pm this evening until 11pm in front of the Maison de la truffle. Note that Truffles can fetch between 180 and 300 euros per kilo.
Nice celebrates the Tour de France - Nice had its very own Champs-Élysées over the weekend as the city enjoyed a superb atmosphere on the Promenade des Anglais and the Port for the historic arrival of the Tour de France. Eight years after the July 14 attack many locals described it as a “story of resilience” as 141 runners were treated to loud applause from tens of thousands of spectators.
Business
U.S. stock futures edged higher in early trading on Sunday evening after President Biden said he was ending his campaign for a second term. Futures tied to the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were all up around 0.1% shortly after they began trading at 6 p.m. in New York. U.S. President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental accuracy and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in uncharted territory.
The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike says "a significant number" of devices that were impacted by a global IT outage on Friday are now back online. The company added in a social media post that it "continues to focus on restoring all systems". Microsoft has estimated that the incident, which is being described as one of the worst IT outages in history, impacted 8.5m computers around the world. Businesses, banks, hospitals and airlines were among the worst-hit, with some still struggling to fully restore their systems. Until this incident the company had been one most trusted brands in the cybersecurity industry. According to CrowdStrike's website, it has 29,000 customers around the world, including some of the biggest companies in the US.
A lock of Florence Nightingale's hair has fetched more than £3,500 at auction in North Yorkshire. The hair, which belonged to the 19th Century nursing pioneer, was expected to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000. It was sold alongside her signature on a clipped piece of paper. Nightingale is seen by many as the founder of modern nursing. She became known as the "Lady with the Lamp" during the Crimean War. This was the first-time women were allowed to serve in the Army. She went on to establish the Nightingale Training School at St Thomas' Hospital in London in 1860. She died in 1910 at the age of 90.
Sport
Cycling – Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar sealed a sensational Tour de France and Giro d'Italia double, by winning the stage 21-time trial into Nice on Sunday. He finished the Tour with a sixth stage victory and became the first man to win cycling's two biggest races in the same year since Italian Marco Pantani in 1998. The Tour's finale was held outside of Paris for the first time since 1903 as the French capital prepares to host the Olympics.
Meanwhile, legendary British cyclist Mark Cavendish says this year's Tour de France is likely to have been his last race. The sprinter won a rec
