Macron calls defence council meeting after US strikes Iran - French president Emmanuel Macron has held an urgent meeting of his national defence and security council on Sunday evening after the US waded into the war between Israel and Iran. He said France would do everything possible to speed up the repatriation of French nationals wishing to leave either country. Foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted a message on social media urging "the parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation likely to lead to an extension of the conflict". It comes after the United States bombed three key nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday, joining the offensive launched by Israel earlier this month.
Severe food poisoning cases in northern France - A 12-year-old girl has died and seven other children have been taken to hospital in an outbreak of severe food poisoning in Saint-Quentin, in the Aisne department of northern France. Four local butchers have been closed as a precaution as several children are thought to have eaten meat from the shops. The girl died last week from a rare condition linked to acute kidney failure. The Hauts-de-France regional health authority said the children affected were admitted to hospital with severe digestive symptoms. The children are believed to have eaten meat or meat-based products from the butchers, several days before they came down with symptoms. Samples from the shops have been sent for analysis over the weekend. Local residents have been told not to eat merguez or other sausages and lamb bought from the shops in recent weeks.
Meat destroyed in restaurant food safety checks - Meanwhile, locally, police have seized several kilos of meat not suitable for human consumption from the kitchens of several bars, restaurants and hotels in Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Antibes. Officers carried out a series of spot checks on Friday evening to ensure food hygiene rules were being respected. Meat and other fresh produce was taken away to be destroyed because it wasn't being kept at the right temperature. The owners of the affected restaurants were issued with a warning and told that inspectors could come back again to ensure compliance.
Human trafficking trial in Champagne region - In other French news, working conditions for grape-pickers in France's champagne region are being scrutinised at a human trafficking trial that has opened in Reims. Three people – a woman from Kyrgyzstan, a man from Georgia and a Frenchman – are accused of exploiting more than 50 seasonal workers, mainly from west Africa. The workers, 48 men and nine women, were all undocumented migrants coming from Mali, Ivory Coast and Senegal. They were found during the 2023 September harvest living in cramped and unhygienic conditions in a building in the heart of champagne country. They had been recruited via a WhatsApp group message for the West African community living in Paris, which promised "well-paid work" in the Champagne region.
Prefect visits Les Moulins estate - In local news, the new prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes has visited the Les Moulins housing estate in Nice as part of the ongoing fight against drug trafficking. Laurent Hottiaux toured the area under police escort and answered questions from residents about security in the neighbourhood. He was also questioned about the dilapidated state of some of the apartment blocks in Les Moulins and what was being done to make Les Moulins a better place to live.
Unbearable heat in Nice classrooms - A new study into classroom conditions in Nice has found that pupils in more than eight out of 10 schools are suffering from the heat and poor ventilation. Green and Socialist members of Nice city council commissioned the research, which looked at how 150 schools in the Nice metropolitan area were equipped to deal with high temperatures. In 84% of schools, the researchers recorded classroom temperatures exceeding 30°C. A quarter of schools didn't have any fans - and others had air conditioning that didn't work, or windows that couldn't be opened. According to the survey, schoolchildren and staff face unacceptable conditions for about a third of the school year. Researchers say their findings are alarming and they're calling on Nice city hall to take action. Young children are more vulnerable to dehydration and heat exhaustion. In response, Nice city council said it had set aside €9 million to make schools more heat-resistant. That includes planting trees and mist machines in 90 school playgrounds and ceiling fans in 100 classrooms.
New transport hub for Nice Airport - Building work has begun on a new railway station and transport hub for Nice Airport. The multi-modal facility will replace Nice Saint-Augustin station and will bring together local TER services, TGVs, trams, buses, cycle hire and pedestrian access to the airport. Unlike the current temporary station at Saint-Augustin, the new transport hub will have platforms long enough to accommodate TGVs, meaning it'll be possible to travel from Paris directly to Nice Airport. The new station will have a large canopy covered in solar panels, a 4,000-square-metre garden and about 400 trees and plants. The project is due to be completed by the end of 2029, in time for the Winter Olympics in the Alps, and it comes a cost of €270 million.
BUSINESS
Fred Smith, founder of the US parcel delivery giant Federal Express, has died at the age of 80, the company has announced. He founded the firm in 1973 having previously served in the US Marine Corps. He ran the company as CEO until 2022. Born in 1944, Smith started FedEx with 389 staff and 14 small planes that carried 186 packages from Memphis to 25 cities within the US. FedEx now has more than 500,000 employees across the globe and delivers millions of packages a day. Its operations involve 705 aircraft and 200,000 vehicles.
Most of the remaining staff at Voice of America have been fired by President Donald Trump's administration, effectively shutting down the US-funded news outlet. The administration said the layoffs were because the agency was "riddled with dysfunction, bias and waste". The broadcaster was set up during World War Two to counter Nazi propaganda. One of the fired journalists called the redundancies a "historic act of self-sabotage". It's reported that some staff left the office briefly on Friday for a cigarette break, and were not allowed to re-enter the building after the termination notices went out. In total, more than 85% of the agency's employees - about 1,400 staff - have lost their jobs since March.
Meanwhile, the BBC is threatening to take legal action against an artificial intelligence firm whose chatbot the corporation says is reproducing BBC content "verbatim" without its permission. The BBC has written to Perplexity, which is based in the US, demanding it immediately stops using BBC content, deletes any it holds, and proposes financial compensation for the material it has already used. It is the first time that the BBC has taken such action against an AI company.
Sam Laidlaw, the former boss of Centrica, is among the candidates being considered as the next chairman of BP, Britain’s besieged oil and gas exploration giant. It's reported that Laidlaw is being considered by BP board members as a potential successor to Helge Lund, who announced in April that he would step down. BP's chair search comes with the £62bn oil giant in a state of crisis. Elliott Management, the activist investor, snapped up a multibillion pound stake in BP earlier this year and is pushing its chief executive to accelerate spending cuts and ditch a string of renewable energy commitments. Lund's departure will come after nearly a quarter of BP's shareholders opposed his re-election at its annual meeting in April. BP's senior independent director - the Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc - is said to be moving "at pace" to complete the recruitment process. A number of prominent candidates are understood to be in discussions with headhunters who are advising BP on the search.
SPORT
Rugby - Former Scotland captain and British and Irish Lions great Ian McLauchlan has died at the age of 83. McLauchlan led his country 19 times in his 43 caps and played his last Test against New Zealand at Murrayfield in November 1979. McLauchlan was part of successful Lions tours to New Zealand and South Africa in 1971 and 1974. McLauchlan served as Scottish Rugby's president from 2010-2012 and stepped away from the board in 2019, giving 50 years of service from his debut as a player. In 2013, he was inducted to Scottish Rugby's Hall of Fame and in 2017 he was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List.
Cricket - Former England and Gloucestershire fast bowler David 'Syd' Lawrence has died at the age of 61. Lawrence, the first British-born black cricketer to represent England, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year. He was appointed MBE in the King's Birthday Honours earlier this month after raising money and awareness of the condition. Lawrence played five Test matches for England and took 625 wickets in 280 matches during a 16-year career at Gloucestershire.
Formula One - The sport's governing body the FIA has sacked the latest in a series of senior figures after eradicating the role of head of sustainability, diversity and inclusion. Sara Mariani wrote a note that appeared to be critical of the body's leadership as she left the FIA after just 18 months. Her out-of-office email reads: "There is a life outside the FIA. A life where talent and dedication are rewarded. Where women in leadership positions can thrive, feel valued and respected." Her role was removed as part of an internal restructure. Meanwhile, it's the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend. McLaren's Oscar Piastri leads the rankings, with team-mate Lando Norris second and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in third.
Football - England Under-21s reached the European Championship semi-finals and remain on course to defend their title after a 3-1 win over Spain. The Young Lions sealed their semi-final place in stoppage time, booking a last-four clash with the Netherlands in Bratislava on Wednesday.
And Manchester United's Marcus Rashford has said he would like to join Barcelona and play alongside Lamine Yamal. Rashford, who has been training in Spain ahead of pre-season, has praised the 17-year-old sensation during an interview. Barcelona are also believed to be interested in Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. According to reports, Manchester United has not yet received any offers for Rashford, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. The England international is under contract at Old Trafford for another three years but his future at the club remains unclear.
WEATHER
Fine and sunny across the Riviera today, staying warm with temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius on the Alpes-Maritimes coast, 32 on the Var coast and 34 inland in the Var. There are strong winds forecast for the Var this afternoon, gusting up to 45 kilometres per hour, and a chance of some thunderstorms inland in the Var and inland in the Alpes-Maritimes near the Italian border this afternoon. It'll be a calm night with light cloud and a gentle breeze, but staying very warm overnight with temperatures not going below 24 degrees Celsius on the coast and 22 inland. The outlook for Tuesday: staying fine and sunny, 28 degrees Celsius on the coast and up to 32 inland in the Var.
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