Forest fire warnings for Var and Bouches-du-Rhône - Parts of southern France have been placed on a forest fire alert following the recent heatwave and dry weather. Despite the lifting of the orange heatwave alert, part of the Hérault department and the entire Bouches-du-Rhône department were placed on red alert for forest fires on Sunday. A wildfire that swept through 400 hectares of vegetation in the Hérault on Saturday was brought under control by firefighters, but will remain under surveillance. The Var will also be placed on a red alert for forest fires today, with access to some forest areas prohibited. A fire on the Côte Bleue in the Bouches-du-Rhône, north-west of Marseille, was contained on Saturday morning after spreading across about 100 hectares of forest. In total, 13 mountain ranges in the Bouches-du-Rhône are off-limits. In the Var, access to the Maures and Estérel mountain ranges has been banned, as they are considered to be at a "very severe" risk of catching fire. Six other forest areas in the Var have been placed on orange alert, including the hills above Toulon and the islands off Hyères. Two motorway service areas on the A57 were closed on Sunday as a precautionary measure because of their proximity to vegetation.
Man who assaulted 'traffic granny' convicted - A man found guilty of a violent assault against a lollypop lady outside a school in Nice has been handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay her €2,500 in damages. The woman, called a "mamie trafic" in French, was volunteering as a warden at a pedestrian crossing outside the Bischoffsheim school near Nice-Riquier railway station, helping children safely cross the road, when she was punched in the face by a passer-by last Wednesday morning, leaving her unconscious and signed off work for a week. The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, condemned the attack at the time and the attacker, a 49-year-old man who fled the scene, was identified with the help of CCTV footage. According to reports, he is receiving ongoing treatment for schizophrenia. He appeared in court in Nice on Friday and was convicted of aggravated assault.
Estrosi wins defamation claim against Mediapart - Nice mayor Christian Estrosi has successfully sued the investigative news website Mediapart for defamation over a report published in 2020 that highlighted shortcomings in the management of the Nice Côte d'Azur metropolitan area. The article was based on a critical report from the Regional Audit Office, and highlighted several irregular practices and called for better management of some of the city's human resources policies. In its ruling, a court in Nice did not call into question the findings of the report itself, but it found that two parts of the Mediapart article wrongly associated Estrosi personally with the issues highlighted in the report. Two Mediapart employees were ordered to pay a €1,000 fine each, and pay Estrosi €5,000 in legal costs.
Spot checks on Promenade des Anglais drivers - Police in Nice have carried out a series of roadside checks on drivers on the Promenade des Anglais in the early hours of Sunday morning. Between 3am and 4am, officers caught three drivers at double the legal speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour. Another driver was over the drink-drive limit and another did not have a valid licence. Two licences were confiscated at the scene and one car was impounded. Police say the spot checks will be intensified over the summer months.
River Seine partly open to swimmers - In other French news, parts of the River Seine in Paris have reopened publicly to swimmers for the first time since 1923 after a century-long ban. The seasonal opening of the Seine for swimming is viewed as a key legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics, when open water swimmers and triathletes competed in its waters which were specially cleaned for the event. At 8am on Saturday morning, a few dozen swimmers arrived ahead of the opening and dived into the water. There are three designated areas for public swimming in the Seine - one near the Eiffel Tower, another close to Notre Dame Cathedral and a third in eastern Paris. The zones have changing rooms, showers, and beach furniture. Until the end of August, the three swimming sites will be open for free at scheduled times, with lifeguards on hand.
€1 house sale to halt rural population decline - A rural commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department is trying to attract new residents to the area by putting homes on the market for a symbolic €1. Ambert, population 6,500, has come up with a five-year plan to stop its population declining. In some parts of the town, as many as six in 10 houses remain unoccupied. Local authorities have put two houses up for sale for the nominal price of €1. The properties need extensive renovation work and interested buyers must commit to make the home their main residence for at least three years.
BUSINESS
US President Donald Trump has signed his landmark policy bill into law, after it was narrowly passed by Congress. The signing event at the White House on Friday afternoon enacts key parts of the Trump agenda including tax cuts, spending boosts for defence and the immigration crackdown. Trump told supporters it will unleash economic growth, but he must now convince sceptical Americans as polling suggests many disapprove of parts of the bill. Several members of his own Republican party were opposed because of the impact on rising US debt and Democrats warned the bill would reward the wealthy and punish the poor. The 870-page package includes extending the 2017 tax cuts of Trump's first term, steep cuts to Medicaid spending, the state-provided healthcare scheme for those on low incomes and the disabled, new tax breaks on tips, overtime and social security and a budget increase of $150bn for defence.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk says he is launching a new political party, weeks after dramatically falling out with US President Donald Trump. The billionaire announced on his social media platform X that he had set up the America Party, billing it as a challenge to the Republican and Democratic two-party system. However, it is unclear if the party has been formally registered with US election authorities. Musk, who was born outside of the US and is thus ineligible to run for the US presidency, does not say who will lead it. He first raised the prospect of forming a party during his public feud with Trump, which saw him leave his role in the administration and engage in a vicious public spat with his former ally.
And as more than one million people attended Pride in London at the weekend, organisers say the event - and others like it around the country - face an uncertain future due to a drop in funding and falling volunteer numbers. More than 85 Pride organisations say they've seen a reduction in corporate sponsorships or partnerships, according to the UK Pride Organisers Network, which represents the majority of UK Pride events. Some celebrations have already been cancelled or postponed, while others are scaling back plans or charging for tickets to what have previously been free-to-attend events.
SPORT
Formula One - McLaren's Lando Norris took his first home victory in a chaotic, dramatic, rain-affected British Grand Prix. Norris benefited from a 10-second penalty handed to team-mate Oscar Piastri, who was found to have driven erratically during a restart after one of two safety-car periods at Silverstone. Norris' win, which he described as "beautiful", reduces his deficit to Piastri in the championship to eight points. Nico Hulkenberg took his first podium finish at the 239th attempt - setting a new record for the longest time before finishing in the top three - after a strong race for Sauber.
Tennis - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said a game was 'stolen' from her when Wimbledon's new electronic line-calling system failed during her fourth-round match against Britain's Sonay Kartal. There was no 'out' call when a Kartal backhand went long at 4-4 in the first set, with the umpire shouting "stop" to halt play. Pavlyuchenkova had seen the ball was out - and a TV replay showed that was the case by some distance. The umpire announced that the electronic system - which replaced line judges at Wimbledon for the first time this year - "was unfortunately unable to track the last point" and ordered the point to be replayed. The fact Pavlyuchenkova went on to win the match 7-6 6-4 meant the malfunction was not as costly as it could have been.
Cricket - India completed a thumping 336-run victory over England in the second Test at Edgbaston to level the series at 1-1. The hosts were bowled out for 271 with 27 overs left on day five as they attempted to salvage a draw.
Rugby Union - Captain Harry Wilson's try one minute from full-time denied Fiji a win in Australia. The Wallabies won 21-18 in their only warm-up fixture before their first Test against the British and Irish Lions on 19 July in Brisbane. Meanwhile, England produced a second-half masterclass to see off Argentina 35-12 in the first Test in La Plata.
Cycling - Jasper Philipsen wore the Tour de France's yellow jersey for the first time in his career yesterday after winning stage one of the 2025 edition in Lille on Saturday. The Belgian won by a comfortable margin to claim his 10th stage win on the Tour. Meanwhile, Mathieu van der Poel edged out Tadej Pogacar in a sprint finish to win stage two of the Tour de France and claim the leader's yellow jersey. Today's third stage is a relatively flat 178km from Valenciennes to Dunkirk.
Football - Paris St-Germain edged past Bayern Munich to reach the Club World Cup semi-finals in a game overshadowed by a serious injury to Jamal Musiala and featuring two red cards for the French side. The Bayern Munich midfielder looks set for another prolonged spell on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury in the side's 2-0 Club World Cup quarter-final defeat by PSG. It was Musiala's first start in months as, since early April, he had been recovering from a hamstring injury that had kept him out of the final month of Bayern's Bundesliga campaign.
Arsenal have completed the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in a deal worth almost £60m. The Spain midfielder is the Gunners' second signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrival of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea for £5m. The 26-year-old, who rejected an approach from Liverpool last summer, came through the ranks at Real Sociedad before becoming a regular in their first team. The midfielder - who played 236 times for the Spanish club, scoring 10 goals - has signed a five-year deal.
And mourners have attended the funeral of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva in their hometown of Gondomar, Portugal. Family members and leading football figures were seen filing into the church, as hundreds gathered outside to pay their respects. People stood in silence in the streets as they listened to an audio broadcast of the service. The brothers died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday. Officials say it went off the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle. The news left the football world in shock - and many left tributes at the clubs where he had played. Jota had married his long-term partner, with whom he had three children, just 11 days before. Many of Diogo Jota's footballing colleagues joined his relatives to mourn the Liverpool star.
WEATHER
It should be a fine and sunny day across the Riviera today, with some strong winds gusting up to 70 kilometres per hour. A little bit cooler than last week, with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius on the coast and 28 inland this afternoon. The winds continue overnight, with clear skies and overnight temperatures around 22 degrees Celsius on the coast and 19 inland. Tomorrow: more of the same, sunny and windy, 28 degrees Celsius.
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