TGV services between Paris and the south of France are returning to normal after damage caused by storms yesterday. The SNCF said that several trees had fallen on tracks in the Yonne department south of Paris. One TGV train collided with a tree but there were no injuries. SNCF said that a diversion from high speed lines to normal tracks wasn't possible because those tracks were also cut by falling trees. Trains to the south gradually resumed yesterday afternoon.
Orange warnings for heat are in place in the Var and the Alpes Maritimes once again. Many northern, central and eastern areas of France were affected by thunderstorms last night. Meteo France have said that the highest temperatures in the country today, around 38 to 39 °C, occasionally 40 °C, will be observed between the Var, the lower Rhône Valley and the Languedoc plain. As regards Friday, it said that the very high temperatures, above 35°C, will be concentrated around the Mediterranean, with 34 to 38°C widespread from the beaches of Roussillon to Provence, as well as in Corsica. Peaks of over 39°C are possible in the Var hinterland on Friday.
The Var prefecture has warned that the risk of forest fires is very high in the Var over the next few days. The Prefect has called for the greatest vigilance and compliance with all instructions. He said that people should respect the access bans to the massifs by consulting the map updated every day on the prefecture's website and social networks. He also reminded everyone that fire and barbecues are prohibited near forests, smoking is prohibited in the forest, to throw your cigarette butts in an ashtray and not out of the window of your vehicle, do not carry out works which are sources of sparks near vegetation , and if you witness a fire, to call 18 or 112.
Mr Eric ARELLA has been appointed Controller in charge of Monaco's Surete Publique. He succeeds Monsieur Richard MARANGONI who has held the post for eight years. Monsieur Arella was appointed as a Police Commissioner at the age of 23 and has had an outstanding career within the French National Police, including more than 37 years within the judicial police.
Air France-KLM have announced an extension to the suspension of flights to Beirut. The company said that Air France and Transavia flights will now be suspended until Saturday due to the security situation in the area. The company hasn't been operating flights to Beirut since Monday.
A road to a village in the Alpes-Maritimes is reopening today after several months of closure due to a landslide. The village of Coaraze in the arriere pays of Nice was cut off by the landslide in March. The road is reopening with a temporary road surface because of the heat of summer, with a permanent one being put in place in the autumn.
A large number of events are planned across our region during August to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation in the Second World War. On 15 August 1944 Allied troops landed on the beaches between Toulon and Saint-Raphaël. and after two weeks of fierce fighting, Provence was liberated. You can find details of events happening across the area on the regional tourist board website https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com
BUSINESS
Boeing has named a new chief executive. Robert K. Ortberg, who was previously with aircraft electronics supplier Rockwell Collins will take over next month. He will replace Dave Calhoun, who announced plans to step down this spring, after an Alaska Airlines jet suffered a mid-air blowout. Boeing's reputation had already been badly damaged after fatal crashes of two of its 737 Max planes.
Tinder's parent company, Match Group, plans to cut 6% of its global workforce amid a continuing slump in users paying for its most popular dating app. The company, which also owns Hinge, Plenty of Fish and OKCupid, has revealed an 8% fall in the number of paying Tinder users.
Delta Airlines has revealed that the recent Crowdstrike outage has cost it half a billion dollars. Speaking to CNBC, CEO Ed Bastian said that the amount represents lost revenue as well as compensation and hotels.
SPORT
Olympics.... Great Britain's Alex Yee has won triathlon gold. He crossed the line after one hour 43 minutes 33 seconds to finish six seconds clear of New Zealand's Hayden Wilde.
Great Britain's rowers won Olympic gold in the women's quadruple sculls after a photo finish with the Netherlands.
Kieran Reilly secured BMX freestyle silver. Argentina's Jose Torres Gil, took the gold medal.
Football... Manchester City have agreed a deal to sell Brazilian player Yan Couto to Borussia Dortmund. City signed Couto as a 19-year-old in 2020 but he has never played a game for the club.
Rugby Union... Harlequins have signed former Wales and British and Irish Lions players Leigh Halfpenny and Wyn Jones for the upcoming Premiership season. Halfpenny was last with Crusaders in New Zealand. Jones moves to Harlequins from Scarlets.
The Alpes-Maritimes department is tackling "ghost fishing nets," abandoned plastic nets that harm marine ecosystems. ...
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The French government has claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu has immunity from arrest warrants which have been issued by the international criminal court...
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A criminal network that cloned payment cards to steal "hundreds of thousands of euros" from trucking companies across France, including the Côte d’Azu...
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The CGT has released a map detailing nearly 200,000 jobs threatened across France due to layoffs and industrial restructuring since September 2023, wi...
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The A8 motorway was temporarily closed at the La Barque toll plaza toward Nice due to a vehicle driving the wrong way near Aix-en-Provence....
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