Commemorations took place yesterday in Nice to mark the anniversary of the attack in July 2016 in which 86 people lost their lives. The day began with a ceremony at the sculpture L’ange de la baie on the promenade des Anglais. A concert was held last night at the Theatre de Verdue and 86 beams of light were shone into the sky to pay tribute to each of the victims who lost their lives.
The traditional national Bastille Day parade took place on the Champs Elysees in Paris yesterday. Proceedings included a fly-past by the Patrouille de France, the French airforce acrobatics team, and the signing of the Marseilleise. President Macron reviewed the honarary section of the Republican Guard. Over 5,000 military personnel marched down the Champs Elysees. This year’s guest of hounour was the country of Indonesia which had about 450 personnel taking part in the Bastille Day commemorations.
Ceremonies and parades also took place here on the Riviera, including in Nice where a parade featured gendarmes, Navy sailors, soldiers, national and municipal police, customs officers, firefighters, civil protection volunteers and the municipal reserve of Nice. The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Laurent Hottiaux, Mayor Christian Estrosi, Eric Ciotti and other members of parliament from the Alpes-Maritimes were present for the day’s events. In Draguignan a large crowd gathered to see the Bastille Day parade featuring emergency service and military personnel. Var firefighters closed the parade, this year with the presence of their Italian colleagues, who are working in the department as part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
Two SNCF employees have intervened to stop a violent attack near Juan-les-Pins station. A passenger on their train, who was behaving aggressively, assaulted an elderly person after getting off the train at the station yesterday afternoon. The train driver and a trainee had called the police but intervened immediately to restrain the man.
Ten French departments have been placed on an orange level alert for forest fires today. They include the Var, where the Prefecture has placed the Sainte Baume, des Maures, and Centre Var massifs on a “very severe” fire risk level. Access, traffic, walking, and work is prohibited in those massifs. Several other massifs are on a “severe” fire risk level. The Sigues and Gonfaron rest areas on the A57 motorway are closed because of fire risk. More details are available on the Prefecture’s website www.var.gouv.fr
A gendarme in the Gironde department in south-west France has been hospitalised with multiple leg fractures after being hit by a vehicle which refused to stop. The local prefect said that the perpetrator took refuge in a field occupied by travellers but gendarmes were able to identify the individual and the vehicle involved.
The Monaco government has announced that a small weekly market will take place in the Larvotto district. Fruit and vegetable sellers will be present every Thursday morning near the Lartigue fountain in Larvotto, on the east side of the esplanade, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting July 17. This mobile market will offer a variety of fruits and vegetables, with a focus on organic options. It joins the three other markets already established in various districts of the Principality - in Monte-Carlo, La Condamine, and Monaco-Ville. As with the other sites, a home delivery service has been set up for the new market.
BUSINESS
The UK government has launched a public consultation over the future of the Post Office after the Horizon scandal which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly accused of false accounting and theft. The government has suggested that ownership of the Post Office could be put into the hands of postmasters. Government minister Gareth Thomas said it was time for "a fresh vision" for the service. The Post Office operates counters or shops in more than 11,000 locations around the UK and is currently owned and financed by the state.
The EU’s trade commissioner has said that tariffs proposed by the United States would make it “almost impossible” to continue transatlantic trade. Speaking after a meeting of EU member state trade ministers, Maros Sefcovic said that the EU wants to use “every day, every possibility and every minute” between now and August 1 to find a negotiated solution. President Trump has threatened to impose a tariff of 30% on goods from the EU from the beginning of August.
SPORT
Cricket…. England beat India by 22-runs on a tense final day of the third Test at Lord's. Ben Stokes claimed three wickets as India were bowled out for 170. England now lead the series 2-1.
Tour de France…Simon Yates won stage 10 of the Tour de France yesterday as Ben Healy became the first Irish rider to claim the yellow jersey for 38 years. Yesterday was a 165.3km stage from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy. It’s a rest day today, before racing resumes tomorrow with a 156.8km route around Toulouse.
Commemorations took place yesterday in Nice to mark the anniversary of the attack in July 2016 in which 86 people lost their lives...
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French TV host and producer Thierry Ardisson has died in Paris at the age of 76 from liver cancer, his family announced. ...
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An administrative judge has suspended an order against large cruise ships in Villefranche-sur-mer and Nice. Nice Mayor and President of the Nice Cote ...
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The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes has made a legal challenge against new limits on large cruise ship moorings in Nice and Villefranche....
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British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron have announced a so-called "one in, one out" migrant deal aimed at reducing migr...
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