National News
French President Emmanuel Macron to address the public in a televised interview this evening - French President Emmanuel Macron will give his first interview since the legislative elections this evening at 8pm on France 2. Macron did break his silence three days after the elections in a letter to the French but has not spoken publicly since July 7th. The Head of State, who has pleaded for "a political truce" during the Paris Games will speak about the upcoming opening ceremony and the political situation in France.
Meanwhile, more than two weeks after coming first in the early legislative elections, but far from the absolute majority in the National Assembly, the left wing New Popular Front party still claims the post of Prime Minister but continues to be divided over who will be their candidate.
Far left French MP sparks outrage after comments about Israeli athletes – In other news national in France, French MP Thomas Portes of the radical-left France Unbowed (LFI) political party in France has sparked outrage after saying Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Paris Olympics and calling for protests against their presence. Citing Israel’s war in Gaza, Thomas Portes told a pro-Palestinian gathering in Paris at the weekend “We are just a few days away from an international event to be held in Paris, the Olympic Games. And I’m here to say that no, the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Olympic Games in Paris. Following his comments the head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), described them as “indecent and irresponsible”, accusing Portes of “putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes”. The Israeli embassy has declined to comment.
Local
Outpouring of solidarity following fatal fire - There has been a moving outpouring of solidarity following last week’s fatal fire in Nice, which claimed seven lives. Two online fundraising sites have reached nearly 70,000 euros in donations. Launched in agreement with the members of the victim’s families the first has raised nearly 58,000 euros with 500 messages of support and compassion, the second, launched by the wife of the mayor of Nice, journalist Laura Tenoudji, had fetched nearly 8,000 euros on Monday afternoon. The money raised will go towards supporting the surviving children who lost seven loved ones in the arson attack.
It was on Monday July 22nd, that one of the suspected three arsonists responsible for the fire in the Moulin district was arrested. The investigation is ongoing.
Fire destroys a hectare of land - In other local news, a hectare of land has been destroyed and 150 firefighters mobilized following a forest fire in the hills behind Mandelieu on Monday afternoon. Significant land and air emergency services were deployed to put out the fire as quickly as possible. Although the fire broke out on a strip of land between two villas, no casualties were reported, and no homes were affected.
Several beaches closed to bathers - Several beaches along the Var coastline have banned swimming following bad weather. Beaches in Sanary hoisted their red and purple flags on Monday afternoon following heavy rain in the region at the weekend. The ban is thought to be temporary as the town hall waits for results in order to reopen and lift the swimming ban.
Annual tax on empty business premises in Beausoleil - An annual tax on commercially abandoned sites is soon to be introduced in Beausoleil. Faced with a wave of vacant commercial premises which inadvertently harms the attractiveness of the town, the city council has announced the introduction of an annual tax on what they call “commercial wastelands” from January 1st, 2025. More than 200 addresses are thought to be concerned and are currently being investigated by the French tax services.
Seagale clothing brand expanding – The clothing brand Seagale which was born and bred in the Var region is expanding into Nice and Lyon. The creators from Toulon launched the brand in 2014 on the web and started with the dream of selling the “perfect swimming shorts”. Now the brand offers sportswear and streetwear for men, women and children.
EVO 2025 in Nice - Nice is set to host the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s largest fighting video game tournament, from October 10-12, 2025. It marks the first time the event will be held in Europe, moving from previous locations like Los Angeles and Tokyo. The announcement follows record participation in EVO 2024, demonstrating the growing popularity of e-sports.
Business
Shares in cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike have plunged more than 13% as the company faces the aftermath of its global IT outage. Many businesses are still recovering after a faulty "content update" last week crashed 8.5 million Microsoft Windows computers around the world. The issue has required manual reboots in some cases.
The boss of Tesla and billionaire Elon Musk has said that the electric car maker will start producing and using humanoid robots from next year. In a social media post, Mr Musk said the robots will first be used by Tesla, which will start making them to sell in 2026. Musk had previously said he expected the robot, called Optimus, to be ready for use in Tesla factories by the end of this year. Other firms, including Honda and Boston Dynamics, have also been developing their own humanoid robots.
And - The no-frills airline Ryanair has announced that it expects summer fares will be much lower than last year after profits fell by almost 50%. The company said passengers were cutting back while the timing of Easter holidays had also hit earnings, with profit before tax slumping 46% to €401m (£338m) in the three months to 30 June when compared with a year ago. Average passenger fares fell by 15% in the period, and the carrier said it would have to offer more discounts in the coming months.
Sport
Paris Olympics - Following his victory at the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics which begin on Friday. The Slovenian cyclist winner of his third Tour de France has withdrawn from the Paris Games citing "fatigue".
Football – The manager of Arsenal football club is trying to strengthen "certain positions" as they close in on the signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori. There is no update yet on the deal for the 22-year-old Bologna man, who is valued at about £34m. However, sources have said talks are progressing well and are expected to reach a positive conclusion.
Rugby Union - Former England scrum-half Ben Youngs says he had heart surgery this year after collapsing during an open training session with Leicester Tigers. The 34-year-old, who is England's most-capped men's player had surgery after the incident but says he expects to be fully fit for the start of the new Premiership season in September.
Motorsport - Aston Martin have begun testing the new 'hypercar' ahead of it returning to Le Mans next year. The British outfit, join several manufacturers who have returned to the World Endurance Championship following the introduction of the new hypercar class. The last outright win for Aston Martin at Le Mans came in 1959. 2025 looks set to mark their first tilt at the top-tier race since 2011.
Weather
Fine and sunny, highs of 34 degrees inland in the Alpes Maritimes. 29-30 degrees along the coast in Monaco, Nice and Cannes. 36 degrees in Saint Tropez. Strong winds picking up in the Var by this afternoon with moderate winds in the Alpes Maritimes. This evening going down 26 degrees with clear skies.
The outlook for tomorrow and Thursday, remaining fine and sunny with highs of 36 degrees. Strong winds set to continue tomorrow in the Var dying down by Thursday.
Sunrise 06.10am
Sunset 09.02pm
Beach weather
Sea temperature Nice 26°
UV level 8
Air temperature 28 degrees with a gentle breeze.
Weather elsewhere
Rome 37° and sunny.
Madrid and Athens 38° and sunny.
Cardiff 22° with sunny intervals.
Liverpool 20° with sunny intervals.
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