French court dismisses Covid-19 investigation - A French court has decided not to go ahead with an investigation into the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Court of Justice of the Republic, the only court in France able to prosecute and try current and former government members, said yesterday that its coronavirus investigation would be dropped. Three former government officials had faced investigation, including former prime minister Edouard Philippe, over claims that the government mishandled its reaction to the virus's spread, including a lack of protective gear and unclear guidance over mask wearing. Ex-health minister Agnès Buzyn and her successor Olivier Véran had also been named in the case. According to estimates from France's public health agency, about 168,000 people died from Covid-19 between February 2020 and September 2023, when the World Health Organization declared the global health emergency over.
Bouches-du-Rhône pharmacists requisitioned - In local news, several striking pharmacists have been ordered to return to work, to ensure that out-of-hours pharmacy services remain accessible during the ongoing walkout. In the Bouches-du-Rhône, the prefecture has requisitioned pharmacists to guarantee that a minimum level of on-call and emergency pharmacy service is available. According to the Paca regional health authority, 80% of pharmacists in the Bouches-du-Rhône have taken part in the strike action. The list of requisitioned on-call pharmacies has been published on the regional health authority website and will be updated through the strike movement.
Mayor on trial over alleged fly-tipping in river - The mayor of Puget-Théniers and five other local officials have gone on trial in Nice accused of illegally dumping waste into the Var river. The unusual case sees the mayor, the former mayor, a municipal councillor and three municipal employees go on trial for fly-tipping. During an inspection carried out in February 2023, witnesses reported seeing a municipal waste collector dumping the contents of a bin truck into the river that runs through the town, including plastic waste, cans and discarded cigarette packets. It's estimated that more than 300 tonnes of waste flowed down the Var river and ended up on the coast, in a Natura 2000 protected environmental area. The six defendants could face up to four years in prison and a fine of €150,000.
Plan to alleviate Eurostar terminal overcrowding - Bosses at London's Saint-Pancras station have signed a deal with Eurostar to increase capacity at the terminal - amid frequent complaints from passengers about long queues and overcrowding. The cramped international departures area at St Pancras struggles to cope at peak times. Now, Eurostar and St Pancras have signed a letter of intent to improve cross-border security procedures and make more space available. An architect's firm has been commissioned to carry out a detailed design and feasibility study.
BUSINESS
US President Donald Trump has warned that countries which side with the policies of the Brics alliance that go against US interests will be hit with an extra 10% tariff. Trump has long criticised Brics, an organisation whose members include China, Russia and India, which was designed to boost countries' international standing and challenge the US and western Europe.
Meanwhile, shares in Tesla fell by 3% in early trading in Frankfurt yesterday, as investors reacted to Elon Musk’s plan to launch a new US political party called the America Party. Trump called the idea “ridiculous”, and claimed Musk had gone completely ‘off the rails’.
UK house prices stagnated last month, new data from lender Halifax shows. Halifax reports that house prices were effectively unchanged month-on-month in June with the average price of a property sold coming in at £296,665, compared to £296,782 in May. This pulled the annual rate of house price inflation down to 2.5% from 2.6% in May.
Northern Ireland has by far the strongest annual price growth in the UK, with prices up by +9.6% over the past year. But, growth was much more subdued in the South West of England, and London, with prices rising by just +0.5% and +0.6% respectively.
And UK airport staff are earning cash bonuses for every easyJet passenger they spot travelling with an oversized bag, according to a leaked email. Staff at Swissport, an aviation company that operates passenger gates at airports, are eligible to receive £1.20 for every gate bag taken, according to the message sent to staff at seven airports in the UK and the Channel Islands, including Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey and Newcastle. The payments are to “reward agents doing the right thing”, according to the email explaining the “easyJet gate bag revenue incentive” scheme. It also emerged that ground handlers employed by another aviation firm, DHL Supply Chain, at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports are also paid extra for identifying non-compliant easyJet bags. The employees receive “a nominal amount” for each bag, the Sunday Times reported.
SPORT
Cycling - The final day of the German Track Cycling Championships was abandoned after several spectators were injured when two cyclists crashed into the crowd. The incident happened on the final bend of the men's semi-finals as the two riders careered over the barriers at a speed of about 35mph at the track in Dudenhofen, western Germany. Seven spectators were injured, some seriously, with two needing to be airlifted to hospital. The two cyclists escaped with minor injuries. Two helicopters and six ambulances attended the incident.
Formula One - Lewis Hamilton said the Ferrari he drove in the wet-dry British Grand Prix was the most difficult car he has ever driven in these conditions. The seven-time champion finished fourth at Silverstone behind the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg. The race started on a damp track which dried a little before a heavy rain shower and then dried again. The event was packed with incidents and featured three safety cars.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen said he found it "strange" that Oscar Piastri was handed a decisive penalty for a Safety Car infringement during the British Grand Prix, as Red Bull boss Christian Horner bemoaned the fact George Russell escaped punishment for a similar incident in Canada last month. Piastri was penalised for slowing suddenly having just taken control of the pack as it was confirmed the Safety Car was coming in at the end of lap 21 at Silverstone.
Cricket - Australia clinched a series win over West Indies with a resounding victory in the second Test in Grenada. After setting the home side 277 to win on a difficult pitch, the tourists ripped through the West Indies batters in 34.3 overs to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead. Having wrapped up the first Test inside three days in Barbados with a 159-run victory, Australia enjoyed a similar winning margin on day four in Grenada, by 133 runs. They can complete a series clean sweep when the two sides meet in Jamaica next week.
Boxing - Former multiple world champion Ricky Hatton has announced his return to boxing. Hatton, who turns 47 in October, will fight the United Arab Emirates' Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight bout on 2 December in Dubai. Organisers say the contest will be a professional bout but it is unclear if it will be fully sanctioned or if it will have conditions like Mike Tyson v Jake Paul, where there were shorter rounds and a limit on number of rounds.
Football - Colombia striker Jhon Duran has joined Fenerbahce on a year-long loan - six months after moving from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr in a £71m deal. The 21-year-old scored 12 goals in 29 games for Villa last season, although only seven of those were league starts. After joining Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in January, Duran scored 12 goals in 18 appearances.
And Newcastle striker Callum Wilson says "all good things come to an end" after confirming he will leave the club. The former England international's contract expired last week and he exits St James' Park after failing to agree a new deal. Wilson scored 49 goals in 130 appearances for Newcastle, who have thanked the 33-year-old for playing a "huge part in our success in recent years".
WEATHER
Fine and sunny across the Riviera today, still very windy with gusts up to 85 kilometres per hour in parts of the Var. Temperatures this afternoon reaching 30 degrees Celsius on the coast and 27 inland. Clear skies overnight and getting cooler, with night-time temperatures around 22 on the Alpes-Maritimes coast, 20 on the Var coast and 17 inland. The outlook for Wednesday: another fine and sunny day, the winds should have calmed down. Temperatures tomorrow around 28 degrees Celsius.
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