National News
Outbreak of bird flu on French farm - A French farm has had an outbreak of bird flu for the first time since January. According to a statement from France’s agriculture ministry issued late on Tuesday, the disease was detected on a poultry farm in the northwestern region of Brittany and is thought to have spread from wild birds after several cases in nearby coastal areas.
Local News
Busy weekend on the region’s roads – Ahead of tomorrow’s bank holiday in France, as well as the 80th anniversary of the landings in Provence and as with every year the long weekend holiday heavy traffic is expected on roads across France.
Locally Vinci Autoroutes warns that the crossover of holiday makers, as well as the “pont” of August 15th and the ceremonies of the 80th anniversary of the Landing in Provence, heavy traffic is expected on the A8 motorway and also around large towns in our region. Traffic is expected to increase on Friday between 3pm and 8pm particularly in the Aix-en-Provence area. On Saturday, traffic will be heavy between 9am and 1pm between Nice heading towards Lyon, and between 1pm and 8pm from Lyon heading south.
Sunday will be similar with heavy traffic around Nice and Toulon especially in the evening due to those heading back from the long weekend. Note that on August 15th, the ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of the landing of Provence in Toulon will take place, which may cause some delays.
The Var and the Alpes-Maritimes will be classified in red with "very difficult traffic", from Friday through until Monday. On Saturday, traffic will be very dense as Bison Futé strongly advises avoiding the A8 motorway, between Italy and Aix-en-Provence, from 11am to 1pm.
Heatwave - Meanwhile, the orange heatwave alert which is expected to be lifted across France today will remain in place for the Alpes Maritimes and Corsica. The heat is still on as temperatures drop gradually. Weather is expected to be unsettled today in parts of France eventually reaching the Alpes Maritimes and Var region seeing temperatures drop by 3 to 4 degrees by the end of the week. The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department was placed on a yellow storm alert on Tuesday, the warning is expected to concern the Vaucluse and the Var from this evening.
60-year-old man drowns – In other news, a 60-year-old man has drowned on a beach in Grimaud in the Var. Emergency services intervened on Tuesday afternoon shortly after midday. The victim was seen to be in difficulty whilst out swimming. Lifeguards were unable to save the victim who suffered a heart attack.
Catamaran runs into rocks - A catamaran which was on autopilot has run aground in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. The crew failed to see the rocks at the end of Cape Taillat, near La Croix-Valmer. Sea rescue services intervened shortly after 5am on Tuesday morning. The six crew and two passengers escaped unharmed.
Swimming is once again allowed on beaches in the Var – Meanwhile, swimming is once again allowed on the beaches of La Croix-Valmer and Cavalaire. The two adjoining beaches had been impacted since Monday morning by pollution linked to extreme weather conditions, along with the lack of wind. The swimming ban was lifted on Tuesday after the latest result from tests carried out validated the reopening of swimming on both beaches.
Lucky winner – Finally, a customer at the Casino Les Princes in Cannes has had a stroke of luck after winning an exceptional jackpot of 135,000 euros, after having only bet five euros. Winning the equivalent of 27, 000 times his stake the individual who is a musician by trade is according to the casino not a regular customer.
Business
The United Auto Workers union (UAW) has filed federal labour charges against former American President Donald Trump and the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk for threatening to intimidate workers who go on strike. During Trump’s interview on X on Monday night with Musk, who is also the principal owner of the social media platform, the pair discussed a potential role for Musk in Trump’s administration should he get re-elected. Trump called Musk “the cutter,” and praised Musk for his anti-union stances. The charges claim the former president and the Tesla CEO had “interfered with, restrained or coerced employees” who were exercising their right to organize against the company, “suggesting he would fire employees engaged in protected concerted activity, including striking.”
The city of Melbourne in Australia has announced a ban on the rental of electronic scooters due to unacceptable safety risks. The U-turn comes after having welcomed the scooters on a two-year trial period, back in February of 2022. However, hundreds of accidents since then have sparked complaints and outrage from the public. Melbourne's mayor said he was "fed up" with the bad behaviour of some scooter users
And - After less than two years in charge the boss of Starbucks is leaving the company as the coffee chain looks for a fix for its flagging sales. The shake-up comes as Starbucks is grappling with a slump in sales amid a backlash to price increases and boycotts sparked by the Israel-Gaza war.
Sport
Cycling - Defending champion Demi Vollering took the Women’s Tour de France lead with victory in the stage three time trial, after Charlotte Kool won her second straight stage earlier in the day. The race, now in its third edition, moves from the Netherlands into Belgium today, before entering France on Thursday.
Football – The chief executive of the Premier League Richard Masters has said that it is “self-evident” that the case around Manchester City’s 115 charges needs to be resolved for the good of the league. An independent disciplinary commission is set to hear the case against City – who deny all charges – for allegedly breaching the Premier League's financial rules, with some dating back to 2009.
Cricket - England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the rest of the summer following injury. The all-rounder will miss England's three-Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts on 21 August, with vice-captain Ollie Pope to lead the side in Stokes' absence.
Weather
The Alpes Maritimes and Corsica remain on an orange heatwave alert which is expected to be lifted by this evening as storms move into the Var region. Mainly fine some cloud in place with highs of 32 degrees in Nice and Cannes, 31 degrees in Monaco and Saint-Tropez. A moderate breeze across the region. This evening going down to 24 degrees along the coast.
The outlook for tomorrow, thundery showers with highs of 30 degrees in the Alpes Maritimes and 28 degrees in the Var. Thursday sunny intervals highs of 28-30 degrees.
Sunrise 06.34am
Sunset 08.35pm
Beach weather
Sea temperature in la Ciotat is 27°.
Air temperature 30° with sunny intervals.
UV level 8
Weather elsewhere
London 24° light rain.
Madrid 31° sunny.
Belfast 20° sunny intervals.
And Finally
A recent study has claimed that a Mediterranean-style diet can help alleviate anxiety as well as improve your physical wellbeing. The benefits of a Mediterranean diet are already known as it cuts the risk of a heart attack, stroke and other conditions. Now, however, sticking to meals rich in fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and olive oil has been shown to make people feel less anxiety and stress. A study compared following this regime with a traditional Western diet, high in low-quality processed foods and sugary treats. Of the 1,591 adults surveyed, analysis showed that those who ate components of the Mediterranean diet typically reported lower levels of perceived stress and mental distress.
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