National News France
French far right leader criticises Mbappé - French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has criticised footballer Kylian Mbappe for his call on the youth to vote against the "extremes" in parliamentary elections this month. Speaking to French television on Tuesday Bardella said "I have a lot of respect for our footballers, whether Marcus Thuram or Kylian Mbappe, who are icons of football and icons for youth ... But we must respect the French, we must respect everyone's vote”.
Absolute majority needed - Meanwhile, concerning the elections Bardella went on to say that he needs an absolute majority in order to govern France effectively appealing to voters to hand his party an absolute majority in parliamentary elections, saying it would otherwise not be able to push through its planned reforms.
Local News
Residents evacuated after fire breaks out - Sixty people have had to be evacuated after a fire broke out in a tower block in Toulon in the Var. The fire destroyed an apartment located on the 14th floor of building in the La Rode district of Toulon. No one was hurt. Firefighters intervened shortly after 5pm on Tuesday, the cause of the blaze is yet to be determined.
Arrests made in connection with shootings - Seven people from Marseille and Aubagne have been arrested in connection with a spate of shootings in Hyéres in the Var. Public order has been disturbed in recent weeks in the Val des Rougières district of the town due to drug trafficking. Police on Tuesday raided premises of the Marseille DZ Mafia clan who had tried to take over in the region. A full investigation is underway.
Air pollution - In other news, the prefecture of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region has announced a peak in air pollution in both the Var and the Alpes Maritimes. The warning issued on Tuesday June 19th, states that the quality of air has deteriorated with fine particles affecting the entire region. Those vulnerable are recommended to avoid intense physical or sporting activities and avoid high traffic areas during rush hours.
Olympic flame competes tour of our region - The Paris 2024 Olympic flame has completed its journey in our region stopping off at seven locations on the Riviera and the Principality of Monaco. Carried by 157 athletes the torch covered a journey of more than 25km on Tuesday, with French athlete Stéphane Diagana being last bearer of the Flame.
Congratulations! - Finally, it’s congratulations to Louis and Marie Ducruet who have announced on social media that they are expecting their second child later this year. Louis Ducruet, the son of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, and his wife of almost five years, Marie, shared the news via an Instagram post featuring the couple’s one -year-old daughter Victoire and their dog.
Business
TikTok has faced new claims of violating child privacy. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has referred a complaint against the social media app and its parent company over potential violations of children's privacy to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The FTC says its own investigation "uncovered reason to believe" that the firms "are violating or are about to violate the law". The regulator said its investigation focused on potential violations of the FTC Act and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
Boeing's chief executive Dave Calhoun has faced a grilling from US senators about the company's culture as he apologised to family members of plane crash victims, who shouted at him throughout the hearing. The US company most recently was put in the spotlight when a door panel fell off a new 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, leaving a gaping hole. As part of an ongoing investigation, Boeing whistleblowers told the Senate in April that the 737 Max, the 787 Dreamliner and the 777 models had serious production issues.
And - McDonald's in the US is removing artificial intelligence (AI) powered ordering technology from its drive-through restaurants, after customers shared its comical mishaps online. A trial of the system developed by IBM and announced in 2019 uses voice recognition software to process orders. It has not proved entirely reliable, however, resulting in viral videos of bizarre, misinterpreted orders ranging from bacon-topped ice cream to hundreds of dollars' worth of chicken nuggets.
Sport
Football - It was a late win for Portugal as they fought back from a goal down to beat Czech Republic 2-1 in their Euro 2024 opener on Tuesday night. The goal ensured Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo marked his appearance at a record sixth European Championship with a memorable win. Meanwhile, Turkey broke Georgia hearts on their European Championship debut with a 3-1 win.
Today hosts Germany play Hungary and Scotland play Switzerland.
Tennis - Andy Murray began what is likely to be his final Queen's appearance with a gritty win over Australia's Alexei Popyrin. On Tuesday Former world number one Murray earned a 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory in his first-round match. Murray, who is a record five-time champion at Queen's, is not expecting to play past the Paris 2024 Olympics as he contemplates where and when he will end his glittering career.
Athletics - A new athletics league has been launched by American track legend Michael Johnson. Grand Slam Track will aim to bring together the world's elite runners, offering $100,000 (£78,683) as a top prize. Starting in April 2025, the new format will have a prize fund of $12.6 million (£9.9m) split over four events.
Cycling - It's been announced that the 2026 Tour de France will begin in Barcelona, Spain. The "Grand Depart" of the race will be hosted by the Catalan capital for the first time on July 4, 2026. The city's mayor Jaume Collboni told a news conference "this is a historic milestone. It confirms Barcelona's role as an international sports capital".
Weather
Fine with moderate to strong westerly winds. Meteo France has issued a yellow weather warning with thundery showers forecast from 1pm to 6pm this evening. Highs of 27 degrees in Nice, 26 degrees in Monaco, 29 degrees in Cannes and Saint-Tropez. This evening going to 18 degrees with partly cloudy skies.
The outlook for tomorrow unsettled with a chance of showers along the coast. Friday sunny intervals highs of 30-31 degrees.
Sunrise 05.48
Sunset 09.15
Sea temperature
Cannes 19.2 degrees.
UV level 9
Weather elsewhere
London 21° sunny intervals.
Paris 21° rain.
Dublin 19° sunny.
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