Evening Update Monday 22 June 2020

Reports say that one person has died this afternoon on a construction site at the AS Monaco training ground in La Turbie. It's believed that a section of cliff fell onto machinery being operated by the victim. Police and firefighters, along with geologists are at the site.

The municipal fireworks display will not take place in Nice on the 14th July this year. The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, held a meeting this morning with representatives of the victims of the July 14 2016 attack and the members of the follow-up committee to discuss organization of the July 14 ceremonies this year and next year. He said that a "sober tribute" would be held this year, including a ceremony at the Villa Massena and projection of 86 lights into the night sky, each representing a victim of the attack.

About a dozen temporary workers staged a demonstration in Nice this morning. The workers, including tour guides, hostesses and temporary catering staff, say that they have become "invisible" and haven't been adequately covered by the French government's unemployment insurance reforms and financial measures put in place during the coronavirus crisis.

The post office in Mouans-Sartoux was evacuated this morning after several dozen people complained of headaches and nausea. Firefighters were called but after investigating the heating system and nearby businesses didn't find anything which could responsible. The Post Office has remained closed for the rest of the day.

Investigations by the National Police are underway after a brawl broke out in a bar in La Ciotat. Reports say that an argument between two women spread to their respective spouses and then to many other people in the bar, with the fight spilling out onto the terrace. Police with dogs intervened.

A large rave party has been broken up by police in the countryside of the Vaucleuse department. According to reports, about 400 to 500 people had gathered on Saturday night. Police were alerted by the National Forest Office and intervened in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Nine futher arrests have been made this morning in connection with the recent violence in Dijon.  Three dismantled rifles and bags containing 2 to 3 kg of cartridges were also seized in police raids. Outbreaks of violence occurred from June 12-15 involving members of the Chechen community and local residents.

Nokia has said that it plans to make redundancies at the French operations of Alcatel-Lucent. Nokia acquired the business in 2016. Reports say a total of about 1,200 jobs will go at the business's operations in the Cotes-d'Armour and Essonne departments.

Carrefour has announced a recall of various charcuterie products because of the possible presence of listeria. The company recommends that people who have the affected products destroy them or take them back to the store, where they will be reimbursed. The list of products, sold under the Carrefour BIO and Carrefour Selection brands, can be found at  https://www.carrefour.fr/rappel-produits

Vinci Autoroutes has launched a new electronic toll badge which can be connected by bluetooth to motorists' phones. Over 10 million people in France currently subscribe to electronic toll payment services. The new device is available at more than 500 points of sale in France.

 

BUSINESS

German payments business Wirecard has said that the €1.9bn missing from its accounts may not exist. Wirecard's chief executive left the company on Friday as the search for the missing cash apparently hit a dead end in the Philippines. In a statement today the company said "on the basis of further examination..there is a prevailing likelihood that the bank trust account balances in the amount of 1.9 billion EUR do not exist". The company also said it was withdrawing its financial results for 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.

The UK Treasury has announced that Nikhil Rathi has been appointed as head of the UK financial regulator the Financial Conduct Authority. The previous head of the body was Andrew Bailey, who became the Governor of the Bank of England in March.

UK indutrial output has suffered its worst quarter on record, according to a survey by the CBI. The fall in the three months to the end of June this year showed a fall in 15 out of the 17 sub-sectors covered by the survey, with motor vehicles and transport equipment, mechanical engineering and metal products being most affected. The survey of factory output began in 1975.


SPORT

Tennis.... Nick Kyrgios says it was a "bone-headed decision" to go ahead with the Adria Tour in Croatia after Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric tested positive for coronavirus. Sunday's final was cancelled after Dimitrov withdrew from the tournament on Saturday.

Motorsports... Formula 1 has launched an equality and diversity task force as part of its "We Race As One" initiative.  F1 boss Chase Carey said that at the  first race in Austria next month "Formula 1 will stand united to say loud and clear that racism must end".

Football... Japan has withdrawn its bid to stage the 2023 Women's World Cup. The withdrawal was made by the Japanese Football Association just three days before a vote by Fifa to decide where the tournament will be held. The JFA will now support the joint bid being made by Australia and New Zealand. Colombia is the only other country still bidding.

There’s one game in the English Premier League tonight. Manchester City play Burnley.

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