Organizers of the Monaco Yacht Show have announced the postponement of this year's show. Informa Markets said today that the 30th edition of the show will now be held in September next year. It said that with much of the Super Yacht fleet currently located in the US and the Caribbean and the normal calendar of activity severely disrupted, it's been agreed that it is "in the industry’s best interests to postpone the delivery of a top quality, prestige experience 30th edition of the Monaco Yacht Show to next year". It also confirmed that the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is still on track to take place in late October this year.
The Alpes Maritime department has adopted a motion calling on the French Secretary of State for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, to compel Air France to resume a greater number of flights to and from Nice Cote d'Azur airport this summer. The airline currently plans to resume 35% of its Nice flights in the summer, according to Alpes Maritimes deputy Eric Ciotti. He said that Air France "must assume its responsibilities as a national company" which has recently received 7 billion euros from the French state. The motion was adopted unanimously with one abstension.
The reopening of Orly airport in Paris was disrupted this morning after activists from the pressure group Extinction Rebellion staged a protest on the runways. Protestors asked the French government and Paris airports on social media to stop domestic flights. The airport re-opened today after being closed for the past three months due to the pandemic.
French multinational pharmaceuticals company Sanofi has announced that it's planning to cut 1,000 jobs in France. The cuts are part of 1,700 job losses it expects to make across its european operations. The company said that the redundancies will be on a voluntary basis.
Large parts of central and south-west France are on a Meteo France Orange alert for thunderstorms. An orange alert is level three out of the four alert levels. 20 departments are affected, with Meteo France saying that strong electrical activity is expected this evening with intense rain, the risk of hail and wind gusts of up to 120 km per hour. Much of the rest of France is on a lower yellow level of alert for storms this evening. On the Riviera, storms are expected inland in the Alpes Maritimes this evening but the coast should be sunny with clear skies.
The President of the European Commission has said that the EU is in negotiations with large pharmaceutical companies to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. She said that if such a vaccine was found the EU would reserve it "for Europeans" but is open to giving help to poorer countries who can't afford it.
BUSINESS
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has announced that it has put restrictions in place on Wirecard's UK subsidiary. The FCA said the measures were aimed at protecting the interests and money of consumers who use Wirecard. The auditors of Wirecard in Germany have said they were unable to trace 1.9 billion euros of the company's cash deposits.
Administrators of Virgin Australia have announced that the airline has been acquired by US private equity group Bain Capital. Virgin Australia had unsuccessfully requested loans from the Australian government. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of August.
Shopping centre owner Intu has called in administrators. The company said it had failed to reach agreement with its lenders. Intu owns or part-owns shopping centres in the UK and Spain, including the Trafford Centre in Manchester and Lakeside in Essex.
SPORT
Rugby Union... Several new player contracts have been announced today. Jonny May has agreed extended terms with Gloucester. James Hanson, Lewis Ludlow and Alex Craig have also signed new deals with the club. Meanwhile, Bryan Byrne has signed a one-year contract with Bristol Bears.Wales centre Nick Tompkins has joined Dragons on a one year loan from Saracens.
Athletics... The British Athletics Championships in Manchester have been rescheduled for the second time because of the coronavirus outbreak. The new dates are 4 to 5 September this year and the event will be held behind closed doors.
Tennis.. The International Tennis Federation has announced that this year's Davis Cup and Fed Cup Finals have been postponed due to the pandemic. The next Davis Cup will now take place from November 22 next year and the Fed Cup will now be staged from April 13 to 18 next year.
Football..It’s the FA Cup quarter finals weekend in England. Norwich play Manchester United tomorrow and on Sunday Sheffield United play Arsenal. Leicester host Chelsea and Newcastle play Manchester City. There are only two games in the English Premier League this weekend. Aston Villa play Wolves tomorrow and Watford play Southampton on Sunday. Crystal Palace play Burnley on Monday.
Electric bike-sharing firm Pony says all of its vehicles will be back out on the streets of Nice no later than June, after they were withdrawn last mo...
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Gabriel Attal announced new measures In response to recent acts of violence among young people during a visit to Viry-Châtillon. Attal highlighted the...
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The owners of a vast floating artificial island that had been planned for last summer off the coast of Mandelieu have won a legal battle to be allowed...
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The Monegasque State has successfully conducted its first national voluntary surrender operation, with 123 firearms being handed over by private indiv...
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A hospital in Cannes has had to postpone all non-urgent consultations and operations after falling victim to a cyberattack....
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