Evening Update Monday 19 October 2020

Additional coronavirus restrictions have come into force in the Var today. After an announcement by the Prefect on Friday, "events and festive gatherings" in establishments open to the public will be prohibited. In "party rooms, multipurpose rooms and marquees" all gatherings that do not allow the wearing of a mask for the duration of the event will be prohibited. The wearing of a mask is mandatory in all open-air markets as well as in the commune of Toulon and in the town centers of 18 communes of department. The department's bars and restaurants remain closed between midnight and 6 a.m. You can get further information at www.var.gouv.fr

In the week of 5 to 11 October 7.7% of coronavirus tests carried out in the Var were positive, up from 4.8% in the previous week. The incidence of the virus per 100,000 people was 101, up from 59 in the previous week.

The municipality of Antibes Juan-les-Pins has released its weekly figures for covid-19 cases at the hospital, which covers a population of 200,000 people. During the week of October 12 to 18 there were 12 hospitalized patients, 2 patients in intensive care and 1 death from the virus.

Police have raided the homes of several dozen suspected Islamic radicals following the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in a suburb of Paris on Friday.  French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said this morning that about 80 people would be interviewed by police and 51 French Muslim associations were being investigated. He said the operations sent a message that there was "no respite for enemies of the Republic".  The family of M. Party were received by President Macron at the Elysee Palace today. It was also announced that a national day of tribute will take place on Wednesday. Locally, a book of condolence has been opened at the town hall in Nice. 

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi has written to Prime Minister Jean Castex to extend the presence of a police officer to all schools in Nice. An experiment has been carried out since January 2018 in which a municipal police officer has been stationed at each of eighteen schools in the city. The mayor said that all the school directors were in favour of continuing with a police presence at their school. He added that such a presence supports the educational community in controlling access, securing sites, providing advice on security, presenting the dangers of the Internet and cybercrime, prevention and initiation into road safety and also attacks on secularism.

The Monegasque Red Cross has said that it has collected 75,000 euros so far to help those affected by Storm Alex in the Vésubie and Roya valleys. At the initiative of its President, HSH Prince Albert II, the organization has decided to release the sum of € 100,000 in addition to the donations received. More than 8 pallets of essential goods have left the collection center on the digue in Port Hercule for the intermediate collection center in Menton and were then helicoptered to Breil-sur-Roya to be distributed to the population. 6 other pallets are being prepared and will be shipped soon. You can find out more about the work of the Moneqagque Red Cross on their website www.croix-rouge.mc

The Brexit withdrawal residency portal for UK nationals living in France goes live today. All British nationals living in France will have to apply for the new permit no later than the 30th of June 2021. The new process is user friendly and in English and French. Applicants are required to fill in details and then state how long they have been in the country. They are then directed to the relevant section to complete the process and upload relevant documents. Everybody applying will be required to attend their local prefecture to provide biometric details such as fingerprints and photographs. A receipt will then be issued and cards sent out in the post.

 

BUSINESS

Administrators for collapsed UK airline FlyBe have said that an agreement has been reached with an investor to restart operations. Thyme Opco will buy the airline's brand, intellectual property, stock and equipment. According to reports, the deal means that the airline may start flying again next year. 

The Chinese economy continued to expand in the July to September quarter. Official figures showed growth of  4.9% in the quarter as the economy revovered from Covid-19 related disruption earlier in the year. However, the figure was lower than had been expected by economists.

 

SPORT

Cricket... Dawid Malan has signed for Australian side Hobart Hurricanes for the Big Bash League which is scheduled to get underway in December. The Yorkshire batsman is the fifth England player to sign up for this year's Big Bash tournament.

Football...Three European countries have announced a joint bid to host the 2027 Women's World Cup. Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium have presented their plans for the tournament to Fifa and are expected to release further details such as host cities in the coming months. The next Women's World cup will take place in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.

There are two games tonight in the English Premier League. West Brom play Burnley and Leeds play Wolves.

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