Evening Update Tuesday 10 November 2020

Members of several French teaching unions have been staging industrial action today to protest at what they say is a lack of health protocols in schools, particularly in colleges. The Ministry of Education said earlier today that 8.78% of teaching staff in primary schools were on strike and 10.36% in secondary educational establishments. Those figures are disputed by unions who say that participation was higher. Several student demonstrations were reported at schools this morning, including in Pau in south-west France where several hundred students gathered outside schools to demand better health measures.

After a Defence Council meeting this morning a French government spokesperson said that it was too early to envisage a relexation of confinement rules. He reiterated that the peak of the second wave is "before us", echoing the words of Director General of Health Jerome Salamon yesterday evening.

It's been announced that French Prime Minister Jean Castex will give an update on the coronavirus situation this Thursday at 6pm. Another meeting of the Defence Council will be held on Thursday morning.

A police officer has survived after receiving a gunshot to the head. Local reports say that the officer was attacked after parking his car outside his home in Evanos in the Var in the early hours of this morning. The attacker demanded the keys to the officer's car before opening fire. Inquiries into the incident are continuing.

The municipality in Cannes is providing all reception staff in municipal establishments with transparent masks suitable for exchanges with people with disabilities. All teachers in public and private Cannes schools who teach in classes made up of schoolchildren affected by disabilities such as deafness will receive their so-called "inclusive" transparent mask.

A security guard has been given a six month suspended prison sentence by a court in Marseille for cruelty after housing his dog in cramped conditions in the boot of his car for five months. He was also banned from being a security guard for two years and was banned from keeping an animal.

Due to the current health situation, the Var prefecture has decided to cancel the evening Saint Jean "mini market" in Frejus. Local traders have set up a replecement delivery system to enable residents to obtain fresh produce. You can find details on https://www.ville-frejus.fr/ Meanwhile, the municipality in Ramatuelle has published a list of business offering takeaway or collection during lockdown. You can find details at https://www.ramatuelle-tourisme.com/fr/actualites/plats-a-emporter-a-ramatuelle/

BUSINESS

New figures published today by French statistics agency INSEE show that the unemployment rate in France has risen to 9% in the third quarter of this year, an increase of 1.9%. 2.7 million people are now unemployed in France.

Unemployment in the UK has also risen according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. The unemployment rate rose to 4.8% in the three months to the end of September from 4.5% in the previous quarter. Redundancies rose to a record high of 314,000.

Premier Foods has reported a 50% rise in profits for the six months to September. The owner of brands such as Bisto, Ambrosia and Mr. Kipling's credited "exceptional" demand throughout lockdown as people turned to comfort foods and ate at home.

SPORT

Motorsports... The Vietnamese Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2021 Formula 1 calendar. The date of the Vietnam race has been left blank on a 22-race schedule published today. The calendar also lists a provisional race in Brazil which is now scheduled to be in Sao Paulo rather than Rio de Janeiro. The 2021 season is scheduled to start in Australia on 21 March and end in Abu Dhabi on 5 December.

Football... Jude Bellingham has been called up to the senior England squad after previously playing at Under-21 level. Bellingham joined Borusia Dortmund last summer and was previously at Birmingham City.

Rugby Union... The three remaining matches in the Women's Six Nations have been called off. England had already been confirmed as Grand Slam winners after beating Italy 54-0. Meanwhile, Ireland and Scotland's womens qualifiers for next year's World Cup have been postponed.