Evening Update Tuesday 25 February 2020

The Rector of the Academy of Nice has set out  precautionary measures that will be effective from the start of the school year this coming Monday, March 2, to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Under the measures, any students or adults who have visited China, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, South Korea, or Lombardy or Veneto in Italy are required to inform the head of the educational establishment and stay at home for 14 days. As regards school trips and exchanges, only those which are to areas unaffected by the virus will be permitted to go ahead.

The French government has today issued recommendations to limit the risks of the spread of the coronavirus in France. The rcommendations are for those returning from the regions of Lombardy and Veneto in Italy or from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore or South Korea. The detailed list of recommendations, which cover the 14 day period after returning from those areas, is available in the News section of the Riviera Radio website.

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has said that he is ready to "take the necessary measures" regarding the Nice Carnival should the government “deem the risk linked to the coronavirus too great” adding “if necessary measures would be taken immediately, because public health comes first."

In the Italian region of Liguria, which borders the French Riviera, all schools are closed for two weeks. This is despite the fact that there are currently no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Liguria.

Meanwhile the government in Monaco has confirmed that the two patients hospitalized yesterday afternoon at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco are not affected by the coronavirus, with the tests carried out proving to be negative.

Traffic on the A8 motorway is expected to be disrupted all evening following an accident involving a heavy goods vehicle at the Nice Promenade exit westbound. A truck overturned in the bend between exits 51 (Nice Aéroport) and 50 (Nice Promenade) early this morning causing disruption all day. Traffic has been restricted to two lanes. Motorway authorities are aiming to bring in heavy lifting equipment to move the truck and have indicated that it will remain in its current place until at least after midnight tonight when traffic is quieter. The driver, a Romanian national, suffered an injured arm in the incident and has been undergoing an operation this afternoon.

An investigation has been opened after a tree pruner in Cannes died when he fell from his ladder. The accident occurred shortly after 9.30 on Monday morning while the 58-year-old victim was working in a private garden. Emergency services at the scene were unable to save the victim. Authorities are to determine the cause of the fall and to establish if safety regulations were respected.

Firefighters have been tackling a fire in Le Cannet this afternoon. A vehicle caught fire in an underground car park on rue de Sévigné. Two nearby buildings have been evacuated.

The teenager missing in the Var has been found safe and well. The 17 year old had not been seen since Saturday, prompting the gendarmerie to launch a call for witnesses.

If you’re planning to travel to the ski resorts in the Hautes-Alpes, bear in mind that significant snowfall is expected overnight tonight and unsettled weather is expected until the end of this week. Special equipment is compulsory on the department’s roads from this evening.

Three young people, including two minors have been stopped by police after carrying out a random attack on a motorist in Nice. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday morning on the Avenue Guy-de-Maupassant in Nice Nord. The youngsters assaulted the motorist threatening him with a knife and stealing everything he had on him, including his wedding ring. They then fled with the vehicle which was later found abandoned near to where the attack took place.

 

BUSINESS

Gulf states have imposed more flight restrictions in an effort to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. The UAE has suspended all flights to and from Iran apart from Tehran. Bahrain has suspended all flights to and from Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE until further notice. Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have already suspended flights to Iran.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority has admitted that it revealed the confidential details of consumers on its website in a data breach last year. It mistakenly published details of people who had made a complaint between January 2018 and July 2019. The regulator said it had referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office over the incident in November last year.

Tesco has sold a 20% share of a joint venture in China, completing its exit from the country. The retailer sold its stake in the Gain Land joint venture to a unit owned by its partner China Resources Holdings for £275m.

Norwegian oil company Equinor has abandoned controversial plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight in a move hailed by environmentalists as a "huge win". The company was granted approval last December to begin exploratory drills off Southern Australia. However, it’s now told regulators that the plan isn't "commercially competitive" compared to options elsewhere.

 

SPORT

Rugby Union... Ospreys have named Toby Booth as their new head coach on a three-year deal, starting in the summer of 2020. The 50-year-old joined Harlequins as assistant coach in November 2019 after seven years as Bath's first-team coach and is a former London Irish director of rugby.

Meanwhile, Bath have signed Wales and British & Irish Lions scrum-half Rhys Webb on a deal until the end of the season. Web left Toulon last month and has agreed a contract with Ospreys from next season but will play in the Premiership for the next four months.

Tennis... Its been confirmed that Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will play at Queen's Club in London in June. Defending champion Feliciano Lopez will return, while organisers hope Britain's Andy Murray will be fit enough to play.

In the Mexican Open, Kyle Edmund has beaten Feliciano Lopez in straight sets. Heather Watson is also through to the next round after defeating Coco Vandeweghe in round one.

Cycling.... It's reported that HSBC will end its sponsorship of British Cycling after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The bank has apparently exercised a break clause in its contract, three years into an eight-year-deal.

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