Family hit by motorist - A family of four have been taken to hospital after being hit by a car opposite the port Vauban in Antibes. The accident occurred at 8pm on Tuesday evening. Both adults and two children were taken to A&E one of whom reported to be in a critical condition.
Arsonist accused of lighting 7 fires in 2018 - An alleged arsonist has appeared in court in the Var accused of lighting 7 intentional fires.
The 25-year-old man is believed to have been the cause of seven arson attacks in 2018 in the Toulon sector. At the time, he had just been released from prison for the same offence.
Fake ID - Police in Marseille have discovered a network producing fake identity papers after a Chronopost package was accidently opened by the transporter. The discovery which was made just over a year ago has since led to investigators tracing a network from Marseille to Paris.
At the time, "about fifteen Identity cards " were discovered. The French and foreign identity documents had been stolen in Marseille and were being sent to a network of smugglers in Greece.
The false identity papers were being sold for "between 150 and 250 euros".
The Scientific Council in France calls for vigilance - In a report submitted to the French government France’s Scientific Council has called on the authorities to remain “extremely vigilant” concerning the coronavirus.
The council’s conclusion has come from three criteria. First, the low collective immunity in France which is today estimated at 5% of the population, an insufficient figure in order "to prevent the occurrence of a second wave".
Secondly the circulation of the virus, which is still very important outside of Europe, and in particular in the southern hemisphere. Several countries, which are currently entering the winter period, are experiencing an uncontrolled multiplication of cases.
And finally, the third argument raises the question following "previous experience from influenza pandemics", which "had two or three waves before adopting a seasonal rhythm."
While the Scientific Council prepares for the worst scenarios, the question of the second wave remains the subject of lively debate within the scientific community.
In the event of a second wave, Jean-François Delfraissy, the president of the Scientific Council, informed France’s National Assembly, that a plan was already ready. Adding that he considered that a "partial lockdown" of the population could be envisaged.
Heatwave - The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has reactivated the Heatwave Plan. The mayor said that the city is "deploying measures to prevent and protect against the dangers of the heat wave", particularly in regard to the most vulnerable.
He reminded people that children and the elderly are most at risk during periods of extreme heat. He said that new water mist machines are being installed in public spaces and schools.
A special heatwave brigade will educate citizens about good behavior in public spaces. He also issued a telephone number which can be used to report an isolated person, the number is 04 93 135 135, and the Allo Mairie Nice app can be used to find a map of available water points in the city.
CMB - The Compagnie Monégasque de Banque has presented a cheque for over 470,000 euros to the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco. In a period of just one month, CMB took up the challenge of raising funds from its customers. In total, 470,955 euros was collected, of which 100,000 euros was donated by the bank itself. The funds will enable the hospital to respond more quickly to the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic in the coming months. The donations made by CMB and its customers will directly impact services involved in treating Covid-19 including funding respirators, laboratory automation, neuro-muscular stimulators, pulmonology monitoring equipment, ultrasound scanners and operating theater devices.
Petition - A petition has been launched to protest at the number of helicopter flights in the St Tropez area. The petition has been started by a German resident who has a villa in Ramatuelle. Last summer he commissioned a survey which established that almost one hundred flights had an impact on his villa in the course of one day. The local mayor, Roland Bruno, was one of the first people to sign the petition.
Summer festival of the Fort Antoine - The Fort Antoine here in the Principality has announced a summer programme of live outdoor entertainment. The unprecedented festival a result of the Covid-19 crisis, will see live performances with readings, theatre, cinema and music from July 8th to August 7th.
All the shows are free, but you must reserve. For more information go to www.theatrefortantoine.com or call +377.98.98.83.03.
Business
Asian shares have crept up to a four month high today as investors remained upbeat on the outlook for the re-opening of the global economy despite evidence suggesting that cases of coronavirus appear to be accelerating to new peaks.
News on Covid-19 has been far from encouraging with several US states seeing record infections and the death toll in Latin America passing 100,000.
Reports today say that the European Union is considering imposing a ban on US travellers because of a surge in cases of the virus.
However ,markets appear to be taking the attitude that there will be a very high bar to shutting down economies again and thus the effects on business will not be too big -for the time being.
Investor optimism about the global economy was supported on Tuesday with the publication of upbeat manufacturing surveys from Europe with France standing out as lockdown easing led to a modest return to growth.
The ice cream manufacturer Ben and Jerry’s has joined a growing number of firms that have pulled advertising from Facebook platforms next month.
Ben and Jerry’s ,which is owned by Unilever has signed up to the Stop Hate for Profit campaign which is calling on Facebook to clamp down on racist and hateful content.
Other firms including Patagonia and The North Face have already joined the campaign which calls on Facebook to take stronger action to “stop its platforms from being used to divide America ,suppress voters ,undermine democracy and foment and fan the flames of racism and violence”.
Facebook says that it remains committed to “advancing equity and racial justice”.
The Stop Hate for Profit campaign maintains that Facebook has a “long history” of “allowing racist ,violent and verifiably false content to run rampant on its platform”.
And-Oil prices have edged lower this morning ,extending losses from Monday as US stockpiles grew more than expected adding to concerns about oversupply.
Brent Crude was trading slightly lower at 42 dollars 61 with West Texas Intermediate also marginally lower at 40 dollars 33.
US crude inventories rose by a much larger than expected 1.7 million barrels last week according to the American Petroleum Institute.
Prices have been supported over the past two weeks as global oil consumption starts to recover as countries emerge from lockdown while Opec and its allies have slashed output and US shale producers have shut down wells.
Sport
Football-There were 2 games in the English Premier League last night.
Brighton got another vital point in their fight against the drop thanks to a 0-0 draw at Leicester while Spurs beat West Ham 2-0 to leave the Hammers in trouble near the foot of the table.
There are 5 games tonight.Manchester United play Sheffield United.Newcastle host Aston Villa.Norwich play Everton.Wolves host Bournemouth and Liverpool play Crystal Palace.
Formula 1-The former Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi will remain in a medically induced coma until at least next week following a handbike accident in Italy last week.
The 53 year old suffered severe head injuries after crashing into a truck in Pienza.
He’s described as being in a stable condition although doctors say that his neurological condition remains unchanged in its severity.
Tennis-Novak Djokovic has said that he’s “so sorry” after becoming the latest player to test positive for coronavirus.
Three other players ,Grigor Dimitrov ,Borna Coric and Viktor Troiki have all tested positive for the virus since taking part in the Adria Tour competition organised by Djokovic in Belgrade.
The world number one has been heavily criticised for not taking the virus seriously and has now conceded that it was “too soon” to stage the tournament.
The outbreak among some of the top names in men’s tennis has raised concerns about the wisdom of staging any Grand Slams this year including the US and French Opens.
Cricket-Ten Pakistan players due to take part in the tour of England have now tested positive for coronavirus.
Players that tested negative are still on track to fly to England on the 28th of June and the Pakistan Cricket Board says that its confident that the tour can still go ahead.
The England director of cricket Ashley Giles has said that he’s not “overconcerned” about the development and was hopeful that the Pakistan squad would be arriving “fairly soon”.
Weather
Clear skies in coastal areas -some showers inland this afternoon and light variable winds.
Top temperatures 28-29 degrees in coastal areas 32-33 degrees inland.
Overnight lows of 20 degrees on the coast and 17 degrees inland with clear skies.
Thursday and Friday-Clear skies with highs of 26-31 degrees.
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