Evening Update Friday 9 July 2021

The Elysees has announced that President Macron will address the nation on Monday evening at 8pm. The President is expected to focus on the health situation but is also expected to address other issues.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran has said that the delta coronavirus variant will probably constitute the majority of cases in France by this weekend. Speaking to France Inter today, he said that the variant is 60% more contagious than the other viral strains which have been in circulation so far and "is in the process of replacing all of them". He said that the Covid-19 incidence rate is going up, with there being about 50% more infections each week than the previous week. However, he added that this does not mean that we are "necessarily in an epedemic wave". He said that it was mainly young people between 20 and 40 years old who had been infected in recent weeks. He also reminded people that vaccines remain about 93 to 94 per cent effective against severe forms of the virus, despite the variant. The minister later Tweeted that "we must continue to apply barrier gestures and get vaccinated: pay attention to yourself while enjoying life".

Meanwhile, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has said today that measures must be taken to prepare for what he called a fourth wave of the virus. He said that it may be "in 3 weeks, in 5 weeks or at the end of the summer". The mayor said that Nice is going to "bring vaccination closer to people to speed it up" and will go to traders to vaccinate them at their workplace with mobile teams. He said that vaccination drives will be set up, in particular for taxi drivers. He also urged the national government to make vaccination compulsory for health workers.

It's been announced that vaccination in Monaco is being extended to all employees working in the Principality. Conditions will be specified in the coming days. Meanwhile, there have been changes to the remaining coronavirus restrictions in Monaco. As from tomorrow, Saturday 10 July, the resumption of dance and musical entertainment will be permitted for restaurants and night clubs. All customers must first have made a reservation and have a valid health pass. Staff must wear a mask. For customers, wearing a mask will be required in the queue but will no longer be compulsory inside the establishment. It's also been decided to increase the number of diners who can be seated in restaurants and bars from 8 to 10 people. The Monaco government said that the health situation requires remaining attentive and mobilized, particularly because of the presence of the Delta variant.

Night clubs in France are permitted to re-open this evening having been closed since March last year. A health pass must be presented and only 75% of capacity is permitted but masks are not mandatory. However, night club unions have said they do not expect 75% of clubs to re-open this evening.

An anti-drone system has been set up by authorities during the Film Festival in Cannes. A team from the Drones Protection and Support Section of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Republican Guard is in charge of operating specialised equipment to protect the airspace of the site throughout the event.

Mayor of Cannes David Lisnard has inaugurated the renovated Josephine Baker jetty and its new panoramic promenade. The project, started in 2018, involved creating a longer and wider structure in order to better protect the Vieux Port from the sea. The new promenade offers a 360 ° view of the bay of Cannes, from the îles de Lérins to the Estérel mountains. The jetty has been renamed the "Joséphine Baker Jetty", in tribute to the American artist. Two of her children were present at the ceremony this morning.

An operation has taken place off the south coast of Corsica to destroy old ammunition. 56 Italian 5 cm artillery shells were discovered at Olmeto beach near Propriano. A French Navy bomb disposal unit moved the ammunition offshore to destroy it, respecting the environment.

BUSINESS

New figures show that the UK economy grew by a less than expected 0.8% between April and May and remained 3.1% below its level in February 2020, which was the most recent month not affected by the pandemic. It's the fourth consecutive month of growth, but is less than the 2% growth seen in April. The rise in GDP in May was led by a month-on-month rise of 0.9% in the services sector but the manufacturing sector was hit by the worldwide shortage of computer chips.

Marlboro cigarette maker Philip Morris International has announced that it's made an offer for UK pharmaceutical company Vectura Group, which is developing an inhaled treatment for Covid-19. The planned acqusition is part of the company's  Beyond Nicotine strategy, announced in February. Phillip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak, said that the market for inhaled therapeutics is large and growing rapidly, with significant potential for expansion into new application areas.

SPORT

Euro 2020 ... England will play Italy at Wembley on Sunday night in the final of the tournament. It’s the first time that England have qualified for the final of a major tournament since the World Cup in 1966. The side has conceded only one goal in the tournament so far and is helping to give the country a boost after what’s been a difficult 18 months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Italy are unbeaten in 33 games and have won their last 14. Kickoff at Wembley on Sunday is at 9 pm.

Tennis... Matteo Berrettini is through to the Wimbledon men's finals after defeating Hubert Hurkacz 6-3  6-0  6-7 6-4. The other semi-final this evening is between Novak Djokovic and Denis Shapovalov.

Tour de France...Mark Cavendish has won Stage 13 today and has now matched Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France. Tadej Pogacar remains in the yellow jersey.

Motorsport.. Formula E and the FIA ​​have published the provisional calendar for the 2021/2022 Formula E World Championship. They confirmed that the Monaco E-Prix is changing from a biannual to an annual event. Three new locations are featuring as part of a record 16-race season spanning 13 cities across five continents with races planned for Cape Town, Vancouver and Seoul.

Rugby Union - There are several international matches tomorrow. New Zealand play Fiji. Wales host Argentina. England play Canada and Ireland play the USA. Meanwhile, Anthony Watson will make his first start of the British and Irish Lions tour against the Sharks tomorrow. Jamie George captains the team.

Golf...A spectator has been ejected from the Scottish Open this morning after taking a club from Rory McIlroy's bag. The spectator then took a few swings before being led away by security officials. The Scottish Open is taking place at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick until Sunday.