President Macron is arriving in Marseille this evening at the beginning of a two day visit. The President will be discussing the progress made on his "grand plan" for the city unveiled during his last visit in September. The Mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan, said that he had handed over details of the city's planned improvements to Prime Minister Jean Castex on Monday and was now waiting for President Macron's decision on the amount of state aid.
A minutes silence has been held in French schools in memory of murdered history and geography teacher Samuel Paty, who died on 16 October last year. Other commemorations are being held tomorrow including the unveiling of a plaque at the Education Ministry in Paris. The teacher's family will be received at the Elysees by President Macron tomorrow afternoon and a square next to the Sorbonne will be named in his honour.
The French High Authority of Health has said it is going to wait for the opinion of the European Medicines Agency before it recommends the Moderna vaccine for booster jabs. However, it confirmed that the Pfizer vaccine can be used for booster shots, regardless of the vaccine used for primary vaccination. The Authority said it was acting out of caution because several Scandinavian countries have recently raised concerns about possible increased risks of the Moderna vaccine for certain people.
Cannes Town Hall is relocating the municipal vaccination centre from the Palais des Festivals to the Gare Maritime on the Esplanade de la Pantiero as from this coming Monday, 18 October. Appointment times are unchanged and no appointments are being cancelled or unscheduled because of the change of venue. The town hall in Cannes has reminded people that a vaccination appointment can easily be made by completing the pre-registration form available on the municipal website www.cannes.com
A man has appeared before the criminal court in Toulon this morning charged with insulting President Macron. The man in his thirties had shouted insults while in a rented boat just outside the security perimiter of Fort de Bregancon during the President's visit over the summer. The President's security staff intervened and arrested the man, who apoligised in court and said that he did not know the President was in the area at the time. He received a supended fine of 1,000 euros.
A Lignes d'Azur driver has sustained head injuries after being assaulted this morning. The alleged attacker was arrested by the National Police.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkosy has been in Nice today. He was speaking at an event at the Mediterranean University Centre.
United Airlines is resuming daily flights between New York's Newark airport and Nice beginning on April 29 next year. The service is one of seven of United's international routes that were interrupted by the pandemic. The resumption of the route is part of what the airline said is the largest transatlantic expansion in its history. United said that flights are subject to government approval.
A large offshore mooring buoy has been installed in the bay of St Tropez by the French Navy. The installation of the buoy is part of a policy of installing similar mooring boxes for the benefit of all the French state administrations operating at sea. In busy areas such installations offer State vessels new alternatives for mooring.
Discussions have resumed in Monaco on the project to create a supplementary employee pension scheme in the Principality. Representatives of the Union of Trade Unions of Monaco and the Federation of Businesses of Monaco, co-managers of the current regime, the Social Funds of Monaco and the Prince's Government have discussed the management of the future scheme, with the aim of its sustainability and solidity, in the interest of employees and retirees of the Principality. The discussions are set to continue next week.
BUSINESS
The number of passenger car registrations in the EU declined significantly in September. Demand in the region shrank by 23.1%, marking the lowest number of registrations for a month of September since 1995. Trade body the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said that the decrease in sales was largely caused by a lack of supply of vehicles due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage. Last month’s weak performance was replicated at a country level, with all major EU markets recording double-digit declines. Registrations in Italy were down by 32.7%, Germany by 25.7% and France by 20.5%.
The UK government has proposed a relaxation in rules governing the number of deliveries overseas lorry drivers can make in the UK. Under the new plans, drivers will be able to make unlimited deliveries or collections within a 14 day period compared to two pick-ups or drop-offs each week currently. The changes are aimed at reducing supply chain problems in the pre-Christmas period.
Meanwhile, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire has said that leaving the single market after Brexit has made the supply chain crisis worse for the UK. Speaking to the BBC he said he thought being a member of the EU is helping France because it can have access to other EU job markets to provide staff.
SPORT
Football... Steve Bruce will stay in charge at Newcastle for their Premier League game against Tottenham on Sunday following the club's recent takeover. It will be Bruce's 1,000th game as a manager. In other Premier League matches this weekend, on Saturday Watford play Liverpool, Aston Villa face Wolverhampton, Leicester play Manchester United, Manchester City are at home to Burnley, Norwich play Brighton, Southampton play Leeds and Brentford play Chelsea. On Sunday, Everton play West Ham. There is one game on Monday with Arsenal at home to Crystal Palace.
TGV services across much of France are gradually improving after several arson attacks affected the network in the early hours of this morning....
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Paris is getting ready to shut down it’s city centre and its airspace as well as mobilise 45,000 police and several army units in what has been billed...
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Lucie Castets, the left-wing candidate for Prime Minister, reiterated her desire to lead the government during a media appearance on July 25. A poll s...
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French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to welcome world leaders to the Olympic games opening ceremony tomorrow night and has been visiting key ...
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France will host the 2030 Winter Olympics in the Alpes, conditional on state and regional financial guarantees. President Macron confirmed his full su...
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