The police officer who was detained in connection with a shooting during a police operation in Nice on Wednesday has been charged with manslaughter. The Nice prosecutor said that the officer claims to have had no intention of making an attempt on the life of the victim and claims that the shooting was accidental. The officer was taken into custody after the death of a man who was shot by the officer during a police operation in rue de la Buffa in the centre of Nice on Wednesday.
A record number of classes in France are closed because of Covid-19, according to the Ministry of National Education. In its latest update published today the Ministry said that as at 1pm yesterday 18,786 classes were closed, which is 3.56% of all classes. It said that a total of just over 463,000 known cases of Covid-19 were confirmed amongst students within the past seven days, which is 3.79% of all students.
The French Constitutional Council has validated most of the provisions of the bill which introduces the vaccine pass. The requirement of a vaccine pass will therefore come into force in France on Monday, as outlined by Prime Minister Jean Castex in his address yesterday evening. The Council also confirmed the checking of identification documents at the entrance to establishments, as long as it is not discriminatory. However, the council did not approve measures to require a health pass for attendance at political rallies.
The French High Authority of Health has authorised the use of the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. The treatment, which is taken orally, is produced by Pfizer and is intended for adults with Covid-19 not requiring oxygen therapy and at high risk of progression to a severe form of the disease.
The Monaco government have said that, as at yesterday evening, a total of 44 people with Covid-19 were being cared for at the Princess Grace Hospital. 40 people, including 26 residents, are hospitalized. Four other patients, including one resident, are being treated in intensive care. 393 people were being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre which medically supports patients with few symptoms, who are invited to confine themselves to their homes.
One of the major events of the Monaco calendar has been postponed due to the health situation. The Bal de la Rose initially scheduled for March 19 will now take place on Friday July 8 in the Salle des Etoiles at the Sporting Monte-Carlo. The Bal de la Rose is in aid of the Princess Grace Foundation.
A meeting has been held of the local steering committee preparing for next year's Rugby World Cup. The meeting was attended by the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Bernard Gonzalez. The tournament begins in September 2023 and features maches in many cities across France including Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lille and Saint-Etienne. Four matches are being held in Nice.
Another refuse collectors strike is underway in Marseille. It's the third strike since last September. The Force Ouvriere union has called the industrial action because it says some parts of the agreement which bought an end to industrial action in December are not being observed.
The Alpes Maritimes National Police have warned of a fake video purporting to show a traffic accident in Nice. The police said that they have received many reports of a video which is circulating apparently regarding a traffic accident in Nice on the evening of 19 January. Following investigations, they said that the video is a montage of a staged event.
BUSINESS
Retail sales volumes in the UK fell by 3.7% in December but were 2.6% higher than their pre-coronavirus February 2020 levels, according to the Office for National Statistics. Non-food stores sales volumes fell by 7.1% in December following strong sales in November. The Omicron variant, which increased rapidly during December, was reported by some retailers as impacting retail footfall.
A closely watched measure of consumer sentiment in the UK fell in January to its lowest level since last February. The survey by GfK suggested that people were concerned about rising prices and possible increases in interest rates.
SPORT
Tennis... Naomi Osaka is out of the Australian Open after losing to Amanda An-isi-mova 4-6 6-3 7-6. Victoria Azarenka beat Elina Svitolina to reach last 16. In the mens singles seventh seed Matteo Berrettini beat Carlos Alca-raz to get through to the fourth round.
Rugby Union...England captain Owen Farrell may miss the Six Nations match against Scotland on 5 February after suffering an injury while training with Saracens. He'll see a specialist early next week. England are scheduled to announce a squad update on Monday.
Newcastle's European Challenge Cup match against Toulon tomorrow has been called off after the English club recorded nine positive Covid cases. Public Health England advised the club not to travel to France. The Heineken Champions Cup match between Toulouse and Cardiff has also been called off after Covid cases at Toulouse.
Football...In the English Premier League this weekend Watford host Norwich tonight. On Saturday Everton play Aston Villa. Brentford host Wolves. Leeds play Newcastle. Manchester United play West Ham and Southampton host Manchester City. On Sunday Arsenal play Burnley. Crystal Palace host Liverpool. Leicester play Brighton and Chelsea play Spurs.
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