French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal has said that the newly announced inflation allowance will also be paid to "scholarship students and fiscally independent students" who earn less than 2,000 euros per month. Prime Minister Jean Castex announced last night that the inflation allowance of 100 euros will be paid to all people earning less than 2,000 euros net per month.
French Minister of Health Olivier Veran has said that there has been what he described as "a small surge" in Covid-19 cases. Speaking on French television today he said that there are about 5,000 new cases per day and the time has not come to remove "tools which protect us".
The Var Prefecture has reminded people that the seasonal flu vaccination campaign begins today. The Prefecture said that it is possible to carry out the influenza vaccination and the booster vaccination against COVID-19 at the same time. The flu epidemic in mainland France occurs each year, most often in winter, and affects between 2 and 6 million people. More than 90% of influenza-related deaths occur in people over 65 years of age.
The Alpes-Maritimes Gendarmerie has said that an operation has taken place by officers from Puget- Theniers in which a weapon, ammunition and cannabis plants were seized. Two individuals were arrested who were suspected of making threats with a weapon. The gendarmerie said that the two implicated people have been placed under judicial supervision, are forbidden to hold a weapon and will be summoned to the Tribunal sometime this winter.
Gendarmes in the Alpes-Maritime have undergone specialist training in the operation of drones. The gendarmerie said that mastering new technologies is essential for security and the use of drones will include searches for missing persons and aerial photography for judicial investigations.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has inaugurated the scientific culture centre at the Observatory in Nice called “Universarium”. It's located in the "Grand Equatorial" building. The listed building was built by Charles Garnier and Gustave Eiffel in the 19th century.
Monaco has accredited four new ambassadors to the Principality. The new ambassadors from Algeria, Namibia, South Korea and Burundi presented their Letters of Credence to HSH Prince Albert II yesterday morning.
The City of Cannes is beginning the final phase of redevelopment of the Croisette. The city launched a major improvement and redevelopment programme in 2017. The first two phases involved the widening of the beaches from November 2017 to March 2019 and the renovation of bathing facilities from September 2018 to March 2020. The restructuring of the underground networks begins from this coming Monday. Then next spring it will be time for the unveiling of the winner of a major international architectural competition to redesign a more luminous and attractive Croisette, which will be the final stage of the Croisette's redevelopment and modernization.
BUSINESS
The Bank of England's newly appointed Chief Economist has said that inflation in the UK may rise to about 5%. Speaking to the Financial Times, Huw Pill said that inflation is likely to rise "close to or even slightly above 5%" early next year. Recently released data indicated that Consumer Price Inflation in the UK was at 3.1% in September.
Retail sales volumes in the UK fell by 0.2% in September. It's the fifth month in a row that sales volumes have declined. However, the Office for National Statistics said that despite the fall in September, volumes were 4.2% higher than their pre-pandemic levels of February 2020.
Meanwhile, initial data from a widely watched survey has indicated that output growth across the Eurozone fell to a 6-month low in October amid increasing supply bottlenecks and rises in prices. However, a similar survey in the UK showed a sharp rise in business activity with IHS/Market's Purchasing Managers Index at a 3-month high. The expansion was led by the service sector while severe staff and material shortages weighed on output growth at manufacturers.
SPORT
Football... In the Premier League this weekend, this evening Arsenal play Aston Villa. Tomorrow Chelsea play Norwich, Crystal Palace play Newcastle United, Everton are at home to Watford, Leeds play Wolverhampton, Southampton play Burnley, Brighton play Manchester City. On Sunday Brentford lay Leicester, West Ham are at home to Tottenham and Manchester United play Liverpool.
Eric Ciotti, leader of Les Républicains, has expressed cautious support for new Prime Minister Michel Barnier if his policies align with law and order...
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France has a new Prime Minister, after 51 days of waiting right-wing politician Michel Barnier was appointed Prime Minister on Thursday. ...
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Michel Barnier has been announced as the new French Prime Minister, tasked with forming a unity government. Barnier, a veteran politician and former B...
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The announcement of France's new Prime Minister is expected before 1 p.m. today, with Michel Barnier emerging as a leading candidate. Bernard Cazeneuv...
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Marseille has been hit by heavy rain with businesses in the old port of the city flooded on Wednesday afternoon. Shopkeepers found themselves taken b...
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