People aged 55 and over, regardless of their state of health, can be vaccinated in French pharmacies or at doctors with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as from today, according to French health minister Olivier Veran. The minister announced yesterday that the first supplies of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a single dose vaccine, would be arriving in France today a week ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, Alpes-Maritimes deputy Eric Ciotti has questioned whether vaccination is accelerating in France. He said that France is still 20th out of 27 in Europe and said that "obviously our neighbors are accelerating harder".
One person has been shot dead outside a hospital in Paris this afternoon. Reports say that one other person was also injured by shots fired in front of the Henry-Dunant Hospital in the sixteenth arrondissement and that the attacker fled on a scooter.
Civil Protection in the Alpes Maritimes have said that the organization has assisted 600 people who have been isolating because of the virus since last June. Personnel have been working seven days per week in association with the Prefecture to assist people in isolation as part of the government's Test, Trace, Isolate strategy.
The 2021 edition of the Top Marques Monaco supercar show has been postponed until June 8 to 12 next year. It had been scheduled to take place from September 1 to 5 this year at the Grimaldi Forum. Organizers said that tickets already purchased for the 2021 edition will be fully reimbursed via the same channels through which the tickets were reserved.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has written an article in French newspaper Le Figaro paying tribute to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. In the article, entitled "Why the death of Prince Philip affects the people of Nice so much", the mayor said that Nice is "probably the most British city in France". He said that Nice and the whole of the UK have a special relationship and described the historical ties between the city and the UK.
BUSINESS
Shoppers in England have returned to the high streets as non-esseantial stores reopened today. Pubs which have gardens, restaurants with outside spaces and hairdressers have also been allowed to reopen. Despite bad weather, shoppers began queuing early this morning at Primark and Selfridges on London's Oxford Street as well as other stores across the country. Many stores have extended their opening hours to help prevent overcrowding.
Rival French waste management and water companies Veolia and Suez have announced that they have reached an agreement allowing the merger of the two groups. The majority of the shareholders of the new Suez will be French. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that he welcomed the agreement which he said "preserves employment".
New figures released today show an increase in retail trade in the Eurozone and the wider European Union. The seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade rose by 3.0% in the euro area in February and by 2.9% in the EU, compared with January, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU.
SPORT
The EFL, Premiership Rugby and British Horseracing have adjusted their schedules on Saturday "as a mark of respect" to avoid clashing with the funeral of Prince Philip. The Scottish Grand National at Ayr has been moved from 17 to 18 April. Premiership Rugby has changed the kick-off times of all four of its matches on Saturday.
Tennis..... Play at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters has been interuppted by rain today. The first matches got underway at 11am but were stopped after about an hour because of the weather. Play resumed at 4.30 this afternoon. Australian John Millman won his match against French player Hugo Umbert 6-3 6-3 .
The International Tennis Federation has announced that Turin and Innsbruck will join Madrid as co-hosts of this year's Davis Cup Finals. The finals are scheduled to start on 25 November and will be played over 11 days rather than the usual seven.
Cycling... British rider Mark Cavendish has won stage two of the Tour of Turkey. It's his first win since the third stage of the Dubai Tour in 2018.
Football...In the Premier League this evening West Brom play Southampton and Brighton face Everton.
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The trial of the Tunisian man accused of the murder of three people in the Nice Basilica attack is continuing in Paris. Yesterday the families of the ...
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Four cities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region made Booking.com's 2025 list of the "most welcoming destinations in France." ...
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