The French government is reducing the price of Covid-19 tests. A decree was published in the official journal today indicating that the price in pharmacies will decrease from 20 euros to 16.50 as from tomorrow. There has been a large rise in the number of Covid-19 tests being carried out in France during the rebound in the epedemic. According to the Ministry of Health, over 3.8 million PCR and antigen tests were carried out in the week ending 27 March, compared to just under 3 million the week before.
The Prefect of the Var has once again called for extreme vigilance for the risk of fire. The Prefecture said that a high risk remains because of windy conditions and dry ground, despite the recent rain. The risk is over the next few days, particulary tomorrow. A range of regulations are in place regarding the use of fire in the department, including a complete ban on the burning of green waste in the open air. You can get more details on www.var.gouv.fr
Meteo France has placed several departments on an Orange alert for snow. Seven departments on the north coast and four in central France are affected by the warnings.
The Monaco government has said that the number of Monegasque nationals grew by 0.4% last year. In 2020 the increase was 0.9%. As of December 31, 2021, the Principality had 9,611 Monegasques.
The Monaco government has signed a Cooperation Agreement with Madagascar. Through the Department of International Cooperation, Monaco has been supporting Madagascar for some twenty years by supporting projects in the areas of access to work, education and child protection, food security and health. Since 2009, more than 20 million euros of Official Development Assistance have been allocated by Monaco to contribute to the socio-economic development of Madagascar. Bilateral cooperation between the two States was initiated in 2000. A Consulate of Monaco in Madagascar was inaugurated in 2002 with two permanent staff on site.
BUSINESS
New figure released today show that unemployment in the Eurozone has hit another record low. In February 2022, the unemployment rate was 6.8%, down from 6.9% in January according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. There were about one million fewer people unemployed in the Eurozone than before the pandemic began.
The UK economy grew faster than expected in the final quarter of 2021, expanding by 1.3%. According to the Office for National Statistics, there was a bounce back in January following the contraction in December that reflected the effects of the Omicron variant.
Royal Bank of Canada has announced a proposed acquisition of wealth manager Brewin Dolphin. The deal is subject to the approval of Brewin Dolphin shareholders and the receipt of regulatory approvals.
SPORT
Football... Manchester United will play Liverpool in a pre-season friendly in Thailand in July before facing Crystal Palace in Australia. The match in Bangkok will be on 12 July. They then travel to Australia to take on Melbourne Victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 15 July and then face Crystal Palace at the same venue on 19 July.
Cycling.... Tom Pidcock has signed a new five-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers. He's one of the top British riders, having won Olympic mountain bike gold at last year's Tokyo Olympics and the Cyclo-cross World Championship in January.
A Polish man in his forties has been hospitalized in Valence after enduring a harrowing journey between two TGV carriages from Paris. ...
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Cloudy with sunny intervals. Light rain is forecast for the Var region with moderate to strong winds. Highs of 17 degrees in Monaco and Saint-Tropez, ...
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White smoe Is billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel meaning A new pope has just been chosen! 133 cardinals have gathered in the Sistine cha...
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No new pope has been elected yet, as black smoke signalled another inconclusive vote during the conclave in the morning of Thursday the 8th of May. ...
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Unions at the SNCF have announced new strike action for June 4th, 5th, and 11th, following ongoing disruptions to train services in France during the ...
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