French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has held a press conference this evening to announce the government's planned pension reforms. Under the proposals the legal retirement age will be gradually increased to 64 by 2030, subject to certain exceptions for people who started working at the age of 20 or younger. She added that certain civil servants who have dangerous jobs such firefighters will also be able to benefit from an earlier retirement age. The contribution period to receive a full pension will be 43 years as from 2027, instead of from 2035. She said that the proposals will be presented to the Council of Ministers in about two weeks from now.
The Covid-19 incidence rate in Monaco was stable last week compared to the previous week, according to the latest government update. The incidence rate per 100,000 people over the 7 days to last Sunday was 115. It was 102 the previous week. 45 new positive cases of Covid-19 were detected last week. As of Sunday January 8, 14 people, including 8 residents, were hospitalized at the Princess Grace Hospital. One person was being treated in intensive care. 34 people were being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre.
Motorway operator Vinci Autoroutes have said this evening that the Brignoles interchange on the A8 should reopen during the night after a clean-up operation which has lasted most of the day. A truck carrying cartons of milk caught fire at 7:50 a.m. this morning on the exit ramp from the Brignoles interchange, requiring it to be closed. As the vehicle was powered by natural gas, special operations were required in order to treat its fuel on site, then to be able to evacuate the vehicle in safety.
The planned demolition of the Nice Acropolis has been delayed by the order of a court. Work to demolish the structure was to have started shortly but has now been delayed by about two months. The order was made to allow the city of Nice to meet its commitments to employees at the Acropolis.
Two people have died in a house fire in a village in the north of the Alpes-Maritimes this morning. Firefighters were called to the property in La-Croix-sur-Roudoule which is near Entrevaux. According to local reports, the victims were a man and a woman in their eighties.
The price of certain types of train ticket will be increasing next Tuesday. Tickets affected by the rise include some first class tickets on TGV and Intercity trains and tickets bought at the last minute as well as the Max Actif monthly subscription. The SNCF said that the increases were because of rising energy costs.
Nice mayor Christian Estrosi has attended a service at l'église Saint-Augustin to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Napoleon III. The mayor said that it was an opportunity to remember what Nice owes to Napoleon III who made it the winter capital of Europe, a legacy still present following the registration of Nice as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A series of events are planned throughout this year to commemorate the historical links between Nice and the last monarch of France who was also the country's first President.
BUSINESS
Amazon has announced plans to close three warehouses in the UK, putting 1,200 jobs at risk. The closures are in Hemel Hempstead, Doncaster and Gourock in Scotland. However, the company also said that it plans to open two new centres creating 2,500 jobs over the next three years.
The World Bank has said that it expects the global economy to grow by only 1.7% this year, an estimate far below the 3% it predicted in June. It blamed a number of factors resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the impact of the pandemic and said that the global economy is "perilously close to falling into recession".
The UK government has awarded two freeport economic zones £25m each as part of its final approval of the schemes. Freeport East, which is centred on the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich, and Liverpool City Region Freeport are part of several planned UK freeports, offering tax and duty incentives to encourage business activity.
SPORT
Rugby Union... Scotland will play Italy, France and Georgia prior to the World Cup. They play Italy at home on 29 July and France at home on 5 August. They'll play France away on 12 August and Georgia at home on 26 August.
Cricket... India have beaten Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the One Day International Series. Virat Kohli hit his 73rd international century.
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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