The Prefect of the Alpes Maritimes has announced a change in the opening hours of certain shops. Bernard Gonzalez said that snack bars and grocery stores must close at the same time as the recently introduced closing hours for bars and restaurants in the department. Those closing times are 11pm in municipalities with less than 2,000 inhabitants and 1am in municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants.
French citizenship is being prioritised for certain non-French nationals who have been involved in fighting the pandemic. According to reports, in a letter sent to Prefects today the French Minister for Citizenship, Marlene Schiappa, says that the State wishes to recognise the contribution certain foreign nationals have made in the fight against Covid-19. The minister said that the minimum period of residency for citizenship could be reduced from five years to two in recognition of important services rendered by an individual.
87 students have reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus at a university in Tolouse. They all attend the National Institute of Applied Sciences in the city.
Former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur has contracted the coronavirus. Reports say that his life isn't in danger. M Balladur, who is 91 years old, was Prime Minister from 1993 to 1995 as part of Francois Mitterand's second government.
Problems have been experienced by some Bouygues Telecom customers in our region today. The company said that a network incident has been affecting 2G and 3G services in the south-east. The downdetector website is also showing problems in the Paris region. The company said that its technicians have been working on the problem.
There has been a fall in the number of fatalities on French roads. In August there were 55 fewer deaths nationally than in August last year. Traffic on roads has been lower than overage over the past few months because of the pandemic.
A motorcyclist has been seriously injured in an accident in Bormes-les-Mimosas this morning. A car and a pickup truck towing a trailer were also involved in the incident on La Route du Dom. The motorcyclist was taken to Sainte Anne Hospital in Toulon.
The Basse Corniche was closed between Villefranche-sur-Mer and Beaulieu-sur-Mer this morning because of a collsion between a car and the number 100 bus. The road has now reopened.
Fairground operators are planning to demonstrate in Lorgues in the Var after the cancellation of the funfair this weekend. The operators have been trying to obtain a meeting with local authorities to put forward their greivances after the event was cancelled because of the pandemic. Representatives of the operators have questioned why the three day funfair was cancelled whilst various markets have been allowed to remain open.
Dozens of retailers in Nice will be taking part in the Grand Braderie sale from this Thursday to Saturday. During the sale, participating retailers will be authorised by the town hall to set up sales racks and stands in the street outside their shops to promote their wares.
BUSINESS
The number of redundancies in the UK has risen at the fastest pace since 2009. New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 156,000 people were made redundant in the three months to July. Early indicators for August suggest that the number of employees who were on business payrolls was down by about 695,000 compared with March.
UK online grocer Ocado saw sales growth of more than 50% in the third quarter. The company said growth was stronger than in the second quarter, while weekly orders were up almost 10%. However, it said uncertainties remained over the "ongoing impact" of the pandemic. Ocado started its joint venture with Marks & Spencer on 1 September.
China's National Bureau of Statistics has said that industrial production increased by 5.6% in August compared to the same month last year. It also announced that retail sales rose by 0.5% compared to August 2019.
Dominos Pizza has announced plans to create 5,000 new jobs in the UK. The business is also providing 1,000 work placements for people aged under 25 under a government scheme. The company has already made 6,000 new jobs available since the start of the pandemic.
SPORT
Football... Jack Grealish has signed a new five year contract with Aston Villa. Grealish made his first appearance for England in their match against Denmark last week.
Tour de France..The 16th stage of the Tour has been won by Lennard Kamna. Richard Carapaz was in second place, one minute and 27 seconds behind Kamna.
Cricket... The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced plans to cut 62 jobs. The ECB's chief executive Tom Harrison said the game will lose more than £100m this year because of the pandemic, which could rise to £200m next year. He said that "seven months ago, sharing a message of this nature was unthinkable".
Players who would have taken part in this year's women's Hundred will be able to keep their contracts for next year. This summer's inaugral tournament was postponed to 2021 because of the pandemic. Players who wish to keep their contracts will have the same terms next year.
Motorsports... Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, has decided not to investigate the wearing of a T-shirt worn by Lewis Hamilton at last weekend's Tuscan Grand Prix. The T-shirt made reference to an alleged incident of police violence in the United States.
A new optional regional transport tax for businesses, introduced in France’s 2025 budget, aims to fund eco-friendly mobility projects. ...
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A judge has authorised a dive to inspect the wreckage of a plane in the sea off Antibes. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean on September 11 1968...
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In France, drinking water is heavily contaminated with "forever pollutants," particularly trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), as revealed by two studies from ...
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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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