The French High Authority of Health has recommended the vaccination of at risk adults and healthcare professionals after exposure to monkeypox. The HAS recommends vaccination for adult contacts deemed to be at high risk as defined by Public Health France, including health professionals exposed without individual protection measures. It said that a so-called third generation vaccine should be ideally administered within 4 days after the at-risk contact and a maximum of 14 days later.
The head of the Office for Immgration and Integration in France has said that about 85,000 Ukranian nationals have received asylum seekers allowance. Speaking to French media Didier Leschi said that the figures are the most reliable way of gaguing the number of Ukranians in France who have been displaced by the conflict.
Meteo France have said that the recent episode of strong heat that we have just experienced has worsened the drought of the soil in the South-East of France. It said that the soil humidity index was yesterday at its lowest ever for May 23 in the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Gard deparments and among the driest 10% elsewhere in the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur Region. Water restrictions are in force in much of the Alpes-Maritimes and Var. Details of prohibited and restricted activities are listed on the website of the prefectures.
It's expected to be a busy weekend on the roads because of the Ascension holidays. French roads monitor Bison Futé have announced that the weekend is Red for departures and Black for returns. Motorway operator VINCI Autoroutes is forecasting very heavy traffic on its network, particularly in the Paris region, around the Mediterranean and the Rhône Valley, between Wednesday and Sunday. In our region, the traffic is expected to be particularly dense around urban areas such as Nice and Aix-en-Provence.
Maritime authorities have staged a simulated collision between a tanker and a container in the sea off the French coast near Montpellier. The objective of the excercise was to contain pollution and return the ship to a safe place. Operations were managed from a crisis management center under the authority of the maritime prefect.
BUSINESS
UK government borrowing came in at a lower than expected 18.6 billion pounds in the month of April. The figure is 5.6 billion lower than last year but is still the fourth highest amount for April since records began.
In the UK, the energy price cap is expected to rise to £2,800 in October, according to the head of energy regulator Ofgem. Jonathan Brearley told MPs that the price cap, which is currently just below £2,000, will increase due to continued volatility in the gas market. He said the recent price rises were a "once in a generation event not seen since the oil crisis in the 1970s".
SPORT
Tennis.... World number two Daniil Medvedev is through to the second round of the French Open after defeating world number 103 Facundo Bagnis. The score was 6-2 6-2 6-2. Richard Gasquet beat South Africa's Lloyd Harris. Benoit Paire is out of the tournament after being beaten by Ilya Ivashka. In the women's singles French player Alize Cornet beat Japanese player Misaki Doi 6-2 6-0. Eighth seed Karolina Pliskova is through to the second round after defeating French wildcard Tessah An-drian-ja-fit-rimo. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was defeated by Casper Ruud. Tsonga was playing in the final professional tournament of his eighteen year career.
Football... England have called up two uncapped players for next month's Nations League matches against Hungary, Germany and Italy. They are West Ham's Jarrod Bowen and Leicester's James Justin. Fikayo Tomori is recalled and Kalvin Phillips and Kieran Trippier return after injury.
Cricket... Former New Zealand player Daniel Vettori has been appointed as assistant coach of the Australia men's team. He'll assist head coach Andrew McDonald.
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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