French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera have been answering questions before the French Senate this evening about events at the Stade de France at last Saturday's Champions League final. The Interior Minister said that "it's obvious that things could have been better organised". He said that he is going to propose that from Monday "Spanish or British Citizens" who allege they have been the victim of offenses on Saturday can "file a complaint in their country". Discussing the events around the stadium, he said that half of the people who were arrested and jumped over the gates were British citizens, adding that there were also numerous arrests for theft. French government spokesperson Olivia Gregoire earlier apologized on behalf of the government to football supporters who were unable to enter the stadium. Speaking this lunchtime she said that the situation "could have been managed better". The French Football Federation said this afternoon that 35,000 supporters had turned up at the stadium with fake tickets or no tickets. Olivia Gregoire also said that President Macron continues to have full confidence in Gerald Darmanin, despite reports in French media that he had criticized the minister over the situation.
The PACA Regional Health Agency has released its weekly update on Covid-19 numbers, as at yesterday. It said that all indicators continue to decline compared to the previous week. The incidence rate in the region stood at 171 per 100,000 people compared to 263 the previous week. In the Alpes-Maritimes there were 135 patients in conventional hospitalization, which is down 78 from the previous week. There were eight people in intensive care, which is down three. In the Var, the Agency said that there were 98 people in conventional hospitalization, which is sixteen fewer than the previous week.
There were 300 fewer deaths on French roads in 2021 than in 2019. According to the National Inter-ministerial Road Safety Observatory 2,944 people lost their lives on the roads of mainland France in 2021. Road mortality was down by 9% compared to 2019. The organization pointed out that 2021 was marked by the observance of a curfew and the closing of discotheques in the first half of the year, which may have limited trips at night. In addition, the winter curfew forced users to return home while it was still daylight, which had a protective effect for pedestrians. Other elements linked to the pandemic, including teleworking, may have influenced travel and therefore modified the number of road accidents.
Heavy goods vehicles won't be allowed into Italy tomorrow from 7am to 10pm because of their public holiday. The French government's Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing has advised HGV drivers to postpone their journey or stop well before Italy at rest areas.
BUSINESS
A new survey by the Institute of Directors in the UK has shown a reduction in business confidence. The May 2022 Directors' Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leaders' optimism in prospects for the UK economy, slid to its lowest level since October 2020. Of those that said they were pessimistic about the prospects for the UK economy, the most frequent reason given for this pessimism was the UK rate of inflation, followed by difficulties in the UK's trading relationship with the EU.
Sports Direct owner Frasers Group has bought online fashion retailer Missguided out of administration for £20m. Missguided, which has about 330 staff, appointed administrators on Monday.
Manufacturing growth in the Eurozone and the UK slowed during May according to new surveys. Research company IHS/Markit said that in the UK supply chain issues, subdued client confidence and reduced export order intakes all led to reduced new order growth. However, the latest data for Germany's manufacturing sector revealed an improvement amid higher employment, but demand was once again impacted by the war in Ukraine, COVID-19 and elevated prices.
SPORT
Tennis....Daria Kas-at-kina reached her first Grand Slam semi-final with a 6-4 7-6 win over Veronika Kudermetova in the French Open quarter-finals this afternoon. Iga Świątek is through to the semis after defeating Jessica Pegula.
Cricket....Durham's Matthew Potts has been named in the England starting XI in the first Test against New Zealand, which gets underway tomorrow at Lord's. James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who were left out of the West Indies tour in March have also been named in the starting line-up.
Football....Manchester United have confirmed that Paul Pogba will leave on a free transfer. The midfielder's contract expires at the end of this month. He joined United from Juventus in 2016.
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