French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal has said that a state of natural disaster will be declared next week for the Gard department after torrential rain and flooding affected the area in recent days. The two people who were declared missing yesterday have now been located and the only other injuries reported have been slight. Gabrial Attal said that 750 firefighters are still mobilized to help the victims. Colleges have been closed in the department because of further thunderstorms which were expected today. After the closure of the A9 motorway near Nimes yesterday, VINCI Autoroutes teams remained mobilized to clean up and repair major damage to the motorway and it was able to reopen by this morning.
Meteo France have yellow warnings for storms and for heavy rain and flooding for the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var from midnight tonight until at least 4pm Thursday afternoon.
At his press conference today, Gabrial Attal thanked all caregivers who have responded to the call to be vaccinated. As from today, Covid-19 vaccination has become mandatory for all caregivers in France as well as firefighters, home helps, paramedics and some gendarmes.
The minimum wage in France is set to increase automatically on 1 October because of a rise in inflation. The current minimum wage, which is 1,554.58 per month, is expected to increase by just over 34 euros per month.
A ban has been put in place to prevent Toulon football supporters from travelling to this Saturday's match against Marseille. The Bouches-du-Rhone Prefecture said that the prohibition had been made because of clashes between independent Marseille supporters and Toulon "ultra" supporters on previous trips.
This year's "Riviera Electric Challenge" electric vehicle event has got underway. The event is taking place today and tomorrow on the sidelines of EVER 2021, the renewable energy and mobility exhibition in Monaco and takes in three countries- France, Monaco and Italy. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi was at the start in Cagnes-sur-Mer this morning. There's a stopover in Dolceaqua in Italy this evening before returning to Monaco tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in front of the Oceanographic Museum. The objective of the event is to complete the course in an electric vehicle, using as little energy as possible.
BUSINESS
In the UK, the Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation rose by 3.2% in the 12 months to August, up from 2.0% in July. The rise of 1.2 per cent is the largest recorded since comparable records began in January 1997. However, the Office for National Statistics said the increase "is likely to be a temporary change".
Meanwhile, French government statistics office INSEE said that in August consumer prices increased by 0.6% over one month and by 1.9% over one year. The rise in annual inflation results in particular from the rebound in the prices of manufactured products, food and energy.
Retailer The John Lewis Partnership is offering free food and drink to new staff in an effort to recruit more than 7,000 temporary workers in its UK John Lewis and Waitrose stores and distribution centres. The jobs will be advertised online from Thursday, with 4,700 temporary roles available at Waitrose and 2,300 in John Lewis. The move comes after new figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the number of job vacancies in the UK in the three months to August rose above one million for the first time since records began in 2001.
SPORT
Football... Leeds United have lost their appeal against a red card given to Pascal Struijk during their match against Liverpool at the weekend. He was given the red card for a challenge on Harvey Elliott that left the 18 year old Liverpool player with a dislocated ankle. He'll now serve a three-match ban.
Golf... Henrik Stenson has been named as the fifth and final European vice-captain for the Ryder Cup. The other vice-captains are Robert Karlsson, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell. The tournament starts on Friday 24 September at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
12,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide will be mobilised tomorrow to keep an eye on the latest day of strikes and protests against France's p...
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For the first time, world-renowned health, ocean and environmental researchers have collaborated to quantify the massive risks plastic poses to all li...
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French President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised interview this lunchtime following his controversial pensions reform being signed into law. ...
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Trade unions on the Riviera have warned that they plan to intensify their strike action after last night's attempt in parliament to throw out controve...
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Protests against the pension reform have been planned in many cities across France today Tuesday, March 21st, following the rejection of a vote of no ...
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