French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal has announced that the wearing of a mask in primary schools will once again be mandatory in 39 departments as from Monday. He didn't specify the departments concerned but said it is those where the incidence rate "has unfortunately stabilised above 50 per 100,000 inhabitants". It's expected that a list will be published tomorrow. He said that "as soon as the situation deteriorates" a number of measures "that were lifted when things improved" must be reintroduced.
Several hundred migrants have been rescued from a large number of craft which were attempting to cross the English Channel from France during the night of Monday to Tuesday and in the course of yesterday. One migrant has been reported as missing. The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea said that a tug chartered by the French Navy was engaged in 3 rescue operations, during which it recovered 108 migrants. Over 180 more were recovered by other French rescue vessels including from the maritime gendarmerie, French customs and the lifeboats from Dunkirque and Calais. The maritime prefect warned anyone who plans to cross the Channel of the risks involved and said that this maritime sector is one of the busiest areas in the world and the weather conditions are often difficult.
The Monaco government has released the latest data regarding Covid-19 in the Principality. As of Sunday October 31 inclusive the incidence rate over the prior 7 days was 70.4 per 100,000 people, down from 80.83 in the previous week. 3,815 PCR and antigen tests were carried out from 25 to 31 October inclusive and the positivity rate was 1.02%. As at Monday evening, 21 people were being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre. Eight people were in the Princesse Grace Hospital beacuse of Covid-19 yesterday evening, including two patients in intensive care, both of them non-residents.
25% of arrests by the Municipal Police in Nice so far this year have been in relation to drug trafficking, according to Deputy Mayor Anthony Borre. He said that in total, the Municipal Police had carried out 7,212 arrests since the beginning of the year, compared to 5,744 in the whole of 2020.
Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has welcomed the measures announced by President Macron aimed at helping young people to find a job. The mayor said that the City of Nice and the Nice Cote d'Azur Metropole will respond to support the measures and he will propose a mechanism to increase aid for eligible young people who engage in local work.
Meanwhile, a job fair is being held in Nice which aims to connect local businesses with under 26 year olds who are looking for a job, an internship or an apprenticeship. It's being held at the Palais des Congres in Nice on Monday 15 November from 9am to 5pm. More information and registration at https://evenement-recrutement.1jeune1solution.gouv.fr/
BUSINESS
The chief executive of microchip firm Arm has warned that consumers may not be able to buy the electronic devices they want this Christmas because of component supply shortages. Speaking at a conference in Lisbon, Simon Segars said the mismatch between supply and demand is "the most extreme" he has ever seen and predicted that what he called the "unprecedented" situation won't be completely resolved even by Christmas next year.
Vehicle manufacturer BMW Group has reported a rise in pre-tax profits of 38.7% in its third quarter compared to 2020. Profits rose to 3.417 billion euros in the quarter. Group revenues rose by 4.5% despite a fall in production volumes as it focussed on higher margin vehicles.
Fashion retailer Next has said that full price sales in its third quarter were up 17.0% versus two years ago, pre-pandemic. However, it expects that growth in the fourth quarter will be lower, at 10%, partly because of "challenging" stock availability, with delays in its international supply chain being compounded by labour shortages in the UK transport and warehousing networks. It also said that the effects of pent-up demand are likely to continue to diminish and price increases in essential goods such as fuel may moderate demand for more discretionary purchases.
SPORT
Cricket... Australia's Will Pucovski is in doubt for the first Test against England as he recovers from concussion symptoms. Victoria coach Chris Rogers said that it's "unlikely he'll play in the first Test" which starts in Brisbane on 8 December.
Football... Villarreal manager Unai Emery has turned down the offer to become Newcastle United's new manager. Emery said "Villarreal CF is my home and I am 100 percent committed". Referring to Newcastle, he added that he is "grateful for the interest of a great club" but that he is even more grateful to be at Villareal.
