Local
Five-year-old drowns in pool -A five-year-old child has drowned in a swimming pool of a private property in Sospel. The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon at around 3pm when the child managed to escape his mother’s. Police have since launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances.
Coronavirus - Three new cases of Covid-19 have been declared in the Principality on Thursday August 13th. Since the beginning of the pandemic 144 people have been affected by the coronavirus in Monaco. Three patients are currently hospitalised and 114 people have recovered.
Two players test positive at Nice Rugby club - The Nice rugby club has announced in a press release published on Thursday evening that two players have tested positive for covid-19. The announcement led to the friendly match scheduled for Thursday evening against Hyères-Carqueiranne to be canceled. All players are currently being tested.
Gendarmerie closes due to Covid-19 - The gendarmerie in Grimaud in the Var has been closed because of a coronavirus outbreak. Over 20 officers have gone into quarantine after several officers tested positive earlier this week. Local duties are being carried out by gendarmes from surrounding areas including Gassin, Sainte-Maxime, Saint Tropez and La Croix-Valmer, until the station can return to normal operations.
Sénéquier café closes its doors - The famous Sénéquier café in Saint Tropez has closed its doors due to two cases of Covid-19 among staff. It is the latest café to close in the town following a request from the Regional Health Agency.
According to management the establishment will remain closed for two weeks in order to allow the necessary time to protect and test all staff.
Testing - A large coronavirus testing facility has been set up in a sports complex in Grimaud as a result of a sharp rise in cases of the virus in the Gulf of St Tropez. The Regional Health Agency says that the rate of people testing positive for the coronavirus in the area is 6.2% compared to a rate of 1.4% in the Var generally. Locals and visitors can receive a free test at the centre at the Blaquières sports complex, 834 Route des Blaquieres, 83310 Grimaud today from 9am to 7pm. You should take identity documents with you and your carte vitale if you're part of the French health system.
MP calls for masks to be made free of charge - MP of the Alpes-Maritimes Eric Ciotti has demanded that all masks be free of charge. Speaking on French radio Ciotti said that he “wants the government to take responsibility and make masks free for all, seeing as they are now compulsory for health reasons”.
Ciotti went on to criticise the current situation which he says is “somewhat incoherent" with " only some cities making it obligatory”.
Currently the mask can represent a very significant amount in the monthly budget, around 300 euros for a family with two children.
Region’s roads - The French national roads monitor, Bison Futé, has warned of a busy weekend for motorists. Starting today, heavy traffic is expected in both directions on the A8 motorway. Bison Fute has classified Saturday as red in the direction of returning traffic
National
UK imposes quarantine period on people arriving from France -Due to the rising number of cases of Covid-19 in France the United Kingdom is to impose a fortnight quarantine period on people arriving from France as of Saturday August 15th.
The measure, which will come into force on Saturday at 5 a.m. (French time) will also apply to travelers from the Netherlands, Monaco, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba. France said it regretted the decision and has promised a measure of reciprocity.
French President calls for oil and gas exploration to be halted - French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Turkey to halt oil and gas exploration in disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean.
Mr Macron told the Greek Prime Minister that the French military would monitor the situation.
Business
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment has dipped below 1 million for the first time since March.
About 963,000 people sought the benefits last week. The figures have been subsiding since peaking at 6.9 million in late March. Prior to the pandemic, the highest number of new jobless claims recorded in a week was 695,000, set in 1982.
Food sales in British pubs and restaurants rose by nearly a third in the week that followed the launch of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out subsidy scheme.
Food sales were up by between 95% and 106% on the first three days of the scheme which launched on Monday, August 3rd.
And - Apple has removed Fortnite from its App Store, preventing players from installing one of the world's most popular games on iPhones.
It came after a Fortnite update that let players buy in-game currency at a lower rate if they bought direct from maker Epic Games - bypassing Apple.
Epic appeared to know the ban would come, announcing it had filed a legal complaint minutes after the removal.
Sport
Football - RB Leipzig beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in last night's match to reach their first champions league semi final just 11 years after their formation.
Cricket - England's bowlers grabbed the upper hand in the second Test against Pakistan on a rain-affected first day in Southampton.
After last week's superb victory at Emirates Old Trafford, victory in Southampton would give England a first series win over Pakistan in 10 years.
Formula One - Lewis Hamilton has no concerns about the introduction of a rule that appears to be aimed at slowing Mercedes down.
F1 bosses are considering a rule that would prevent the use of high-power modes in qualifying, with which rivals believe Mercedes have an advantage.
But Hamilton said: "It is obviously to slow us down, but I don't think it will get the result they want.
Weather
Sunny with a gentle breeze across the coast highs of 29 degrees in Nice, Antibes and Cannes. 35 degrees in Saint Tropez reaching up to 37 degrees inland in the Var.
This evening going down to 22 degrees in Antibes and 19 degrees in Saint Maxime with clear skies.
The outlook for the weekend remaining fine and sunny on Saturday clouding over by Sunday in the Alpes Maritimes with storms forecast.
Potential presence of broken glass in pizzas. A recall has been issued for several pizzas distributed by Auchan Avallon in France due to the potential...
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The Riviera's ski resorts are celebrating a record winter season.
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The Monegasque government informed its residents today that a fraudulent call campaign is currently targeting the Principality, mainly the most vulner...
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A new study suggests businesses in the Alpes-Maritimes are losing millions of euros per year and hundreds of thousands of hours of workers' time due t...
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Food safety inspectors plan to carry out 100,000 checks on French restaurant and bakeries this year, almost twice as many as last year, to coincide wi...
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