News
Man dies after being hit by a tram in Nice - A man in his fifties has died after being hit by a tram in Nice. The incident occurred on Sunday evening on line 2 of the tramway shortly after 8pm. The tram was arriving at the tram stop in Ferber when the man was hit and became stuck underneath the tram. Emergency services intervened but the man died at the scene from his injuries. An investigation to determine the exact circumstances has been opened by police.
Strong winds forecast for the Var - Météo France has issued a yellow weather warning due to extremely strong gusts of wind expected in the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region, particularly in the Var region. Gusts of up to 130km an hour are forecast today Monday January 31st inland in the Var and up to 110km along the coast. The prefecture has called for vigilance.
Fire at campsite in Grimaud - A fire has broken out at a campsite in Grimaud in the Var. Firefighters intervened on Saturday night shortly after 9pm at the Prairies de la mer campsite which at this time of year was fortunately unoccupied. The rapid intervention of emergency services made it possible to avoid the spread of the flames. For reasons still to be determined the fire broke out in an unoccupied 20-square-metre mobile home. An investigation has been opened.
Decline in covid incidence rate for the Alpes Maritimes - The Alpes Maritimes has recorded a decline in the covid incidence rate for the 6th consecutive day on Sunday January 30th. According to data published on Sunday by Public Health France, the number of positive cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants was 3,657, compared to 3,858 the day before. It peaked at 4,280 on January 21. A record since the beginning of the epidemic. Over the last 7 days, the incidence rate has fallen by 15% in the Alpes-Maritimes, a first since October. 593 Covid positive patients were hospitalized in the Alpes-Maritimes, compared to 597 the day before and 88 patients were still in intensive care this Sunday compared to 90 the day before.
Monaco reports 45 new cases and the death of a 90-year-old resident - In Monaco, 45 new positive cases of covid were identified on Sunday 30th January, bringing the total number of residents affected since the beginning of the pandemic to 8,308. On Sunday, the government announced the death of a 90-year-old resident due to covid bringing the total number of deaths from covid in Monaco to 47. The government has called for the importance of vaccination and expressed its condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased. 87 people are currently in hospital and 312 are being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre.
National figures of covid cases also decreasing - On a national level in France more than 338,000 new cases of coronavirus infection (on average over 7 days) were recorded on Sunday, according to figures from health authorities, a figure that has been falling every day slightly since midweek.
Trick to get a positive covid result being used by some students - Meanwhile a trick used by students, which originated in the UK, has seen coca cola, lemon or even ketchup used to distort a covid test result. Making the rounds on social media and viewed millions of times students, in an attempt to skip lessons, have found that certain use of acidic liquids such as beer, lemon or kiwi make self-tests show a positive result.
Leading cities and villages of France - Published in the Journal du Dimanche the leading cities and villages of France have been revealed. In the ranking, which looked at both the quality of life and the proximity of services, the village of Guéthary in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques took first place and in terms of cities if was Angers that came top followed by Annecy. Large cities such as Paris, Marseille or Lyon were in decline in the ranking. The capital is 66th (-11 places compared to the 2021 ranking), Lyon is 63rd (-7 places) and Marseille 93rd (-8). On the other hand, some other major cities are doing better than before moving up in the ranking with Nice (7th), Rennes (10th) and Bordeaux (14th).
Monaco qualified for the French football cup - Monaco has qualified for the quarterfinals of the French cup despite some fears against Lens. In a spectacular match on Sunday evening the players of the Principality defeated the northerners 4-2.
Business
Asian shares have made cautious gains this morning at the start of a week that's likely to see a rise in UK interest rates and mixed reports on US jobs and manufacturing. Data out on Sunday showed Chinese factory activity slowing as a resurgence in coronavirus cases and tough lockdown measures hampered production and demand. The standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine remains a major problem for markets with concerns that a Russian invasion would reduce vital gas supplies to Western Europe and oil prices remain high. Crude is currently at near seven year highs having climbed for 6 straight weeks as geopolitical tensions increased concerns about tight energy supplies.
In New York, bargain hunters are studying stock values on the back of a large decline since the start of the year. The S&P 500 has dropped by 9 percent since the start of 2022 while the Nasdaq is in correction territory after a nearly 15 percent fall. Buying after pullbacks has benefited many investors over the past two years when the Federal Reserve's prolonged loose monetary policy through the pandemic sent stocks from one record high to the next. The outlook for equities has now shifted dramatically with markets pricing in up to 5 interest rate hikes before the end of 2022. Some analysts are saying that it's still too early to buy the dip and that the S&P 500 could still fall by a further 8 percent before the correction is complete.
The US dollar has risen to a near 18 month high against the euro this morning with volatile equity markets set to push it even higher in the short term as investors eye upcoming UK, European and Australian central bank meetings. The euro was trading at 1 US dollar 11.48 a little earlier today, just off Friday's low of 1 US dollar 11.11. The dollar had its best week in 7 months last week supported by investors seeking safety amid a sell-off in riskier assets and by analysts raising forecasts for a series of US interest rate hikes. Market pricing is now suggesting a more than 90 percent chance of at least 4 interest rate hikes before the end of the year and possibly 5.
Sport
Tennis - Rafael Nadal has won a record breaking 21st Grand Slam title with victory over Daniil Medvedev in an epic 5 set thriller at the Australian Open. Nadal lost the first two sets but came storming back to win the match 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5 in a match lasting well over 5 hours. He’s now won more Grand Slam titles than any other man in the history of the modern game and said afterwards that the victory had given him “new energy” to continue playing.
Football - There were 2 games in the English Championship on Sunday. Derby came from behind to draw 2-2 at home with Birmingham while Cardiff dented Nottingham Forest’s playoff chances with a 2-1 home win.
Cricket - West Indies have beaten England 3-2 in the five match T20 series thanks to victory in the final match in Barbados. West Indies made 179-4 from their 20 overs. In reply, England could only manage 162 all out from 19.5 overs with Jason Holder taking 4 wickets in the final over to secure the win.
Rugby Union - There were 2 games in the Gallagher Premiership on Sunday. Leicester lost for only the second time this season with a 35-26 defeat at Sale while Wasps beat second place Saracens 26-20.
Golf - Viktor Havland of Norway has won the Dubai Desert Classic after beating Richard Bland of England in a play-off. Both players had finished on 12 under par with Havland winning at the first extra hole. Rory McIlroy who was in contention found the water at the 18 to end his chances.
American Football - The Los Angeles Rams will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. The Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 to win the NFC Championship while the Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-25 in the AFC Championship. Super Bowl LVI will be played at the Rams’ So-Fi stadium on February the 13th.
Weather
Partially cloudy with a strong Mistral developing across the Var with gusts of up to 85 km/h. Top temperatures 13-15 degrees. Overnight lows of 4-7 degrees with clear skies and remaining windy.
Tuesday and Wednesday - Fine but remaining very windy. Highs of 14-16 degrees.
And Finally
Women's health experts have warned that women's health could be put at risk by replacing words such as 'mother' with more 'inclusive' terms such as 'birth-givers'. According to a report due to be published this week the greater use of gender-neutral terms can have 'unintended consequences that have serious implications for women and children'.
While the authors said that language meant to be inclusive of transgender people was appropriate in some circumstances, they argued against removing references to the sex of mothers in research and medical information. The experts warned that using terms such as 'pregnant people' instead of 'women' in some contexts risks dehumanising women and threatens to unravel decades of work in improving the visibility of women in medicine.
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