French and Riviera News Monday 6th September 2021

News 

Drop in number of covid cases - France's Director of General Health Jérome Salomon has claimed that the number of covid cases in France has “dropped by 20% in one week”. For several days, the number of cases and hospitalized patients has been falling, possibly signaling the end of the fourth wave.

The number of hospitalized patients, which fell below the 11,000-mark last week, fell again at the weekend, to 10,654. Salomon said that the French government will be paying "particular attention to the start of the school year" because of the return from vacation, the return to work and the start of the school year, “will inevitably lead to people mixing and therefore a risk of an epidemic rebound”.

However, the epidemic indicators have not improved everywhere in France. With, "the situation remaining very difficult in the overseas territories" and hospital pressure is still high in the Bouches-du-Rhône (924 hospitalized, including 213 in critical care), in Martinique (654, ​​including 151 in critical care) and in Guadeloupe (596, including 89 in critical care).

Vaccine booster campaign – The covid vaccine booster campaign has started for those over 80 in Nice. Launched last Wednesday in France, for the elderly and vulnerable, about 100,000 people over 80 are registered in the Nice Alpes Côte d’Azur region.

Prime Minister says antivaxxers must not be mocked – Meanwhile after an eighth weekend of mobilization against the health pass, France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex has said that “we should not make fun of those who protest against the measures to fight against covid” adding that “amongst the antivaxxers, there are people who are not informed and are scared and you should never make fun of people who are afraid". Castex concluded that “it is our responsibility to explain the reality and emphasis that never before has a vaccine been so closely monitored”.

Researchers in Nice make breakthrough in the treatment of migraines - Researchers from Nice have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of migraines. Considered by the World Health Organisation to be one of the most disabling illnesses in the under 50s, researchers from the region have discovered a new therapeutic approach which could give considerable hope to many sufferers. The next step in the research, conducted by Guillaume Sandoz, director of research at the Institut de Biologie Valrose (iBV) in Nice, is to test the treatment already tested on animals on humans.

Promenade closed following accident - The Promenade des Anglais in Nice has been briefly closed after a collision between a cyclist and a scooter. The accident occurred on Saturday evening shortly after 10.30pm and left two people slightly injured. Traffic was interrupted near the Radisson Hotel in the direction of the airport.

Crit’Air pollution car stickers - Meanwhile Nice and Cannes are amongst six communes in the Alpes Maritimes which have introduced Crit'Air pollution car stickers. The Nice-Côte d’Azur area joins a list of low emission zones in France where entry will be limited to vehicles rated Crit’Air 4 or over. The Crit’Air rating is a mark out of five indicating how much pollution a vehicle produces. Motorists need to apply for a Crit’Air certificate which must be displayed on the vehicle’s windscreen.

November 13th trial - The trial of the November 13th terror attack opens this Wednesday September 8th and is to be held for nearly nine months before the special periodic court. The attack which left 130 dead on the evening of November 13th, 2015 is the deadliest attack ever committed in France. There will be 1,800 civil parties of about twenty nationalities, 300 lawyers and 141 accredited media as well as the general public.

Mayor of Paris expected to run for presidency - The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, is expected to announce her candidacy for the 2022 presidential election by the end of the week according to French media. The possible candidacy of Hidalgo has been the subject of speculation for several weeks. Last Wednesday, the mayor of Lille Martine Aubry already gave her support to the mayor to represent the Socialist Party in 2022.

35% of French women dissatisfied with their sex life - A survey carried out by IFOP has shown that 35% of French women are dissatisfied with their sex life. 5,026 women from France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK participated in the survey between March 1 to 5, 2021. Results showed that in general women were having less sex today than five years ago and that 35% of respondents in France said they were not satisfied with their sex life, which is higher than in the four other countries.

Police boat which disappeared in a storm, appears for sale a year later, online - A police boat which disappeared in strong winds off the coast of Normandy in September of last year has been spotted for sale on the internet, a year later. The dingy at the time had broken its mooring off the coast of Granville Normandy.

Business

Asian shares have been mixed today as investors reacted to disappointing US non-farm payroll numbers at the end of last week. The employment report showed a much smaller increase in jobs than expected but also a pickup in wages. The development has clouded the outlook for global growth and inflation. Longer dated Treasury yields have nudged higher as a result and the yield curve has steepened. Some analysts say that the Federal Reserve is now in a difficult position as it balances risks of a sharp demand slowdown against those of tight supply and inflation.

Oil prices have extended losses today after Saudi Arabia slashed crude prices for Asia over the weekend, signalling demand concerns and that global markets are well supplied. Brent crude was down by 1.2% a little earlier to $71.71 with West Texas intermediate also down 1.2% at $68.45. The Saudi state oil giant Saudi Aramco told customers in a statement on Sunday that it will be cutting October official sales prices for all crude grades sold to Asia by at least one dollar a barrel. The price cuts were larger than expected. The decline in crude futures added to falls on Friday following the weaker than expected US jobs report which indicated a patchy economic recovery could mean slow fuel demand during a resurgent pandemic.

Bitcoin has risen back above $50,000. The worlds biggest and best known cryptocurrency is up by 81% from a low of $27,734 on the fourth of January. The price of bitcoin has been rising steadily over the past few weeks while ethereum has also been posting strong gains and has risen by 17 percent since the start of August. Some experts are forecasting a big move for bitcoin in the near future but are refusing to be drawn on which direction it may be heading.

Sport

Paralympics - The Paralympic games in Tokyo have ended with China way ahead at the top of the medals table. China ended the games with 96 gold medals with Great Britain putting in a fantastic performance to finish second with 41 gold medals and the USA in third with 37.

Formula One – The Dutch Grand Prix was a sea of orange on Sunday as Max Verstappen won his home race to take the lead in the drivers’ championship. Verstappen won easily in the end although Lewis Hamilton did push hard but didn’t have the rubber to challenge at the finish. He had to settle for second with Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes in third place. The victory gives Verstappen a three point lead over Lewis Hamilton heading into the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next weekend.

Cricket – England require a record run chase if they’re to win the fourth Test against India at the Oval. On day three India were finally dismissed for 466 in their second innings with Rohit making 127. England require 368 to win the match and had reached 77 without loss at stumps. Play resumes at noon on the final day.

Football – England kept up their 100% record in World Cup qualifying with a 4–0 victory over Andorra at Wembley. In other results Wales were 3–2 winners in Belarus thanks to a Gareth Bale hat-trick. Germany thrashed Armenia 6–0 and Spain beat Georgia 4–0. European champions Italy stuttered again as they were held to a 0-0 draw in Switzerland.

Tennis – Dan Evans is out of the US Open after being beaten in straight sets by Daniel Medvedev. Medvedev has not dropped a set so far in the tournament came through 6–3 6–4 6–3.

In the women’s event, the Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez has reached the last 8 following a shock win over Angelique Kerber. Fernandez backed up her win over Naomi Osaka with a 4-6 7-6 6-2 victory over Kerber to set up a quarter final meeting with Elina Svitolina.

Rugby Union – New Zealand have beaten Australia 38–21 in the Bledisloe Cup as they continued their impressive start to the Rugby Championship. The All Blacks led 18–0 at halftime despite being reduced to 14 men for 20 minutes after Jordie Barrett was sent off. New Zealand are top of the Rugby Championship table after two games and host Argentina on the 12th of September while Australia play in South Africa.

Cycling – Primoz Roglic has won the Vuelta a Espana for the third straight time after claiming victory in the final stage time trial. Roglic ended with a winning margin of 4 minutes 42 seconds, the biggest win in the event since 1997. Enric Mas of Spain ended second with Jack Haig of Australia in third.

Weather

Mainly fine in coastal areas with some thunder in the mountains later and light to moderate easterly or variable winds. Top temperatures 26-28 degrees. Overnight lows of 19-22 degrees with clear skies.

Tuesday and Wednesday - Mainly fine with highs of 26-28 degrees.

And Finally 

Mullet fans have a new hero after a Belgian truck driver's short-to-long locks have been deemed Europe's best at a festival in central France. The iconic haircut of the 1980s, saw 500 die hard fans take part. As Nicolas Vanderkelen clinched the crown for the best mullet at the 2021 Mullet Cup in the French village of Cheniers. One participant claimed, “It's a way of life, of being able to laugh at yourself”.

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