News
Forest fire alert - Meteo France has issued a high “forest fire alert” for the Esterel and Tanneron region today. Following the warning, the forest areas of Mandelieu-la Napoule, Pégomas and Theoule sur mer will be closed to the public. The prefecture has reminded residents and visitors that any forms of fire are completely prohibited in the Alpes Maritimes region since July 1st and up until the 30th September. Forest areas in both the Var and the Alpes Maritimes are under surveillance due to the fire risk.
On Monday August 2nd shortly after 5pm firefighters managed to control a blaze which covered four hectares in Saint Aygulf. Meanwhile another fire was reported in the heart of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. The fire destroyed 2,000m² of vegetation at around 1pm on Monday just a short distance away from La Foux roundabout, next to a nursery and the mini golf course.
Travelling community moved from Sainte-Maxime to La Mole - Traffic has been disrupted in the Gulf of Saint Tropez after hundreds of people from a travelling community were moved. According to local media reports between 150 and 200 caravans were moved from Sainte-Maxime to La Mole on Monday evening causing long delays on the D98.
Group against health pass met with princely government – A facebook group mobilizing up to 3,300 people against the health pass in Monaco has met with the Ministry of State. The meeting took place on Monday afternoon and lasted nearly two and a half hours in what was described as a “peaceful dialogue where everyone was able to express and explain their position”. The health pass is due to be introduced for all in the Principality from August 23rd.
Former mayor of Cannes to stand trial for tax fraud - The deputy and former mayor of Cannes Bernard Brochand is to stand trial for tax fraud in September. According to reports the former mayor of Cannes and current dean of the National Assembly failed to mention an account in Switzerland with more than one million euros in it which he had held since 1973. 83-year-old Brochand will appear in court on September 8th in Paris.
Number of second homes in PACA has quadrupled - A survey carried out by INSEE has shown that the number of second homes in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region has quadrupled in fifty years. The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and the Var are the departments where the number of second homes has increased the most, with the Bouches-du-Rhône seeing its number of second home residencies multiply by 2.
Macron answers questions on Tik Tok and Instagram - While on holiday in the Var, French President Emmanuel Macron has interacted on social media using Tik Tok and Instagram to directly answer questions about the covid vaccination and dispel any “false rumours”. In a black T-shirt and sitting in front of a French flag, the Head of State, recalled that the vaccination is "the only weapon" in the face of the fourth wave of Covid.
The initiative of the Head of State comes as the third consecutive Saturday of demonstrations against the health pass was marked by an increased mobilization with more than 200,000 people.
On the vaccination front, 42,592,047 people have received at least one injection (i.e. 63.2% of the total population) and 35,472,139 people now have a complete vaccination schedule (i.e. 52.6% of the total population).
On the contamination side, the number of new positive cases stood at 23,471 on Saturday July 31st compared to 24,309 on Friday, with a positivity rate stable at 4.3%.
Education - The allowance for families on a modest income with children going back to school in September will be made available from August 17th. Nearly 3 million families in France representing 5 million children will benefit from between 370 and 404 euros per child, depending on their age, to help pay for schoolbooks and equipment.
Poverty - According to a recent study carried out by the CES, 28% of Europeans can’t afford to spend a week’s holiday abroad. The study published on Monday August 2nd showed that Greece was the worst affected with 88,9% threatened by poverty followed by Romania, Croatia, Cyprus and Slovakia.
Mountain tourism - Mountain tourism in France has reported a positive season so far, according to the national association of mayors located in winter resorts. Figures show a 9% increase in visitors compared to last year, with the Pyrenees coming top showing a 24% increase in July.
Business
The airline Qantas says it will stand down 2,500 staff due to the lockdown in Sydney which has impacted air travel across Australia. The airline said it would pay staff until mid-August, after which they could apply for government support payments. Since June, fresh Covid outbrea
