News
Gusts of up to 130km/h registered in the Var region - Winds of up to 130km an hour have been recorded in the Var region on Tuesday February 15th. Meteo France also registered gusts of 104km an hour in Toulon and 90km an hour in Frejus and Le Rayol Canadel. According to forecasts the high winds will have fallen by this morning before picking up again later this afternoon and are expected to last until Friday.
Covid cases and deaths in the Var and the Alpes Maritimes - As the number of covid cases in the Var and the Alpes Maritimes continues to drop, the regional health agency for the Var has recorded 59 deaths in hospitals in the region in the past week and 40 in the Alpes Maritimes. Latest figures for the Var show that 271 people are still hospitalized with covid and 67 are in intensive care. In the Alpes Maritimes the figure is higher with 315 people hospitalized and 72 patients are in intensive care. Since the beginning of the pandemic 2,662 people have died from covid in the Var and 2,671 lives have been lost to covid in the Alpes Maritimes.
Monaco - In Monaco 32 new cases were detected on Tuesday bringing the total number of residents affected to 9,085. Twenty-seven people are currently in hospital and there are no patients in intensive care. 108 people are being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre.
Easing of covid restrictions - Today Wednesday 16th February, marks a new stage in the easing of health restrictions as nightclubs reopen in France and the consumption of food and drink is once again allowed at the bar of a restaurant, in cinemas and stadiums, as well as public transport. As nightclubs reopen their doors, after ten weeks of closure, the vaccination pass remains compulsory in order to access a club. However, as the requirement to have had a booster jab came into play on Tuesday 15th February for a pass to remain valid, the French government has since announced an extension of one week before the new regulations come into force.
Supermarket introduces “silent hour” for customers with autism - The Carrefour Lingostière hypermarket in Nice has announced on its Facebook page, that the store is to introduce a "silent hour" every day from 4pm to 5pm. The move aims to facilitate access to the supermarket for people with autism. During the dedicated hour lighting and noise will be reduced to accommodate customers with autism who prefer calmer surroundings.
New app to find lost items in Antibes - A new application called “Troov” can help find lost items in Antibes. The app which is associated with the city council will increase the chances of finding lost objects in the city. The service is free and available via an application or simply via the website troov.com.
Historic result for Monaco at the Winter Olympics - It was a historic result for the Monegasque bobsleigh team at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday as Rudy Rinaldi and Boris put on a fine performance in the last two rounds of the competition finishing in 6th place. Monaco’s best ranking at the Winter and Summer Olympics.
French Cup semi-final to be played in Nice – Meanwhile, in football following the home win against the Olympique de Marseille, the semi-final of the French Cup between Versailles and OGC Nice is to be played at the Allianz Riviera on Tuesday March 1st at 9 p.m. The match is to be played in Nice as the club from the Paris region does not have an approved stadium and has not found a suitable stadium to host the meeting. Originally scheduled for Sunday February 27th, at 1 p.m., Strasbourg-Nice is now scheduled for Saturday February 26th at 5pm, while Monaco-Reims is rescheduled for Sunday February 27 at 1pm.
Business
Global stock markets have rallied on hopes that military tensions over Ukraine could ease after Russia said that it was recalling some of its troops from the country’s border. Although NATO and Western powers said that it was too early to say whether the crisis has receded, markets across the world reacted positively on comments by the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a press conference in Moscow with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Scholz said that both sides had agreed that they wanted to ensure peaceful development in Europe and that there would be no military invasion of Ukraine. He warned however that if there was an invasion, it would have “far reaching consequences”. Later on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said that the reported troop withdrawals from the Ukrainian border “would be good” but warned that a Russian attack was “still very much a possibility”. Oil prices fell back on the day’s developments and were down by as much as 4 percent on Tuesday.
Disney has appointed an executive who will focus exclusively on the entertainment giant’s plans for the metaverse. Mike White, who’s been with the corporation for 10 years will lead a team focusing on “Next Generati
