Lunchtime News Monday 14th February 2022

News

Weather warning - The weather warning issued for the hinterland of the Alpes Maritimes has been increased to an orange alert due to snow and ice forecast. Meanwhile the Var region has been placed on a yellow weather warning with thunderstorms expected this Monday afternoon. Heavy rain is forecast particularly in the east of the department, especially in and around the town of Brignoles. The warning is in place from 2pm to 7pm this evening.

Freedom convoy heading for Brussels despite demonstration ban - Despite a demonstration ban issued by the Belgian authorities in Brussels, the 'Freedom convoy' this morning headed for the capital city. After stopping around Lille on Sunday evening, some vehicles crossed the border overnight, and were on the outskirts of Brussels this Monday morning. From Brest to Toulouse via Nice and Strasbourg, the movement which calls itself the "freedom convoy" first reached Paris this weekend, before joining the north of France, on the road to Brussels. 1,300 vehicles were gathered near Lille last night, and some left overnight for the neighboring capital. The French movement brings together opponents of the vaccination pass but also demonstrators with social demands relating to purchasing power and the cost of energy. In addition to France, other processions from European countries should join them in Brussels, from Portugal, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Total applies discount – Meanwhile the oil company Total has applied a discount of around 10 centimes per liter for all French municipalities with less than 6,000 inhabitants and throughout Corsica.

Covid curve continues to decline in the Alpes Maritimes - The covid curve in the Alpes Maritimes continues to decline. For a third consecutive week the incidence rate has dropped now below 1,500 per 100,000 cases a figure not reached since the end of 2021.  The rate in the Alpes-Maritimes is below the national average of 1,780 and the department is now among those with the lowest. According to Public Health France 118,611 new cases were identified on Saturday, February 12.

Rules for the vaccination pass to change from tomorrow Tuesday 15th February – Meanwhile from tomorrow Tuesday February 15th, the rules for keeping or obtaining, the vaccine pass in France are set to change. According to the government spokesman Gabriel Attal "between three and five million French people" risk losing their vaccines pass, due to not having had the booster dose.

Man shot at by police in Paris - A man has been injured after being shot at by police officers in Paris. The incident occurred this morning at around 7am. The man reportedly threatened a police patrol inside the Gare du Nord in Paris. Two police officers fired the shots, as the suspicious individual was walking in their direction brandishing a knife. France's Interior Minister has since praised the action of the police.

SNCF Connect is maybe not so connected - France transport Minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, has asked the SNCF to "solve as soon as possible" the malfunctions of its new digital application. Since the recent launch of SNCF Connect there have been numerous hiccups such as, loss of travel documents, problems reading QR codes and difficulty in accessing the service to cancel a ticket. In response the CEO of the SNCF has promised that improvements will be made by the end of March.  

Father accidentally blocks internet and phone connections - A father, who was only intending to stop his own children from going online at night has accidentally blocked phone and internet connections for several nights, across two communes in France. The father who lives in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine now risks a six-month prison sentence and a 30,000 euros fine. The man had installed a "band wave jammer" thinking it would only block his children's access and did not realise that the device would work across such a large radius.

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