Evening Update Thursday 4 June 2020

The Var and the Alpes Maritimes were on an Orange Meteo France alert earlier today as storms hit our region. The alert has now been downgraded to a Yellow level in the Var until about 10pm this evening, with no alerts remaining in the Alpes Maritimes this evening.

The Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture activated its departmental operational center this morning and the city of Nice activiated its "vigilance cell". Several roads were  closed because of floods and fallen trees. In Cannes, two bridges on the boulevard du Midi had to be closed because of heavy rain. The Quai Saint-Pierre in Cannes was also flooded. The Route de Grasse was closed for a time this morning, resulting in the diversion of bus services. The coast road in Golfe-Juan was also closed. The RM2205 on the col de la Bonette was closed at about 8.00am until further notice.

Train services were also suspended for a time between Monaco and Menton because of flooding and public parks and gardens in Nice were closed as a precautionary measure. Several areas of Antibes experienced power cuts, but most premises were expected to be reconnected by this afternoon.

A suspect has been charged with intentional homcide in the case of the fight between two neighbours in Nice. One man died in hospital shortly after the incident on Avenue de la République on Monday. The suspect is reportedly under guard in hospital in Nice.

Services on Line 2 of the Nice tramway were briefly halted this morning. Lignes d'Azur said that the disruption to services was caused by a passanger on board a tram falling and services were suspended whilst authorities intervened.

France's Secretary of State for Transport has announced that the SNCF train network will soon be selling 3 million tickets for less than 49 euros. The tickets will be mostly on TGV and Intercity services. The SNCF said it was aiming to run 100% of its daily services from June 15th and 100% of TGVs from June 24th.

The Elysee Palace has announced changes to this year's 14 July parade in Paris. The parade has traditionally been held on the Champs-Elysees but next month's event will be replaced by a military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde. The ceremony will also pay tribute to caregivers. The Elysee said that the event will feature about 2,000 participants and 2,500 guests but will not be open to the general public because of coronavirus concerns. However, that could change if the health situation improves by 14 July.

President Macron and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe are holding a meeting with unions and employers this afternoon. The President said that the meeting is to discuss measures to preserve employment and support for the most vulnerable.

It’s been announced that the Iggy Pop concert at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on September 10th has been postponed and will now take place on April 1st next year. If you have a ticket it remains valid on the new date. However, if that concert is cancelled at a later date the Grimaldi Forum ticket office will reimburse tickets through email requests through the e-mail address ticket@grimaldiforum.com


BUSINESS

The European Central Bank has said it will increase the size of its bond buying programme by €600bn to €1.35tn. The programme will run until June 2021, which is six months longer than planned. The ECB also decided to keep interest rates unchanged.

Germany's coalition government has agreed a fiscal stimulus package worth 130 billion euros. The package, which aims to boost the economy, includes tax cuts and gives €300 per child to every family in Germany.

A widely watched survey suggests that the UK construction sector contracted in May but by a less severe amount than in April. The IHS Markit construction purchasing managers index recorded a figure of 28.9 in May, up from a record low of 8.2 in April. However, a figure below 50 still indictates contraction.

Car maker Aston Martin has announced plans to cut 500 jobs, which is about one-fifth of its total workforce. Meanwhile, new figures for the UK auto industry published today show that car sales have fallen dramatically. The data published by industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that new car registrations were down by 89% in May compared to last year. Just over 20,000 cars were registered in the month, which is the lowest figure for the month of May since 1952.

 

SPORT

Football.. Shane Long has signed a new two-year contract with Southampton. The new deal runs until the end of the 2021-22 season.

Gareth Bale's agent has said that he's happy at Real Madrid and will probably see out the rest of his career at the club. Speaking to the BBC, Jonathan Barnett said that Bale is unlikely to return to the Premier League despite frequent speculation.

Rugby Union...New Zealand player Dan Carter will play for the Blues in Super Rugby. He was a free agent after finishing his spell at Kobelco Steelers in Japan. The Blues play the Hurricanes in Auckland on Sunday 14 June.

Gymnastics.. European Gymnastics have rescheduled the men’s and women’s European championships once again. The men’s competition is now scheduled for 9-13 December in Baku. The women’s event, has been moved from Paris to Kiev and will take place between 17-20 December.

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