Evening Update Tuesday 23 June 2020

The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has reactivated the Heatwave Plan. The mayor said that the city is "deploying measures to prevent and protect against the dangers of the heat wave", particularly in regard to the most vulnerable. He reminded people that children and the elderly are most at risk during periods of extreme heat. He said that new water mist machines are being installed in public spaces and schools. A special heatwave brigade will educate citizens about good behavior in public spaces. He also issued a telephone number which can be used to report an isolated person, the number is 04 93 135 135, and the Allo Mairie Nice app can be used to find a map of available water points in the city.

The anti-terrorism prosecutor has requested that nine people be referred to the special anti-terrorism court in Paris in connection with the Nice attack in July 2016. The prosecutor alleges that the nine were involved with the attack in various ways, for example by supplying a weapon, being informed of the plan or by being present in the rental truck used in the attack.

A member of the Scientific Council which advises the French government on the coronavirus outbreak has said that it's "very likely" that there will be a second wave of the virus. Bruno Lina was speaking in a television interview this morning.  The Council has sent a document to the government in which it said "an intensification of the circulation" of the coronavirus in the northern hemisphere "at a more or less distant date (a few months, and in particular at the approach of winter) is extremely likely". The Council said that their forecast was based on three factors- the lack of collective immunity, the wide circulation of the virus in other regions of the world and the experience of influenza pandemics.

According to a survey published in French newspaper Le Monde, 75% of hospital workers say they have suffered from "a lack of protection at work" and 70% from a "lack of resources". 63% of hospital workers also said they had suffered from health problems while 69% said they were "pessimistic about the future". However, 87% of respondents to the survey said that they had "felt useful" and 84% were "proud of their mission".

The family of a delivery driver who died after being restrained by police in Paris have called for calm after new information emerged about his arrest. Cederic Chouviat was stopped by police on his scooter in January and according to reports of a video filmed of his arrest, had said that he was unable to breathe whilst being restrained by the neck. The four officers involved in the arrest have been questioned but have not been suspended. At a media conference this morning, M. Chouviat's daughter said that his family are waiting for "a solemn answer" from President Macron. The lawyer representing two of the officers has said that it is "extremely likely" that the officers did not hear the shouts of M. Chouviat.

The Compagnie Monégasque de Banque has presented a cheque for over 470,000 euros to the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco. In a period of just one month, CMB took up the challenge of raising funds from its customers. In total, 470,955 euros was collected, of which 100,000 euros was donated by the bank itself. The funds will enable the hospital to respond more quickly to the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic in the coming months. The donations made by CMB and its customers will directly impact services involved in treating Covid-19 including funding respirators, laboratory automation, neuro-muscular stimulators, pulmonology monitoring equipment, ultrasound scanners and operating theater devices.

A petition has been launched to protest at the number of helicopter flights in the St Tropez area. The petition has been started by a German resident who has a villa in Ramatuelle. Last summer he commissioned a survey which established that almost one hundred flights had an impact on his villa in the course of one day. The local mayor, Roland Bruno, was one of the first people to sign the petition.

 

BUSINESS

The former head of payments firm Wirecard has been arrested in Germany. Markus Braun, who resigned last Friday, handed himself in to prosecutors in Munich yesterday evening after a judge issued an arrest warrant. Prosecutors allege that he inflated Wirecard's finances to make it appear healthier to investors and customers. The company's auditors refused to sign off the firm's 2019 accounts because €1.9bn couldn't be located.

A widely watched survey has shown a record rise in UK business activity in June. The IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers Index recorded a figure of 47.6 in June. A figure below 50 indicates contraction, but the new data was still a big increase from the figure of 30 recorded in May. The equivalent figure for French private sector activity in June was 51.3.

A UK motor industry body has said that measures are needed to safguard jobs in the industry. A survey by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders suggests that up to one in six employees in the industry are at risk of redundancy. Over 6,000 job losses have already been announced in the UK motor industry in the past few weeks.


SPORT

Tennis... Novak Djokovic has tested positive for Covid-19. The news comes after three players at the Adria Tour competition all revealed they had the virus. Djokovic played against one of those players, Viktor Troicki, in the first match at the tournament in Belgrade. Djokovic said on his website that he is not showing any symptoms.

Football.. Blackpool Airport has suspended banner flights after the message 'White Lives Matter Burnley' was towed by an aeroplane over Manchester City's stadium during yesterday's match against Burnley. In a statement, the airport said the decision to fly the banner was taken entirely by the banner flying company without the knowledge or approval of the airport or Blackpool Council. Burnley said that the banner "in no way represents" what the club stands for and that they will "work fully with the authorities to identify those responsible and take appropriate action".

In other football news, Neil Warnock has replaced Jonathan Woodgate as head coach at Middlesborough. Warnock was last with Cardiff City, which he left last November. Middlesborough are currently in 21st place in the Championship.

Cricket.... England director of cricket Ashley Giles says that he doesn't believe the tour by Pakistan this summer is in doubt despite three Pakistan team members testing positive for the coronavirus. Giles said "we're far enough away from the Test series to not worry about that too much at the moment".

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