French and Riviera News Tuesday 15th September 2020

Local

Road accident - Three people have been injured following a road accident on Monday evening. The accident occurred on the Boulevard de Cessole in Nice when two cars collided head on.

Emergency services intervened and police have launched an investigation into the cause of the collision.

Covid-19 - Due to a sharp spike in Covid-19 infections the use of hospital beds by coronavirus patients in Marseille is "close to saturation".

The incidence rate has risen to 312 per 100,000 since September with surgeries being reduced in order to cope with the situation.

Measures - The Prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhone announced new coronavirus restrictions in the department on Monday.

Amongst various measures, the Prefect said that wearing a mask will be compulsory from 6 am to 2 am in municipalities where the incidence rate is greater than 100 cases in 100,000, except for large natural spaces. Gatherings of more than 1,000 people will be prohibited in those areas which have over 100 cases per 100,000 people and gatherings of more than 10 static people will prohibited on beaches and in the public gardens.

Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur - Meanwhile, the Director General of the Regional Health Agency in the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur region has said that 139 people are in intensive care in the region and 64 intensive care beds are currently available.

Speaking on Monday evening Philippe de Mester said that there was a "particularly worrying" epidemic situation in Marseille and in the Bouches-du-Rhône department.

Monaco – Six new cases of Covid-19 were declared in the Principality on Monday bringing the total number of residents affected by Covid-19 to 177.

39 people are currently being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre.

National day of Action - Disruption to public transport in our region is expected on Thursday after a national day of action was called by several unions. Although full details are not known at this stage, Lignes d'Azur say that the three tramlines in Nice and over twenty bus lines won't be operating on Thursday.

National

5G - France's Economy Minister has called for 5G mobile phone services to be rolled out as soon as possible, saying any delay would disadvantage the French market.

His comments have angered dozens of MPs, who have signed a petition calling for it to be postponed until studies are carried out into the effects on health and the environment.

Bruno Le Maire insisted that any delay in getting 5G technology up and running would be “handing a gift to our enemies and our competitors”.

It comes as the country gears up to attribute frequencies for the roll out of the mobile telephone network at the end of the month.

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing hospitalised - Former President of the Republic, 94-year-old Valéry Giscard d’Estaing has been admitted to hospital in Paris. According to reports the former head of state was admitted on Monday his last public appearance dates back to September last year when he attended the funeral of another former President Jacques Chirac.

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was the youngest President of the Republic when he was elected in 1974.

Tour de France - The Elysée has said that President Macron will be present at the 17th stage of the Tour de France tomorrow. It's taking place between Grenoble and Méribel. President Macron will be present at the finishing line at the end of the 174km stage.

Warm weather - Much of France will experience a heatwave in the early part of this week according to Meteo France. In unusual conditions for mid-September, temperatures could approach 37 degrees in localized areas of south-west France and 36 in some central parts of the country. Meteo France believe that the record mid-September temperature for Paris of 33.2 degrees set in 1947 could be broken.

Business

Asian shares have moved lower today as investors shifted focus to upcoming data and central bank meetings.

Positive developments around potential coronavirus vaccines and increased deal activity have kept a lid on losses with Astrazenica saying that had resumed UK clinical trials of its potential Covid-19 vaccine while Pfizer and BioNTech said that they were planning to expand their phase 3 trial to around 44,000 participants.

On the data front ,Chinese industrial production and retail sales for August are expected to show an improvement with house price data for last month also due to be published.

US retail sales figures for August will be published tomorrow.

In Washington ,the US Federal Reserve starts a two day policy meeting today and the Bank of Japan and Bank of England will announce their respective policy decisions on Thursday.

 

The owner of Mercedes Benz ,Daimler has agreed to pay one and a half billion dollars to resolve claims by the United States that it designed its diesel vehicles to cheat air pollution tests.

Daimler had been under investigation for installing software to evade emissions laws in 250,000 Mercedes cars and vans.

The firm called the deal an “important step” towards resolving diesel proceedings but denied the allegations.

The firm said that by resolving the proceedings ,it had avoided lengthy court action and respective legal and financial risks.

The US government said that it hoped that the fine would deter future misbehavior.

Daimler has also agreed to pay 700 million dollars to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by owners.

 

And-Major oil producing nations have warned of a bleak future for worldwide fuel demand owing to the coronavirus pandemic’s continued effect on the global economy.

The virus resulted in a sharp downturn in fuel demand in the spring  ,causing consumption to fall by a third .

Demand has picked up over the summer  but with some countries now experiencing a resurgence of the virus ,further lockdowns could now hamper the recovery.

In its monthly report published on Monday ,Opec said that “risks remain elevated and skewed to the downside”.

The novel-coronavirus has infected more than 29 million people worldwide with some 925,000 deaths in 9 months.

Opec said that world demand for crude would fall by 9.46 million barrels per day this year as it cuts its 2020 outlook.

Brent crude was trading at 39 dollars 58 a little earlier today with West Texas Intermediate at 37 dollars 24.

Sport

Cycling-The Tour de France resumes today after Monday’s rest day with Primoz Roglic looking to extend his lead at the top of the general classification.

The Slovenian leads the field by 40 seconds from compatriot Tadej Pogacar with Rigoberto Uran a distant third.

Today’s 16th stage is 164 kilometers between La Tour du Pin and Villard de Lans and features three tricky climbs.

It’s set to be a day of consolidation with more difficult challenges later in the week as the race reaches its climax in Paris on Sunday.

Football-There were two games in the English Premier League last night with Wolves winning 2-0 away at Sheffield United and Chelsea 3-1 winners at Brighton.

Tennis-Andy Murray has been given a wildcard to the main draw of the French Open later this month.

The 33 year old hasn’t appeared at the event since he lost in the semi-finals to Stan Wawrinka in 2017.

He reached the final in 2016.

Formula 1-The FIA is investigating whether a t-shirt worn by Lewis Hamilton at last weekend’s Tuscan Grand Prix breached its rules on political statements.

Hamilton wore a shirt highlighting police brutality in the United States and the FIA said that it would be looking to establish whether the garment constituted a political statement.

Hamilton said that he wanted to raise awareness that people are being killed on the street.

Weather

Clear skies with light variable winds.

Top temperatures 28-30 degrees.

Overnight lows of 23 degrees on the coast and 20 degrees inland with clear skies.

Wednesday and Thursday-Clear skies with highs of 28-30 degrees tomorrow ,a little cooler on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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